Outside Reading, Week 2, Post A

Another interesting difference that I found between the African tribal culture of Things Fall Apart and our culture is the increased emphasis on community gatherings and councils. In Okonkwo's society, everyone seems to be thinking the same things, attending the same ceremonies, and almost living the same lives. There just seems to be a few major events that define their lives every year, like the wrestling tournament, in which "the whole village turned out [...] men, women, and children" (46). It could be that I don't come from a small, rural town where apparently life is more community focussed, but it seems like these is a stark contrast to Edina life, where the community feels fragmented. Everyone is divided into their little sects and while there is some overlapping, it seems to be much more isolated than in Okonkwo's village. Just one example of this distinction is the village yam festival and wrestling contest. Everyone prepares for the festival a week ahead of time and shows up for the wrestling contest, giving the tribe a very unified air about it. On the other hand, if such an event happened in Edina, I'm sure that a large percentage of the population would attend, but it most certainly not be the entire city, as shown in Things.

Whether or not this is a bad thing is uncertain. I could certainly seem some advantages to a tighter knit community (greater support), but conversely, I could see the potential downfalls, as evidenced by the quick spread of rumors around Okonkwo's village.