PART 1

1. Okonkwo, the protagonist of Things Fall Apart is a self-sufficient, well achieved man who grew up with close-to-nothing and became one of the richest, most well respected men of his village through perseverance and dedication in farming. Being like an Igbo heroic charachter, Okonkwo works to achieve his greatness as difined by his culture through farming. Great farmers become rich farmers who take on high places in his clan, making them well respected and revered characters. He differs from Western heroes with which I am familiar with because Western heroes don't necessarily have to be high-class and definitely do not achieve a great status through farming; Western heroes can also differ from people such as firemen, cops, celebrities, politicians, activists, etc. Strengths in Okonkwo's society are things such as many wives/children, good farming, a lot of land, and a high ranking. Weaknesses are sensitivity, low crop production, and a low rank.

2. Unoka, Okonkwo's father was a failure in society and Okonkwo's eyes. He was a sensitive man who liked to play music and wasn't able to produce many crops or support his family, which ended up putting him in debt to many of his neighbors. Okonkwo can not stand Unoka, and despised him as a father. Okonkwo thought Unoka was weak and foolish for being sensitive. The negative example of his father shapes Okonkwo's character and actions by persuading Okonkwo to be everything his father was not and to do the exact opposite of what his father would do. Unoka was weak, sensitive, poor, and looked down on, while Okonkwo was strong, brutal, rich, and high-class. The early descriptions of Okonkwo's success and Unoka's failure tells us that in Igbo society it is easy to change your social class through hard work and determination. One succeeds in this cultural context through farming and being good at it. Good farmers produce many crops which make them rich and in turn raises their social status. Through this system of the taking of titles, we learn that there are levels of class such as the Western poor, middle, and upper classes, and with these classes comes a certain behavior that others have toward you. Lower classes seem to be excluded from these opportunities to gain success.

3. The narrator of Things Fall Apart can be described as neutral, not leaning to one side of a conflict. He also seems to express the events of the book without much emotion and without opinion. The actions of the Igbo people could easily be thought of as evil or bad, yet as the narrator tells them it is said in a normal manner. The narrator's values, I believe, lie with what is seemed to be right in the Igbo way, for as each action takes place he tells it with a sort of respect or understanding as to what is happening. The narrator's perspective covers many things and peoples' points of view. It is informative as to giving the reader an understanding for all types of characters who live around Okonkwo. It also clearly expresses the culture by not following the characters day-by-day but by showing the daily lives of the people along with certain events that would happen at long times apart.

4. The time and place of the novel is in Nigeria in the 1890's. The everyday life of the Igbo people seems to revolve around working all day and sleeping at night with meals between. The values of the people lie in their teachings and rituals, and don't focus on individuals but instead on pleasing the gods. Rituals and ceremony are very important to the people, because it makes whatever is happening important or holy. Hierarchy and personal achievement are also important because in the culture it defines the worth of a person. Socail life is organized very formerly, for even the closest of friends and neighbors follow the customs which come to a social event. Important celebrations are wresting tournaments, weddings, engagements, etc. The role of war isn't necessarily for territory or beliefs, but honor or a show of strength. Religion is very important and taken into nearly everything. Beliefs are strong with the people and are not taken into question. The role of the individual is to maintain himself and his family to create a strong community, which in turn the community is responsible for being stable and sufficient. The customs and culture of the Igbos are greatly different from mine. Similarities are the gathering of sports events and the big celebration of weddings.

5. Night plays a great affect on the Igbo people, by striking fear into them. The people fear complete darkness such as a night without a moon and refuse or at least despise to go out at that time. They really fear snakes in the night, for fear of being bitten by one; even so much as to refuse speaking the name "snake" and in turn replacing it with "string" as if the snake will come at the mention of its name.

6. The cause and nature of the conflict with Mbaino is that people of Mbaino murdured a woman from Umoufia. Umoufia then left Mbaino with two options: either they will go to war or Mbaino will give to Umoufia one wife for the man whose wife was murdered, and one boy. This is very different from the punishmets set by our laws, because instead of the people who committed the murder being punished, two innocent people were; in other words the whole village was responsible for the actions of a few.

7. The important crops in Igbo culture are yams, which grow in summer after the rains, and palm wine which is year-round. Sharecropping works by giving someone a certain amount of your seeds, and when their harvest comes in, you recieve a certain percent of it. The male designated crops are those such as yams and palm wine, and other hard labor crops. The females' crops are fruit and easily-gathered crops. The relationship of woment to agriculture is only somewhat involved, giving them time to care for children and cook.

8. Family life and living arrangements in Okonkwo's home is organized in separate huts. Okonkwo has his own hut, and each of his wives and their children have their own hut. The women get along and work together along with the small children during the day, and the mothers sleep with their children at night. Okonkwo doesn't do much interaction with his wives or small children unless they are serving him, but Okonkwo works with the older males during the day in the fields. Okonkwo's relationship with his wives and children is very distant and cold, and he only lies with the youngest of his wives. The roles men play in the society are the leaders and decision makers. Men also go to war. Women play the roles of caretakers and are obedient to the men. Women are also priestesses. Okonkwo's attitude toward women is as if they are devices. He marries them and they have the children and cook the meals - that is all Okonkwo seems to see in women.

9. The crime Okonkwo commits is shooting at his wife with a gun and beating her during Peace Week. This says that the values of the culture lie in their rituals - Okonkwo wasn't punished for beating his wife but instead for doing it during a holy time. According to Ezeani, wife beating is bad at all times because it is hypocrtitical toward the men and an insult toward the Gods.

10. My initial reading experience and response to Part I of Things Fall Apart was good. I could really sympathize with the characters in the novel to have lived and struggled to survive in the set time and place. My response to the culture of the Igbo people is undecided. The culture is rich and has good intentions and ways of explaining otherwise questionable things, yet it hurts the people in many ways. I believe I am responding in this way having grown up in the USA and relating the Igbo culture to that of my own. What seems most different is the taking of many wives and what seems most similar is the praise of a good sportsman such as Okonkwo who wrestled the Cat.