TFAJournal+Ms.+Nordahl

March 31, 2010

Close Reading for Chapters 7-8

I used Diigo, which I'm not sure if you'll be able to see those annotations unless I am showing them to you.

"The sun rose slowly to the center of the sky, and the dry, sandy footway began to throw up the heat that lay buried in it. Some birds chirruped in the forests around. The men trod dry leaves on the sand. All else was silent. Then from the distance came the faint beating of the //ekwe//. It rose and faded with the wind--a peaceful dance for a distant clan." - pg 58

March 27, 2010

Journal Entry for Chapters 3-6

As I was reading through these chapters, I was reflecting on how this is one of the only pieces of "African Literature" that I have read. Besides a few folk tales the only other piece of African literature I've read is //Heart of Darkness// by Joseph Conrad. Which, once again, that is questionable whether you can categorize it as such since its author is not native to Africa. How much has that book shaped how I think of "African" literature or even Africa? Achebe actually acknowledges that //Things Fall Apart// was partially written in response to Conrad's text. Knowing that bit of info may actually alter how I interpret //Things Fall Apart//. How much is Achebe saying for himself, and how much is he saying in response to Conrad?

Chapter five's description of the New Yam Feast and Festival brought to mind a similar harvest holiday I celebrate back in the US: Thanksgiving, The Obi would give thanks to Ani, the earth goddess, during this time; having been raised in a Christian home, we would also give thanks to our God too. Then we learn about all the preparation that goes into the feast: "All cooking pots, calabashes and wooden bowls were thoroughly washed, especially the wooden mortar in which yam was pounded. Yam foo-foo and vegetable soup was the chief food in the celebration. So much of it was cooked that, no matter how heavily the family ate or how many friends and relatives they invited from neighboring villages, there was always a large quantity of food left over at the end of the day" (36-37). Doesn't that sound like Thanksgiving? You cook and cook and cook. And then you eat and eat and eat. And there are still leftovers. It's great. Another part of the New Yam Festival was the wrestling match that the whole village gathered to see. In the US we also gather around on the Thanksgiving holiday and days following to watch/play football.

Question: I read Heart of Darkness prior to this book. How much of my interpretation has been affected because of that? To what extent has Achebe changed what it means to be part of the genre African literature?