James+Ch.+7-8

__**Ch. 7-8:**__ I bet 500 bags of cowries that majority of the students were shocked by the murder of Ikemefuna and Okonkwo's actions. Although we have been warned about the ill-fate of Ikemefuna in the beginning of the book, it was a true shock to learn that Ikemefuna was murdered by the hands of Okonkwo, whom he called father. Perhaps the three years of brotherhood between Ikemefuna and Nwoye and strong respect between Ikemefuna and Okonkwo led us to thinking that the story would be a jolly happy ending. The death of Ikemefuna was somewhat expected in the corners of my mind; however, many people and I would never have assumed that the misery would be caused by his father, Okonkwo. What was more upsetting was the fact that Okonkwo did it in the fear of being called weak by the others if he didn't slay Ikemefuna, who he probably had the biggest affection for. The actions Okonkwo took in the fear of being called weak often relate to my life. I would do stuffs I normally wouldn't do just in the fear of getting mocked at. I would try to act tough and sometimes mock my own closest friends just to get some laughs out of it. Peer pressure! And often I would go home, regretting my actions and being sorry. The saddest part, you can't make up for those actions. Ikemefuna can't just revive like Jesus (Easter's coming up) and the absence of his presence will never be filled again. Many foolish and inhumane actions we take just to act tough and look cool majorly due to peer pressure frequently drive us to our limits. Think how more manly and strong Okonkwo would have been if he rebuked the murder of Ikemefuna and defended his son with all his might. Instead, now he's regarded as a cruel, strong person who killed his son who has been living with him for three years. Plus, he feels much more feminine, weak and sorrowful now! This significant event of the book probably relates to most of our lives, where we just deny old friendship and morality in order to impress others. We now know what the consequences are.
 * 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.** Does Okonkwo value physical strength and manliness over mental strength and manliness? How about the world we live in? When Okonkwo feared being weak in front of others as he killed Ikemefuna, was he afraid of being weak physically or mentally?