Outside Reading, Week 4, Post A

Another interesting difference that I found between Okonkwo's culture and our culture is the tradition of explaining natural phenomenons with folk tales. Ekwefi and Enzima share stories with each other that while entertaining, also provide the origins of certain aspects of nature, such as why the tortoise shell is not smooth. Instead of using empirical reasoning or the scientific method, they make assumptions based on observation or mythology, which, while entertaining, exists more for the purpose of being a cultural staple than a logic explanation. Also, folk stories allow Ekwefi and Enzima to bond after dark, when "low voices reached Okonkwo's from his wives' huts as each woman and her children told folk stories" (96). While the American culture does have some weak parallels to this, such as nursery rhymes or folklore, a majority of the populous realizes that the stories are only meant for entertainment and nothing more. We, instead, believe in approaching things rationally and conducting experiments, providing reasonable and sound answers to questions.

However, despite the fact that the American answers are more factual, it's difficult to say whether or not it is better than the tribal method of folktelling. Sure, if you really need to know how a toroise shell is formed or how spiders got eight legs, it might be worth knowing the actual origin, but for the people of Africa, it probably isn't a necessity in their lives and an entertaining tale may be more valuable. The folk stories certainly enrich their culture and provide somewhat- universal truths to their children, giving families and communities a chance to bond and share a common heritage.

Outside Reading, Week 3, Post B

Okonkwo-

Okay, maybe I was a little quick to judge. It certainly seemed like you tried to redeem yourself and I was finally able to witness the stress that it placed on you as the surrogate father of Ikemefuna. You suddenly appeared to be a kind and gentle man, certainly not the tough, courageous leader you seek to be, when you starved yourself for two days after Ikemefuna's death. Although it was too late to do anything, maybe you really were a good father after all and just had a terrible lapse in judgement. Then, you showed your compassion to the rest of the family when you thrust yourself into action to save the life of your daughter Ezinma. Even though you secretly confessed that you wished she was a boy, you still admired her personality and vigor and quickly rounded up all of the ingredients necessary to save her life. A truly remarkable feat and a test of your commitment as a father.

Finally, you showed your wisdom and logic at the council of the elders, where you devised a reasonable and sensible solution to the problem of the stolen wife. In short, perhaps I was just caught up in my emotions and felt like I needed to quickly pigeonhole you so I could concentrate my hatred. It seems that you were, in fact, and loving and caring father and community leader who simply was torn between two sides and was forced to make a hasty decision.

Outside Reading, Week 3, Post A

This week, I chose to blog about the differences in marriage rituals between the tribe of Umofia and our society. I found the marriage ritual that is described in detail in chapter 8 to be quite intriguing. Like in many non-western countries, it is an arranged marriage, but with a very distinct twist. Instead of having the wife's family pay the dowry to the groom's family, the groom instead amasses a sum of wealth to pay for the bride, called the "brideprice". This, in a sense, is what the groom pays for the wife, like buying any sort of merchandise, whereas a dowry is what the wife pays for the husband. As a result of this, many times the groom attempts to return the bride and receive her "brideprice" back as a refund, resulting in a lot of conflict in the village between in laws. The brideprice seems to be a major factor for Obierika for marriage, when he states that, "My daughter's suitor is coming [...] I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride price" (65), indicating that it is a very important aspect of the marriage for him.

This, obviously, presents a stark contrast to our American marriage process, in which both the groom and bride have a mutual say in the relationship and people aren't simply "purchased" for marriage. In an American relationship, there is also generally a much higher sense of respect for the other partner, probably resulting in less spousal abuse, which is rampant in Things Fall Apart. Also, the American culture generally frowns upon polygamy, which, conversely, is widely accepted and practiced in Okonkwo's culture. This too seems to create a breakdown of basic spousal interaction between Okonkwo and his wives, using them only for food and sex.

World Issues

For my world issue, I have chosen to research water contamination in developing countries

1. "Attacking an Arsenic Plague" from Pop Sci on SIRS
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2. "To Fetch a Pail of Water" from National History on SIRS
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3. "Dean Kamen Unveils SlingShot, the Ultimate Water Regenerator" on DVICE
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Outside Reading, Week 2, Post B

Okonkwo-

What's going on, man? Seriously, it seems like you need some help. You act like you are some sort of "man's man" and an honorable warrior, but then you allow Ikemefuna to be killed? He was like a son to you! You raised him like your own since he was only a child and then you just allow him to be taken away from you and slaughtered simply because a group of senile old men think that it is best for the tribe? What happened to making a name for yourself? What happened to standing up for what you believe is right? Is that not what makes a man noble? You seemed like a pretty cool guy up until this point: you utilized all the honorable traits in a man (determination, strength, passion) to rise up from poverty and create your own estate. Why suddenly stop standing up for these ideals? What is the point of having all of these material things if you always have to be subservient to the tribal elders? What's to stop them from going after you or your things next?

Overall, I'm very disappointed and I don't know if there's anything you can do to make it right again. After commiting an atrocity such as this, I'm not sure if there's anything you can do to make yourself right again in my eyes. Betraying your son like that is so hypocritical and so disgusting, it make me wonder what else you might have to done to control so much land.

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.

Outside Reading, Week 1, Post B

One thing about the book that has fascinated me so far is the story of how Okonkwo was able to escape his father's negative shadow and build his own fortune. Through several smart and savvy deals, Okonkwo was able to gain respect in his community, create a network of relationships, and amass a large holding of yams, the measure of wealth in Okonkwo's village. Okonkwo seems to have a deep understanding of how the culture and trade relations work, despite the fact that his father was a deadbeat and never taught him anything. It seems like a bit of a plot hole and Okonkwo is seemingly born with these talents of negotiation and business, allowing him to maneuver his way into power. Also, Okonkwo is able to succeed in his farming arrangements, even though the narrator says that it was the worst weather that the elders have ever seen. This seems like another gaping plot hole. Why is it that Okonkwo is able to come out ahead, while the other farmers have all their crops burn up? It just seems like this book is taking the fictional/mystical aspect too far sometimes, and downplaying it at others, which creates for a very confusing reading experience. Sometimes Okonkwo and the others are held back by physical limitations and real reasons, yet at other times, randoms acts are attributed to the gods. I'm fine with either having a mystical book or a realistic book, but it seems too difficult to do both.