Harkness Reflection

1) I spoke twice
2) Did not speak at all
3) Talking a lot, evenly distributed to peers across the class
4) Talking a lot + text references

At first I felt like I had the problem of listening too much and not speaking enough and now I feel like I am an active participant at the harkness table. I speak only when no one else is speaking and actively listen as much as I possibly can. I do also contribute textual references from time to time and offer my analysis and viewpoints on certain topics. I feel like from time to time I may dominate and speak too much and not give others a chance to speak as much so I need to work on policing my frequency of talking. This is definitely an issue I am in the process of resolving.

Nervous Conditions Entry One: Westernisation and Education

Perhaps one of the most prevalent themes in Nervous Conditions is the theme of westernisation.

Tambu mentions: "Then when Nhamo came home at the end of his first year with Babamukuru, you could see he too was no longer the same person... there was one terrible change. He had forgotten how to speak Shona." (53)

This quote in its entirety describes how Nhamo was become more westernized. Tambu describes him as having looked healthier and fuller but more importantly he lost touch with his "cultural roots" his once primary language Shona becomes dominated by his English. This  idea of speaking English best shows westernisation because Nhamo's family more specifically his father believes that his English speaking skills are necessary for the families survival.

"The more time Nhamo spent at Babamukuru's, the more aphasic he became and the more my father was convinced that he was being educated." (53)

Again this quote reenforces the effect of westernisation on Nhamo from Tambu's point of view. The authors idea of westernisation goes hand in hand with education, in fact this is more or less what her definition is, becoming educated. Babamukuru's arrival from England is perhaps the best example of westernisation:

 "Babamukuru was concerned about the way in which the family was developing, pointing out that as an individual he had done what he could for the family's status by obtaining a Master's Degree; that he hoped his children would do as much again, if not more; that he was pleased that he was iin a position to provide his children with a fine start in that direction." (44)

Babamukuru having returned from England believes that the key to his families success lies in a good education. These ideas undoubtedly stem from his stay in his England, and this further proves the effect of westernisation on him. Babamukuru's westernisation goes further than just his education it has a large influence on his home as well as his family. Tambu describes her uncles westernisation through the details she has noticed at his house, the ammonia cleaner, tea strainers a large assortment of English tea etc. She describes her uncles house as being "decorated with the sort of accessories that the local interpretations of British interior-decor magazines were describing as standard" (70).

Book Cover

The current book cover we have for "Things Fall Apart" was my absolute favourite over all the other ones. I feel like it's the most powerful and effective cover for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the biggest reason is it is a great representation of the book. I believe the cracked dirt on the cover is there as a representation of the "things falling apart" so to speak. The face is also powerful, undoubtedly it must be Okonkwo's judging from his description in the book, and it gives the reader an interesting idea of what an Okonkwo type male figure would look like. This cover is perhaps the most simple of all, yet the most moving of them all and it undoubtedly makes the best book cover of them all.

Chimamanda Adichie Ted Talk Response

Adichie's TED talk discussed the very interesting concept of how one cannot describe a group of people just with a story. I found her point how this is often the case very interesting. She brought up some great points and examples during her discussion, one of my favourite being about her ignorant roommate. Her roommate had this preconceived notion that Adichie was an uneducated tribal figure, however as she soon found out this was not the case. Ideas and perceptions of an individual or society as a whole are a result of the single stories which is why they are so dangerous. Perhaps one of the most interesting points of her presentation was her view on stereotypes:

"The Problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make on story become the only story."

This is more or less the core of her presentation, that one story can be dangerous. Using Adichie's definition of a story, stereotypes themselves are "stories" to a certain extent. I do agree that a single story can have a damaging impact on the reputation of a group of individuals yet this goes two ways. On one hand you do have the damaging "stereotypes" however stories can also place a group of people in a positive light as well as a negative one. This point was best conveyed through her discussion at the beginning of the American and British books she had read as a child. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed her discussion, it was insightful and brought up a lot of great points some of which were very interesting, and others I had never even thought of before.

Things Fall Apart Entry Two: The Justice System

After our class discussion today I realised that the justice system in Umofia has a very backward way of running. What I mean to say is, it needs a lot of work and it is obviously very unfair. The first and most straightforward example would have to be the trial that goes on about the man that beats his wife.

"We have heard both sides of the case.' said Evil Forest. 'Our duty is not to blame this man or to praise that, but to settle the dispute...Go to your in-laws with a pot of wine and beg your wife to return to you. It is not bravery when a man fights with a woman.' (pg. 88-89)

This passage shows that the punishment for the man beating his wife over a period of many years is that he simply brings a pot of wine and begs for forgiveness. It is a very backwards system, unjust and unfair. It also is a very much male dominated justice system seeing that the panel is all men.

Things Fall Apart Entry One: Cultural Differences

One of the first things I took notice of when I started reading "Things Fall Apart" is that it is very much a patriarchal society that is displayed in this book. There is a strong separation between men and women, especially shown through the treatment of wives. This separation is not only evident between men and women but also between men and children. Okonkwo best displays this relationship with his three wives and many children. Obviously our culture and society runs in a much more different manner, and while I found some difference very interesting, I found others pretty shocking. A prime example being how people blindly follow what the oracles say, as it can lead to gruesome outcomes best shown when Okonkwo kills Ikefuma because it was prophesied. While I don't necessarily agree with some of the cultural beliefs it's important to still be tolerant, which leads to me my next point, Diana Aker Rhoads essay. She mentioned that the Umofian people being tolerant of other cultures is prevalent throughout the book, the following passage displays it very well.

Passage Analysis:

"But what is good in one place is bad in another place"

This very short spoken passage by Obierikas elder brother displays that while the people of Umofia can be critical of other clans and their traditions, they are still tolerant of their cultures though they might not be the same as theirs. This directly relates to the point in Diana Aker Rhoads essay, that the Umofian's are tolerant of other cultures.

First Glance:

Overall, the book is pretty good, at least so far. I've already managed to learn a lot about the Umofian people as details about their culture, society and economy have developed greatly of the course of the book. To say the least, their culture and belief system is vastly different from ours, which can be a good and bad thing at the same time.