TFAJournal+Michelle+P.

Journal Entry 1
__Things Fall Apart__ shows a very unique culture, unlike the culture of Korea. By only reading a few chapters, the reader is able to get a good grasp of the culture and how society works in the Ibo world. For me, it is extremely hard to relate to a lot of the traditions and language the Ibo people speak. However, it is evident that the Ibo people and I still have a lot in common, even though we have physical barriers like oceans and land separating us. We still experience similar feelings and that is shown in __Things Fall Apart.__ Okonkwo is a man who gets very ashamed of his father and basically, he really hates his late father because he was such a lazy coward. Okonkwo is the exact opposite. He is a brave, strong man with three wives and eight children. He is known throughout the land as a fierce and brave warrior, and he earns people's respect. I also sometimes want to do things that differ from what my parents did. I am not ashamed of my father or mother, nor do I hate them. However, sometimes I do have feelings to somehow overcome what they did and make awesome achievements. Okonkwo gets unstable sometimes, and that is extremely understandable. I break down, too. I cry often, when I'm mentally tired and exhausted. It's obvious that even though we are two people living in completely different environments, among different people, and extremely far apart, we still have many similarities.

Journal Entry 1
In __Things Fall Apart__, it was quite interesting to see how different Ibo culture is from Korean culture. I was able to read about how one man was able to have several wives. In a society that is highly dependent on agriculture, hunting, and gathering, it was quite interesting to see polygamy happen. In a agriculture centered society I would have most likely have expected a family of only one dad+one mother and about 10 kids. However, I understand why there would be several wives in this case. In Africa, medicine wasn't something that they had plentiful amounts of. In other words, medicine was very limited. If a wife died in childbirth, then that would be very annoying for the father to have to find a new wife for the children he already has. If he had multiple wives, then that probably wouldn't be a problem. I think this is really interesting because it's just so different from our society!

Question
Will Ikemefuna cause havoc and chaos in Okonkwo's family, or will he adapt and practically get adopted by Okonkwo?

Journal Entry 2
The chapters 7~8 in the book, __Things Fall Apart,__ consisted of events that made me very sad. Okonkwo had no choice but to kill Ikemufuna because he didn't want to look weak in front of all the other men surrounding them. I understand this because I was like this before. It is definitely not something good to do, because you are basically throwing away your own feelings and emotions for something that will look good in front of others. This isn't the real you. It's a fake person you have made in order to run away from the consequences of being different. Being different isn't weird, nor is it strange. However, in a society like Okonkwo's, I guess there are times when sacrifices have to be made. Especially, in Okonkwo's world, a man is defined by being strong and brave. Today, I believe that men are defined by kindness, the ability to believe in what they believe in, and brains. (Of course, brains are involved.)

Journal Entry 2
Yam, the king of crops, was a very exacting king. For three or four moons it demanded hard work and constant attention from cock- crow till the chickens went back to roost. The young tendrils were protected from earth-heat with rings of sisal leaves. As the rains became heavier the women planted maize, melons and beans between the yam mounds. The yams were then staked, first with little sticks and later with tall and big tree branches. The women weeded the farm three times at definite periods in the life of the yams, neither early nor late.

(Page 33)

1.) Read for comprehension. 2.) Look for key words. -Yam - exacting - moons - tendrils - maize - staked - definite 3.) Literary elements. - Constant attention from cock-crow till the chickens.... = alliteration - women planted maize, melons and beans between the yam mounds..... = alliteration - yams = repetition 4.) Why do yams have to be "staked?" Why does yam need so much work to be put into it? Are yams a hard crop to grow? In what kind of environment do yams grow best in? Why are the yams staked first with little sticks and then later with taller branches? What is the importance of weeding?

Question
Why does Ikemefuna have to be killed?

Journal Entry 3
While reading through the book until chapter eleven, I can see that Ikemefuna is now gone from the book. If a person had to start reading the book from chapter nine, then he would probably not know anything about Ikemefuna and his death. It's like Chinua Achebe has forgotten about him. There was a brief period of mourning, but now that has passed. The Ibo world goes on well even after his death, with no shaken up feelings. The only two people who seems to have had bad feelings, or feelings of regret seem to be Okonkwo and Nwoye. Chapters nine to eleven made me feel very sorry for the boy, as he is now forgotten and lost. No one now really pays attention to him. Moving on to another topic, when Ezinma fell ill, and her mother (Ekwefi) became frantic and scared that she would lose her child again, I really felt sorry for Ekwefi. I know that mothers go absolutely nuts when their kid is in danger or possible danger. (I've seen my mother go crazy over a mosquito bite, so I guess it doesn't really matter about the scale of the injury.) Today, there are many hospitals around and more than enough doctors practicing, and there is a lower percentage of people dying of diseases and injuries because of the advanced technology and medicine. However, a long time ago, definitely in places like Africa, they didn't have the technology to cure people of simple diseases. In that kind of environment, mothers would have been even more scared for their kids. Sadly, today is the same for Africa. Sure, in some places, people get the medical help they need. However, in a lot of poor African countries, people are starving and dying of diseases like malaria. (This was a journal entry on both self and world)

Question
Does Okonkwo ignore the fact that Ezinma is an ogbanje, just because he likes her very much and wishes that she was a boy?

I reply to Minae Kwon's Question...

 * I wonder why myths, gods, and fables were such an important part of peoples’ lives and their actions.

Ever since ancient times, relying on gods, myths, and fables were things people did. In a highly unindustrialized society, people really had no choice but to rely on gods and deities. If the year's harvest went wrong, then the people would pray to the gods, asking them what went wrong. By having the belief that gods looked over the people, they would have a feeling of being protected and would help the stability of the society.

**

Journal Entry 4
Txt to Self/World/Txt

I thought the sudden drastic events that happened in tonight's reading was just very surprising. To tell the truth, I didn't see it coming! I had to read the same paragraph about three times, then understand what was going on. It was all very surprising and strange for me. When Okonkwo fled to his motherland, I couldn't help but to feel pity for him. Here is a man, with willpower and courage that exceeds those of a normal man, but he gets exiled because of an unfortunate disaster that occured. He didn't shoot Ezeudu's son. His gun just exploded. I can see that events don't really happen the way you want it to work and I guess that's just the sad reality. :(

Predictions
I think some other bad things will start to arrive soon. By reading the back of the book, I can see that missionaries will soon start to arrive in Okonkwo's village. Everyone knows that in history it is evident that wherever white men go, they cause misery, death, and grief. I really am sure that this won't be an exception. Also, I keep on worrying about Nwoye. After hearing about Ikemefuna's death, he was really shaken and he seemed to get scared of his father. I think that he will maybe run away or do something that Okonkwo will not like!

Other than grief, does Okonkwo also have feelings of humiliation? It's true that he really has done nothing wrong, but he is a man with high self-esteem.
Journal Entry 6

1.) During the time Okonkwo is in exile, missionaries started to evangelize and spread christianity in Africa. However, the Ibo culture has already had their own religion for long periods of time, and would be hard and unheard of to switch to a new religion so quickly. Europeans are known to try to spread Christianity around and have done that throughout history. When Vasco De Gama arrived in the Indian Ocean Trade area, it is reported that he said, "I am here for spices and christians." A motive for imperialism was also to spread the religion. When Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama visited Africa, he encountered a king who ruled over the kingdom of Kongo. (Not the same Kongo as today) The king was so heavily influenced by christian missionaries that he built so many churches. Its nickname in world history is "The Kongo of the Bells." **In history and today, Europeans have tried numerous ways to evangelize -The making of Jesuit priests during the Counter-Reformation- and have succeeded many times and have also failed many times.**

2.) I think Okonkwo is changing a lot. He isn't the same person I saw/read in Part 1, because he has lost a lot of confidence and is miserable very often. He used to be a bold, brave man. However, right now, he is a bit wimpy and seems to have a hard time adjusting to his new life. I think what caused him to become so weary are events like Ikemefuna's death and the exile.

3.) What about christianity does Nwoye like so much?

