Okonkwo (the tragic hero)

The themes of the text 'Things Fall Apart' are developed by the author through the use of his characters. Okonkwo, the protagonist, is a prime example. Achebe himself articulates that Okonkwo was a tool of developing the themes of the text.

One of the themes that Achebe is able to develop through the character of Okonkwo is the idea of change, or the struggle between change and tradition. Most, who are loyal to their culture, would not have the desire to drastically change their cultural and religious values. Okonkwo, for example, rejects the opportunity for change. Joining another religious group, or conforming to a new political system, was, for Okonkwo, not a manly act. Doing so would be against his values, as he all but looked down upon the ways of his father, and thus swore to never follow in his footsteps. He resisted change in fear of becoming his father. This struggle between change and tradition, and the resistance of change is seen clearly through the character of Okonkwo in the text.

Destiny is another theme that could connect with the resistance of change. The destiny, or fate, of a character can be determined by the flexibility of their nature, or any willingness of change. In this regard, Okonkwo was of a completely inflexible nature. With the arrival of the Europeans, and all the cultural values that they brought with, it is inevitable that Okonkwo's destiny with be cursed with negativity. Fate was to bring his own self destruction, thus he is considered a tragic hero, with a tragic flaw. The theme of destiny is an obvious reflection of Okonkwo's character. Achebe successfully uses him for the purpose of developing his main themes.

There may have been a purpose supporting Achebe's decision to choose a tragic hero as his main character. It connects to one tradition proverb. "Wherever something stands, something else will stand beside it." Achebe's own interpretation of this proverb is the idea that the Igbo people do not believe in an absolute. There is no one side of any situation. For any good, there will be bad. Such is the case for Okonkwo. As a tragic hero, he achieves greatness, yet also brings about his own self destruction, all through the motivation of not being a coward like his father. This does support the proverb and could suggest the purpose of choosing Okonkwo to be a tragic hero.

Igbo Background Assignment.

Various traditional cultural rituals and practices are carried out by the Igbo people. A fair amount see large similarities, among many differences, in comparison to the mainstream cultural practices our modern society is still doing today. There are a few specific examples where both similarities and differences can be seen.

Traditional marriage (Igbankwu) is certainly a great example. Marriage in Igboland is not just an affair between the future husband and wife, but also involves the parents, the extended family and villages. There is a large progression of events leading up to the eventual ceremony. First the groom asks his potential partner to marry him. If it's a yes, the groom will visit the bride’s residence accompanied by his father. The groom’s father will introduce himself and his son and explain the purpose of his visit. The bride’s father welcomes the guests, invites his daughter to come and asks her if she knows the groom. Her confirmation shows that she agrees. Then the bride’s price settlement (Ika-Akalika) starts with the groom accompanied by his father and elders visiting the bride’s compound on another evening. They bring wine and kola nuts with them, which are presented to the bride’s father. After they have been served with a meal, the bride’s price is being negotiated between the fathers. In most cases there is only a symbolic price to be paid for the bride, but in addition, other prerequisites, such as kola nuts, goats, chicken and wine, are listed as well. Usually it takes more than one evening before the final bride’s price is settled, offering guests from both sides a glamorous feast. Once the price is settled, the wedding day is planned. It would normally turn out to be a joyful ceremony with singing and traditional dancing. On the day, the bride goes around selling boilt eggs to the guests, in order to prove to both families she has the potential and the capability to open a shop and make money. Then, the father of the bride fills a wooden cup (Iko) with palm wine and passes it to her daughter, whilst groom finds a place among the guests. Only after she has found the groom, offered the cup to him and he sipped the wine, is the couple is married traditionally. This is in much contrast to modern day celebrations. Today, church wedding follows traditional marriage . During this ceremony, the bride’s train, made up of the bride followed by her single female friends, enters the church dancing on the music, while the guests bless the bride’s train by throwing money over the bride and her entourage. The groom receives the bride at the altar for the final church blessing by the priest. This is often followed by a reception, which, in terms of celebration, is a similarity between the two cultures.

An Egwugwu Ceremony is a judgment ceremony in which the town is called to the "Egwugwu house" to settle a dispute between two families/parties by waiting for  the gong to sound. The elders of the village sit in the front rows of stools with a row of nine seats in front of them. The plaintiff and the defendant gather in two groups in front of the crowd. When the gong is heard, the nine "spirits" (representing the nine founders of each village) come out of the hut, each wearing a mask. The leader Egwugwu, named Evil Forest, addresses both groups and receives their sides of the conflict. Then, the nine Egwugwu spirits consult in the hut and then come out and give the verdict to the crowd. This is how many family disputes are solved amongst the Ibo people. This ceremony is similar to our present day court trials, as the Egwugwu, or the judge, is analyzing the crime or dispute being focused on, determining the guilty party, and setting consequences that the guilty will have to give in to.

Funerals are an example as well. If someone of the Ibo village has passed, then a funeral will be held for that person. Traditional funerals of the Igbo people are very much different to present day funerals, as Ibo funerals are centred around the idea of celebration and honour towards the one who has passed, instead of mourning over their passing. During the funeral ancient drums of death are beaten and even guns and canons are shot off. Many of the attendees wear smoked raffia skirts and have their bodies painted with charcoal. Occasionally, a godly egwugwu may pay a visit to honour the deceased. At the end of it all the spirit of the departed is asked to move on peacefully. This ceremony is similar to present day funerals in some ways as well, in that they both deal with the putting to rest of a deceased individual. Even though Igbo funeral ceremonies are much more energetic and positive, they are both meant to give us closure and to make sure that it is acknowledged that those who pass are in a better place.

Most meaningful takeaway...

In this discussion, we focused on an interview of Chinua Achebe, called 'An African Voice,' where they discussed the content, background and meaning of his book 'All things fall apart,' which expresses the effect and disruption that british colonialism had on their culture.

The most meaningful takeaway from this discussion was the topic of how media tends to bend the truth, through relatively false representations of a country, and everything about it. In most cases, when a person thinks about Nigeria, he knows it's a nation in Africa, and immediately has mental pictures of a poverty stricken nation, with roads an pavements of dirt, infested with starving children covered in a swarm of flies. I'm from Africa, and even I can relate to it.

The way the media portrays Africa, through means of mass communication, is the reason that most people don't know any better. They don't know that Africa is rich in minerals and is considered a mining paradise. That don't know that Africa has roads with cars on it, amongst brick houses that have water and electricity, and aren't guarded by lions.

But we suggested that this could be the media's strategy of calling for action. If it is portrayed ad a good, attractive place, then there might not be as much of a motivation to help those in need. I hope that strategy works...

FOA Reflection

Further Oral Activity Reflection

The further oral activity was centred around the question "how is language and it's use affected by lower social class?" I answered the question through analysis of a rap song and a poem, and the aspects of each that help support my argument. In my case, I had wished to evoke the idea that lower social class can affect language in a negative and positive way. When growing up in environments typical of the lower class, education is a risk, and therefore language skills are risked as well. Through the chosen texts, one could see the relationship between the background described, and the resulting outcome of their language use. I showed several examples of this in the texts, as the lower class shone through the language, majorly AAVE.

Overall, I do feel that the actual presentation went quite well. I was successful in bringing across all of the ideas and all of the lines I planned to say initially. This was easier than in the last FOA, as the audio was rehearsed, recorded, and edited. I am also relatively confident that the analysis was enough to support the claims I made in my introduction and conclusion. One of the learning outcomes of the further oral activity was "how language and meaning are shaped by culture and context." I do feel as if I achieved this outcome to the greatest extent. I explored how the context, being lower social class, can actually affect the language being used, and the skill with which it is used.

Considering the criterion, in hindsight, I believe that I was strongest in my language and register, having used many more appropriate words, only possible because it was done in the form of a recorded PowerPoint. This outcome was what I hoped for. When I chose the presentation type, my initial intention was to deliver more depth and detail than possible when presenting live. The analysis, again, I fell was adequate in its aims to support my arguments. I hope, in terms of detail, that it surpassed the level of analysis of the previous FOA, which slightly lacked the detail that I was capable of presenting. Another improvement was the timing of the presentation. I made sure that I was within above the minimum boundary, though a little over the time limit this time.

My main focus was how growing up in a lower social class affects language. When giving though to my choice of texts, I realised that rap music and poetry would best reflect my argument, as a large amount of both text types consist of artists describing the struggles of their past. Often this message is conveyed through the language they most identify with. In the case of my chosen text, that language is AAVE, a language critiqued for its lack of 'properness'. Evidence is present, through the content of the text, suggesting that the informal language being used is a result of their past. This answers how context shapes language, as well as the focus question.

Out of this FOA, I have learnt the depths of my topic. I have learnt about how context can shape language and meaning. As for the next time, I hope to stay closer to the time limit. I will also look towards achieving further depth in the analysis of texts. There is always room for improvement in that department. But above all, I will, once again, take confidence with me for the next FOA, because despite whatever my mark will be, I feel that I did quite well for my second FOA.

The girl who silenced the world in 5 minutes.

In this Paper 1 practice commentary, the text that will be analysed is a speech by Severn Cullis-Suzuki at the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. This influential speech is also referred to as "the girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes." Within this text, she stands up for her views on reality, and believes that all blame is on the adults of the world, who priorities wealth, personal success and personal well-being, over the condition of the world that their children ought to grow up in and eventually have to try and fix themselves. She emphasises on the idea of the worlds population being 5 billion strong, all working together as family, and calls upon all to show their actions speaking louder than their words.

The intended audience of the speech is, primarily, the entire world. However, through a few lines in the speech itself, she directly hints at the specific audience who she knows can make the most difference. "We raised all the money ourselves to come six thousand miles to tell you adults you must change your ways." It's the adults, those who run the world, that Suzuki hopes to reach out to. But, later in the speech, she refers to them as members of ordinary families, stating: "...really you are mothers and fathers, brothers and sister, aunts and uncles – and all of you are somebody’s child." Although the intention of the author is perhaps not to hint at the intended audience, what this does effectively do is include every possible living person as a receiver of the message.

The purpose is clear. Suzuki, through the speech, is educating the adults of current realities, by mentioning environmental issues, species going extinct, and children starving on the streets of Rio. She warns them of possible circumstances, that will be left as burdens to be carried on the shoulders of their own children. She then, through this, persuades the intended audience to change their ways and allow their actions to reflect their words.

In the speech, Suzuki begins by emphasising that she and her team traveled many miles, motivated solely by a care for her future. And that future is being destroyed, as she mentions further. She states all the main issues in the world: the holes in the ozone layer, extinction, and poverty, among others. After all have been educated, she then argues that she, an innocent child, does not have any solutions, and neither do any of the adults. Suzuki continues, adding that all people across the world are family, yet the rich are too greedy to share with those in need, and, by using an example of a child's mindset, she puts the greedy into a more shameful position. She then closes the speech by mentioning all that children are taught in the early stages of life; simple qualities of behaviour that not even adults themselves can show. Suzuki then calls out, on behalf of all whom she represents. "I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words."

On a literary level, a lot can be seen as effective techniques to engage the audience and persuade. There are various examples of pathos being used in this excerpt, where Suzuki often refers to personal experiences, but also makes it relatable for the audience and gives them something to think about. "...but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see." This sparks an emotional response, as the intended audience will feel that their actions will affect the children of an innocent child. Surely, guilt will come into play if the potential struggle of generations to come is the fault of those who listen. "Did you have to worry about these little things when you were my age?" The use of this rhetorical question further silences the audience to reflect on the future that they are creating for generations to come. This is a very effective, and thus a very typical literary device used in persuasive texts. "If a child on the street who has nothing, is willing to share, why are we who have everything still so greedy?" This could be another example of a line that withdraws emotional responses. It ends again with a rhetorical question that questions reality and allows for a self reflection by those of the intended audience. The last effective use of pathos is in the closing lines. This is a very important place within a text to spark an emotional response. The audience will walk off with this emotion, and it will motivate inner change. Suzuki effectively does so here. "Well, what you do makes me cry at night." This is the point where she asks the audience to act out their promises. A mental image of a child crying, as a result of ones flaw, can certainly change ones actions, which is exactly the intention of Suzuki through this emotional line. Logos is also present, through the logical structure of the speech. First stating the problems, blaming the audience, and then asking for a change. It is effective and to the point, which can count towards the level of persuasiveness.

There are several other literary devices used in the speech. Anaphora is one device to consider, as the first 5 words have been repeated multiple times.
"I’m only a child and I don’t have all the solutions, but I want you to realise, neither do you!
• You don’t know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer.
• You don’t know how to bring salmon back up a dead stream.
• You don’t know how to bring back an animal now extinct."
Suzuki purposefully emphasises the lack of knowledge and solutions that adults possess for current problematic situations around the world. She wants them to see that, and repetition guarantees the audience to notice. She also uses a certain form of personification. At a point in the speech, she addresses the audience as "you adult..." which is, somewhat, a way of confronting them and effectively persuade them, as she attempts in the following lines.

Overall, it is clear that through various literary devices and a fair amount of spark emotional response, Suzuki, through her speech, was inventing to change the mindset of her audience and make them reflect on what they have done and, ultimately, what those actions will result in. This was her purpose: to motivate her intended audience to take action, and save the future of generations to come.