Christine Bays
Ms. Bosch
English 10 Honors
15 August 2007
The Shaping of Me
One time I watched a movie and there were two people talking to each other, a boy and a girl. The girl tells the boy a story. She says that there were once a family of squirrels, but one day something happens and a gigantic canyon separates the family of squirrels. Each “half” adapts and begins to thrive in its successive habitat. A hundred years later, these same squirrels meet again. They come from the same ancestors, yet they look and act quite differently. One side had squirrels with short, brown fur to hide them in the dry grass and the others bushy gray fur to help them survive in the harsh winters. The squirrels were the same, but they changed over time to in order to adapt to their climate. The point in this story is that people change too; they change to fit their surroundings. My surroundings have shaped me and continue to change me. The geography of where you live changes you, and will continue changing you to fit your needs.
The fist thing that starts to shape me is where I live. I live on a farm, and it makes me different form many other people at school because the majority comes from the bay area or some other urban town. People say that the country is smelly and you can’t go anywhere or do anything, but really that isn’t true. There are lots of things to do, for instance you can help out with work on the farm, or you can help out with cleaning up the house. You can also ride you bike or play basketball. Personally I like to stay home and read books, I know it is antisocial, but when you don’t have anywhere to go without a car, you have to find a way to entertain yourself. I don’t always get to sit back and relax, I have to go to school and do my homework like a regular teenager, but in the summer, I have to work from 5:30 am to about 2 pm. I have to drive a tractor for my dad’s apricot fields. When I first started to work for my dad I hated it, but at the end I always got a check. I got paid minimum wage and working in the sun at the heat of the day made me realize that I want to go to college and get a good job that pays well and has better working conditions. Living on a farm always means more responsibility. We have to feed the animals. My family has about 20 animals to feed each morning, 2 frogs, 2 horses, 3 dogs, 3 goats, 4 cats, 5 rabbits, and some fish. It’s not that hard to feed them after you do it for a couple years, but for people who only have to feed their 2 dogs, this may seem like a lot. We have a planter boxes in our backyard, every one in the family got one, and when we were little we had to grow plants in them, we had to water, and weed them. That helped me to remember to do things, or else they may die without your care. Living on a farm has also spoiled me because I know what fruit that has come right off the tree/vine tastes like, so I don’t like the store bought fruit. Living on a farm in Patterson has shaped me more than I can say.
I live on a farm, but living on a farm is not the only thing that has shaped me, living in Patterson has also shaped me. Patterson was a small town when I was younger, so I knew almost all the people that I went to school with. This shaped me by helping me to build up my confidence to talk to people and make friends with them. I learned to share and not make enemies with other students, because I would probably be seeing them for more years to come. When I went into fifth grade more and more people started to move to Patterson, so I made more and more friends, but some of them wouldn’t stay long because their family was just renting their house, or they got a better job somewhere else. Living in a small town that was growing helped to shape me by getting me used to growth and change in Patterson, because we used to go shopping in a locally owned grocery store, but then we got a Save Mart and then we got a McDonalds. We used to have a locally owned movie rental place, but then we got a Blockbuster. We had to start urbanizing for the bay area people that were coming over. They wanted places to walk to and hangout after school, so the town had to grow and get those stores to keep them happy. I hated the development and the growing of Patterson, but I had to live with it, but you get used to it, because there is nothing else you can do. These experiences have gotten me used to change, and have helped me to realize that sometimes life doesn’t end up how you want it to be.
Living in Patterson also makes me a Californian, and being a Californian has also played a big role in shaping me and making me who I am. In California we are able to get our permit after taking a permit test at 15 and 6 months, then after 6 months of driving 60 hours you are able to get your license, but you can’t drive other people in the car without a 21 year old in the car until a year after you get your license. This may seem like a long process, and it is, but at least we are able to drive before we are 18. Having to practice before you are an adult and are doing things on your own is a smarter choice, because people can help you out and tell you what you are doing wrong. I want to get as much practice in as I can before I have to be way from my parents and go to college. You can also vote when you are 18, which gives us something to look forward to, we are an adult and can do what we want and not have curfews. We also had to get rid of metal playgrounds and put in plastic ones, so that the children won’t get hurt, and that made me realize the negatives of these actions. How are children supposed to learn so that when they get older they make the right decisions? It is a proven fact that children learn better from making mistakes and experience. I know I did. I learned not to get onto a hot slide, because it hurts, and I learned that plastic doesn’t last as long as metal. California may have some questionable rules that they make up, but it helps us all learn what the flaws are.
California is just a small part of an even bigger country that also shapes me and makes me who I am. The United States of America has helped shape me and many other people. It has given me the freedom of speech. It has let me think what I want to, and say what I think when I feel that it is necessary, a freedom not found in a number of other countries. We also have the right to question what our leaders say and do without going to jail or getting killed. When I go to my history classes and learn about how other people live in fear of their leaders and not everyone is treated the same, it makes me realize that we are really lucky to live in the United States. I realize that we have rights, but not everyone has those rights like India, the women have to cover their faces because they are considered lower than man. People in the United States these days don’t know how lucky they are to live here and have freedom of speech and rights to a lot of stuff. Like I said most countries don’t live like us, and it has helped me to appreciate all that we stand for and all that the people running the country do for us. I have also learned that everyone makes bad decisions, like the presidents, and that you can’t make everyone happy, so you try to make the majority happy, and do the right thing. I see different people abusing their rights, using their racial profiles or even certain disabilities to attain certain benefits. I have learned that if I do something wrong I have to take my punishment because that is how we maintain order here. The United States has helped me to appreciate all the freedom that we have.
Before my family lived in the United States they came form Germany. My ancestors have shaped me too. They have shaped me in so many ways. They have given me my appearance, so that I am not like anyone else. They gave me my blonde hair and blue eyes. They also say that intelligence is inherited, so they must have been pretty smart. They have given me the intelligence to go to college and get a job that can support me. They made me realize that I was ment to be here because they came over here, and never left, so this atmosphere must be the right place for me to grow up in. They also gave me my body type, bigger muscular in the legs. I have learned that we are given certain things that are not quite as “appreciated” as others, but are just as much part of who I am and who I become. The geography must have made them need them, or they were given to me because I needed them in the place that I lived. It is like African’s they have dark skin so they won’t get sunburned from the sun because their darker skin blocks the sun. In Germany, it is not as hot as Africa, so they have blonde hair and blue eyes because it is not as sunny. People are shaped for many different reasons, and the shaping process never really ends, because we are always changing. The geography helps in the process of shaping us and making us who we are. Even the smallest of actions can have an affect on our lives. The life process is a series of ripples, or actions, that affect the “lake” or life of a person. These actions disrupt our lives, and change the course of the waters within us. Just as a number of objects can cause this effect on the surface of the water, these events or causes can change, or affect, our lives. These ripples in our lives make us who we become.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Essay #1 Things Fall Apart
Christine Bays
Mrs. Bosch
English 10 Honors
9 August 2007
Things Fall Apart
One of the greatest wonders of the world is the uniqueness and individuality of every single person. They all have different wants, needs, values, and anti-values that make them that unique individual in this world. Of course, these characteristics are often reflected in the actions and works of the person. If, for example, a lazy man were to construct a house, this quality about him would be reflected in the shoddy job done on the house. African author Chinua Achebe exemplifies this idea in his famous novel Things Fall Apart, bringing out his pride through the actions and reflections of proud, hard-working protagonist Okonkwo. Okonkwo, a man who has developed a strong sense of pride from watching the laze and folly of his father before him, works hard as a farmer and wrestler to become wealthy. After shooting a young boy however, he is forced to leave his home and hide out with his mother’s family for seven years. He returns to his village at the end of those seven years with his head held high. Later on, he is forced to challenge the impeding loss of tradition that comes in the form of the white man and his “western” conversions. The story of Okonkwo expounds on the great pride that Achebe takes in family, heritage, memory, language, and lives.
If someone were to pick up the treasure chest of Chinua Achebe, and pull out a handful of coins, they would flip one coin over, and it would have the word family written on it. Family is a very important thing to Chinua Achebe, and he takes pride in it. He shows that he takes pride in family when he writes “Okonkwo was well received by his mother’s kinsmen in Mbanta. The old man that received him was his mother’s younger brother, who was now the eldest surviving member in that family. His name was Uchendu, and it was he who had received Okonkwo’s mother twenty and ten years before when she had been brought home from Umuofia to be buried with her people.” (129) This shows his pride in family because they are accepting Okonkwo and his family because they are relatives, and Uchendu is not even asking why Okonkwo is there, he trusts him to tell later on. Family is built on lots of things, and one of them is trust. Also, Chinua shows pride in family when he says “The daughters of the family did not
return to their homes immediately but spent two or three days with their kinsmen.” (132) Takes place after a marriage; the sisters are the sisters of the wife that just got married. When they do not return home immediately it shows that they like to visit with their kinsmen and spend some quality time with them. It’s just like when people get together with their families on holidays, usually they stay and chat, they don’t just go then come home, they like to catch up on what’s happening with their relatives. The pride shown in this quote for family is a little different than the others; this is said by two brothers, “My in-law Uzowulu is a beast. My sister lived with him for nine years. During those years no single day passed in the sky without his beating the woman…Two years ago, when she was pregnant, he beat her until she miscarried.” (91) This shows how the families protect one another. When one is in need of help they go and help because that is what families do, they protect one another. This protection comes from love which is another foundation for family. They have to protect their families because if they don’t then who will be there to pass on the heritage.
Another one of the coins that you would have in your hands and flip over would have the word heritage written on it. Heritage is what someone receives from a parent or predecessor, which in Chinua Achebes place would mean knowledge from family
members, like the knowledge of his ancestors and his ancestral lands, Africa. Just by writing this book he showed a pride in his heritage. He felt so strongly about it and wanted every to know about it, so he wrote a book. In the book he writes about pretty much about everything that happens inside a village, and really left nothing out, even if it was unpleasant. When people get sick and are going to die they put them in the “evil” forest. Most people would go “Oh that’s so mean why did he put that in the story.” Well he put it in the story because that is what really happens, and he takes pride in that. If people read the book, they might understand what happened a little better. It’s their culture; they know that it is going to happen to them, it’s just part of their life. One of the other activities that they do is they like to wrestle. One of Okonkwo’s wives married him because he was one of the best wrestlers. The men are also allowed to marry more than one woman, but in their culture that is perfectly acceptable, they have no problem with that. Actually the more women that you marry the wealthier a person you are, and you are higher up in the society. Chinua Achebe doesn't write things to make people happy; he writes things to inform people. He writes about what it is really like in the land that his ancestors came from; he wants people to know what it is like, and he takes pride in it.
The hands are still full with coins from the treasure chest and another coin is flipped over. This one says memory on it. Memory is a pretty important thing to Chinua Achebe and as the book shows, he takes pride in it. In the book the mothers are always telling their children stories. All the stories have morals or they explain why something is the way it is, they help children to understand, like this one, “Once upon a time all the birds were invited to a feast in the sky…Tortoise saw all the preparations and soon discovered what it all meant…but he had no wings, so he went to the birds and asked to be allowed to go with them.”(96) Well anyway tortoise was a sly and ungrateful and the birds told him that, but he said he was a changed man. The birds agreed that he could go after a while. They gave him feathers so he could have wings to fly with. He ended up tricking the birds and eating all the good food. The birds became angry; they took all the feathers back so tortoise could not fly. He dropped down to his house, his shell cracked. That is why tortoises don’t have smooth shells. The moral of this story could be you should be nice to people and don’t try to trick them or else it explains why the tortoise has a cracked shell. The book too expresses Chinua’s pride in memory because he wrote this book so the memory of the culture of the people and time can live on and hopefully will not be forgotten.
The treasure chest still holds the coins so another is flipped over and on this one is written language. Language can mean the language you speak or how you express something. Chinua Achebe’s prides his language like he prides a lot of other things. He shows that he takes pride in language when he puts some of the words that come for the village. Words like iba which mean fever, nno which means welcome, and ochu which mean murder or manslaughter. Usually authors put words in from a different language because it describes it better than the English words do. Some languages have words that describe things perfectly in one word, and to describe the same things with English words would be more than one word, and it wouldn’t even describe it as well. The language also helps you get into the story better and make you feel like you know more about the culture and way of life. It’s part of who the people are in the story.
One of the last coins that are in the hands is flipped over and on it is written lives. The lives of the people in the stories in Chinua Achebe’s are very important to him because they tell his story for him and because life is just a very important thing to Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo may have killed a lot of people, but each time he killed someone he suffered. First he killed his adopted son, and by doing that, he made himself miserable and depressed for about two days, until he realized that he could work and that would take his mind off of what he had done. He goes to his friend and asks why he didn’t go to kill Okonkwo’s adopted son. Obierika says, “I did not want to…I had something better to do.” (66) and he told Okonkwo, “If I were you I would have stayed home. What you have done will not pleased the Earth. It is the kind of action for which the goddess wipes out whole families.” (67) Okonkwo was also was told before that he should not go to kill his son by one of the elders, but Okonkwo did not listen. Later Okonkwo kills a dead mans son, it may have been by accident, but he was still killed, so Okonkwo had to leave that night. He packed up all the families stuff and he left with his wives and kids and he took them to his mother’s family. He had to be gone from Umuofia, the town he was living at, for 7 years. He didn’t like it because he had to start from scratch and do everything over again. He kills a messenger when the messenger tries to stop their meeting, and he ends up having to go to the white man’s jail for that. In the end he kills himself because he can’t live with how his village is changing. The bad thing about this was that the white man pretty much won and would take over his village because his courage wasn’t there to fight. Chinua Achebe takes pride in the lives that his characters have because he punishes the people who are the killers somehow. Chinua prides the lives that his characters lead.
Chinua’s pride taken in family, heritage, memory, language and lives all tie back to one very important thing to him: his country. The country that Chinua takes pride in is Africa. There may have been some traditions that people think are revolting, but its part of the culture in the country. One of the biggest things about Chinua’s pride is that he knows who he is and takes pride in that. This may not be how everyone shows pride in their countries, but we are all unique, and this is how Chinua shows his pride, with the power of words.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
Journal Entry
#30
August 3, 2007
Page 135 paragraph 1
I think that it is really nice that Obierika came to visit Okonkwo. I also think that it is really nice that Obierika had also taken care of Okonkwo's yams, and had done all the buisness arangements for him. That is a true friend. I think that Okonkwo is truely greatful that Obierika came over to visit him so that he can hear about what is happening in Umuofia. Hopefully Okonkwo is learning something from this experience.
#30
August 3, 2007
Page 135 paragraph 1
I think that it is really nice that Obierika came to visit Okonkwo. I also think that it is really nice that Obierika had also taken care of Okonkwo's yams, and had done all the buisness arangements for him. That is a true friend. I think that Okonkwo is truely greatful that Obierika came over to visit him so that he can hear about what is happening in Umuofia. Hopefully Okonkwo is learning something from this experience.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Journal Entry
#29
August 2, 2007
Page 132
Cutting a chicken's throat for a wedding ceremony is a bit much, or at lease I think. The ansesteral stick must be really bad smelling because old dried blood does not smell good, and there must be a lot of flies around a little while after the blood was spread. Aslo, when they're asking the girl questions, how do they know she is telling the truth? I would not want to be living in this village.
#29
August 2, 2007
Page 132
Cutting a chicken's throat for a wedding ceremony is a bit much, or at lease I think. The ansesteral stick must be really bad smelling because old dried blood does not smell good, and there must be a lot of flies around a little while after the blood was spread. Aslo, when they're asking the girl questions, how do they know she is telling the truth? I would not want to be living in this village.
Wendesday, August 1, 2007
Journal Entry
#28
August 1, 2007
Page 129 paragraph 1
Okonkwo's family seems really nice to take him in on such short notice. For not seeing him in a long time they are very nice, I would be a little like okay why are you here now, and you've never come before. I think that these village people are close even if they don't see each other very often. I don't see how they can't see their cousins in so long a time, I see my cousins at the holidays, and I have a blast. Well I can see that it takes a long time to travel from village to village so that could be why they don't visit often.
#28
August 1, 2007
Page 129 paragraph 1
Okonkwo's family seems really nice to take him in on such short notice. For not seeing him in a long time they are very nice, I would be a little like okay why are you here now, and you've never come before. I think that these village people are close even if they don't see each other very often. I don't see how they can't see their cousins in so long a time, I see my cousins at the holidays, and I have a blast. Well I can see that it takes a long time to travel from village to village so that could be why they don't visit often.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Journal Entry
#27
July 29, 2007
Page 123 paragraph 4
I think that when the guns went off and Okonkwo's killed the dead man's son, so that the son died too,it was like a curse for killing his son, because he wasn't supposed to. Now Okonkwo has to leave the village because it is their custom. He has to leave and be gone for 7 years. I feel sorry for him, but then again I don't because he screwed up his own life so much, but I feel sorry because he didn't mean to do it.
#27
July 29, 2007
Page 123 paragraph 4
I think that when the guns went off and Okonkwo's killed the dead man's son, so that the son died too,it was like a curse for killing his son, because he wasn't supposed to. Now Okonkwo has to leave the village because it is their custom. He has to leave and be gone for 7 years. I feel sorry for him, but then again I don't because he screwed up his own life so much, but I feel sorry because he didn't mean to do it.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Journal Entry
#26
July 28, 2007
Page 121 paragraph 1
Ezeudu was a great man, so people came to his funeral, he was nice, and told people. He was the one to tell Okonkwo to not take part in his son's death, but being Okonkwo he did take part on it. I wonder how Okonkwo must feel about not listening to Ezeudu. I would feel a little spooked, because what did he mean when he said that, did he mean that I was going to die a horrible death too or I would just feel guilty.
#26
July 28, 2007
Page 121 paragraph 1
Ezeudu was a great man, so people came to his funeral, he was nice, and told people. He was the one to tell Okonkwo to not take part in his son's death, but being Okonkwo he did take part on it. I wonder how Okonkwo must feel about not listening to Ezeudu. I would feel a little spooked, because what did he mean when he said that, did he mean that I was going to die a horrible death too or I would just feel guilty.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Journal Entry
#25
July 27, 2007
Page 115 paragraph 8
It seemed really weird to me that Obrieka's son had to sweep out in front od his father's obi, I would have thought that they would have made the wife, other daughters, or some other woman around. I mean because sweepig fits in the catagory of house keeping and that is the woman's job, but I guess since it is outside it could aslo be considered a man or boy's job.
#25
July 27, 2007
Page 115 paragraph 8
It seemed really weird to me that Obrieka's son had to sweep out in front od his father's obi, I would have thought that they would have made the wife, other daughters, or some other woman around. I mean because sweepig fits in the catagory of house keeping and that is the woman's job, but I guess since it is outside it could aslo be considered a man or boy's job.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Journal Entry
#24
July 26, 2007
Page 111 paragraph 1
Sometimes old people seem a little crazy and out of it, but that doesn't mean they don't know things. The priestess knew that Ekwefi and Okonkwo were outside the cave mouth because she knew what kind of child Ezinma was to her parents, and she knew the parents pretty well. She was also doing some sort of a meditation, and they say that when you meditate that you are aware of your surrounding a lot more than you were before. Old people may seem crazy, but that's just because they've lived so long and they know so much they have a right to be crazy sometimes.
#24
July 26, 2007
Page 111 paragraph 1
Sometimes old people seem a little crazy and out of it, but that doesn't mean they don't know things. The priestess knew that Ekwefi and Okonkwo were outside the cave mouth because she knew what kind of child Ezinma was to her parents, and she knew the parents pretty well. She was also doing some sort of a meditation, and they say that when you meditate that you are aware of your surrounding a lot more than you were before. Old people may seem crazy, but that's just because they've lived so long and they know so much they have a right to be crazy sometimes.
Wednesday, July 25,2007
Journal Entry
#23
July 25, 2007
Page 108 paragraph 2
Ekwefi had said and oath, so she couldn't go into a cave and take her daughter, but she wanted to like any protective mother would do. Ezinma was her only daughter, and usually mother's who have only one child and she is a girl, then they usually have this really strong, and their daughter is pretty much their life, it is why they do things, the moms life revolves around the daughters. Ekwefi also didn't go get her daughter, because she knew that her daughter was safe, but she stayed just in case something happened.
#23
July 25, 2007
Page 108 paragraph 2
Ekwefi had said and oath, so she couldn't go into a cave and take her daughter, but she wanted to like any protective mother would do. Ezinma was her only daughter, and usually mother's who have only one child and she is a girl, then they usually have this really strong, and their daughter is pretty much their life, it is why they do things, the moms life revolves around the daughters. Ekwefi also didn't go get her daughter, because she knew that her daughter was safe, but she stayed just in case something happened.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Journal Entry
#22
July 24, 2007
Page 104 paragraph 3
When someone sneezes, the people of this village say "Life to you". I thought that was interesting because in India they say "someone is thinking of you", and in America we say "Bless you". The superstition of sneezing for the United States was that either there was an evil spirit around, or you were sneezing out something bad, so people said bess you as kind of like may God be with you and hopefully the devil won't take over your body. So I'm guessing that at each place that you go they will have a different saying for when you sneeze.
#22
July 24, 2007
Page 104 paragraph 3
When someone sneezes, the people of this village say "Life to you". I thought that was interesting because in India they say "someone is thinking of you", and in America we say "Bless you". The superstition of sneezing for the United States was that either there was an evil spirit around, or you were sneezing out something bad, so people said bess you as kind of like may God be with you and hopefully the devil won't take over your body. So I'm guessing that at each place that you go they will have a different saying for when you sneeze.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Journal Entry
#20
July 23, 2007
Page 101 paragraph 3
The Priestess tells Ekwefi to go and find her daughter Ezinma. I find that kind of weird because Ezinma is really Ekwefi's daughter. It is like the gosple churches where everyone calls everyone else brother so and so and sister so and so, they're not really related, but it's almost like their culture, to them in God's eyes they're all brothers and sisters, children of God. I think that is how the priestess is veiwing because she is like their god's communicator with the people on earth.
#20
July 23, 2007
Page 101 paragraph 3
The Priestess tells Ekwefi to go and find her daughter Ezinma. I find that kind of weird because Ezinma is really Ekwefi's daughter. It is like the gosple churches where everyone calls everyone else brother so and so and sister so and so, they're not really related, but it's almost like their culture, to them in God's eyes they're all brothers and sisters, children of God. I think that is how the priestess is veiwing because she is like their god's communicator with the people on earth.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Journal Entry
#19
July 22, 2007
Page 99 paragraph 4
The stories that the villagers tell, or tribal people in general always have these really cute stories about how things came to be. Like the one on this page, the tortoise shell is not smooth because he was dropped, and his shell broke into different pieces. I love the stories they tell because it answers questions for little kids, even if it isn't true, they'll figure it out when their older if they really want to know.
#19
July 22, 2007
Page 99 paragraph 4
The stories that the villagers tell, or tribal people in general always have these really cute stories about how things came to be. Like the one on this page, the tortoise shell is not smooth because he was dropped, and his shell broke into different pieces. I love the stories they tell because it answers questions for little kids, even if it isn't true, they'll figure it out when their older if they really want to know.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Journal Entry
#21
July 21, 2007
Page 95 paragraph 2
They have to use oil lamps, and it just got me thinking, how would life be different today if we didn't have electricity and we had to use oil lamps? I think we would be outside more trying to make the most of the daylight. Electricity has made us so spoiled. We can pretty much do whatever we want at night or day because we can just flick a switch and then there's light, and we don't seem to care about how much we use. The people in the village had to watch how much oil they used because they couldnl't just get light by flicking a switch.
#21
July 21, 2007
Page 95 paragraph 2
They have to use oil lamps, and it just got me thinking, how would life be different today if we didn't have electricity and we had to use oil lamps? I think we would be outside more trying to make the most of the daylight. Electricity has made us so spoiled. We can pretty much do whatever we want at night or day because we can just flick a switch and then there's light, and we don't seem to care about how much we use. The people in the village had to watch how much oil they used because they couldnl't just get light by flicking a switch.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Journal Entry
#18
July 20, 2007
Page 90 paragraph 9
When you have to be a judge, and a person comes to you with one story and the family comes to you about another, which story do you believe? I would listen to both the stories. Then I would look for wounds on the wife and then I would think it over a little while, ask them some questions, and then I would tell them my decision. I would say that the husband is lying and he had been beating his wife because it sounds true. Their decision was to make the man bring wine to the family and beg the wife to come back, but they did know he was beating the wife becasue he told him that beating his wife was not brave.
#18
July 20, 2007
Page 90 paragraph 9
When you have to be a judge, and a person comes to you with one story and the family comes to you about another, which story do you believe? I would listen to both the stories. Then I would look for wounds on the wife and then I would think it over a little while, ask them some questions, and then I would tell them my decision. I would say that the husband is lying and he had been beating his wife because it sounds true. Their decision was to make the man bring wine to the family and beg the wife to come back, but they did know he was beating the wife becasue he told him that beating his wife was not brave.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Journal Entry
#17
July 19, 2007
Page 87 paragraph 2
They said that the ceremony was for men, and that the women had to stand on the outside and try to get a glimse in. This is like the Olympics in Greese, it was for men so the women had to be on the outside of the collosium and try to look in. Do they have any ceremonies for women? If they do, then do the men stand on the outside like the women, or do they not come at all? Elders have always come first, out of respect because they contain knowledge and wisdom that we may never get.
#17
July 19, 2007
Page 87 paragraph 2
They said that the ceremony was for men, and that the women had to stand on the outside and try to get a glimse in. This is like the Olympics in Greese, it was for men so the women had to be on the outside of the collosium and try to look in. Do they have any ceremonies for women? If they do, then do the men stand on the outside like the women, or do they not come at all? Elders have always come first, out of respect because they contain knowledge and wisdom that we may never get.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Journal Entry
#16
July 18,2007
Page 80
I think that it is pretty funny how these people are so supersticious. I mean they spend almost all day following a girl, who they say is a demon child, so that they can find her iyi-uwa so she can't come back and torcher her mother again. They believe that they know where she is going and doing, when she really is just faking it. I think all children would do that, I mean all of a sudden they have have all the villagers attention, why not hold it as long as possible. They need to find a better way to occupy their time.
#16
July 18,2007
Page 80
I think that it is pretty funny how these people are so supersticious. I mean they spend almost all day following a girl, who they say is a demon child, so that they can find her iyi-uwa so she can't come back and torcher her mother again. They believe that they know where she is going and doing, when she really is just faking it. I think all children would do that, I mean all of a sudden they have have all the villagers attention, why not hold it as long as possible. They need to find a better way to occupy their time.
Tuesday, July 17,2007
Journal Entry
#15
July 17,2007
Page 83 paragraph 6
They always have a reason not to do things, and when they do it always has to do with a story they tell. It's almost like an inside joke, if you don't know the story. Everything that they do revolves around a story that they have heard or tell. A lot of people at that time kept history that way by story or telling it orally. The people of that time had good memories, and they had to to pass on their history.
#15
July 17,2007
Page 83 paragraph 6
They always have a reason not to do things, and when they do it always has to do with a story they tell. It's almost like an inside joke, if you don't know the story. Everything that they do revolves around a story that they have heard or tell. A lot of people at that time kept history that way by story or telling it orally. The people of that time had good memories, and they had to to pass on their history.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Journal Entry
#14
July 16, 2007
Page 75 paragraph 1
For the first time in a long time Okonkwo is able to get a good sleep at night. They say that after a while time helps ease the pain. You may still be sad, but it won't be as bad, and you will be able to cope with it better. Hopefully Okonkwo still remembers what he did and the lesson that he learned from it, even though the pain has eased up.
#14
July 16, 2007
Page 75 paragraph 1
For the first time in a long time Okonkwo is able to get a good sleep at night. They say that after a while time helps ease the pain. You may still be sad, but it won't be as bad, and you will be able to cope with it better. Hopefully Okonkwo still remembers what he did and the lesson that he learned from it, even though the pain has eased up.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Journal Entry
#13
July 15, 2007
Page 69 paragraph 1
As I have noticed form this book and other books, is that some of the people do some pretty bad stuff, or have bad stuff happen to them, they are depressed for a while and then find out that as long as they stay busy they don't feel the pain as much. While they work, and keep there mind on it they forget about their pain and hurt. It's the same thing with homework, when you are doing something sometimes you forget about homework, but at the last minute you always seem to remember. Okonkwo stays busy with working and he forgets how he is depressed because he killed his son.
#13
July 15, 2007
Page 69 paragraph 1
As I have noticed form this book and other books, is that some of the people do some pretty bad stuff, or have bad stuff happen to them, they are depressed for a while and then find out that as long as they stay busy they don't feel the pain as much. While they work, and keep there mind on it they forget about their pain and hurt. It's the same thing with homework, when you are doing something sometimes you forget about homework, but at the last minute you always seem to remember. Okonkwo stays busy with working and he forgets how he is depressed because he killed his son.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Journal Entry
#12
July 14, 2007
Page 66 paragraph 7
When Okonkwo asked why Obierika didn't go to kill Ikemefuna. Obierika says that he didn't go because it wasn't right. Why could Obierika figure that out but not Okonkwo. Okonkwo is just too worried about his apperance to realise that that is the way to lose friends and hurt other people more. It is also a way to hurt yourself. You feel like you have to do it to have people like you, but you don't, people should just like you for being you. Just be yourself.
#12
July 14, 2007
Page 66 paragraph 7
When Okonkwo asked why Obierika didn't go to kill Ikemefuna. Obierika says that he didn't go because it wasn't right. Why could Obierika figure that out but not Okonkwo. Okonkwo is just too worried about his apperance to realise that that is the way to lose friends and hurt other people more. It is also a way to hurt yourself. You feel like you have to do it to have people like you, but you don't, people should just like you for being you. Just be yourself.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Journal Entry
#11
July 13, 2007
Page 63 paragraph 1
It is very sad when your children are scared of you. It means you must either look scary, they are guilty of something and they don't want you to dind out about it, or you did something that is scary to them. In Okonkwo's case it is number 3, he killed one of his children, his adopted son, and Nwoye found out about it and is now scared of his father. I would be too if I found out my dad killed sibling of mine just because every one esle was going to do it too. Sometimes kids will never forget that, so there may always be something between the father son relationship so that you can't get too close to each other.
#11
July 13, 2007
Page 63 paragraph 1
It is very sad when your children are scared of you. It means you must either look scary, they are guilty of something and they don't want you to dind out about it, or you did something that is scary to them. In Okonkwo's case it is number 3, he killed one of his children, his adopted son, and Nwoye found out about it and is now scared of his father. I would be too if I found out my dad killed sibling of mine just because every one esle was going to do it too. Sometimes kids will never forget that, so there may always be something between the father son relationship so that you can't get too close to each other.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Journal Entry
#10
July 12, 2007
Page 60 paragraph 1
When Okonkwo killed his son, I think that he wasn't strong enough to stand up for his son and tell every one that he liked his adopted son, he had become part of the family. He didn't want to be laughed at, and he wanted to stay popular. He is just like a high schooler, he will do stupid stuff he will regret just so he can be popular. He killed one of his favorite people just because he wanted to seem strong and to not be soft.
#10
July 12, 2007
Page 60 paragraph 1
When Okonkwo killed his son, I think that he wasn't strong enough to stand up for his son and tell every one that he liked his adopted son, he had become part of the family. He didn't want to be laughed at, and he wanted to stay popular. He is just like a high schooler, he will do stupid stuff he will regret just so he can be popular. He killed one of his favorite people just because he wanted to seem strong and to not be soft.
Wednesday, July 11,2007
Journal Entry
#9
July 11, 2007
Page 55 paragraph 4
The people of this village are happy that there are locusts. I can see why because they don't come around very often, and so they would be considered a delicasy that anyone could have as long as they had access to them. In Little House on the Prairie they have the locusts come, but to them it is bad because they eat everything that is in their way so there is no food for the cows or horses and there is no food for the people, so I can see why they didn't like them. That is why your opinion of something can be good or bad depending on where you are.
#9
July 11, 2007
Page 55 paragraph 4
The people of this village are happy that there are locusts. I can see why because they don't come around very often, and so they would be considered a delicasy that anyone could have as long as they had access to them. In Little House on the Prairie they have the locusts come, but to them it is bad because they eat everything that is in their way so there is no food for the cows or horses and there is no food for the people, so I can see why they didn't like them. That is why your opinion of something can be good or bad depending on where you are.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Journal Entry
#8
July 10, 2007
Page 54 paragraph 1
Men have always had to be men, no matter where you are. They are supposed to be the strong ones, the ones to not be scared, the ones to protect their families, the ones to provide for the family, and the ones to not cry. Most men aren't all those things, but they try to be as close to that as possible. Men have that kind of mentality because from a young age the have to do different things than girls, and they are treated differently. Boys are encouraged to do sports or manly things, and girls are incouraged to play with dolls and have tea parties. In the village the boys don't listen to their mother's stories anymore because they want to act like a man, and have their father aprove of them. Men I think will always be that way.
#8
July 10, 2007
Page 54 paragraph 1
Men have always had to be men, no matter where you are. They are supposed to be the strong ones, the ones to not be scared, the ones to protect their families, the ones to provide for the family, and the ones to not cry. Most men aren't all those things, but they try to be as close to that as possible. Men have that kind of mentality because from a young age the have to do different things than girls, and they are treated differently. Boys are encouraged to do sports or manly things, and girls are incouraged to play with dolls and have tea parties. In the village the boys don't listen to their mother's stories anymore because they want to act like a man, and have their father aprove of them. Men I think will always be that way.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Journal Entry
#7
July 9, 2007
Page 52 paragraph 2
These men of the Umuofia seem to think the same as the men all over the world at that time, that if they could not control the women then they were not men. I understand their thinking because at that time that is what people thought, that is the culture, but hopefully they don't think that today. If they came to the United States this day in age, and tried to control the women, there would be and up roar, they wouldn't stand for it, because it wouldn't be equal rights, like the law says we're supposed to have. So I guess that it is okay that they try to control the women, because it is their culture, not ours.
#7
July 9, 2007
Page 52 paragraph 2
These men of the Umuofia seem to think the same as the men all over the world at that time, that if they could not control the women then they were not men. I understand their thinking because at that time that is what people thought, that is the culture, but hopefully they don't think that today. If they came to the United States this day in age, and tried to control the women, there would be and up roar, they wouldn't stand for it, because it wouldn't be equal rights, like the law says we're supposed to have. So I guess that it is okay that they try to control the women, because it is their culture, not ours.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Journal Entry
#6
July 8, 2007
Page 50 paragraph 2
It talks about the drums going wild while the people are wrestling. The drums are like the people. The drums get faster as the people get more excited. The drums are like part of the people. There is always a drum beating in the story, sometimes it goes fast, and some times it goes slow, it all depends on the people's feelings and what they think. It's like the drums and the people are the same.
#6
July 8, 2007
Page 50 paragraph 2
It talks about the drums going wild while the people are wrestling. The drums are like the people. The drums get faster as the people get more excited. The drums are like part of the people. There is always a drum beating in the story, sometimes it goes fast, and some times it goes slow, it all depends on the people's feelings and what they think. It's like the drums and the people are the same.
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