English

Here are both of my Summer blog posts: 1: In Norway, I have visited a cultural history museum in Oslo, and viewed some of the Viking artefacts that they had. They reminded me of Things Fall Apart, specifically the traditional and cultural aspect of the book and Igbo people. Like the Igbo, the Vikings had their own religious faith, featuring famous gods such as Odin and Thor, their own cultural traditions associated with that faith. Furthermore, similarly to the Igbo, the Vikings ended up converting to Christianity. It makes me think that surely there must have been people similar to Okonkwo in views, who would have objected to the Christianisation of Norway. With Norway, Christianisation mainly started under the rule of St. Olav (ruled from 995-1000), with him destroying pagan temples and killing pagans who resisted. The process of Christianisation was continued by following monarchs. I believe that the concept of a radically changing culture and religion, with divisions in societ...

Alice Munro’s short stories are usually about women and families from a suburban and or rural setting. She discusses topics such as gender roles and interpersonal relationships, usually from a woman’s perspective. What David Foster Wallace’s theory on education can do with this, is that it allows us, the reader, to adjust our perspective, to be sympathetic to the characters. Although I personally am not a girl growing up in a post-WWII Canadian small town, I can still relate to or at least empathise with the characters and their emotions that Munro has created. In Munro’s stories, her characters tend to have personal flaws or defy the tradition character ideals, for example the narrator in “Boys and Girls”, despite her desire to keep her role helping her father and dislike of the role women are designated for in her family, she ends up subconsciously transforming, until she starts to fit the mould of what her family and society says a woman should be. While we, the audience, may expec...

" While Ngugi’s extract was used to practice the annotation and structuring of a Paper 1, the content and theme of the article can also be used to inform a deeper appreciation of Things Fall Apart In what ways does this text influence your understanding of Achebe’s use of language and stylistic choices in Things Fall Apart?"            Ngugi’s discussion on his native language, and how colonial policies influenced it and his way of life directly lead to familiar topics discussed or alluded to in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”. Within “Things Fall Apart”, Achebe utilises Igbo proverbs, songs, folktales, and integrates the Igbo language into the text (uses Igbo words in certain parts of the novel). Because of Ngugi’s text, an addition depth or motivation is added to the understanding of Achebe’s use of language and stylistic choices in “Things Fall Apart”. Ngugi mentions that his people’s “…appreciation of the suggestive magical power of language wa...

With reference to Things Fall Apart, discuss how an understanding of gender influences how the text may be understood. Thesis Statement: Things Fall Apart features a more 'Ibo' understanding of gender roles, stating the importance of women; having different, but prominent roles in Ibo society. The character of Okonkwo demonstrates how the idea of masculinity can drive some to hate any type of femininity, however, the book also addresses how femininity and masculinity and often social constructs, using the characters of Ezinma and Nwoye. Topic Statements:  Things Fall Apart addresses the roles and importance women have in Ibo society, by having certain female characters in positions of influence, such as Chielo (a priestess) and Agbala (the Oracle of the hills) Okonkwo is shown throughout the book to dislike ideas associated with femininity in the Ibo culture, such as being title-less  or weak, due to his insecurities stemming from his fear of becoming like his fa...

Prompt: With reference to Things Fall Apart, show how sub-plots or secondary characters contribute to the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the work as a whole. Individual Points:        The conflict of religion, showcased in the latter part of the story, is exercised mainly through secondary characters and subplots. For example, Nwoye’s decision to convert, Enoch killing the sacred python, and the whole subplot of the church and the village         Ikemefuna as a secondary character, his killing showcases Okonkwo’s devotion to his culture; he puts his personal feelings aside. Also, his killing puts a strain on Okonkwo’s and Nwoye’s relationship. Furthermore, Ikemefuna, an innocent in the conflict, is killed for a crime he had no part in. This showcases the harsher side of Ibo culture         Ekwefi and her daughter Ezinma: their subplot, involving the idea of Ogbanje children. This subplot showcases yet an...

           Taking the cultural context of Things Fall Apart into account, there are a few reasons for why Achebe would characterise Okonkwo using the tragic hero archetype. The character of Okonkwo could be an allegory for the Ibo people as a whole, for example, since throughout the story we see various parallels between Okonkwo’s situation and the situation of the Ibo people and culture. In Part One of the book, both Okonkwo and the Ibo people are well established; Okonkwo has wealth, family, and stability, and the Ibo society is functioning as it has been in the years before. However, in Part Two, we see this begin to unravel, as Okonkwo is exiled, and the colonisers begin to arrive, introducing Christianity, slaughtering a village; bringing great change, and shaking up the cultural stability. At the end of Part Three, we see the full breakdown of both Okonkwo and the old Ibo culture. Okonkwo, of course, kills a court messenger, and then kills himself wh...

Note: Written from a non-Ibo person perspective, however the person has knowledge of what the Ibo culture is and what their achievements are and is speaking on behalf of it at the Royal Colonial Institute’s annual dinner. Set in the Late Victorian era, as the assignment suggests. Words in-between this: [ ], are explanations of phrases, and would not be said in the actual speech.             Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Royal Colonial Institute. As you all know, this is a time of great change in this world. In the span of 100 years we’ve gone from walking on foot and horseback, to being able to get to Edinburgh from London in only 8½ hours whilst sitting, in relative comfort. Despite losing America a century ago, the British Empire has grown immensely since then, acquiring massive territories in Africa. Truly, the Sun never sets on the British Empire. But despite your dominance and hegemony over the world, the human...