3/22/2021 0 Comments Things Fall Apart Book
Quote: No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell, and which she no doubt still told to her younger children.Quote: He was a man of action, a man of warOn great occasions such as the funeral of a village celebrity he drank his palm-wine from his first human head (10).Analysis: Just in case the reader was not aware of the cultural gap between himself and the Ibo, he is introduced to Okonkwos custom of drinking palm-wine out of a human skull.
![]() Quote: Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness (13). Analysis: Okonkwo fears turning out like his father, whom he thought effeminate and weak. Okonkwos mistaken concept of masculinity leads him to commit foolish acts and ironically causes his oldest son to embody the characteristics Okonkwo despises. Quote: An old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. Analysis: One of many insightful Ibo proverbs shows the intensity with which Okonkwo despises his father. Analysis: The importance of rhetoric among the Igbo is established early in the novel, a characteristic misunderstood by the colonialists who prefer directness. Quote: He had already chosen the title of the book, after much thought: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger (209). Analysis: The District Commissioner shows his ignorance of the situation and his arrogant, racist attitude towards the indigenous tribes, mistakenly thinking hes bringing peace to the region. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart. Mr. Brown understands the need to act peaceably, as his religion teaches, in order to win converts. The Reverend Smith replaces him and oppresses the natives and polarizes the clan. Analysis: In Things Fall Apart masculinity rested on ones ability to support a family. Okonkwo, who considers himself the ultimate man of the tribe, naturally prospers as a Yam farmer. Okonkwo is motivated by fear of others thinking he is like his effeminate father. Okonkwo reminds me of my 4 10 neighbor, in denial of his shortness, who drives a giant red truck, owns two pit bulls, wears a Superman shirt, and lifts weights 4 hours a day. ![]() To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength. Analysis: Okonkwo, like many modern day troglodytish men, mistakes bravado for bravery, machismo for manliness, and anger for leadership. These mistaken concepts allow him to succeed for a season; when times change, however, he is unable to adapt.
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