Ch. 25 TFA Like Father Like Son

In the last chapter we see something that is completely unexpected. Okonkwo commited sucide. Suicide is a grave sin and once someone commits suicide the body is considered evil. The body can only be touched and buried by complete strangers. Obierkia blames the commissioner for the death of Okonwko and praises Okonwko’s greatness. Through this we can truly see how much Obierkia cared for Okonwko. The commissioner orders his messengers to help with the removal of the body but he refuses to take part. As he leaves, he appears to be satisfied with the new knowledge he has received on this custom. He also adds how he has learned a lot about African customs and prides himself for bringing “civilization to different parts of Africa” (208). Before that he had considered himself to be “the student of primitive customs” (207). He believes that the circumstances from Okonwko’s suicide could be an interesting addition to his book on Africa and could be added in a paragraph or even an entire chapter. When in fact he knows very little about the Igbo culture and considers them to be primitive. Achebe was able to write a whole book about Okonwko, whereas the commissioner can only manage to write a chapter about him. To the commissioner, Okonwko must seem like a heartless and cruel savage for killing his messenger, but to us he is a lot more then that.

Although it is unclear why Okonwko killed himself, we got to look into his past and present and see that Okonwko is not perfect after all. He tried to be so unlike his father that he ended up being just like him. Like father like son. In the end, Okonwko’s death was inevitable, throughout his life he received nothing but disappointment and betrayal and finally he had enough. The accidental death that sent him to exile had hardened his view on life. The betrayal from Nwoye and his clansmen were the last straws. He had enough.
What was so ironic about this last chapter? Do you think Okonwko made a wise decision by killing himself? What more could he have done if he had lived?

Things Fall Apart-Chapter 5

Okonkwo feels that anger is the only emotion he should convey in order to maintain his masculinity. Because of this he beats up his wives and sometimes even threatens them. This is shown when he beats his second wife, Ekwefi, when his anger gets the best of him. He beat her up over a small issue regarding who cut the leaves of a banana tree. He used the tree as an “outlet” (38) and as an excuse because he had nothing better to do. He then decided to go hunting, but just before he left he received a remark from Ekwefi. She mentioned about “guns that never shot” (39) which caused Okonkwo to lose his temper. Okonkwo is trying so hard to be different from his father that he will go to any extent to prove his masculinity. Because of this, he avoids his true feelings by being overly aggressive and impatient. Why does Okonkwo act this way? Is he trying to prove something to others or to himself?

One Day in the Life of Brea Simmons

Brea could feel the sunlight on her face and hear the chirping of birds outside of her window. Her mother must have opened the blinds this morning, like she usually does everyday. Like always, the morning sunlight woke her up, and like always her blinds went up Monday thru Friday. Today was Tuesday, or was it a Wednesday? It made no difference to Brea as she got out of bed and walked towards her bathroom. After her shower she pulled on some jeans and a “Save the whales” t-shirt. She decided to go with a pair of comfy black flip flops and her usual diamond stud earrings. She also managed to make her bushy hair look presentable by putting it in a tight bun.
No one will notice me anyways, Brea thought. She gave herself one last look in the mirror and sighed, just another day. As she walked down the stairs, her dog Raisin rushed up to her and started licking her toes. “Stop that Raisin,” laughed Brea as she picked him up. He was the only thing that seemed to make her happy. She looked at the clock, and it read 7:10, she was late for the school bus again. Brea rushed into the kitchen, grabbed her backpack and ran out the kitchen door before her mother could say goodbye. As she ran towards the bus stop, she ran into her best friend and her secret crush Evan.
“Woah, slow down there Bre,” he said as he grabbed her arm. Brea felt a rush of emotions from that one touch, it seemed to tingle all of her senses. They rushed towards the bus stop and managed to reach just before the bus was leaving. Fifteen minutes later they arrived at school and it was time for the first class of the day, Algebra II. Brea really didn’t like math because she just did not seem to get it and because she could not stop staring at the back of Evan’s head who sat in front of her.
Did he get a new haircut or is he just starting to look cuter everyday? thought Brea. After the bell rang, it was time for double period lab in Chemistry, where Brea almost dropped Nitrogen on the counter when Evan brushed her hand. He was in all of her classes, and when Brea found out on the first day of school she thought it must be a sign from God. Maybe they were meant to be together after all.
The bell rang for lunch and Brea and Evan sat down at their usual table in the cafeteria. Evan started going on about politics, school, and then his crush Emerald Peterson. She was the most popular girl in school who everyone envied including Brea. As Brea heard Emerald’s name she sighed and reality set in. Better luck next time, she thought as she smiled at Evan and pretended to hear the rest of the conversation. Before she knew it, school ended and she rushed home to Raisin and her favorite Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream that was waiting patiently for her in the freezer.
“How was your day?” asked Brea’s mother as she was cleaning the kitchen table.
“Fine,” said Brea as she grabbed the ice cream and a spoon and make her way upstairs. She turned on the television and snuggled in her comfy comforter and took a huge bite of ice cream. Just another day, thought Brea as she sighed.

I have no suit to burn after all

Wake up. Turn off the alarm. Get up. Take a shower. Get ready. Eat Breakfast. Go!It is usually the same routine for me every day. Monday thru Friday is school and Saturday thru Sunday is time for homework and rest. Just like Spiderman, we all have to pace ourselves and get on with our days whether we like it or not. What choice do we have after all? I am working for a successful future, happiness, and prosperity. I am working to make my family proud and to become something in life. But although I am only 17, I have to admit that I am worn out. So much work, so much commitment, tests, quizzes, papers, and more. Just like in James Hall’s poem of Spiderman doing the same thing over and over again, we all seem to have that same problem. I know that I would like to rid myself of things that make my life harder than it already is. The work I do everyday is nothing compared to parts of my “suit” that I would like to burn.

There are parts of me that I want to burn but can’t seem to get rid of. I have insecurities that hold me back. I always feel that I am being judged by my every move, by things I say, how I act, and what I wear. Also, I feel like someone is talking about me behind my back. Secondly, because of these insecurities, I tend to talk myself down and think that I am not the best that I can be. That maybe I did not put my full effort into things, or that I am not good enough. These things about me seem unchangeable, and part of the “suit” that I feel needs to be burned.

Then I ask myself what is preventing me from changing and re-inventing myself? Maybe a part of me does not want to give in and remain stubborn. Maybe I didn’t have a choice like Spiderman, but then I realized that I am not like Spiderman after all. I am no superhero, and I have the choice and ability to really change. I need to be more comfortable in my own skin and become more confident with who I am. Spiderman’s role is to take care of other people and think of himself last. I realized that I care so much about what others think of me, that I rarely think of myself. Sometimes I need to be the boss of me and give some time to myself. I already have a wonderful family and friends who like me the way I am. So what if I am a little insecure, isn’t everyone? The best thing I can do is to try and fight the voice that is putting me down inside my head and keep my head high. I just need to improve on the things that make me insecure, but I do not need to reinvent myself or burn away any “suit” after all. I am fine with the way I am.

Is it all about me?

Yes, I completely agree with the Chorus’s view of human life. Whatever the circumstances may be, we can get carried away by our pride. However to me, pride is not just a merit or a satisfaction, but it helps someone believe in themselves. Pride gives people the ability to do what they love to do best and strive at it. In the long run, pride can bring about power, greed, probity and more harmful vices. We fail to realize this until it is too late. Creon got so caught up in his authority and power of the throne, that he misunderstood Antigone. He failed to realize what a big mistake he made until she died. Is so much pride even worth it? It only brings about pain and suffering and for the most part a terrible ending. If Creon remained humble to himself and truly listened to Antigone, then things could have been completely different.

In “Antigone”, Creon and Antigone have a huge sense of pride. Antigone has pride in the fact that she is able to break rules and fight back against a male dominant society. Creon has pride in the fact that he has power over others and the ability to do what he wants.
Each of them are overcome with so much pride, that they fail to realize how much trouble they are causing each other. Sometimes we fail to realize what is right in front of us and in the end we only end up hurting ourselves. Having a little bit of pride is good and allows us to be confident with who we are and what we feel; however, too much pride can result in horrible consequences. Antigone’s pride was too great, that she believed breaking a man’s rule and accepting death was a great feat. But when she lost her life over her pride, just showed me that Antigone was weak. Her strength lied in her ability to fight back for her rights as a woman. Despite her weakness, she did leave an effect on Creon which was good enough. Creon’s pride was his domination over others, but if this resulted in the death of his son and an innocent woman, what use is it to have such pride? Again I ask this same question, but I can’t seem to understand why people act in this way. Instead of pride being a mighty virtue and strength, it ended up being a sign of weakness and destruction. As seen through “Antigone” both Antigone and Creon were destroyed by their pride. Everyone has some sense of pride, I have pride in the fact that I am Indian and lucky enough to have a family and friends who care for me. Maybe this isn’t pride, maybe it’s just me.

I just can't seem to forget these books!

The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Ruth Sanderson
I read this book when I was very young and as a little girl I always believed that I was a princess. After I read this book, everything seemed to be magical and I felt like dancing all the time.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
This was the first book that made me cry and touched my heart deeply. It is important to not keep things for granted and learn to accept that nothing is more important than family. I remember that after I finished reading this book, I felt the urge to hug my mom.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
This book made me believe that children could actually be cured of their bad habits and become better people. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle was an inspiration, but mostly I loved her because her name was so wonderful!

The Giver by Lois Lowry
This was a confusing read for me, and maybe even now I still do not completely understand the story. This was one of the first books that I got stumped on and had to work my way through it to find the answers.

Shiva’s Fire by Suzanne Fisher Staples
For the main character in the book, dance is her destiny and she sticks to it though thick and thin by never giving up. She was an inspiration to me to follow my dreams and work hard to obtain them. I absolutely adore this book.

Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors
Now I truly believe in true love and that someone out there is just for you.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
This book turned my world upside down. I felt so many different emotions as I read this book, and at some parts I wanted to stop reading completely. This was one of the hardest books I have ever read and it is one of those books that will stay with me forever.

The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
I love these books! Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was one of the first big books that I read when I was little. Reading that book was a big accomplishment for me. Secondly, these books made me really believe in magic. I remember constantly checking my mail waiting for an acceptance letter from Hogwarts. Unfortunately I never received one and I was a little upset. Last, after I read the first Harry Potter book, I knew reading was for me and ever since then I haven’t stopped reading books.


I was only planning to write one sentence at most for each book but I could not help myself! I just had to go on!

The Kite Runner

To me, no book can compare to The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini has a way with words that can draw you in immediately until the very last page. For once, I read a book that I could relate to because I know what it feels like to be betrayed by a friend. Despite the fact that Hosseini’s work is difficult and overwhelming at some points, I never once felt any reason to stop reading. I was transfixed by every word, theme, and chapter. Everything seemed to be so true and lifelike, not a work of fiction. Hosseini was able to effectively portray the importance of family, friendship, and redemption. Hosseini deftly intertwined betrayal, sin, redemption, discrimination, and most importantly kites into his main ideas. Each of these themes coincided with one another and described the main protagonist, Amir, at one point or another. The kites signified the bondage of brotherhood between Amir and Hassan that they were not able to experience anywhere else. Amir never felt as close to anyone as he felt to Hassan at the very moment they were flying kites. They were able to work as a team as opposed to other instances where Amir patronized Hassan.

Ever since the kite tournament, Amir and Hassan became two very different people. Amir not only betrayed Hassan, but he also managed to kick him out of his house forever. The relationship between Amir and Hassan changed from a friendly one to a rocky one. Amir never fully treated Hassan as his friend and only became more distant. Every time he saw Hassan he was reminded of Hassan’s rape and his inability to stop it. Perhaps things could have been different if Amir knew that Hassan was his brother and if he had the courage to stand up for him before he was raped. After that point onward, Amir was at his lowest point and wanted nothing to do with Hassan. This was the turning point in the novel because the friendship really did take a drastic turn for the worst.

“For you, a thousand times over.” After seeing Amir finally say that at the end of the book, I felt a sense of closure because Amir was able to move on from the guilt of betraying Hassan. That was the cherry on the top moment for me. Amir was repaying his sins and for once he was the kite runner like Hassan. In order to keep his memory alive, Amir ran after the kite, but more importantly he ran after a dream and a memory that would remain in his heart forever. By running after that kite, Amir finally felt free and was able to redeem himself in the process. His friendship with Hassan was the most important thing in his life, and he failed to realize it until Hassan was gone.