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This is an extension of our classroom. You will use this blog to communicate as a class, either in response to an assignment or in the aftermath of a seminar discussion when class flew by too quickly and there simply wasn't time to make all of your points. These posts are graded, and must use appropriate language.
Welcome to our class blog!
You should use this space for engaging in academic and school related conversations for which you will receive a grade. You should be respectful and intelligent in your posts. Treat this space, and what you say here, as if it were the classroom. Inappropriate, derogatory, and inflamatory remarks will not be tolerated.
About Me
- Ms. Soderquist
- That's me with Ishmael Beah at the writing workshop he taught with his mom, Laura Simms!
Night
Dante's Inferno
One idea that I found very interesting was the story behind why the mother of a person is always buried where they came from, no matter where they died. For instance, Okonkwo's mother was buried in her home village of Mbanta, because that is the custom, but she did not die there. It shows that they have a set of beliefs for the death of the mothers, as if it is a ritual to do this. Another idea that I found compelling was the fact that Okonkwo must be banished from his village for seven years for killing a boy by accident. After he had killed the boy, the men of his village went to his home, and even though they were not mad at him, they burned down his obi and forced him out of the village, because it is a code that they must follow. This shows a sense of punishment, almost like a jail today, where you are forced to be exiled for doing something wrong in the eyes of your society.
ReplyDeleteWhile the sotry does reveal many interesting Ideas, two in particular stood out to me. The first of which being the lengths the village shaman would go to try to remove the evil spirit of dead children. They would actually go so far as to mutilate the corpse of a recently deceased child and toss it carelessly in the woods in hopes of the evil spirit not returning. The second idea is the concept of considering a crime either a "man's crime" or a "women's crime". For instance Okonkwo killing the boy is considered a man's crime since it is indeed murder of sorts. Yet also considered a woman's crime since it was on accident. Seeming to imply women are believed to not be as equal as men even in the regards of capactiy to commit crimes.
ReplyDeleteZack :]
One idea that i found very intresting was how Okonkwo was accepted in the village of Mbanta. Mbanta was where his mother was from and buried in. In his own village, he was exiled and seen as a disasterous man stuck in the shadows of his killing. On the contrary he was accepted in Mbanta and given help with the building of a new hut and planting some crops. It is nice to see how people can treat a man such as Okonkwo with respect as he recieved before, even after his murderous deed.
ReplyDeleteI find the idea of having more than one wife very compelling. Okonkwo had three wives and is considered very worthy because of it. In our culture it is only normal for people to have only one wife. I do understand that different cultures have different ways and traditions, but I just find it different that men are held to a higher esteem if they have more wives. I think that marriage is a bond between two people not four.
ReplyDeleteAn idea that i find most compelling is the "ogbanje" which are said to be wicked children who, if they die, enter their mothers' wombs so that they can be born again. When Okonkwo goes to see the medicine man, he accuses Ekwefi's daughter, Ezinma, of being one os these. This interests me because other countries follow cultures and beliefs that are extremely different from ours. Another idea that i find most compelling to me is a man having more than one wife. This interests me because in our country, men usually have one wife. In this novel, Okonkwo has 3 wives and has children with each wife. It is interesting to think about how some behaviors and traditions are accepted in some cultures, while in other cultures, they are not accepted.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI found it compelling when Okonkwo beats Nwoye for listening to the missionaries. He says that Nwoye is no longer his son just for following the Christians. I am surprised that even Okonkwo would hold that against his son. Instead of forbidding him to go to the church in the "Evil Forest", he just disowns him. I am surprised to see that Nwoye continues to follow the Christians even after he sees how mad his father gets. Nwoye plans on spreading the word to his family. His rebelling against his father only makes Okonkwo more angry. I was astonished to see Nwoye turn on his fathers beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that I feel is most compelling is the way that their religion rules every part of their life. The people see that everything that they do has an answer in their religion. They hold some animals to a higher esteem and think that when someone does something wrong the gods will get them back for it. But as the Christian missionaries start to come in people begin to see faults in their religions. For example after one of the outcasts kills a holy python, the people do nothing and believe that within twenty-eight days the gods will get him back, when they do not things start to become shaky but nobody thinks that their gods are wrong. Although a few people change over to Christianity, mostly men with no status or outcasts, most people stay Ibo. I think that it is very compelling that people value and trust their religion enough that even when it does not always work they stay with it and believe.
ReplyDeleteThe ideas that i found to be compelling after reading TFA are that the burial of the people is always at the location in which they where orginally from. Another idea that i found to be compelling is that although that Nwoye willingly wanted to listen to the missionaries, he was beaten by Okwonkwo. Also it showed that people will not keep secrets from a higher power, even if a person is not really doing anything that is harmful.
ReplyDeleteWhat i find most compelling at the point in the novel is that though okonkwo does not want to be anything like his father, Nwoye begins to symbolize Unoka very much in thelast few chapters. I see this in the novel when Nwoye is enthralled with the Christian religion. He even wants to go to Christian school! Though okonkwo grabs Nwoye by the neck when he hears this information, Nwoye continues to listen to what he believes in --- the christian faith.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of having more than one wife is very compelling to me. It is very different from the way we Americans have only one wife. Okokwo had three wives. I also find it hard to believe that he even beats them. In the American culture it is against the law to beat your wife. I believe that each culture should follow their beliefs and traditions, but to me I think marriage should be equal and no one should be superior to the other. I feel as though it has hard to express the emotion of love if you have more than one wife because in my opinion love should only be expressed between two people.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that I find most compelling is having more than one wife. Okonkwo has three wives and has children with each one. In our culture having more then one person as your significant other would be considered cheating. Yet, in their village, the more women you have the higher your status. It is almost expected for the successful men to have more women. To be married to someone should be between one man and one woman and not shared with others. Eventhough that is their culture, I'm not saying that it is wrong but In our culture thats how it is seen.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most interesting ideas i noticed was the idea of the week of peace. Harvests are clearly important to this village. Violence seems to be equally important with many wrestling matches and dumping of twins in the evil forest. Whne a man displayed violence the week before harvest they were severely punished at one point by being dragged around the streets. This shows the idea that the people will do anything including have peace in the name of their sacred ancestors.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that I found to be compelling was how they deal with people who have killed a clansman. If it is an accident then they are exiled for seven years. if it was on purpose they would be banished for their whole lives. in our culture accidently killing is considered Manslaughter 2 which would be something like ten years in prison. the way they do it one gets to remain with their family and even prosper just in a different place.
ReplyDeleteThe most compelling idea that I found was the Evil Forest. I found this compelling because it is where the people of the village that had diseases were buried. In America we have nothing like that. When people have diseases we bury them amongst other people and not have them sepaparated. It just shows the difference of the cutltures that exist in the world and how we treat others if they are different.
ReplyDelete