Reven’s Comments (group member since Feb 20, 2018)

Reven’s comments from the The Digital Book Club: Create. Learn. Inspire. group.

Assata symbolizes everything that is Black Resistance to me, just as Harriet Tubman symbolizes the same for her.
I admire her courage the most and I am proud to say she is one of my heroes

Courtney,

The life lesson that stood out for me was the time when she ran away from her mother at the age of 13, lied about her age and got a job at a local bar. Although she met plenty of ppl that looked after her, she was almost gang raped by boys she met at a party. She was only at the party because she was invited by people she thought were her friends, who actually ended up leaving her stranded at the party. The way she got out of the situation was very courageous and smart. This shows how easily we can put ourselves in bad situations by trusting the wrong ppl. Her story also highlights the fact that many men and young boys thought this type of activity was fun, which is a devastating reality.

Final thoughts

I love the explanation Okonkwo’s uncle gave of the importance of the motherland on page 134. The story explained in great detail the importance of mans role in the clan, I was waiting to read the importance of the women and mother in their custom. “A man belongs to his fatherland when life is good and things are sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuse in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you.”

“She Is buried here. And that is why we say mother is supreme.”

Quotes that stood out:

“Never kill a man who says nothing…. There is something Ominous behind the silence pg 140

“There is nothing to fear from someone who shouts.”pg 140

Okonkwo’s son Nwoye joins the missionaries and converts to the white mans god to defy his father. The apple does not fall far from the tree. As Okonkwo has done everything in his power to be nothing like his own father, his first born son has followed the same cycle.

The rulers of Mbanta gave the evil forest land to the missionaries to build their church. I do not think they should’ve given this land away without a plan to attack them. They should’ve consulted with the oracle before making such decision. I wish the priests and priestess had more of a voice in the last few chapters to give direction to the clan.

“As for the converts, no one could kill them without having to flee the clan, for in spite of their worthiness they still belonged to the clan. P 155. It was interesting that the converted clansmen still had respect for their native customs.

“The heathen speak nothing but falsehood, only the word of god is true.” p 157
It was interesting for the colonizers and newly converted christians to call the clansmen “Heathens” simply because they did not understand or agree with their way of life.

Mr. Brown, Reverend Smith and the other colonizers learned a great deal from the clansmen in Umuofia. Many of the customs seem to be very similar to christian beliefs and stories.


pg157 “The royal python was the most revered animal in Mbanta and all the surrounding clans, it was addressed as Our Father and allowed to go wherever it chose..”

Pg 167 “I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship. You do not know what it is to speak with one voice and what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you.”

“A man can now leave his father and his brothers. He can curse the gods of his father and his ancestors, like a hunter’s dog that suddenly goes mad and turns on his master.” Pg 157

My favorite part was when the spirits came and destroyed the church. This revealed to the colonizers that the spirits were in fact real.

Lastly for Okonkwo, his own personal god or chi was so damaged that he took his own life and perhaps inspired the colonizers with another “primitive custom” that would later be used to punish people of color.

Pg 176 “He has put a knife on the things that have held us together and we have fallen apart.”

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone has had a chance to read up to part 2 of this months read.

Achebe gives a great description of the spiritual connections the people of Umoufia have within their daily lives; from weddings and clan meetings, to funerals and other ceremonies.

Lets reflect on the night that the priestess Chielo took Ezinma to the caves. Why do you think she was taken? The priestess Chielo was said to have been possessed by the spirit Agbala, do you think she has any memory of what happened that night?

Before Ezinma was born, Ekwefi was very bitter. She would name her children death defying names and all of them died very early in life.

“The birth of her children, which should be a woman’s crowning glory, became for Ekwefi mere physical agony.” Pg 77

“Her deepening despair found expression in the names she gave her children.”pg77

“Ekwefi’s bitterness did not flow outwards to others but inwards into her own soul; she did not blame others for their good fortune but her own evil chi who denied her any.”

“This man told him that the child was an ogbanje, one of those wicked children who, when they died, entered their mother womb to be born again.”

Evil children or ogbanje are said to have an iyi-uwa, a smooth pebble wrapped in cloth which allows them to torment their mother by continuously dying early in life just to be reborn and continue the same cycle. Ezinma’s cycle should’ve been broken when the medicine man retrieved and destroyed her iyi-uwa.

Why does the priests call Ezinma “my daughter” ? Since Ekwefi had issues with her children, could it be that Ezinma was a gifted child given to Ekwefi from the Agbala Oracle?

Okonkwo and his family have been exiled from Umoufia and return to Okonkowo’s motherland in Mbaino. Since Okonkwo accidentally shot and killed a clansmen, he was forced into exhile for seven years and his home was burned to “cleanse the land” of Okonkwo’s crime. Do you feel this could’ve happened to Okonkwo for karmetic reasons?

Naomie: I agree that it would make sense for Okonkwo to build a more loving and compassionate relationship with his family since he never had that relationship with his father, however, he thinks that showing compassion is weak and far from masculine.

“Okonkwo was not a man of thought but of action.” Pg 69

This quote best describes Okonkwo’s character to me. He doesn’t think deeply about how others may feel, not even his family. This does not mean that he does not love his family, I don’t think he knows how to be a better husband or father.

Courtney: Okonkwo has made an agreement to disown any beliefs or behaviors that reminded him of his father. He has also mentioned that he sees much of his father within his son Nwoye’s personality and demeanor which is why he is so hard on him. What do you think Nwoye thinks of this father? How will his fathers actions change Nwoye’s beliefs in the future?

Brittany: You are absolutely right, Okonkwo does value his own emotions and beliefs more than anyone else. His temper drove him to beat his youngest wife during the week of peace and he was reprimanded for it. “The evil you have done can ruin the whole clan. The earth goddess whom you have insulted may refuse to give us her increase, and we shall all perish.” Pg 29
The week of peace is for everyone in the clan to relax, avoid work, and give thanks to the spirits. Okonkwo new the law of the land during the week of peace and he still chose to be disobedient.

Did anyone else notice that Okonkwo had not beat his wives in the story until After he killed Ikemefuna?

The only reason Okonkwo chose to play a part in Ikemefuns’s death was because he was “afraid of being though weak” pg 69. Okonkwo clearly does not know how to love. He could not eat or sleep for days after Ikemefuna’s death because he loved him and could not figure out why he kept thinking of him. Even Ezeudu an elder within the clan specifically told Okonkwo “ That boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death.” Pg 57.

I think there will be spiritual and physical consequences for Okonkwo's decision to kill his adopted son Ikemefuna.

Hi everyone, Welcome to April

I hope you all are enjoying Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ as much as I am reading for a second time.

Since the chapters are fairly shorter, I hope that everyone has had a chance to read up to the third or fourth chapter this week.

Okonkwo: Early on, we learn a lot about Okonkwo’s character, status, interests, title and reputation within the Clan (Umuofia). He has three wives and roughly two children by each wife, some of which we will get to know by name. Okonkwo takes pride in hard work and providing for his family. Okonkwo initially has a great reputation as a strong fighter and wrestler. He has a tarnished relationship with his father Unoka , even after his father’s passing. Unoka was known to be lazy and carry a lot of debt which he rarely paid, which caused their family to suffer. Because of this hatred Okonkwo carries for his father, he finds it hard to show emotion or compassion to his family and is said to run his family with a “heavy hand” and short temper.

What connections have you all made about Okonkwo’s character and perspective based on his relationship with his father? How do you feel about Unoka’s influence on Okonkwo? Do you agree with the way Okonkwo supports his family based on his father influence? What kind of first impression does Okonko make on readers?

I love the unity and respect that the people of Umuofia have for their land, customs, ancestors, elders and deities. I feel that this unity and respect is the reason why Umuofia has such a unmatched reputation. “Neighboring clans who naturally new of these things fear Umuofia and would not goto war against it without first trying a peaceful settlement”. Page 12

What kind of first impression does Things Fall Apart have on everyone?

Has anyone else came up with new agreements to replace your old ones so far?

About 8 months ago, I made an agreement to stop eating meat. It was tough to resist cravings at first but with discipline , I replaced meats with other proteins and meals. I completely changed my idea of what food is and it feels so good to have control over what I eat. I am disciplined enough to feed my dog actual chicken and beef without wanting to taste it myself.

Since I’ve already replaced one agreement with a better agreement that makes me happy, I know I can change any other agreement or bad habit, 1 day at a time

I am an emotional eater. So I run to sweets and breads when I feel stress or anxiety. Eating sugary foods only makes me feel good temporarily and I usually feel physically worse right after the sugar rush. I’ve agreed to constantly release my emotions in healthier ways in order to control my behaviors. This way i will be disciplined enough to meet my goal of building more muscle.

“Repetition Makes the Master “ pg 110.

“The warrior has control. Not control over another human, But control over one’s own emotions, control over ones self” pg 117.

"Do not expect others to tell you the truth because they also lie to themselves." (P 57)

"If others say one thing, but do another, you are lying to yourself if you don't listen to their actions. (P 58)

I'm learning so many communication skills, and how not to punish myself for things that other people say and do. I'm still learning how avoid letting my disappointment in others turn into anger and bitterness. I am being honest with myself with out punishing myself for the same mistake multiple times.

I am choosing my words wisely, thinking before I talk about others and avoiding negative conversations with myself. I've noticed that gossip is the primary way of communicating in todays society and I am choosing not to engage in trendy, pointless gossip.

Hi everyone, I’m Reven.

I’m about 20 pages into The Four Agreements and it’s already changing my mindset and self reflection.

Can’t wait to discuss and read everyone’s comments!

My Favorite quotes so far are:
“To have faith is to believe unconditionally.”

“We need a great deal of courage to challenge our own beliefs.”

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