Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Things Fall Apart: Chapter 2
Chapter two begins with the town crier summoning all the men to a meeting at dawn. The meeting is held at dawn and not during the night because of the tribe's great fear of the night. This revels a great deal about the Umuofia tribe. They are great warriors and do not fear battle, but they have a terrible fear of the night and all the things it covers with the darkness. In the morning, it is revealed that a neighboring tribe has killed a daughter of Umuofia. To prevent a war but still have justice, Okonkwo is sent to the tribe and returns with a young girl and young boy. This really shows the wisdom of the tribes, though it may not be the most ethical solution. Instead of starting an all out war, they have a much simpler way of solving their problem. The boy is left in the care of Okonkwo. At this point, characteristics of Okonkwo just start pouring out of the pages. To put it simply, he is everything his father wasn't, and he hates everything his father loved. He works all day, and shows very little love towards his family. Once again, all this is caused by his father's dissappointing behavior.
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4 comments:
Aaron, I completely agree with everything you said about your summary about chapter 2. And I also believe that it was Okonkwo's dislike for his father that has made him such a good worker.
I didn't realize that the Umuofia tribe was so superstitious until this passage. It is kind of surprising that people with such great courage and bravery are afraid of the night. Okonkwo appears to be a very large jerk, and I think something is going to happen to him in the end.
I agree that Okonkwo's lack of affection is due to his father, but I am not sure that the solution to the girl being murdered showed the wisdom of the tribe. It is a warrior tribe, and I think that the girl was brought simply for a replacement. The boy is for revenge in my opinion. He could be a future warrior. I think that the tribe will eventually have Ikemefuna (the boy) killed.
I found it very amusing that this warrior fighting tribe was afraid of the dark and night creatures. It is probably better to bring the boy and girl back instead of going to war. It will make a better story. I really want to know if we will hear from the girl again even though Ikemefuna doesnt see her again.
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