SoS2

I find Guitar's murder club weird. I can't recall why, but such a violent idea seems really familiar. Maybe I'm just thinking of that saying "an eye for an eye", but the kind of group sounds familiar. Regardless, though I understand the logic, it's obviously wrong. I think the level of ridiculousness in the racial prejudice is shown by Morrison to the extreme degree that it is brought out at. Yes, four little girls would mirror the unfair deaths, but it's four innocent young girls. I think that the immorality of it is shown through his concern of money rather than life. Also (in a much deadlier degree) it's incredibly childish and doesn't solve anything. It's like when a sibling steals something some you steal something of their and you both keep on stealing from each other and both of you are missing things and nothing is solved. As dumb an analogy as that sounds, it parallels the ineffectively and negative effects of the point the group is attempting to get across.

SoS 1

I really like Toni Morrison's style in terms of her imagery and scenes. Her flashbacks are so craftily woven in, but so obviously flashbacks through small but important details that make it much easier to follow with and know (sort of) that it's a flashback rather than something going on simultaneously (I'm comparing this to something like Sound And The Fury). This might just be a personal thing, but I notice and like the huge stretches of imagery and action going on versus constant dialogue also. The amount of detail is something I find impressive.

P&P2

Despite not really liking Austen's writing style, I do like the story. The sharp criticism is nicely presented and I do love the rebellious nature of Elizabeth (although getting married is the happy end, the rebel getting the good ending is something I like). This book is incredibly episodic and runs like a television series though, that much becoming even more apparent in the latter half. I do find it interesting how the characters really remain true to their archetypes, the only "changing" ones being Darcy and Elizabeth (but that was bound to happen considering the nature of many romance novels).

P&P

So, despite some of the criticism and subtle attacks at the culture that I'm sure I've missed, I can say that I do like the attacks Jane Austen has made on the culture that she's stuck in. Having had to read a biography on her and watched Sense and Sensibility (which was similar in some respects), it is a bit easier to understand where she's coming from. Though some of the language and situations are rather confusing, she still conveys her message. What I really find interesting is how Jane Austen calls out pride and prejudice within the book. I like how she throws her own opinion through characters but also balances it against the views of the majority of the time.

Epic Spring break

I managed to watch four and a half seasons of Game of Thrones, three of which were finished in under three full days. It was productive.

PH 3

It is interesting how the story of the tortoise's cracked shell comes up again. I know it is in direct correlation and covers very similar topics (such as the tortoise's greed and his falling from the sky) but it's not the same story.  I wonder if that's due to the area in which each author lives, or to keep from plagiarism issues but I find it interesting how this story changed. The sacrifices and the mothers' acceptance is what I find disturbing. That wasn't a part of the tale in Things Fall Apart and I wonder if it's to mimic the notorious events occurring in Nigeria with the military government.

PH2

Eugene is so controlling, and it's really starting to bother me. His children are like dogmatic followers and I want to know why. I understand he does not want them to be near "ungodly" or "heathen" things/cultures, but his demands are so extreme and ridiculous. Kambili is called a snob because she is not allowed to be late on her way home, or despite having a TV she is not allowed to watch because he father did not put it in her schedule. And yet she practically worships him. She is hungry for his approval (which he never seems to truly give) and it's just a very unhealthy relationship, only exacerbated by her brother's evident awareness of the extremism of their father.

PH 1

I think that the father is interesting, especially when compared with Okonkwo, the other African father figure of these two African literature. Papa/Eugene is literally the opposite. And yet, he seems similar in how extreme he is. He only wants/expects the best, and is nearly as for the colonization as Okonkwo was against it (I also dislike him as much as I did Okonkwo, but that's my opinion). I also thought the rebellious son that each had was an interesting similarity. I should like to see if these parallels continue, and if so, how Papa/Eugene handles his adversities.

TFA part 2 response

I think that Nwoye's interest in the missionaries was expected. He keeps this interest secret (again, fear of father shining through, even though a few years have passed) but considering how he liked the more religious/mythological stories of his mother and how the death of Ikemefuna still affects him. The contempt between him and his father is still obvious and I think that is another driving factor in his interest in and following of the missionaries.
I think it was expected for there to be some falling out between Okonkwo and Nwoye, but I think it's interesting that Achebe had it be because of the missionaries, which is an extreme betrayal to Okonkwo.

TFA part 1 response

Okonkow's overly-masculine personality infuriates and intrigues me at the same time. To me it seems like he has some sort of inferiority complex. The definition of an inferiority complex is "intense feeling of inferiority, producing a personality characterized either by extreme reticence or, as a result ofovercompensation, by extreme aggressiveness." His actions towards his children and wives would defiantly support such a possible diagnosis, while his relationship with his father would be reason enough to explain why he has come to think the way he does. This killing is after three years of Ikemefuna living in the village and even seeing Okonkwo as a father. The fact that Okonkwo was unable to eat or sleep for three days afterwards proves (to me at least) that he felt some connection and yet he is the one to kill Ikemefuna, against his friend's warning, because he doesn't want to be seen as weak, a textbook example of overcompensation.

He's so disturbingly raptured by this fear of the possibility of being feminine  and weak that he just comes off looking like an ignorant ass who is obsessed with control. I understand that he wants to be nothing like his father but he is so terribly overbearing that it imposes on his children. His son is so afraid of his father's disapproval (which comes with beatings) that he denies his own likes for the sake of his father's approval. This doesn't exactly show a reticence ("disposed to be silent, not speaking freely") in Okonkow, but him forcing such a silence on his own son, which in turn only creates another cycle of inferiority among other issues.

TFA 1

The way that progresses is slightly confusing. It switches between past and present and stories about characters. It was confusing and annoying how in the first chapter it talked about the son hating his father, then the father while switching between the father as younger and older and then back to the son with the father (who I thought was dead) then back to him being dead. Aside from that I think the use of simple language is interesting. I think it is to make up for how many African words and customs are in the text and to also simplify things. It's a nice step back from the much more complicated diction that has been in the last few books/poems (aside from the stream-of-conciousness-like conveying of time).

Image of Africa

I think Achebe highlights a fact that is utterly true. There are things so deeply engrained as normal that people just don't notice them. In simple examples I can think of all of the "you throw like a girl", "you punch like a girl", "don't be such a girl", expressions that have woven their way into simple language. Every example that Achebe gave highlights this inherent, not even subtle, racism is very telling of a racist image of Africa. It's the simple things that need to be noticed in order for people to begin to realize and fix the (most often) unintentional mistakes that end up creating hate and ignorance.