Everyone else seems to share the same thoughts and feelings on the differences between Unoka and Okonkwo so I'll discuss the character that I found to be the most interesting. Ikemefuna first begins to appear in chapter four and even as an outsider he has gained the respect of all those around him in a short time period. Coming from a different tribe one would think it would take him a long time to adapt to his new surroundings but this does not seem to be the case. After he gets over the worst of his homesickness, he begins to blend in with Okonkwo and his family perfectly. I think that Ikemefuna tends to represent a mixture between Okonkwo and Unoka. Ikemefuna is hard-working which Okonkwo loves, but he is also great at story telling which fits Unoka's lifestyle. He has become a great friend and older brother to Okonkwo's oldest son, Nwoye, and Ikemefuna even appears to be becoming Okonkwo's favorite child. He even takes Ikemefuna to the tribal meetings with him. Ikemefuna represents the better characteristics of both Okonkwo and Unoka. For this reason I believe Ikemefuna will be the greatest of the three as he will be able to both be successful in material possessions as Okonkwo is, but he will also live a joyous and merry life as Unoka did.
Apparently my prediction about Ikemefuna was completely wrong. Ikemefuna is now dead and doesn’t have a chance to be as great as I thought he would be. Even after they planned on killing Ikemefuna I kept feeling that he would somehow escape probably with the help of Okonkwo. I was shocked when he was actually killed and even more surprised when Okonkwo was the one that laid the final blow on him. However, Ikemefuna’s life will not be forgotten and I now believe that his death will play a major role in both the lives of Okonkwo and Nwoye. I believe that Okonkwo is going to greatly regret what he has done and will lead him into a downward spiral. Nwoye has lost his best friend and basically and older brother. He will probably resent his father at this point and turn away from him for awhile. Okonkwo is going to have to change his way of life if he ever wants to be happy again. I predict that at some point Nwoye will be in great conflict with the tribe and Okonkwo will somehow go against the tribe and save Nwoye even though this would show weakness in the eyes of the tribe. He must face his fear of being seen as a weak man if he wants to pull his family together and live a happy life.
Ikemefuna’s death has already begun to affect Okonkwo early in this section as he struggles to eat or sleep. He seems to be looking for some comfort as he goes to talk with his friend Obierika about why he did not show up to kill Ikemefuna. Obierika explains that he was not asked to go and that he felt Okonkwo should not have went. He even tells Okonkwo that a whole family could be wiped out for an action like this. This seems like it will foreshadow something major in this book and already began to when Ezinma became very ill. This struck Okonkwo hard as Ezinma is his favorite daughter and he quickly sought to help her. He seems to be doing a woman’s job as he gets the medicine she needs and is the first time he has given in to what he considers a weakness. Ikemefuna’s death seems to have changed Okonkwo for the better as he has now shown that he can be a caring father. He realizes how much it hurt him to have his “son” die and he now must do whatever it takes to keep his favorite daughter alive even to the extent of appearing unmanly. Nwoye disappeared in this section but I look for him to have a major impact in the coming one and I believe that he may confront his father in some way. I don’t think he will be able to forgive Okonkwo for his action, at least not initially, and he may start going against his word. I am interested as to how these two characters will get along now that Ikemefuna is gone because he seemed to hold them all together.
This section was probably more interesting to me than any other section so far. The priestess kept me guessing as she took Ezinma with her. I felt that Ezinma would be harmed in some way and possibly die and I believe my feelings were felt by both Ekwefi and Okonkwo. These last two sections have really shown Okonkwo’s affectionate side and love for Ezinma as he goes to protect her even against the gods, although I don’t see what he could have really done if Ezinma was being harmed. I feel that Okonkwo’s killing of Ikemefuna has cursed him once again. As soon as the man who warned Okonkwo to not take part in the killing dies, Okonkwo’s world gets spun upside down. As he accidentally kills Ezeudu’s son, he has lost everything he worked so hard to gain in his life. He has now got to move and basically start a new life over from square one again. I don’t know if he will be able to do this again and he may even be tempted to live more like his father during these next seven years of his life. This is going to be a tough time not only for Okonkwo but also for his family. I believe that Nwoye will become even more upset with Okonkwo as he seems to have ruined his entire life. First he took his best friend and now his home. I think that Nwoye will defy Okonkwo very soon and it will be interesting to me as to whether Okonkwo will act as the more affectionate man he appears to be becoming or if he will go back to his old ways and beat down Nwoye.
Okonkwo is stuck at square one again but this time he begins to doubt whether or not he can become as successful as he once was. His goal was to become a leader in the clan and he was so close to this only to have an accident take away his dream forever. However, all is not completely lost as Uchendu welcomes Okonkwo and his family to their tribe in much the same way that Okonkwo’s family took in Ikemefuna. They are accepted and seem to fit well in the new tribe. As Okonkwo’s best friend, Obierika, returns to visit, things begin to look better for Okonkwo once again as he receives bags of cowries for his yams that Obierika sold for him. Then Obierika begins to talk about the white men wiping out an entire town and when he returns two years later, he talks about the missionaries and Nwoye. Nwoye has completely gone against his father and his religion as he has joined the missionaries. This was not a complete surprise to me as Nwoye did not really have anywhere else to turn to in his life. This new religion has even surprised the clan as it has survived in the Evil Forest. Nwoye feels this religion is much better and is pleased that he can finally get away from his father and then even denies Okonkwo being his father when asked how he was doing. The converts are left alone until one of them kills the mighty python which is regarded so highly by the Mbanta. The Mbanta town debates on what actions they should take to punish these converts as they seem to be bad for their town until the man who killed the python suddenly dies. This actually seems to save the missionaries because it gives the town faith that their gods have taken care of the matter and they will no longer be forced to act. I am predicting that Nwoye and Okonkwo will soon meet each other in a harsh battle between the missionaries and the clan. This leaves me to wonder as to whether or not Okonkwo could kill another of his sons in Nwoye if he was in a fierce battle against the missionaries.
Throughout Okonkwo’s seven years of exile he has been grateful to his motherland for taking him in and treating them as they have, yet he has yearned for the return to his homeland. To show his gratefulness he treats the Mbanta to a great feast that they could not even imagine him giving. They see how appreciative Okonkwo is and Uchendu and the other elders feel that the younger generation should learn from Okonkwo. They feel that the younger generation has lost its strong bond in the clan and they fear that the new religion is breaking them up. This proves to be a reason to be fearful as Okonkwo returns to his homeland. Obierika informs him about everything that has gone on with the missionaries and Okonkwo can barely recognize his own land. He feels his land is now weak because they can not stand up to the white men and now even some of their own brothers. Okonkwo is also disappointed because the clan has barely recognized his return that he had been planning his entire seven years in exile. The new town market has grabbed the attention of the clan and Okonkwo is disgusted in this. I feel that Okonkwo will go up against the missionaries and the white men in an attempt to save his town and make himself known once again. As this would be heroic, I feel that he will inevitably fail and more than likely die because this just doesn’t seem like the type of book where he would come out on top after so many setbacks.
Overall the book wasn’t too bad and I felt it was definitely better than The Bell Jar. I was right that Okonkwo would go up against the church and would fail but I was a little surprised and disappointed that Nwoye never really appeared again in the book after he converted. I felt that these two would meet for a final time with Nwoye killing his father in revenge of Ikemefuna. I believe Okonkwo became a very noble and likable figure towards the end and I believe that his clan should have listened to him. Instead they sat around while the missionaries gained strength and numbers. They should have attacked when they had the chance because now I feel that the white men will just take them over and treat them like slaves. I believe that Okonkwo knew this and could not live the rest of his life in this manner. He decided to take a final stab at rallying a war against the church by killing the messenger but instead the rest of the clan acted cowardly. They will more than likely live the rest of their lives with little freedom because they did not act when their lead warrior, Okonkwo, had told them to. Okonkwo did himself a favor by committing suicide because he could not live under another man’s control. He had too much pride and dignity to live like that so he took his own life, dying pretty nobly in my opinion.
Didn't the passage of background information say that Antigone was a victim of Creon's hubris? Some of you are suggesting that Antigone is the tragic hero. Thoughts on that.
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Things Fall Apart
1-4
Everyone else seems to share the same thoughts and feelings on the differences between Unoka and Okonkwo so I'll discuss the character that I found to be the most interesting. Ikemefuna first begins to appear in chapter four and even as an outsider he has gained the respect of all those around him in a short time period. Coming from a different tribe one would think it would take him a long time to adapt to his new surroundings but this does not seem to be the case. After he gets over the worst of his homesickness, he begins to blend in with Okonkwo and his family perfectly. I think that Ikemefuna tends to represent a mixture between Okonkwo and Unoka. Ikemefuna is hard-working which Okonkwo loves, but he is also great at story telling which fits Unoka's lifestyle. He has become a great friend and older brother to Okonkwo's oldest son, Nwoye, and Ikemefuna even appears to be becoming Okonkwo's favorite child. He even takes Ikemefuna to the tribal meetings with him. Ikemefuna represents the better characteristics of both Okonkwo and Unoka. For this reason I believe Ikemefuna will be the greatest of the three as he will be able to both be successful in material possessions as Okonkwo is, but he will also live a joyous and merry life as Unoka did.
Things Fall Apart
5-7
Apparently my prediction about Ikemefuna was completely wrong. Ikemefuna is now dead and doesn’t have a chance to be as great as I thought he would be. Even after they planned on killing Ikemefuna I kept feeling that he would somehow escape probably with the help of Okonkwo. I was shocked when he was actually killed and even more surprised when Okonkwo was the one that laid the final blow on him. However, Ikemefuna’s life will not be forgotten and I now believe that his death will play a major role in both the lives of Okonkwo and Nwoye. I believe that Okonkwo is going to greatly regret what he has done and will lead him into a downward spiral. Nwoye has lost his best friend and basically and older brother. He will probably resent his father at this point and turn away from him for awhile. Okonkwo is going to have to change his way of life if he ever wants to be happy again. I predict that at some point Nwoye will be in great conflict with the tribe and Okonkwo will somehow go against the tribe and save Nwoye even though this would show weakness in the eyes of the tribe. He must face his fear of being seen as a weak man if he wants to pull his family together and live a happy life.
Things Fall Apart
8-10
Ikemefuna’s death has already begun to affect Okonkwo early in this section as he struggles to eat or sleep. He seems to be looking for some comfort as he goes to talk with his friend Obierika about why he did not show up to kill Ikemefuna. Obierika explains that he was not asked to go and that he felt Okonkwo should not have went. He even tells Okonkwo that a whole family could be wiped out for an action like this. This seems like it will foreshadow something major in this book and already began to when Ezinma became very ill. This struck Okonkwo hard as Ezinma is his favorite daughter and he quickly sought to help her. He seems to be doing a woman’s job as he gets the medicine she needs and is the first time he has given in to what he considers a weakness. Ikemefuna’s death seems to have changed Okonkwo for the better as he has now shown that he can be a caring father. He realizes how much it hurt him to have his “son” die and he now must do whatever it takes to keep his favorite daughter alive even to the extent of appearing unmanly. Nwoye disappeared in this section but I look for him to have a major impact in the coming one and I believe that he may confront his father in some way. I don’t think he will be able to forgive Okonkwo for his action, at least not initially, and he may start going against his word. I am interested as to how these two characters will get along now that Ikemefuna is gone because he seemed to hold them all together.
Things Fall Apart
11-13
This section was probably more interesting to me than any other section so far. The priestess kept me guessing as she took Ezinma with her. I felt that Ezinma would be harmed in some way and possibly die and I believe my feelings were felt by both Ekwefi and Okonkwo. These last two sections have really shown Okonkwo’s affectionate side and love for Ezinma as he goes to protect her even against the gods, although I don’t see what he could have really done if Ezinma was being harmed. I feel that Okonkwo’s killing of Ikemefuna has cursed him once again. As soon as the man who warned Okonkwo to not take part in the killing dies, Okonkwo’s world gets spun upside down. As he accidentally kills Ezeudu’s son, he has lost everything he worked so hard to gain in his life. He has now got to move and basically start a new life over from square one again. I don’t know if he will be able to do this again and he may even be tempted to live more like his father during these next seven years of his life. This is going to be a tough time not only for Okonkwo but also for his family. I believe that Nwoye will become even more upset with Okonkwo as he seems to have ruined his entire life. First he took his best friend and now his home. I think that Nwoye will defy Okonkwo very soon and it will be interesting to me as to whether Okonkwo will act as the more affectionate man he appears to be becoming or if he will go back to his old ways and beat down Nwoye.
Things Fall Apart
14-18
Okonkwo is stuck at square one again but this time he begins to doubt whether or not he can become as successful as he once was. His goal was to become a leader in the clan and he was so close to this only to have an accident take away his dream forever. However, all is not completely lost as Uchendu welcomes Okonkwo and his family to their tribe in much the same way that Okonkwo’s family took in Ikemefuna. They are accepted and seem to fit well in the new tribe. As Okonkwo’s best friend, Obierika, returns to visit, things begin to look better for Okonkwo once again as he receives bags of cowries for his yams that Obierika sold for him. Then Obierika begins to talk about the white men wiping out an entire town and when he returns two years later, he talks about the missionaries and Nwoye. Nwoye has completely gone against his father and his religion as he has joined the missionaries. This was not a complete surprise to me as Nwoye did not really have anywhere else to turn to in his life. This new religion has even surprised the clan as it has survived in the Evil Forest. Nwoye feels this religion is much better and is pleased that he can finally get away from his father and then even denies Okonkwo being his father when asked how he was doing. The converts are left alone until one of them kills the mighty python which is regarded so highly by the Mbanta. The Mbanta town debates on what actions they should take to punish these converts as they seem to be bad for their town until the man who killed the python suddenly dies. This actually seems to save the missionaries because it gives the town faith that their gods have taken care of the matter and they will no longer be forced to act. I am predicting that Nwoye and Okonkwo will soon meet each other in a harsh battle between the missionaries and the clan. This leaves me to wonder as to whether or not Okonkwo could kill another of his sons in Nwoye if he was in a fierce battle against the missionaries.
Things Fall Apart
19-21
Throughout Okonkwo’s seven years of exile he has been grateful to his motherland for taking him in and treating them as they have, yet he has yearned for the return to his homeland. To show his gratefulness he treats the Mbanta to a great feast that they could not even imagine him giving. They see how appreciative Okonkwo is and Uchendu and the other elders feel that the younger generation should learn from Okonkwo. They feel that the younger generation has lost its strong bond in the clan and they fear that the new religion is breaking them up. This proves to be a reason to be fearful as Okonkwo returns to his homeland. Obierika informs him about everything that has gone on with the missionaries and Okonkwo can barely recognize his own land. He feels his land is now weak because they can not stand up to the white men and now even some of their own brothers. Okonkwo is also disappointed because the clan has barely recognized his return that he had been planning his entire seven years in exile. The new town market has grabbed the attention of the clan and Okonkwo is disgusted in this. I feel that Okonkwo will go up against the missionaries and the white men in an attempt to save his town and make himself known once again. As this would be heroic, I feel that he will inevitably fail and more than likely die because this just doesn’t seem like the type of book where he would come out on top after so many setbacks.
Things Fall Apart
22-25
Overall the book wasn’t too bad and I felt it was definitely better than The Bell Jar. I was right that Okonkwo would go up against the church and would fail but I was a little surprised and disappointed that Nwoye never really appeared again in the book after he converted. I felt that these two would meet for a final time with Nwoye killing his father in revenge of Ikemefuna. I believe Okonkwo became a very noble and likable figure towards the end and I believe that his clan should have listened to him. Instead they sat around while the missionaries gained strength and numbers. They should have attacked when they had the chance because now I feel that the white men will just take them over and treat them like slaves. I believe that Okonkwo knew this and could not live the rest of his life in this manner. He decided to take a final stab at rallying a war against the church by killing the messenger but instead the rest of the clan acted cowardly. They will more than likely live the rest of their lives with little freedom because they did not act when their lead warrior, Okonkwo, had told them to. Okonkwo did himself a favor by committing suicide because he could not live under another man’s control. He had too much pride and dignity to live like that so he took his own life, dying pretty nobly in my opinion.
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