TFA+(7-8)+Youjin+(Jenny)+J.

Do journal entry related to chapters 7-8 including these three things: a) Paragraph of Text-to-Text/Self/World Connection b) Do a close reading of one paragraph coming from any of the chapters we've read somehow; post that somehow (diigo, scanned image, voice thread, or other option) c) An interpretive or evaluative question stemming from the first paragraph of your journal or your close reading activity.

__Journal Entry__ (with Questions)

What is going to happen to Okonkwo? Will he be condemned by the gods, as was expected by his friend?

Ever since the very beginning of the novel, I'd been secretly sympathetic towards Okonkwo. I always worry about his future, and am still quite anxious about what will happen to him by the end of the novel. Although some of my friends have said that Okonkwo seems to be strong-hearted and cruel, I think he is essentially a very weak person. I think I feel a special connection to this characteristic of Okonkwo because I see so many people around me who are just like that. Look around, and just take a minute to think more closely about those whom you have considered to be bold or strong. Are they really who they seem to be? Do they truly have the attributes that they display to the public? I don't think this is always the case.

I have been guessing, from the very first chapter, that Okonkwo is strong and diligent only because he is troubled by a complex that has been rooted inside his heart for so long. This complex, as I would call it, is a success complex. Since his father was one who was extremely unsuccessful and cursed throughout his lifetime, Okonkwo would have always felt humiliated and ashamed in his youth. Having heard all the insults and negative adjectives people used to describe his father, he naturally strived to create an image that was totally opposite of his. Perhaps this is not what he truly wants, but it is what he needs in order to reach social satisfaction (and I say this because social satisfaction is something quite disparate from personal happiness).

In chapters seven and eight, the narrator provides evidence that back up my conjectures. One line that came to me as very explicit was:

“But he was so weak that his legs could hardly carry him. He felt like a drunken giant walking with the limbs of a mosquito. Now and then a cold shiver descended on his head and spread down his body.” P.63

It is clearly evident that Okonkwo is beginning to show his weak sides. Though he has justifications about his actions (of killing Ikemefuna, in this case), in his mind, his morals and affection are having a fierce battle with his pride and strength.

As I have stated earlier in this entry, I feel extreme sympathy towards Okonkwo. I feel sorry for him because he does not know how to express his true feelings. Even if he does, he does not show it. He cannot, because he is a father. He is a fighter. He is a husband. He is... he is Okonkwo, the Okonkwo that he has created for himself.

I am certain that Okonkwo hates himself and regrets deeply inside for killing Ikemefuna. After all, he had considered Ikemefuna as his own son - he even favored Ikemefuna over Nwoye because Ikemefuna had the diligence and alacrity Okonkwo wanted to see. I am frustrated for Okonkwo, for I know it was a difficult decision for him. I feel what he feels; I feel redemption, sorrow, confusion... I just hope that Okonkwo does not meet an unfortunate end. He is such a weak and fragile character. As his father foreshadowed earlier in the book, a man is hurt more when he falls alone. I can see it coming - I wish that he does not fall too badly.

__Close Reading Assignment__