Paper 2

3- Discuss the significance of social status in Things Fall Apart and comment on its contribution to characterization.

            Social status plays a significant role in Things Fall Apart as it drives many of Okonkwo’s actions. Okonkwo’s hamartia or main fatal flaw is his fear of emulating his idle father or any hint of femininity or weakness. Driven by this fear, Okonkwo reacted violently, worked intensely, and strove to hold a respectable status in his village.

            In Igbo culture, a man’s social status was determined by his merit rather than his inheritance. The narrator reiterates that Okonkwo holds two titles in the village in order to prove that he is extremely hard working and has worked his way up the social ladder in order to become a well-respected individual. His father on the other hand, never earned any titles which further emphasizes the large contrast between both characters. Okonkwo specifically worked to break away from his father’s lazy lifestyle by showcasing his bravery in war, athletic skill as a wrestler, and wealth of yam crop. His first major step towards becoming a upright individual was when he sought out the help of Nwakibie, a wealthy clansmen who takes a chance on Okonkwo by lending him 800 seed yams—twice the number for which Okonkwo asks. Nwakibie thereby helps Okonkwo build up the beginnings of his personal wealth, status, and independence. His other major feat was his defeat of the Cat. Though he accomplished considerable feats, his determination in earning social status lead him to have an inflated ego and become very prideful.

            Okonkwo’s village is largely achievement oriented. Therefore, in an attempt to maintain his social status, Okonkwo is steered to acts he emotionally does not agree with. For instance, Okonkwo not only volunteers to join the party that will execute his adopted son but also violently stabs him with his machete simply because he is afraid of appearing weak and losing status in his village. In order to establish his patriarchal role in his domestic life, he beats his wife when she does not bring him dinner though it was unheard of to commit violent acts during the week of peace. During his exile, he even asks his daughter not to marry anyone, though they were at a ripe age, until he returned so that he could quickly reinstate his name in the village. Clearly Okonkwo values his standing in the village since this trait is a large separator from his father’s reputation of apathy.   

            Okonkwo’s compulsion to maintain his social power plays a major role in his inflexibility to adapt to the colonization of white missionaries. Unwilling to relent his standing as an Igbo warrior in order to make compromises to peacefully coexist, Okonkwo reacts defensively and proposes the formation of a war committee. Out of rage, Okonkwo even murders a white messenger. He is so blinded by his need for power that he does not recognize the harm he is inflicting upon his community.

            Additionally, it is interesting to note that women enjoy considerably less prerogatives in regards to social status.  Okonkwo yelled at his oldest wife, "Do what you are told , woman.  When did you become one of the ndichie of Umuofia?"  Ndichie or "elders" are the most respected Umuofians.  This statement implies that no woman has the right to be considered one of the elders.  An interesting concept is the distinction between male and female actions.  For example, there is a distinct difference between a male and female crime.  It could be argued that male crimes are much more severe in nature, possibly planned crimes; whereas female crimes are inadvertent, and possibly less severe.Therefore, according to a traditional Igbo social hierarchy, women are inherently placed below men. 

Paper 1

‘The Prince of Tides’, an article akin to a Hollywood gossip magazine, features the story of the upcoming Saif Ali Khan. The article captivates a young audience familiar with Bollywood actors and explains Saif’s rise to stardom in the industry. Through the use of various stylistic devices, the author manages to keep the audience engaged throughout his piece of this actor’s success story.

Much like a gossip magazine, the article begins with an intriguing message about Saif’s unique climb to the top. He remarks that though Safi’s relaxed attitude proved a detriment in the beginning of his acting career, it became his greatest asset as he maintains his youthful vivacity that connects him to his audience. Saif himself describes how at first, “he was just having fun”, reaffirming how his easy going attitude was an ambivalent trait. After largely focusing on biographical information, the author shifts to analyze how Saif was able to garner such considerable fame. However, the author also heeds Saif to, “he steers clear of the demons of smugness that tend to so seamlessly corrupt good actors often losing themselves to the trappings of superstardom”. The fact that the author utilized a metaphor to compare smugness to demons and stardom to a trap in order to communicate his warning heightens the dramatic effect of the article

            Throughout the article, the author utilizes a very upbeat tone as showcased by this word choice. He begins the first line with “unfettered”, “unpredictable”, and “undoubtedly”, already creating a mood of livelihood and anticipation as the audience seeks to find out more about the actor’s carefree attitude. The author further relates his acting as worthy of “a hero’s showcase”, inciting admiration from his audience. Saif is also made much more significant with his fans when he is dubbed, “cool dude” or “in sync with his times”. Clearly the author is trying to communicate his high regard for Saif through his subjective opinions and fervor to charm his readers. The author also conveys his wisdom by weighing Khan’s success against his siblings stating that “today Saif is as good as any other Khan, if not better”. He builds his credibility even more when he heeds   What’s more, this opinionated tone is that of a gossip magazine, where the mood is full of intrigue and sensation. Roy warns that Kahn “shouldn’t repeat himself or short change his following.”

            The author uses several stylistic choices throughout his article such as alliteration and parallelism to create an upbeat tone- almost as if the author were creating memorable catchphrases for Saif. In fact, the first sentence is an alliteration repeating the consonant ‘u’ at the beginning of “unfettered”, “unpredictable”, and “undoubtable”, acting as an attention grabber for his readers. His flare is described as “strive, strife, and style”, further captivating the readers with this flashy, modern sensation. Finally, Parallel structures are also used regularly to sound snappy, such as “The catch is to remain imperfect, remain humane, remain vulnerable, remain unsatisfied, remain unpredictable – remain Saif.” This use of parallel structure almost makes it seem like a slogan, which will inevitably resonate with readers and allows the author to make Saif more striking.

The structure of ‘The Prince of Tides’ also resembles that of a gossip article, especially with an intriguing title followed by a blown-up portrait of Saif. In fact, the title itself is a metaphor since actors’ fame are tidal waves in the sense that they all experience peaks and lows in their careers, and that their recognition comes and goes similar to how a tide draws out on a shore and ejects back in to the ocean waters. Under the title is a quote by Saif which states, "I’ve always had a fatalistic attitude to life… never store it up, because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Anything can happen at any time”. Already readers are hooked to read the contents of the article as they want to apply this piece of advice to their lives, effectively establishing Saif’s credibility as a clever individual with much experience.  

Is Okwonkwo a Tragic Hero?

African Voice Discussion

In class we discussed “An African Voice”, an interview with Chinua Achebe. The main takeaway I had was how Chinua emerged as “the founding father of African literature”. Things Fall Apart is one of the first books to tell the story of European colonization from an African perspective. Essentially, the novel marked a turning point for popular opinion as it changed the normal recount of history by the conqueror and shifted the story to be seen from the eyes of the conquered. Achebe was surprised at the widespread success of his novel simply because it was the first to elaborate on African colonies and portray it as a rich culture, one that was stripped away from the natives due to invasion. In fact, his account inspired many more stories to arise written by other minorities, empowering those who once did not have the courage to raise a voice to the oppressive past which had been largely overlooked and underemphasized. Thus, Things Fall Apart was revolutionary in finally shedding a light on the dark, disagreeable side of imperialism.