TSW 5 and 6.

Chinua Achebe uses some of the Ibo language in his stories to set the scene and to give a more vivid image of the Ibo way of life. That is why there is a glossary at the back of the book. Some words he incorporates are: ‘agbala – woman; also used of a man who has taken no title’ and ‘obi – the large living quarters of the head of the family’. The story Things Fall Apart is solely based on the Ibo tradition and how it changed, so it is set where the Ibo live – Eastern Nigeria. They wear nothing until they are teenagers, when they where a loose clothes to hide their parts. The men carry machetes to protect themselves against animals and to show their power. There is no single ruler, but there is a council of elders which make some decisions based on everyone’s ideas. The Ibos have lots of gods, but the most powerful is Chukwu. But when the British invaded, their religions and traditions faded away.

TSW 3

The main theme of Things Fall Apart is the change from old traditions to a modern life. When the white men came, the mindsets of many of the Ibo tribe strayed from their gods and towards the one and only god of Christianity. Also, many people enjoyed all the money they were making from selling their resources: "the clan had undergone such a profound change during his exile that it was barely recognizable. The new religion and government and the trading stores were very much in the people's minds" (Achebe 157). In addition, some joined because of the thought of equality. Okonkwo was not one of these people, and stayed strong in his beliefs.

TSW discuss the use of relevant literary techniques in a manner that shows understand of how they create and develop meaning in the work

Chinua Achebe uses indirect characterization to describe the characters. This way there is more action in the novel and it gives the readers more to think about.
He writes in the third person limited, because even though he describes everyone’s actions, he mainly focuses on Okonkwo. This helps the reader sympathize with Okonkwo more than other characters. By sympathizing with him through Achebe’s description of his actions and dialogue, we can see more of his thoughts and feelings than others.
Achebe does not clearly portray the antagonist, but the reader can infer from Okonkwo that the white men are ruining Okonkwo’s way of life. However, looking from some other people’s point of view, I can see that they followed the white man.
The main conflict in the novel is between Okonkwo (old tradition) and the white men (modernization). Many of the Ibo tribe turned to Christianity in the end, but not Okonkwo, who stays strong in his beliefs until he dies. Therefore Okonkwo is a static character.
Achebe often mentions the seasons (e.g. the rain season, harvesting season) to go along with the plot of the novel and to symbolize change and the passing of time.

Letter to John Steinbeck

Steinbeck old pal...
I loved reading your letter, i can't believe how you portrayed me though. It was outrageously funny, but touching at the same time. Yes, yes, i taught you all of that old crap, but I'm extremely glad that you sucked it in, and found the real truth behind writing - there really isn't one. However, yes, i do remember those lessons where i gave endless lectures, where i saw your face fall every time i disappointed you in saying that there was no recipe for writing. After that, you seemed to dislike my class, but all students are like that, so i juts let it be. I am extremely glad that you respect me now, but you must know, nearly all teachers are like that, so don't worship me or anything, I'm not godly; and I wish people could worship me, but I'm just a plain old Stanford teacher who spills coffee everywhere you see. I've considered being a writer, but after lots of thinking, i decided not to, or else i would spill coffee over all that too. I am glad you have grown up to be such an amazing boy (I should say man, but your always a student to me). The Nobel prize acceptance speech was amazing. Oh boy, did you blow my mind! You must be born to write, my dear. You left me nearly in tears, you see, but teachers st shouldn't cry; it ruins our self esteem.
Lots of regards,
Your one and only Edith xxx

The Ant -Imitaion of the Turtle

The ant slowly inched forward on the dusty road which was ridged with countless bumps, just like a mountain range. Each step seemed to drain a joule more of energy from its already lifeless body. The burden it carried on its shoulder, a single fresh green leaf for its family, brought its stamina down even more as it trudged down the seemingly endless road. In the middle of the road lay a dip, to the ant is seemed like a massive hole. Everything was magnified for the poor little innocent ant. Just as it was contemplating its current depressing situation in life, a gigantic, vile smelling foot tried to trample the ant. Swearing quietly in antlanguage, it quickly dodged and stealthily crawled back to the saftey of the grass. However, the grass slowed the ant down even more, and it had to move up up down grassy mounds and sharp, stingy leaves. It finally reached its destination, the hole, his home, but he knew, with a sad sigh, that home would just bring more trouble, and he would be better off in the open road. But he didn't want his family to starve.

Book Review VI - The Thirty Nine Steps

The Thirty Nine Steps
John Buchan
Character: ★★★★★
Setting: ★★★★★
Plot: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★

This book is EXCELLENT. I finished it in 3 hours since I just couldn't stop reading. The book is a gripping thriller which is a bit similar to Sherlock Holmes, only the protagonist, Mr. Hannay, was being tracked down by both the police and the 'Black Stone', which was the antagonist. The Black Stone was a large German association which was trying to get information from England through spies and a deadly plot. The book begins with a gripper -a man who just confided many secrets affecting the whole country just got assasinated in his room. A large part of the book is where Mr. Hannay is chased across the wide Scottish moors. In the end, Mr. Hannay triumphs along with the Foreign Office which aided him because they were in danger. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. I highly recommend this book for any Sherlock Holmes/detective fans or wannabees. It does not contain any love, but it is funny at times, but mostly just extremely gripping. The whole book is like a chase, and it is amazing to see how things progress.