Ch. 21& My final thoughts....

From the beginning of the story pretty much, I knew that Ammu and Velutha were going to have an affair. I was waiting for it and waiting. It finally said that they did, but never really discussed it. Well, that is the entire last chapter. The last chapter is about their first night together. It was unplanned, but they followed their instincts, which lead them to each other. The way it was written did not make it sound dirty or racy but very special. I like that the novel ended this way because it was the main topic that I had wondered about the entire time. The last word was 'Tomorrow.' I also liked this. It means that they would meet again tomorrow. It just made it seem like the story wasn't over even though it was.

In the last chapter, it also explains the title. Throughout the novel, they mentioned different gods. In the last chapter, the explained the God of Small Things. Ammu and Velutha's relationship was that of small things. They could not be together in public, let anyone know, or even explore the possibility of marriage or long-term commitment. They concentrated on the glances, the touches, and the feelings. To me these things are not small, but to them they were and that is all they really needed to be happy. I liked that the title was explained and had some real connection to the story.

Overall, this was a very good novel. It was a pretty fast read, but if you take your time, you are sure to get a lot out of it. Some of it was hard to follow, but I was able to figure it out. I didn't really like how sad it was but even the sad ones are good sometimes.

Ch. 19&20

Baby is at the police station because the children were brought there. The policeman she had previously talked to was not as nice as before. They had talked to the children, and they said that they went to the house voluntarily. So the policeman has a few options. He can ask the children if Velutha abducted them, get a complaint from the rape victim (Baby had said that Velutha attempted to rape Ammu), or he can get Baby for a false report. I thought that Baby was horrible before but what she does next is the absolute worst. She threatens the children and plays mind games with them. I just can't believe she did this. Baby would rather let an innocent man die than tell the truth. Maybe in her eyes what he did was wrong, but that is still no excuse to let him die. She could even be taking out her frustration with love on Ammu and Velutha. i think she is selfish and just horrible.

Baby makes them think that they murdered Sophie and will go to jail, but she does give them a way out. She says that the officer will ask one question and all they have to do is answer yes. She says that Velutha will probably not make it through the night anyway. She asks them if they want to go to jail and if they want their mother to go. They end up saying yes, but it isn't even both of the kids. The officer only needs one, and Baby sends Estha. I think that this is probably what really made him change. Once he was older and fully understood the extent of what he had done, it was probably to much to deal with so he stopped dealing.

Velutha ends up dieing, and Baby thinks that she has gotten away with it. Then Ammu goes to the station and tells. She exploits her affair with Velutha. That is why she must leave and not take her children. Even though what she did was wrong, it was only wrong because of the Indian society. I am proud of Ammu for telling the truth. At least something truthful came out of the horrible situation. I am sad that Velutha died. He was honestly one of my favorite characters. He worked his way up and turned out to lead a pretty successful life. Velutha fought for what he believed was right which is a very good character trait. Rahel and Estha loved him because he played with them and loved them like his own. I wish that he could have gotten a chance to really live the life that he deserved.

Next, it tells of Estha's last few moments with his mother at the train station. It is sad because none of them knew it was there last time all together.

Ch. 17&18

It is present and Rahel and Estha are sleeping in his room together. Estha is watching Rahel sleep, which reminds him of his mother and the last time that he saw her. I think it is very sad that he didn't know when his mother actually died. It just kind of hit me now as I was writing this. That would be absolutely horrible to think that someone is alive for two weeks when they have actually been dead for that long. I think that this is something else that affected his not speaking. I still think that there is more to that, but I think that this plays a part.

Now it is a while after Sophie's death. The author is telling about what the newspapers reported of the death. It said that Velutha had kidnapped the children, which is not true. I don't know why or what really happened, but the book said that this was not true.

It is right after Sophie died. The policeman are going to the History House because they think that the children and Velutha are there. When they get there, they find Rahel, Estha, and Velutha asleep. It also says that the children didn't even know that Velutha was there until the next thing happened. The police started to beat him mercilessly. They cracked skull, hit him in the stomach, spine, and anywhere that they could. They did this all in front of the children. That was really stupid of the policeman. Why couldn't they have taken the children out of the room? To make them watch that is just so horrible. No one, no matter the age, wants or needs to see that. The children are impressionable young minds. This is just one more thing to negatively affect their adult lives. And even after the police beat Velutha almost to death, they still cuffed him. I don't even think he could walk. There was absolutely no need to do that.

When the police finally got everyone out, they noticed that the room seemed to have a lot of toys and the essence of someone being there very often. They got rid of half of this stuff because they knew that they screwed up. They had thought Velutha kidnapped the children and maybe did something even worse to them, but when they saw all the stuff, they realized that they were wrong. Now they had to cover up their mistake. I wish that people would just take responsibility for their actions.

This part made me angry at the policemen and pretty much everyone in the book. It is just everyone's fault. It is Baby's fault for lieing to the police. It is Velutha and Ammu's fault for having an affair. It is Margaret's fault for bringing her child where they didn't need to be. It is Chacko's fault for needing them so much. It is Mammachi's fault for helping Velutha so much when he was a child. I think that everyone should take the blame for what happened to Sophie. I get now why they kept portraying Sophie as such a little angel. She is the only good person in this novel. She is the only one who didn't ruin another person's life.

Ch. 15&16

This section ended up being only about 6 pages so not much happened. The first part was a man swimming across a river. The name was not mentioned, but his red nail polish was, which means that it was Velutha. I don't really know why this was happening. It seemed kind of random, but it will probably have significance later. I knew that the red nails meant something. I think they are symbolic of him being blatantly identified as an untouchable. It shows how obvious it is and that they are defining him. People used what they know about untouchables to define them without really getting to know them because they think they are better. This is just like the nails. He is labeled with something that people would find weird on a man and without knowing why they judge him just on that simple shallow fact.

Next, it is night and the children are crossing the river. I don't know if it was the same night as Velutha or not. They were going to the History House, which is an abandoned old home that is said to be haunted. They have done this many times before. All three of the children are their Rahel, Estha, and Sophie. I knew when I read this that it was finally going to happen. It was the event of the book that I had been anticipating, but I was kind of let down by the outcome. Since it was dark, the children couldn't see where they were rowing so they hit a log capsizing the boat. Rahel and Estha swam to shore, but when the got there, they realized that Sophie was not with them. They didn't try to look for her. I guess that they just left. I thought this was weird. First of all, I was expecting a storm or something a little more dangerous than just hitting a log. Second, why didn't the other children try to find her? I mean I know that they were young, but they didn't even stay and scream her name for a while or anything. They said it two or three times, and I guess they just left. They had to have cared, but it was just so odd that they didn't try to find her. They could have even tried to find help, but they didn't. I don't think that it was because they didn't want to get in trouble. If it was that is absolutely horrible. Maybe there was no place to go for help, but then again Velutha lives across the river. I don't know. I hope they aren't that selfish.

As far as the writing of this novel, I said before that it was interesting, but it is getting harder to understand. They time periods switch so often that it is hard to keep track of when things happen. At first I thought that it made you pay attention more, but now I think that it is just distracting from the storyline because I am always figuring out when things happen.

Ch. 13&14

This section starts out by telling the story of how Margaret and Chacko met. I loved the way that the author wrote this section, and I am glad that she put it in the novel. It was such a cute story. It said that they were never really in love, but the way that it was written made it sound like love. It also mentions how Margaret came to Ayemenem with Sophie. She says that it was the biggest regret of her life. I can understand that because we know that Sophie will die, but I still think that it is weird that she went there in the first place. She left the man, caused him pain, and is pretty much hated by his family. The story says that she didn't know how much she hurt him, but I don't understand that either. I think that any way you look at it divorcing someone will hurt on both ends no matter the situation. I know that they remained friends, but it still just seems odd to me.

Then the story went back to the time when something bad is going to happen. Ammu is locked in her room and the children have disappeared. It then jumps to after Sophie dies without telling how it happened. This is really starting to get frustrating. I wish that the story would stop being so drawn out. Besides that apparently when this happened, Ammu said some very nasty things to Rahel and Estha. She told them that it was their fault, and she just wanted them to leave her alone. I know that she was upset but a parent should never say that to a child no matter the circumstances.

Next, they go back to the time before Sophie died. Velutha's father told Mammachi and Baby about the affair. Mammachi didn't believe him at first and was in shock. Baby went straight into damage control. She went to the police and made up a story about the children being kidnapped and Velutha attempting to rape Ammu. I think that this shows a lot about Baby's character. The reason she did this was not to help Ammu but keep the family name. She cares more about appearance and material things than her own family.

I am not sure when the next thing actually occurred, but it was definitely before Sophie's death. Chacko is talking with the Comrade Pillai about his Paradise Pickles & Preserves company. The subject of Velutha comes up. Pillai says that Chacko should fire him. He says that Velutha has been at rallies and other workers are upset that he has a better job than they have because he is an untouchable. I thought that maybe Pillai knew about the affair when he said this. I found out my assumption was true a few pages later.

Ch. 11&12

The children return to find their mother still asleep. They slowly and cautiously wake her up. Her dream is described. It is about a man and her. The man is never named, but it is obviously supposed to be Velutha. In the dream when she touches him, his skin turns into chicken skin. This shows how bad it would be if they did get together. It shows that something horrible could happen. The author also mentions that Mammaci says that there is craziness in the family. Ammu kind of thinks that she is going crazy. She would have to be crazy to even be thinking about Velutha in that way. It is just so against the Indian society. They could both be severely published I think.

The next part shows a little more of the Indian culture. Rahel and Estha both attend a kathakali performance. It is a more traditional part of the Indian society. It is a play with only men telling stories of the Gods. The story that was told was about a mother that only revealed herself to one of her sons because he was a great warrior, and he was going to fight many of her other sons. The son is left with a decision. He must either go against his recently known mother or agree to her wishes. He decides to meet in the middle. He says that he will not kill four of her sons, but he will make no promises about the other one. I thought that this might parallel to the story somehow, but I am not sure. Maybe Estha is going to have to make an important decision such as this. I just think that since they went so in depth with this story that it must have some significance. I liked how this section showed more of the older culture in India. Up to this point it has all been pretty much present day stuff not much about tradition or cultural things.

They also keep mentioning the Heart of Darkness. I think that this a place. Maybe religious. I am not sure. This makes me think of cultural literacy in English. Joesph Conrad wrote a novel called Heart of Darkness. I wonder if the two relate or if it is just a conincidence.

I really wish that the author would just get to main section. I mean I guess that the novel is doing what it was meant to do, which is make me want to find out. The last few chapters have just been about very small sections of time, and I just wish that I knew what had happened already.

Ch. 9&10

Rahel and Estha finally invited Sophie Mol to meet Velutha. She had been sitting a the garden herself and when they asked what was wrong she said that she was lonely. They just played a make-believe game. During the game they painted Velutha's nails red. I think this is symbolic because he is was at a rally for his political group whose color is red. Rahel also referred to him as a victim. I think that this will foreshadow his death somehow. Maybe he will die in at rally for his cause. The playtime just ends with the same phrase that has been said numerous signs throughout the book. The phrase is "it's true things can change in a day." This is very true. This story is leading up to something very big.

Next, Rahel and Estha leave their afternoon nap to go and explore. They find an abandoned boat. Across the river is where Velutha lives, so they decide to go over there. Only his paralyzed brother is home. There is a comment made that he is lying in the 'death' corner where he and Velutha's mother had died. It says that he thinks he is the next in the family to die, but he is wrong. This is referring to Velutha obviously. They have been hinting so much that I just want to know what is going to happen. Also, Velutha's brother talks about the river. He says that it seems to be very calm, but it is misleading. He said that they should be careful when they are going to go out on it. This made me remember something from the very beginning of the story at Sophie Mol's funeral, Rahel said that she was wrinkley from being in the water to long. Maybe they all go out on the river and something bad happens.

Velutha finds the children at his house. The sight of them makes him think of their mother Ammu. He says things to himself to try to make himself hate her. He wants to because she is touchable, but he just doesn't. I am starting to wonder if the two of them already had an affair, and they are both trying to get over the idea of being together because they know that it is impossible. Velutha is going to help the children fix up the boat because there are some holes in it. They leave very quickly so that their mother doesn't know that they left.

Ch. 7&8

Starting in the present, Rahel is searching though Ammu's old room. She finds some things that she and Estha had hidden when they were younger. Estha is still not talking he is in the room with her, but he will not speak. I really want to know what happened to him. I know that it had to be something worse than what was already discussed, so I am very curious. A book of essays written by Estha triggers the memory of Ammu's funeral for Rahel. When she died Estha was with his father. Rahel had seen her right before this. She had been drunk and looked very different. A few weeks later she died in a hotel room. It mentioned that she had been sick for a while. Something was wrong with her lungs. I think it is possible that Ammu had been working as a prostitute. It mentioned a dream that she had where her hair was getting cut off. This is what they did to prostitutes to distinguish them from other people. I kind of think that she was working as a prostitute because she had been away, and she was not as pretty and well kept as normal. I think that doing that would lower your self-esteem so much that you just wouldn't care. Also, it said that she was not allowed to be buried with other people for many reasons, but they didn't say what the reasons were. She wanted her and her children to have a better life, but she couldn't make it happen.

In the past Sophie Mol is at the Ayemenem house. The author says how Mammachi hated her. I think that she has every right to. This woman Margaret left Chacko for another man and is now visiting and expecting to be treated very well. I think that any mother would hate someone that has truly hurt their child.

Velutha was playing with Rahel in the backyard when they got home. Ammu watched them and said that she was jealous, but she didn't care to think about who she was jealous of. I think to was Rahel being able to play with and touch Velutha. I still think that they are going to have as affair. This only made my ideas stronger. Rahel wouldn't let Velutha meet Sophie Mol. She thinks that he will like her more so she makes up an excuse. This is another example of Rahel's insecurities. They probably start with her father leaving. I think that everything just went downhill from there.

I also noticed that the author repeats herself a lot. The book is almost like a poem. There is so much imagery and repetition. For example they always say "a viable die-able age." This is just one example.

Ch. 5&6

Chapter 5 goes back to the present. They discuss how the town and river become kind of run down and gross. I think that this represents the family's decline. It also mentions a scandal referring to sex and death. They have not yet revealed what it is though. The way that the author is telling the story is quite interesting. They are working slowly to tell the main event while in the present giving clues to the past. I think that is an interesting way to write. It causes the reader to really comcentrate because they have to determine when the author is talking in the present or in the past.

Now in the past. Sophie Mol arrives at the airport. Rahel and Estha are impolite to her and Ammu scolds them. Chacko is so excited to see his little girl, but when she and his ex-wife arrive, he keeps referring to her as his wife. It mentions the look on her face when she says this, but she doesn't correct him. I would also feel very awkward if this happened to me. I don't even think that I could go and stay with the man that I left, but I guess that it is really for the sake of the daughter. This does show how much the mother loves her.

The main event must take place when Sophie Mol is there. She seems to be a very good little girl. Rahel even asked Chacko earlier in the novel if her mother could love Sophie Mol more than her. She seems to have issues with that. I think that she acts out because she wants to make that she gets the attention she deserves. This is not the way to go about this, and I think that she will end up hurting people and herself if she keeps it up.

Ch. 3&4

In chapter three, it is present time. Rahel walks in on her brother changing and just watches him, which was completely weird. They are twins and have grown up together, but still they are adults now. She did not find it weird, and we don't know how he felt about it because he didn't know that she was there.

Then it goes back to the movie The Sound of Music. Something very awkward and creepy happens to Estha. Right before they are talking about how he has just done his first grown-up thing and then this happens. I would really rather not say what it was, but I was shocked. I couldn't believe it was happening as I read it. I understand know why as an adult he doesn't speak, but I think that this was only the beginning of his horrible childhood. It kept saying that the man that did this to him knew where he lived. I think that he is going to go there and something even worse will happen.

Still in the past, Sophie Mol is coming to visit. She is Chacko's daughter. Her mother is also coming. She left Chacko for another man named Joe. This man recently died, and they needed to get away from their home in England.

This novel is very sad so far. Horrible things keep happening to this family. It is like they have no power to stop anything.

The God of Small Things Ch. 1&2

The story takes place in Kerala, which is in the southernmost part of India. This book was written by slowly giving information to the reader, but making them wait for the whole story. It starts out by talking about Sophie Mol's funeral. She is a cousin of the central family in the story. By starting the book this way, it is obvious that it will be a sad story. There are many characters in this story. So far, it has give a small amount of information refering to each character. Ammu is probably the main character. She has twins a boy Estha and a girl Rahel. She is divorced from her alcoholic husband. Ammu's brother is Chacko. He is a fat man who feels that woman are not really worth anything. These two call their parents Mammachi and Pappachi. I don't think that there are any other siblings, but I am not sure. There is also Baby Kochamma. I think that she is a sister of one of the parents. Background information was also given about her. She was one a nun, but then her father got her out of it. She went to school in America and got fat. Then she went back to India when something bad happened.

Mammachi and Pappachi owned a company called Paradise Pickles and Preserves, which was not called this until Chacko took over. Their have already been beatings and horrible treatments of women in this novel. I think it is a trend in most eastern hemisphere cultures. Chacko stopped it from happening to his mother, but he is not much better.

There was a section about when Ammu, Chacko, Baby, Rahel and Estha were going to see The Sound of Music. On the way there, a man was sitting on a sign of some sort naked. I think it said he didn't have any arms. This was very odd to me. It just didn't seem to flow with how the book had started. I think that this was used to show the differences in Indian society because while one family is going to a movie other people are on the streets like this. There is a lot about communism and marxism, which are pretty much the same. They even had a section about Chacko forcing people to refer to him as 'comrade' like we did in class.

I like Ammu. She is sarcastic and slightly a feminist. She wants better rights for women, which could make her a feminist, but what woman doesn't want that? Velutha is also introduced with more information. It said earlier something about him being in jail and Ammu killing him, but I don't think that it meant literally. He is an untouchable. The central family is known as touchables. Velutha works as a carpenter. He disappeared for a while and is now back. His father thinks that he is doing something bad. I think that he is having an affair with Ammu.

The way that this is written is very strange. The sentences are sometimes fragments, and the capitalization is very strange. Also, the novel jumps around time periods. It does give a lot of background information, which I think will be helpful later.

So far, I like the book, but I am not sure that I have gotten to the main storyline yet. I think that so far I have just had background information, and I am excited see what will happen next.

The theme is...

I see a theme connection within the last three stories, but I am not sure if it fits with the first. In these stories, it tells of the relationship between parents and children. Within everyone of these relationships, it seems that the parents are trying to do what they think is best for their children, but in the children's eyes, it is not right. It just goes to show that it doesn't matter if you have regular American middle-class parents or parents who have immigrated here, everyone one of these relationships can be strained. Everyone has the same problems, parents too controlling or children being disrespectful. These are worldly problems that probably everyone will have to face at one point or another in his or her life. I guess this can be related to the first story as well. I think it relates because the mother was doing what she thought was best for her daughter, but it turned out to be for the worst.

Also, in three of the stories, there was a disappearance of some kind. I don't think that this is a theme. I think that this just depends on the situation. Each person went away for a specific reason. Sometimes it is just easier than dealing with whatever is actually going on, but it will leave the loved ones left behind missing you dearly. In "The Book of the Dead" and "Teenage Wasteland," the reader can see what an effect the disappearance has had on the loved ones. In "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," the reader has no idea what the mother feels. They let the reader decide. So I guess another theme could be that actions taken by one person effect those around that person.

Something else that has happened in each of the stories is that the main character had to do what he thought was best. In the first story, Mr. Shiftlet did just that. He conned the family out of almost everything, but that is what he had to do. In the second story, Waverly had to stand up to her mother. She needed her to know how she felt. In the third, the father kept his past a secret, which is what he thought was best. It turned out to be otherwise, but still that is what he did. In the last story, the son left. He felt that his life would be better without his parents, and he decided to live on his own. In each of these situations, the outcome was different, but these characters consistently did what they thought needed to be done. In most cases, it was selfish, but that is what they did. So I think that another theme could be the characters taking care of themselves first.

"Teenage Wasteland"

Of the four stories that we read, this one is definitely the most relatable. I can definitely identify with the son in one way or another. Sometimes people just do not understand other people. In this case, it almost seemed like the parents were pitying themselves so much that they couldn't relate at all to their child. I remember when the mother and father were in the office with the principal or someone and the mother was thinking about how they were being judged. She hated it and felt very pathetic. I don't think that with self esteem issues this large you can be supportiveto your children. It seemed to me that maybe the mother, father, or both had bad childhood lives. They both seemed so timid. They were always afraid to take charge of their son or even be honest with him. Even when they hired the tutor, it was almost as if they had given up on him.

I think that the son did have some issues, but not ones that couldn't be fixed. I think that most everyone goes through something to this effect, but not as extreme. It is hard to live life everyday feeling beneath everyone else and feeling that you are not good enough. I think that this boy had had this feeling for so long and wanted rid of it. When he started being tutored, his bad feelings started to go away. Now this seemed strange to me. I felt like something was going on at his tutoring. Maybe drugs or something. I just don't understand. The whole thing seemed like such a scam to me. I think that it was. Obviously when the parents found out that their son was doing worse in school than before, they may have realized something. I just think that the son felt at home with his tutor. He was someone that the son could trust and be honest with. He felt at home, but without the pressure of having to do well, he did worse.

I highly doubt that the beer was planted in this kid's locker. I mean with a record like that he must have done it. I mean he wasn't the smartest, and he would do anything to be included. It also said that he had been into that kind of stuff before, and I just loved the way that the tutor changed the whole thing around. He is just a young liberal wanting to fight the man. This is exactly why he didn't have much impact on his students. He was to busy making everything political and not providing structure for his students. I am surprised that the school did not make sure the son went home. I would think that the kid would have to stay there until he was picked up. They just let him leave. For a private school, that is not very good.

I really did feel bad about how the story ended. It didn't make much sense to me. This kid's home life didn't seem all that bad. He just had parents who wanted for their son a better life than they had, but they just didn't know how to give it to him. I feel like I missed some very important aspect of the story, but I guess not. This kid just wanted to make his own life and live it the way that he wished.

"The Book of the Dead"

I liked the way that this story was told. The way that the author slowly presented the real story made you keep thinking. I really couldn't tell that this man was lieing at the beginning. I guess that he had been telling this story for so long it seemed to be true. I do think that he should have told the truth, but it would have been so hard. I would be so embarrassed, and I would feel so bad about myself. How could this man live with himself? That would be something so hard to get past.

This story is very similar to "Rules of the Game." The parents in both of the stories were immigrants and could not understand English life very well. I was wondering, did the father in this story ever vanish like this before? I assume so. I know that it was said that he had nightmares before, but I didn't know if this happened more often.

That situation would not be very appealing for the daughter. I know that she wanted to spend time with her father, but it would be like babysitting. It is like she is his parent, but when you love someone that much, it doesn't really matter.

I couldn't believe that the father had been one of those people. I wonder if he was ever going to tell his daughter, or if he only did because of the circumstances. I hope that he was planning on doing it either way, but I guess we will never know.

I really thought the way this story ended was perfect. The proverb, "Those who give the blows may try to forget, but those who carry the scars must remember," is very applicable here. The father is both of these people. He was given the blows, but received scars. Not only physically, but also emotionally. I imagine this could even cause more pain to him because he has to live with his poor judgment for the rest of his life.

Response to Others..

I read Alaina and Sam R.'s blogs, and they didn't really differ very much from one another. I think that most people were thrown off guard at the random way that the podcasts begun. I know that no one believes in this stuff, but it is fairly obvious that we all slightly enjoyed learning about this religion.

Compared to my blog, theirs were definitely different. I guess that I analyzed the black and white thing different than most people. Alaina and I both chose to use the same quote. I really just thought of it and then later read hers and thought that was pretty funny. The quote really does apply here.

I think that everybody that did this took basically the safe route. I can say for myself and probably a few others that this was over my head. I do not dispell that. Hinduism is just a very large and confusing religion. I guess it was good to learn a little about, but I am perfectly fine with me good old western way of thinking.

Mythology of Hinduism #2

So this guy just starts talking about black and white. First, I think racial. Then he starts to say that you never know if it is white on black or black on white. Somehow, I am sure this relates to Hinduism. I guess that because they believe God is in everyone and everything, that you can be mislead by him. You would never know where he is, but at the same time you would always know that he is everywhere. He also said that white is representative of God, and black is representative of the devil. Now, this would make a lot of sense relating to the black and white thing, but do Hindus believe in the devil? I know that we talked in class about them having three Gods, and one being the destroyer. Would he be their devil? If so, in relation to the black and white, you never know who is trying to control you or be around you. You don't know which was first. They are both very misleading.

I feel like I just rambled on, and I have no idea if any of that makes sense, but oh well.

Mythology of Hinduism #3

All I have to say is wow. I am not going to pretend that I know what this guy was talking about because, honestly, I have no clue. I am obviously not is college. When I listened to this, I felt like I was missing something. I know this was suppose to help me get background on the topic at hand, but it just confused me to the point of no return. I can try me opinion on this, but I am sorry to say that I am definitely not at this guy's level and cannot truly have an opinion on a topic so over my head.

Watts said that the western way of looking at the universe and the eastern way of looking vary like this. The west views the world as a construct, and the east views the world as a drama. The west knows that God created, which is where they get construct, but the east views it as more of a stage were God is the director of a huge play. This makes me want to quote Shakespeare's play As you like it, "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players." That is how I took what Watts said about the views of the world.

"Rules of the Game"

I thought that the section about torture was a little bit creepy, but I guess that it is really just being proud of Chinese culture. I can definitely tell that the family is an immigrant family. I think that the mother came to America and then had the daughter. It is obvious that the daughter understands much more English and American culture than her mother. Her mother seems to be very judgmental and slightly cynical, but once again it must be the culture. The Chinese seem to be very proud and discipline oriented. Since the daughter is Chinese American she is not as disciplined as her mother would want her to be.

What is "lavender toilet water"? When I read this, I got very confused. Is it just fragrant water? I thought that maybe it was seen by the Chinese as frivilous and that is why they referred to it as such.

The Chinese seem to also be very confident and proud. They do not want to show weakness. This is why the mother did not want her daughter to play chess. I think that this could have to wrong effect on the daughter. She may think that her mother has no faith is her and that her mother thinks that she cannot win. I guess that the daughter would probably understand because she knows about the culture, but I think it could be very damaging.

The mother just does not understand American life. If my mother were bragging about me, I would feel very embarrassed. The daughter did not choose to play because she wanted to become famous or win. She wanted to play because she loves the game, which is the perfect reason why. The mother is so proud that she is blind to this.

I thought that it was wrong that the mother no longer makes the daughter do dishes. I do not think that she should get special treatment. I know that she is very good, but it is just not right. How would that make her other children feel? I am actually surprised that her mother did give the daughter special treatment. It just does not sound like something the mother would do.

I like the way the story ended. It kept the reader guessing, and those are the kind of endings that I like. After thinking about the ending, I do not know where I would want to see this story end. I would want the daughter to win to prove something, but in the winning it would prove nothing at all. I don't want the mother to win because I think that she is wrong. Maybe just a good game with mother daughter bonding, and the win in favor of the daughter.

"The Life You Save May Be Your Own"

The introduction to this story sets a very intricate picture and helps to show the background of these characters. When Mr. Shiftlet comes to the house, I got quite confused. The story says that the old woman had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before. So I guess he just came there without warning? Maybe, he had a plan when he did go there. By the end of the story, you can see that he must have had an agenda.

There is some major forshadowing in this story. When Mr. Shiftlet is saying that the old woman does not know anything about him and that he could be a total liar, it is obvious that this is very relavent to the story. The car also seemed symbolic to me. It showed the life and character of the old woman and her daughter. Before it was fixed-up, it was representing the old woman. She is run down because of her time spent taking care of her daughter. It represents that her life fell apart. The man that is fixing the car can be viewed as fixing the lives of these people. When the car is fixed, it can represent the daughter, happily oblivious, but in the end when the man drives away with the car and without the daughter, it represents that the life of both characters had been taken away. I thought that the thunder was a good end to the story. It could possibly foreshadow the characters lives. They are destined to be filled with storms that they must weather.

Something that I just don't understand is why the old woman would want to marry her daughter off to a man that she really doesn't know anything about. Maybe she is just as selfish and cunning as he is. It could have been her plan all along to get rid of her daughter. The old woman could have been sick of taking care of her and saw this man as a way out. I really don't know if this is even relatively true, but it is a thought. The old woman could have truly wanted a good life for her daughter because thus far it hadn't been great. She really could have been just as nieve as her daughter.

I didn't really get why the part about the boy hitchhiker was in this. I guess that it just goes to show the lack of understanding between people. I guess this is kind of what this story is about. Everyone in this story overestimated the other characters. The old woman with the man, the man with the boy, and the daughter with them all. Some always like to see the good in people and if there isn't any to be seen, they decide to make some up.

Chapter 25

So the messengers come for Okonkwo. They were taken to him by his friends, and to everyone's surprise, he has hung himself. I was totally shocked at this. I remembered that in ancient Greece and Rome and other places that it is courageous to kill yourself, but then I read the next sentence and it said that it is totally against tribal customs. I think Okonkwo knew what his fate would be. He didn't want to run from it, but he didn't want the messengers to get the satisfaction of killing him so he did it himself. Obierika even says to the messengers that they made him do this, which is basically right. If he wouldn't have chopped off that guy's head he probably wouldn't have done it though. I don't know. I really didn't like Okonkwo, but it was a sad way for him to go.

Also at the end it said that this took place in Lower Niger.

I thought the ending was kind of weird with the way that Achebe said the messenger was going to write a story about this, and about how Okonkwo's story would be about a paragraph. At first I thought maybe it was him and then I thought no. Maybe he did this to show how little the people knew about the lives they were destroying.

My overall thought of this book is that it just wasn't my kind of reading. I mean I learned a lot, and I totally understand why we read it and everything, but it just wasn't something that interested me all that much. I guess I am glad that I read it because of how much I learned. I know that if it weren't for this class, I never would have thought about reading it.

Chapter 24

In this chapter they are talking a lot about war. Okonkwo was remembering a war with a neighboring tribe, and he said that they killed 12 of the other tribe's men and the other tribe only killed two of theirs. When I think war I think hundreds of people and many many casualities. Their wars seem more like battles and very low scale of what we consider now. I think that with this in mind it would not be such a good idea to fight the invaders. If the tribe is used to fighting a small number then they will not know what they are in store for if they try to fight.

Of course, Okonkwo really wants to fight and take back their community. Some others want to fight to. The speaker at the gathering seems like he wants to as well, but that is until the oppurtunity arises. When some messengers come and tell them to stop the meeting, Okonkwo cuts off one guy's head. Instead of the others backing him up, they just kind of stand there. The other messengers get away. Okonkwo knows that they will not fight now because of the action of his tribe.

I guess they are just scared of what will happen to them. At the beginning of this novel I would have thought that everyone would have joined in to take out these people, but they are just scared now. Who can blame them though? I think that almost anyone in that situation would be scared out of their mind.

I really don't know how this novel will end. I assume that the messengers will come for Okonkwo. Maybe he will escape or stay and face the music. I really don't know.

Chapter 23

I just figured out where the missionaries and the people taking over are from. I think it is England because they keep talking about their queen.

So because of church burning, six leaders were taken to a prison type thing. Among the leaders was Okonkwo. They were given an ultimatum, and they did not agree to it. The leaders didn't receive water or food, and they were beaten. None of the leaders felt like talking because they were upset, but when they did start talking, the first thing Okonkwo said was we should have killed them when we had the chance. Of course this was a very Okonkwo thing to say, but he was punished because a guard heard him and came in to beat them all. The town was asked for money to release their men, and they gave it.

The crimes in this story are just getting worse as it goes on. These people just cannot believe what is happening to them. They are at a stand still and have no other ideas about what to do. they thought that burning the church would help them regain power, but all it did was hurt them. They just want things the way that it was, but they have no idea how to get that.

So I was basically totally wrong with the whole slave trade thing. I think this is after that happened. I really do not know the time period.

Chapter 22

Mr. Brown has died and in his place there is a new man named Mr. Smith. He is one of those God-fearing Christians that tries to instill fear. He is almost the opposite of Mr. Brown. His ways are much different, and he is not as well liked as Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown was just happy that people were listening and learning, but Mr. Smith wants them to be totally engulfed in this religion. He would rather have less people that were more dedicated than many people who only sort of believed. Mr. Smith even turned some people away, which I thought was wrong. The point is to invite everyone and be in the faith together. It is not like you get an invitation. Anyone should be able to worship. Also since Mr. Brown left there has been much more conflict between the tribe and the church.

Really, these people are trying to be a part of this new religion, but they just cannot get past their old one. When the egwugwu came, Christian woman were afraid to go outside, but if they totally believed in their new religion, they would know that this is not real and there is nothing to be afraid of. As hard as they try, I don't really think they can every truly commit to the new religion the same way they did to their old.

I couldn't believe that Enoch and some others wanted a holy war. Why on earth would they want that? I guess maybe for one to triumph over the other, but still it would only cause harm and pain. I think this is their primal African nature coming out.

I would be very suspicious if I had a translator. The translator for Mr. Smith slightly twisted his words. I mean it was the same basic concept, but the tone and the passion and fire were not there as Mr. Smith had said it. I know that it was for his own good. I just would have a very hard time trusting someone like that because you never know what they are saying.

So the tribe finally took revenge against invaders. I am happy they finally stood up for themselves, but still the missionaries are trying to help and not harm. I guess there are always two sides to this type of story. I just do not know which one I am on.

Chapter 21

This chapter basically compares and contrasts the African religions and the Christian one. Mr. Brown, one of the missionaries, and Akunna, a member of the tribe, were talking to each other and trying to convert the other. Neither succeeded, but they both learned a lot and so did the reader. It made more clear the African religion because it really didn't make sense to me, and now I understand it a little better.

Mr. Brown is really trying to get converts. He is very dedicated and is trying a lot of different things. He doesn't care so much about the extent to which the people believe, but is more about the numbers.

No one really noticed that Okonkwo is back. They all just have to much on their plates with all these people coming into their tribe and someone that is like them is probably more of a relief and doesn't need to be thought about. Some of these people actually liked the whites coming. They brought them this religion, but more importantly they brought them things to trade, which the people of the tribe loved. It was almost as if they had made up for destroying their lives.

Okonkwo didn't see this way. He was really upset about his tribe being so taken over. I really can't blame him though. I mean he has been dreaming of coming home to his traditional and wonderful tribe, but it is not at all the same tribe he left. Now he just doesn't know what to do.

Chapter 20

At the beginning of this chapter Okonkwo told his girls that he didn't want them to marry anyone from Mbanta not because they are bad people, but just because he wanted them to marry someone from Umuofia when they got back, but would anyone want to marry them? They are from an exiled family. Maybe this exile thing is not as serious as I think it is.

Okonkwo also said that he wants he sons to join the ozo society when they get back to Umuofia. I think that is may be something like a fraternity. Maybe similar to a country club as well. Okonkwo said that he would use wealth to get them in and not very many people are accepted into it. I guess it is kind of combo fraternity and country club.

I guess the missonary thing is way more advanced than I thought as well. I guess that I didn't really realized that seven years have passed in about thirty pages of this book. The whole thing creeped up on me just like it did them. Maybe Achebe did that on purposed to catch the reader off guard just like the people caught the tribes off guard.

I had no idea that there were so many, and they were settling. I guess there are not only missonaries now, but just regular people. It even said that they made laws and gave trials to some of the villagers. I don't get it because the villagers do not have to listen to these people at all. Are they scared or do they not know how to handle this?

Either way the situation is turning for the worst. The control is shifting hands almost without anyone noticing. It is so sad how people just came in and took over. They just didn't care about the people already here, and they changed their entire world.

Chapter 19

This chapter is the end of Okonkwo's exile. He is very excited, and he already had his friend build him two huts. I still think that the whole exile was weird. First of all, what Okonkwo did was an accident. Second, his friend was allowed to visit him and has been attending to his yams and sharecropping them. Third, his friend built him two huts. When I would think of what an exile would be, I would think total isolation. No contact at all and never being allowed to go back. I really don't even understand why he was exiled if he could do all of this, and plus he wasn't even exiled to a bad place. It was to his motherland with some people he knew who treated him well. I thought it would have been much more harsh.

At the end of this Okonkwo and his family even got a going away party. It was sponsored by them, and I guess that it was more of a thank you party than anything else. Everyone knew that Okonkwo would throw a big bash, and they were all very glad for it. They did their traditional things like pray for each other and give thanks. It was just one last hooray for Okonkwo and his family, but even though they threw this they were pretty happy to leave.

I wonder if the tribe is as glad he is leaving as he is??

I really don't know how Okonkwo will be received back at his old tribe. At first I really didn't think that they would want him there, but for some reason they love him so much so maybe they will receive him well. I doubt that there will be any party or anything, but I think that he will definitely be noticed or he will make himself noticed.

Chapter 18

Basically, a lot of this chapter is about the new religion that some of the tribe is following. It talks about basic Christian stuff like how everyone is welcome even if they are outcasts to others. The church that has been affecting the tribe very much. Okonkwo personally wants them out. I can understand this. If some strange people started invading this town I would probably want them out especially if they have basically destroyed everything that I know.

People are now not being allowed to get water and are not allowed in the market. This has never happened to the people of the tribe anymore. This is making them mad.

I was so confused in this chapter. They were talking about this python and how if you killed it but not on purpose one thing happened and if you did it on purpose something else would, but sometimes they didn't know if someone killed the python on purpose. I guess it is either metaphorical or literal. I couldn't tell which one. I mean either way it is possible, but I was just so confused. At one point I thought the python thing was with the tribe, but then it said the story had risen from the Chrisitians themselves. I just really didn't get this chapter. I guess the point for it was to show the church's affects on the tribe.

Chapter 17

Honestly, I was not surprised to find out that Nwoye was leaving to go with the missionaries because of course in the last chapter they said he was one, but even before that he always seemed out of place in his family and has questioned their religion before. I think that it is good for him to leave. His send off gave him all the more reason to leave. I wonder if he was even going to leave before his father heat him. maybe he wasn't and then that happened, and it was the last straw, but either way it was the right decision for him.

I am not at all surprised that Nwoye converted the rest of his family except Okonkwo, but this makes me think that my theory about him becoming a slave is true. Of course Okonkwo would not convert, but his family would never do it if he was still around. They are all to afraid of him, and he would probably hurt them if they did. I really think Okonkwo is going to get taken.

When the missionaries disproved the tribe's entire religion, that must have put those people in total chaos. Everything that they had been taught since they were children has been disproved by these people that have come from out of no where. They must have been thinking about all the things they did according to their old religion. So many people died and were killed, and so many people were sent away. There world have just come crashing down, and they needed somewhere to turn. The missionaries were those people.

As Okonkwo was thinking about why Nwoye was his son and why he left, did he ever think that it had something to do with him. You know the two of them are actually very much alike. Neither of them wanted to become his father.

Chapter 16

There are a lot of new things happening in these chapters. Now there are missionaries that have come to build a church and to try to spread christianity. This is definitely giving a better overview of the time period. It must be slightly modern, but I really don't know when people started doing these missions. If anyone knows fill me in.

I figured out what an iron horse is. It is a bike.

I was kind of surprised that the tribe was not mad because of the missionaries. I would have thought that the tribe would have been more suspicious and unwelcoming. The Abame tribe killed that man and maybe the tribe was scared that if they fought they would be wiped out as well. Maybe they were just so astonished at the differences that they didn't care or maybe they could tell that these people meant no harm, and they were just going to put up with them until they left, but they are here to stay and are going to change all the tribes forever.

I am glad that Nwoye is interested in these people. He needs something that he can truly believe in. I just hope that his father will not intimidate him from doing what he believes is right.

Chapter 15

I was surprised that Obierika was allowed to visit. Why isn't that against the rules? Well, I guess that it was 2 years later and maybe there was a waiting period or something. I don't know. It just seemed to me that if someone had been exiled that no one would be allowed to visit them.

What is an iron horse? That confused me.

Now the slave trade is coming into play, and I think that maybe this novel will get more interesting now. Maybe Okonkwo will get taken. He is such a good worker and is not very beloved in his new village. They might sell him out. I wouldn't doubt it.

I didn't understand why the whites killed that tribe. I know that the tribe killed one of there own, but I thought they would rather take the people away than kill them. They want them as workers, but they killed the tribe. These slave traders cannot have any moral sense at all so I would assume they would rather get the money than get revenge on a tribe for killing one of their men.

I found a quote in this chapter that I really liked it was "There is no story that is not true." I really liked this quote, and I think that it can describe this book very well. This novel is not a biography, but at one time or another everything in this book has happened to these tribes, and knowing that makes me sympathize more and try to relate to what they are going through and want learn about these people.

I thought that it was creepy when Okonkwo was thanking Obierika for everything that Obierika was like kill one of your sons. Then Okonkwo was like that will not be enough and then Obierika said then kill yourself and then Okonkwo was like forgive me I will stop thanking you and they laughed about it. That is so not funny at all. I guess it is just like now when people try to pay other people for something, and they keep telling them to stop. I guess this is their way of doing that, but I think it is to hardcore.

Chapter 14

I didn't realize that in Africa it would get cold enough for there to be hail or "ice nuts." If there is hail do they get snow? Or was this just a freak occurence and it rarely happens?

Now that Okonkwo has been exiled, he is getting kind of lazy. They said that Okonkwo doesn't really feel like doing the work, and it is not what it was for him before. The way they made it sound Okonkwo only loved working and nothing else. Now he just doesn't want to. I get that he is upset and everything, but before they made work out to be his life and now it has taken a backseat to his self-pity.

I was wondering if the wedding customs in this villiage were completely different or if the customs shown here were just skipped over in the other village. In the other village they just seemed to have a celebration, but in this village there had been a sacrifice of a hen. You know that is pretty symbolic if you think about it. It is like the hen's life have been taken away and maybe given to eat just like the woman's life is now being taken away and given to the man. Even the slitting of the throat is like the pain both have to suffer to give up their lives. Only the woman will have to suffer from this pain for the rest of her life because of the beatings and the hen dies quickly.

I loved how Okonkwo totally got chewed out by Uchendu. Uchendu had it right with most of what he said. I liked the mother protection part. Also, he told Okonkwo not to be sorry for himself and to move on. I think Okonkwo needed that because he was definitely having a pity party.

Chapter 13

This chapter is talking about death. I thought it was kind of weird that after a chapter about starting a new life with a new person, Achebe decided to write about death. Maybe that is symbolic or it foreshadows something.

This funeral reminds me of something that Mrs. Aigner told us about. I think it is the Irish or Scottish or something that instead of being sad at a funeral they have a party celebrating the life of the person who has passed. It is also similar to a wake, which does celebrate the life, but also is very somber. I wonder what a women's funeral or a man without title's funeral would be like? I think the only reason that this one was so alive was because the man was very old and had had a wonderful life.

The Okonkwo's gun part just came out of nowhere to me. I was totally not expecting that. To me it seemed weird that it was his gun as well. I was thinking that maybe what happened was Okonkwo's fault because early in the book it said that he was not very good with a gun. I don't think that he did it on purpose, but I think that maybe he loaded it wrong or aimed it weird. I did kind of feel bad for him and his family because they have to leave. If it was a total accident it doesn't make sense that they should leave. He didn't do it on purpose.

I liked how Okonkwo's friend Oberika was questioning the rules of his tribe. Because some of them do not make any sense, but they can't do anything about them. I guess they are made by the gods or whoever.

I would just like to add that this is definitely the last chapter in part one! The book is halfway over!!

Chapter 12

This ceremony (I don't really know what to call it) is similar but very different from our weddings. They have the same concept, but there are obvious differences. Of course no one pays for a bride now, but we do have a big party with relatives, friends and neighbors. They basically skip the actually ceremony part and instead have their own ceremony thing with the gift giving. Then they just go right to the reception, which really wouldn't be that bad at all.

I really want to know what happened to Ezinma in the cave. I was wondering why her parents didn't ask her. I know that they were pretty occupied with the festivities, but I would think that when something major like that happens they would really want to know. I hope we find out later in the novel. I wonder if it will have a large impact?

At the end of this chapter when they were talking about the cow that escaped, I thought that was totally random. I mean I guess he is showing another aspect of everyday life, but it just seemed so out of place. I just thought of something. If they have cows why don't they eat them? Are they sacred? Are there to little of them? Do they know they can eat them? Or do they eat them and it was just never mentioned? I guess that goats are like a delicacy because they only have them on special occasions, but what about the cows? That is what I want to know.

Chapter 11

I kind of liked the story telling section. I mean it wasn't needed or anything, but I could imagine it. It is like sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories or being at a sleepover and chatting in a circle. Of course their stories are very different, but we do the same thing. I can remember so many times sitting in a circle and telling stories. I was thinking that maybe this is where the circle storying telling tradition came from. I don't exactly know the time period, but it is possible. I like that something that started so long ago is still used today.

I was wondering if a tortoise is a special animal to them or something. He was in both Ekwefi and Ezinma's stories. Maybe he symbolizes a specific type of person.

At first I got mad at Okonkwo because when Chielo took Ezinma he said something very cruel about his wife getting upset, but later I actually liked him for a second. When Ezinma left to follow Chielo and her daughter I was thinking why did Okonkwo let her do that? I thought that she would get in trouble or something because she was kind of messing with their god, but when Okonkwo was there I was very happy. Finally he did something that was nice. Not just semi-nice, but he really showed that he cared about his wife and child in this part. I was very content with it.

Chapter 10

This ceremony was like a court hearing. They had a judge type guy who was Evil Forest and then a type of jury which were the other titled guys. Speaking of this, Okonkwo said he had all these titles, but why wasn't he involved in this? Oh and what did they mean when they said "smoke poured out of his head" referring to Evil Forest.

Is Evil Forest this guy's real name or is it his name translated to English? Everyone else has a name like Okonkwo or Nwoye, and Evil Forest just seems out of place.

I don't understand how what this guy did is any different than what Okonkwo did. Maybe he had done it more often, but no matter how often they do it, it is still wrong. At the end someone said that the reason this case was brought to the court was because the court is the only one that the guy would listen to. Well, I think that the court is only one that Okonkwo would listen to but he doesn't have a case. It is probably because the beating has not lead to anything more noticable. He is just hiding in his obi.

I have finally found a quote remotely good concerning the treatment of women in this novel. "It is not bravery when a man fights a woman." Thank you! Finally someone who kind of gets it a least a little.

Chapter 9

Okonkwo says that women's stories are silly, but I bet he liked them when he was younger. I wonder what it would take for him to admit something like that. Threats maybe? I don't know if that much macho attitude can be conquered by anything. He would probably rather die.

I thought it was weird that they are not allowed to have eggs. I guess that maybe there are a limited amount or maybe people get sick from them or something. It was funny though how they said that eating eggs leads to stealing. Where do they get this stuff?

I could not believe that Ekwefi had had ten children and nine of them died. It was the last one that lived too. I would think for someone to go through that they would have to be so strong both mentally and physically. To have ten children and have nine of them die is just horrible. She must have been so depressed. If I was her I would have stopped trying because at some point she would be in a lot of danger during the birth. I guess she didn't have the choice or at least I assume she didn't. I have great respect for these woman. They are so courageous even though their lives are terrible. They can find joy in their children, which is wonderful. To get up everyday and go through what they do, I could never do it.

I could not believe the mutilation part. My jaw dropped when I read what they had done. That is so sick. I understand that it was for the spirits or whatever, but it was just so unbelievable.

Something I don't understand, was that whole part about the stone. I mean this stuff is their religion and everything, but it is not true. Did someone place something there because they knew it would need to be found? How did Ezinma know about it? I guess maybe a story was told when she was younger, but this whole part was confusing.

I wonder what was wrong with Ezinma?

Chapter 8

Now Okonkwo is depressed because of what he has done, but I will never feel sorry for him. Every horrible thing he has done is his fault, and he deserves to pay for it. He keeps saying that Ezinma should have been a boy because she has the drive, but I think that he just wants another boy around. He misses Ikemefuna, but now he will have to live with what he has done. The fact that Ikemefuna is not around anymore is causing him to focus on his other children. He is worrying that Nwoye is not going to be a good man, but without a role model how can he be a good man. Okonkwo is a horrible role model. Ikemefuna was a great one because he enjoyed his work and helped Nwoye to enjoy it as well. Now without him there, Nwoye does not want to do those things probably because it makes him think of Ikemefuna.

The part about the two people dieing seemed kind of out of place. I was wondering if that will come into play later or if it was just more culture? I was speculating poison or maybe the first was a heart attack and the second was shock. Maybe we will find out.

The bride price part was of course completely demeaning. I am not exactly shocked, but I will never be used to the treatment of women. I thought it was so stupid how they said that other tribes haggle and that is so wrong when first of all the entire thing is so wrong, and second this tribe does the exact same thing except instead of saying the price verbally, they use sticks. Big difference. I don't think so. Maybe between the tribes, but it is all the same to me.

I thought it was interesting that they had never seen whites, but if they have not how do they know that they are out there? Stories I assume.

Chapter 7

I just love how Nwyoe is going to be a total jerk like his father. He is sixteen and is already starting to think of women as objects. I seriously just want to stop reading about this.

I looked up a couple words this chapter as I have been. First I looked up foo-foo. It is a doughlike West African dish of boiled and ground plantain, yam, or cassava, made into balls to go with soups or stews. Also I looked up entrails. They are the internal parts of the trunk of an animal body, which is pretty sick because Okonkwo was eating them.

I think that it is kind of interesting that everything they have has a story or is somehow related to their gods and goddesses. The locusts for example had this entire story when really they are just a bug that comes every seventeen or fourteen years. I can't remember which. I remember when we had them hear in either fourth or fifth grade. I hated them but to these people they are a delicacy.

I can't believe that the tribe killed Ikemefuna, but even worse than that I cannot believe that Okonkwo slashed him. I mean why was he even there? That guy told him that he should not have anything to do with it. Just the chapter before Okonkwo was just thinking about how much he liked having him there and the good that he had done for his family. I know that it is their culture to beat women and for the men to make themselves look like jerks, but they have to draw the line somewhere.

Does Okonkwo's family know that he did it? If they do will they say anything? If they don't will they find out what a sick and twisted person their father is? After this I believe that Okonkwo is exponentially worse than his own father was. His father may have been lazy, but at least he wasn't a murderer.

Chapter 6

I was wondering if the drums are symbolic or something because they are mentioned numerous times. It is probably just more culture, but I wasn't sure.

During the part of this chapter when the two mothers were talking, one asked the other if her daughter was still at home. I didn't know why she asked that. I know that they marry young, but I didn't think it was at ten. They also said something like they normally are gone before they are six so the mother thought she would stay. Where would she go? I don't know how important this section was, but it definitely confused me.

During the wrestling matches, they said the first few matches were not that interesting because no one was thrown. At first I assumed that thrown meant the other person won, but now I am wondering if it means something different. I guess it could be a type of move or maybe something else.

Wrestling to them is like a pastime kind of like baseball to us. Most everyone loves it, and it an important part of our history as a country. It seems to be the same for them with wrestling. Everyone gets so into it, and they are excited for this all year long. The best match is like the World Series. Everyone waits in anticipation for it.

I know that Okonkwo was a wrestler, but why didn't he wrestle any of those matches? Is he to old? Or was he just not chosen?

Chapter 5

It seems to me like the Feast of the New Yam is similar to our Thanksgiving. They have it because they are thankful that they had a good harvest. I know that Thanksgiving is not about a harvest or anything, but in the sense that they are giving thanks for something they received it is similar.

Where it said that they shaved the children's heads in patterns that caught me off guard. I was not expecting that. I wonder if they did it to the girls and boys. I suppose so. I guess it is just another wacky custom.

Okonkwo's character makes me want to stop reading this novel. I wish something bad would happen to him and maybe it will I don't know. Why does he have to just yell at people when they haven't done anything wrong. I am just so disgusted by him and I know that I have written that a thousand times, but I can not get over it. What makes him so angry that he has to make up reasons to beat his wife? In the part about the banana tree, it said that he was angry and that he "found an outlet" for his anger. What, is he just mad at the world or something? Then the part about almost shotting his wife! I would rather die than trade places with any of these women they have it so horrible. All she did was make one remark and he went crazy. Maybe karma will get him.

I didn't know if when Ekwefi asked her mom about her eye twitch if she was just making up what she said or if she thought that was true. Earlier the book said that the mother made something up to quiet the daughter, but I didn't get if she was doing that again.

I was surprised that when Obiageli said "people should not talk when they are eating a pepper it may go down the wrong way" to Okonkwo he didn't snap. With his character I would think that he would take it as an insult to his intelligence.

Chapter 4

In the about the second sentence of this chapter, it said that Okonkwo had risen from poverty very suddenly. After seeing more of his character, I am not so sure if he did this in a legal way. I think that maybe something fishy is going on.

This is the chapter that the true character of Okonkwo comes out. He does not know how to handle his emotions because he thinks that emotions are feminine. He thinks that he will be less of a man if he shows his emotions. Okonkwo is also not smart at all. The only thing that he can think of to solve a problem is violence, which is not setting a very good example for his children.

I cannot believe the part about beating his wife. That is completely absurd. All he had to do was give up a few things for something that was his fault anyways. Maybe she should have been home on time, but if he could hold his temper for a few minutes then the situation could have been avoided. The extremely sad part of it all is that if it weren't the Week of Peace, I bet that nothing would have even happened to him, and they would have just all gone on with their lives.

Also when Okonkwo was trying to teach his son Nwoye and Ikemefuna how to do the yams, he couldn't just help them he had to threaten them that if they didn't do it right that he would break their jaws and knowing his character he probably would. The thing I hate the most is that he actually loves the kids, but instead of showing affection he harasses them. I think that he is so focused on him and his children not being like his father that he cannot deal with anything else in his life. He is greedy and self-centered and wants himself to look good.

Chapter 3

Something that is bugging me about this novel is how the author wants the reader to feel sorry for Okonkwo. The author keeps writing about how Okonkwo's father didn't leave him anything and how he had to do things for himself. I know that in his life things have not come easily for him, but he has made success for himself. Isn't that the best kind of success? The kind that you earn through hardwork? He has much more to be proud of than those who have been handed a barn or the yam seeds.

The Oracle that they mention is kind of like a psychic, but they take it much more seriously. Didn't we learn about something called The Oracle in either the Greece or Rome chapter?

I thought it was interesting that when Okonkwo's father died of the stomach inflammation that they sent him into the woods to die. I guess they were just so scared of what they didn't know that they had to get rid of it, but I wonder if any of them tried to find out what was causing the problem. I remember the medicine people they had, but I assume they did not have much knowledge at all.

I noticed that the author makes a ton of animal and nature references. I really liked "a toad does not run in the daytime for nothing" (20). I am going to guess that it means a toad would be at risk of being eaten or something so if it is taking the chance that there must be a really good reason. Anyone else have ideas?

I looked up the word dregs because I didn't know what it meant and they are the sediments of liquids; lees; grounds. I also looked up tubers they are a swollen, fleshy, usually underground stem of a plant, such as the potato, bearing buds from which new plant shoots arise.

Farming is very serious business in this novel. The book said that someone killed themselves when the weather was not cooperating. I guess that farming would be the only thing that they could do, but there must have been other things.

Chapter 2

The cultural differences of this novel are so weird to me. They are so utterly primal that it is almost disgusting.

What time period is this anyways?

I know that when people go hunting they might get the deer stuffed or whatever, but keeping the head of somebody that you killed in a war is sick. The part when the author wrote that at a funeral Okonkwo drank from the first head he got, I felt nausea. That is so disgusting. It makes me think of that short story "The Most Dangerous Game" when he was hunting people but that is not as bad as drinking from their head.

The treatment of women in this novel is horrible. Men have more than one wife because in this twisted tribe they believe that all women can do are have children. The way that Okonkwo was talking to his oldest wife was horrible. All she did was ask a reasonable question, and he snapped at her. Women were not at the meeting where the men were informed of the situation, and I assume that none of the husbands told their wives the situation. She was completely blind sited by a fifteen year old boy that is apparently living with her now, and she isn't even allowed to ask why? That is crazy.

I feel very bad for the boy and girl that were sent to this tribe. I don't understand why the Umuofia tribe just didn't do something to the people that killed the woman. Were they trying to get more than they lost? The two kids had nothing to do with the murder and now their lives are completely disrupted because of something that someone else did. This girl just has to go live with this person that she doesn't even know. I assume that they are husband and wife now, and they hadn't even met. This boy got shipped off to live with a violent man who is completely condescending and uses intimidation to get what he wants. These kids are not in for a good life. Even if Okonkwo has a lot to offer this boy will have to suffer to get it.

Chapter 1- Things Fall Apart

After reading the first chapter of this book, I am not so sure how I feel about it. The names are very ethnic, and I am going to guess that as more characters are revealed I am going to get them mixed up. The author is very poetic with the way that he writes. He uses a lot of similes and a ton of imagery. I looked up the word harmattan because it was in the first chapter a few times. If you are wondering, it is just a dusty wind from the Sahara that blows toward the western coast of Africa during the winter (I got that from dictionary.com). At first I didn't quite get why I was reading and doing this, but now I totally get it. The whole different customs thing is so weird. So far, I have just made a few observations of them. First of all they have wives (plural), and they make sacrifices. Then when they were doing that and the last sentence of the paragraph was like "then painted his big toe" (page 6) I thought that maybe this could get interesting.

Here is a question, when the author mentioned snuff did he mean modern day snuff or can that mean more than one thing?

Also what are these titles? Are they like positions in the tribe? Or are they like a form of government or what?