2. Which elements of that culture are most comfortable to us? Which most resemble elements of our (your) culture? Which seem more foregn, more difficult to accept?
While reading Things Fall Apart it is easy to see how the different cultures of the world live their lives according to certain cultural and social norms. While I was reading the book many aspects of the Ibo culture stood out to me and the only thing I could compare it to was my own. Even though the Ibo culture has its differences, there are some aspects that are almost identical and can be attributed to the overall human culture. I had many mixed feelings while examining the Ibo culture and they can classified into three categories: Comfortable, Resemble, and Foreign.
The comfortable aspect of Ibo culture is what parallels our own culture. One similarity is the residential life. The Ibo live in villages with their families just like us. They do not have huge homes with electricity, but they live in man made houses and use lanterns for light. They live in modest accommodations that we can relate to, and that we are accepting of. Most of the Ibo culture that is comfortable to us is the aspects of their culture that resemble ours. We can relate even more to the elements that are similar because it is something we do in some general way.
An aspect of Ibo culture that is very similar to ours is the waging of wars. The Ibo are said to be very good warriors and this is much like the American culture because America has the best military in the world. Both of our communities do not always go to war even though we are good fighters. The Ibo resemble our culture in this way because they first offer the other tribes the option of paying compensation fees. Okonkwo goes to another tribe and gets a virgin and a young boy as a way of avoiding war. Okonkwo is sent to the neighboring village because the elders told him to go and sent him as the village’s representative. This aspect closely resembles our political customs and can easily be seen as a parallel to our two different cultures. The village also has leaders. The leaders of the village are the elders that have gained rank, and this is very similar to our own culture, but instead we have politicians that were picked to be our leaders. Another similarity is the food the Ibo people eat. Except for a few items such as locust, our culture, like the Ibo, eats meats, eggs, and yams. We have much more options when it comes to food, but most of the Ibo food does not seem foreign to us.
The Ibo also have a similar personal life to us. They get married and have children that they raise just like we do. The only difference is we do not marry multiple wives. The mothers nurture the children just like mothers in our culture do everyday. The Ibo people also have celebrations and holidays. Their holidays and celebrations are not the same as ours, but they resemble a time when people get together and feast. The Ibo have many different rituals than we do, and this is only one thing we see as foreign when relating their culture to western culture.
One of the first things that struck me as foreign and unacceptable in Ibo culture is the fact the men are allowed to beat their wives as long as it is not during the weak of peace. In western culture this is very inappropriate and deserves punishment. The Ibo also do not have a real justice system like western culture. The people are just punished by the town elders or prophets. This even goes further into another foreign aspect of their culture: the communication of gods through prophets and oracles that are given special treatment. The Ibo just obey their gods without thinking about what is rational. For them what is rational is whatever the gods want.
There are also many foreign aspects to their personal lives. The Ibo men are allowed to have multiple wives. This is not done in western culture because for most men one wife is enough and often almost to much to handle. The Ibo women also are portrayed as lower than men. They are given away as brides and do not have a choice who they marry. The women are also given away very young and start to bear children at ages as young as 16.
One foreign aspect of the Ibo culture that is pretty cool is a person does not inherit debts from a parent. A person is judged solely on what they have accomplished in life rather than what their parents or family has done. This is one of the coolest aspects because like Okonkwo, if your family is lazy, then you can make a name for yourself by working hard.
Overall there are some aspects of the Ibo culture that I can accept, but there are some I will never be able to accept. I will never think it is justified to kill two babies just because they are twins. I will also never think it is justified to beat your wife. However I do agree that a person should not be judged by what his father or family is like, but by what he or she is like.
882 words w/o question
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Ibo Tribe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_people
http://www.gateway-africa.com/tribe/igbo_tribe.html
http://www.ethnographica.com/pages/Igbo36.php?project_id=36
The Ibo people are an from an African tribe in Nigeria. They are also commonly known as the Igbo tribe. In Things Fall Apart, Okonwko is a member of the Ibo tribe. They are a very interesting tribe and this blog will look at religion, culture, history, food, gender roles, and other aspects common to the tribe.
The first thing that needs to be covered is the geography of the tribe. They are from Nigeria and live in the Delta and River states.
Traditional Religion: The Ibo people believe the creator of the earth and everything on the earth is Chineke. This god made everyone born with Chi, a unique guardian principle that determines a persons fate. The Ibo also believe in other deities that are not as powerful. The Ala spirit is the god of the Earth who is the guardian spirit of living creatures. Other deities that are important in their religion are Anyanwu (sun), Igwekaala (sky) and Amadioha (god of thunder and lightning). Many other gods are worshiped, but another very important god is Njoku or Ajoku because this is the god who is the guardian of the yam. Each god has their own priest in each town and this is how the people pray to the gods. Some Ibo still practice this religion, but many have been converted to Christianity. Most Christian Ibo are Roman Catholic or Anglicans.
An interesting fact that is unrelated to History is the Ibos have an indigenous ancient calendar in which a week has four days. A month consisted of seven weeks, and thirteen months made a year. In the last month, an extra day is added. This calendar is still in use in villages and towns to determine the market days.
History: The Ibo people have been in Africa for thousands of years. They seemed to have settled in their current spots a few thousand years ago. There is no certain evidence that shows where the Ibo tribes originated, but some think they came from Egypt or the area around Egypt.
During the pre-colonial times the Portuguese were the first to meet the Ibo tribe and colonize areas around them. During this time the Ibos government system was primarily a republican assembly of common people from the tribe.
In the Colonial period around 1870 the British colonized the area. They spread Christianity and the Ibos were bery accepting of the religion. The colonization brought together the tribes in many ways because it lessened the differences they all used to have.
In 1966 a civil war was started in Nigeria and it lasted until 1970. During this war a genocide of the Ibo people occured. Millions of Ibos and other Nigerians died in the genocide of the war, and even after the wars end, the Ibo still faced discrimination in parts of Nigeria. To this day some Ibos have trouble finding work because of the effects of the civil war.
Language: The Ibo have their own language that they use. It has many different dialects. It is also influenced by English and takes the word "blue" from English vocabulary and turns it into "blu" in the Ibo vocabulary. The language is a tonal language and the way the words are pronounced is very important.
Food: When looking at the food the Ibo eat, all a person has to do is look at their environment. They live in the Niger River Delta where fish are easily found. Fish is one of their primary diets other than yams. The Ibo also grow yams and are farmers.
Culture: The Ibo also have a unique culture. They produce artwork and make masks. The masks are used in ceremonies and as a form of entertainment. Ibo masks are very intricate and look like the mask below.
http://www.gateway-africa.com/tribe/igbo_tribe.html
http://www.ethnographica.com/pages/Igbo36.php?project_id=36
The Ibo people are an from an African tribe in Nigeria. They are also commonly known as the Igbo tribe. In Things Fall Apart, Okonwko is a member of the Ibo tribe. They are a very interesting tribe and this blog will look at religion, culture, history, food, gender roles, and other aspects common to the tribe.
The first thing that needs to be covered is the geography of the tribe. They are from Nigeria and live in the Delta and River states.
Traditional Religion: The Ibo people believe the creator of the earth and everything on the earth is Chineke. This god made everyone born with Chi, a unique guardian principle that determines a persons fate. The Ibo also believe in other deities that are not as powerful. The Ala spirit is the god of the Earth who is the guardian spirit of living creatures. Other deities that are important in their religion are Anyanwu (sun), Igwekaala (sky) and Amadioha (god of thunder and lightning). Many other gods are worshiped, but another very important god is Njoku or Ajoku because this is the god who is the guardian of the yam. Each god has their own priest in each town and this is how the people pray to the gods. Some Ibo still practice this religion, but many have been converted to Christianity. Most Christian Ibo are Roman Catholic or Anglicans.
An interesting fact that is unrelated to History is the Ibos have an indigenous ancient calendar in which a week has four days. A month consisted of seven weeks, and thirteen months made a year. In the last month, an extra day is added. This calendar is still in use in villages and towns to determine the market days.
History: The Ibo people have been in Africa for thousands of years. They seemed to have settled in their current spots a few thousand years ago. There is no certain evidence that shows where the Ibo tribes originated, but some think they came from Egypt or the area around Egypt.
During the pre-colonial times the Portuguese were the first to meet the Ibo tribe and colonize areas around them. During this time the Ibos government system was primarily a republican assembly of common people from the tribe.
In the Colonial period around 1870 the British colonized the area. They spread Christianity and the Ibos were bery accepting of the religion. The colonization brought together the tribes in many ways because it lessened the differences they all used to have.
In 1966 a civil war was started in Nigeria and it lasted until 1970. During this war a genocide of the Ibo people occured. Millions of Ibos and other Nigerians died in the genocide of the war, and even after the wars end, the Ibo still faced discrimination in parts of Nigeria. To this day some Ibos have trouble finding work because of the effects of the civil war.
Language: The Ibo have their own language that they use. It has many different dialects. It is also influenced by English and takes the word "blue" from English vocabulary and turns it into "blu" in the Ibo vocabulary. The language is a tonal language and the way the words are pronounced is very important.
Food: When looking at the food the Ibo eat, all a person has to do is look at their environment. They live in the Niger River Delta where fish are easily found. Fish is one of their primary diets other than yams. The Ibo also grow yams and are farmers.
Culture: The Ibo also have a unique culture. They produce artwork and make masks. The masks are used in ceremonies and as a form of entertainment. Ibo masks are very intricate and look like the mask below.
The Ibo tribe is very intersting. They have been through hard times in recent history and have been around for a long time. It is a good thing for people to learn about tribes such as the Igbo because it gives you a new look on other peoples culture and other people from other countrie in general.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Kafka of Franz
Why does Gregor transform into a bug?
The definite answer to this question is unknown. Literary experts still argue with each other about the reason Kafka decided to have Gregor transformed into a bug. The arguments range from many different spectrums such as: Gregor being turned into a bug represents the type of person he was, to Gregor was not happy with aspects of his current life and for this reason Kafka decided to turn him into a bug.
I do not know the true rational behind the metamorphosis, but I do have some opinions that may be true, but they may also be false. Maybe at the time Franz Kafka was thinking about writing the story he thought it would be cool if a person was transformed into a bug. He may have just wanted to talk about a person who woke up as a bug, a hypothetical circumstance. In some ways Kafka might have wanted to relate Gregor or the fact Gregor was some type of bug, or some aspect of the Samsa family back to some part of his life. Another rational may be that Kafka saw in his life how people react to bugs. This could have intrigued him to write a hypothetical story about not only how someone might react if they woke up as a bug, but how the family of that person and others who saw that person after the metamorphosis would react. I know that people are always thinking about the “what ifs,” in life. The metamorphosis could be a “what if,” that Kafka thought about one day as he was pondering life and everything in the universe. If I had to agree with an expert and defend his/her theory, I would pick expert # 3 without agreeing with the part that says Kafka is trying to foreshadow events such as WWI, the Holocaust, and other genocides.
What are some questionable aspects of the metamorphosis and is it realistic?
In my opinion, it seemed that Kafka wanted to make the story somewhat realistic. I think this is why he had the family react to Gregor the way they did and isolate him in his room for the majority of the book. They family even changed their thoughts about Gregor as the story progressed. They went from isolating him, to semi-accepting him as long as he stayed in his room, to wanting to get rid of him because of the burden placed on their shoulders to take care of him. This happens in everyone’s life. Everyday people change their opinion on something they previously commented on or did. It is actually the sister that does all of the steps more so than the family does. The sister leads the family in the way they viewed Gregor. I believe the way the family acted was somewhat realistic, and allowed for the story to go on. Many families would be so scared of a giant bug in their house they would either shoot it, or call the police. I found it a little surprising that the Samsa family did not try to go to the zoo or try to put Gregor into the zoo. The family could also have called a specialist or a scientist who would want to experiment on Gregor.
Another questionable aspect of the book is the type of bug Gregor is. The problem faced by students who read the book in English is that it was translated from German. It is for this reason the English version does not portray the same picture in some scenes as the original version. After reading the entire story I did not find myself convinced that Gregor was a certain type of bug. I found myself picturing him as a cockroach, a beetle, a giant ugly looking crawly figure, and other insects that had a bunch of legs. Since Kafka never tells the reader exactly what bug Gregor is, it is left up to the reader’s imagination. In some parts this is very cool because it makes every reader vision a unique picture of Gregor. Two examples are when Gregor is trying to open the door and he is bleeding his bug juice from his mouth, and the other is when the apple is embedded into his back and eventually starts to rot. Overall I do not know what Kafka was trying to achieve in the story, but literary experts will always be guessing the true meaning of the metamorphosis.
745 words
The definite answer to this question is unknown. Literary experts still argue with each other about the reason Kafka decided to have Gregor transformed into a bug. The arguments range from many different spectrums such as: Gregor being turned into a bug represents the type of person he was, to Gregor was not happy with aspects of his current life and for this reason Kafka decided to turn him into a bug.
I do not know the true rational behind the metamorphosis, but I do have some opinions that may be true, but they may also be false. Maybe at the time Franz Kafka was thinking about writing the story he thought it would be cool if a person was transformed into a bug. He may have just wanted to talk about a person who woke up as a bug, a hypothetical circumstance. In some ways Kafka might have wanted to relate Gregor or the fact Gregor was some type of bug, or some aspect of the Samsa family back to some part of his life. Another rational may be that Kafka saw in his life how people react to bugs. This could have intrigued him to write a hypothetical story about not only how someone might react if they woke up as a bug, but how the family of that person and others who saw that person after the metamorphosis would react. I know that people are always thinking about the “what ifs,” in life. The metamorphosis could be a “what if,” that Kafka thought about one day as he was pondering life and everything in the universe. If I had to agree with an expert and defend his/her theory, I would pick expert # 3 without agreeing with the part that says Kafka is trying to foreshadow events such as WWI, the Holocaust, and other genocides.
What are some questionable aspects of the metamorphosis and is it realistic?
In my opinion, it seemed that Kafka wanted to make the story somewhat realistic. I think this is why he had the family react to Gregor the way they did and isolate him in his room for the majority of the book. They family even changed their thoughts about Gregor as the story progressed. They went from isolating him, to semi-accepting him as long as he stayed in his room, to wanting to get rid of him because of the burden placed on their shoulders to take care of him. This happens in everyone’s life. Everyday people change their opinion on something they previously commented on or did. It is actually the sister that does all of the steps more so than the family does. The sister leads the family in the way they viewed Gregor. I believe the way the family acted was somewhat realistic, and allowed for the story to go on. Many families would be so scared of a giant bug in their house they would either shoot it, or call the police. I found it a little surprising that the Samsa family did not try to go to the zoo or try to put Gregor into the zoo. The family could also have called a specialist or a scientist who would want to experiment on Gregor.
Another questionable aspect of the book is the type of bug Gregor is. The problem faced by students who read the book in English is that it was translated from German. It is for this reason the English version does not portray the same picture in some scenes as the original version. After reading the entire story I did not find myself convinced that Gregor was a certain type of bug. I found myself picturing him as a cockroach, a beetle, a giant ugly looking crawly figure, and other insects that had a bunch of legs. Since Kafka never tells the reader exactly what bug Gregor is, it is left up to the reader’s imagination. In some parts this is very cool because it makes every reader vision a unique picture of Gregor. Two examples are when Gregor is trying to open the door and he is bleeding his bug juice from his mouth, and the other is when the apple is embedded into his back and eventually starts to rot. Overall I do not know what Kafka was trying to achieve in the story, but literary experts will always be guessing the true meaning of the metamorphosis.
745 words
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