I, for one, am thouroughly enjoying the book, Things Fall Apart. Not only did I get through chapter 11, but I'm already into part 2 of this fast, light, enjoyable read. Any thoughts? No? Well I'll share mine, since it's doubtful that anyone else has been reading this book. ;-)
WARNING: The following section may contain spoilers, although I will try to be cryptic. If you are sensitive to plot hints and clues, and you haven't read the book, proceed at your own risk.
I have two main thoughts about the book so far. I find it interesting that Okonkwo's biggest weakness is his own fear of weakness. He wants to be a strong man, and to be perceived as a strong man, but his desire for strength enslaves him. This point is seen most clearly seen the night they take Ikemefuna from the village. I appreciate this irony in Okonkwo's character flaw.
I have also been pondering on the connection between Things Fall Apart and the poem I posted yesterday, "The Second Coming." Could it be that Achebe is showing the truly civilized nature of a supposedly "savage" people? It is fascinating to read about a culture which holds its members so accountable to a shared code of ethics. Although the ethics of the Umuofia are strange, and even at odds with our own sense of morality,they are upheld with astonishing uniformity and unquestioning obedience. Their society's code may leave much to be desired, but it is still more civilized than a society which neglects its own high standards, and in practice holds no standards at all.
There are my thoughts, for what they are worth.
If anyone is reading along, we will finish the book by next Monday. The next book on the list is Democracy: An American Novel, by Henry Adams. I'll start looking for my copy this week.
Happy reading!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Yams and Yeats
So far, "Things Fall Apart" has been a light, entertaining read. The story is set in a native African village where yam production is the major agriculture and source of sustenance. All that talk about yams gave me a real craving for some sweet potatoes, so last night, Paul and I had a meal much like the ones described in our book. The only discernible differences being that we did not grow the yams or beans, we did not slaughter or pluck the chicken, we had Bake-n-Brown buns instead of Kola nuts, because I have absolutely no idea what a Kola nut is, and we had grape rather than palm wine. Other than that, it was pretty close! ;-)
I also found some really interesting supplementary material for Things Fall Apart. The title of the book is taken from a poem by William Butler Yeats called "The Second Coming." This poem is quoted at the front of the book, and it seems Achabe was writing his novel as an answer of sorts to the themes in this poem. It's a great poem, and I encourage you to read and ponder, if you get a chance.
William Butler Yeats: "The Second Coming" (1921)
Yeats was attracted to the spiritual and occult world and fashioned for himself an elaborate mythology to explain human experience. "The Second Coming," written after the catastrophe of World War I and with communism and fascism rising, is a compelling glimpse of an inhuman world about to be born. Yeats believed that history in part moved in two thousand-year cycles. The Christian era, which followed that of the ancient world, was about to give way to an ominous period represented by the rough, pitiless beast in the poem.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre (1)
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming (2) is at hand;
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi (3)
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries (4)
of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Notes:
(1) Spiral, making the figure of a cone.
(2) Second Coming refers to the promised return of Christ on Doomsday, the end of the world; but in Revelation 13 Doomsday is also marked by the appearance of a monstrous beast.
(3) Spirit of the World.
(4) 2,000 years; the creature has been held back since the birth of Christ. Yeats imagines that the great heritage of Western European civilization is collapsing, and that the world will be swept by a tide of savagery from the "uncivilized" portions of the globe. As you read this novel, try to understand how Achebe's work is in part an answer to this poem.
I also found some really interesting supplementary material for Things Fall Apart. The title of the book is taken from a poem by William Butler Yeats called "The Second Coming." This poem is quoted at the front of the book, and it seems Achabe was writing his novel as an answer of sorts to the themes in this poem. It's a great poem, and I encourage you to read and ponder, if you get a chance.
*The material below was directly copied from an online study guide which can be found at http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/anglophone/achebe.html
William Butler Yeats: "The Second Coming" (1921)
Yeats was attracted to the spiritual and occult world and fashioned for himself an elaborate mythology to explain human experience. "The Second Coming," written after the catastrophe of World War I and with communism and fascism rising, is a compelling glimpse of an inhuman world about to be born. Yeats believed that history in part moved in two thousand-year cycles. The Christian era, which followed that of the ancient world, was about to give way to an ominous period represented by the rough, pitiless beast in the poem.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre (1)
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming (2) is at hand;
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi (3)
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries (4)
of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Notes:
(1) Spiral, making the figure of a cone.
(2) Second Coming refers to the promised return of Christ on Doomsday, the end of the world; but in Revelation 13 Doomsday is also marked by the appearance of a monstrous beast.
(3) Spirit of the World.
(4) 2,000 years; the creature has been held back since the birth of Christ. Yeats imagines that the great heritage of Western European civilization is collapsing, and that the world will be swept by a tide of savagery from the "uncivilized" portions of the globe. As you read this novel, try to understand how Achebe's work is in part an answer to this poem.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Things Fall Apart
I will soon be posting a complete copy of the reading list that this page is based upon. I personally hope to collect all of the titles, but only one at a time. I will buy the next book only once I have finished the book I'm on. My other goal is to spend no more than $5 on any book on the list. I got the first one for $2, which I still consider a little high.
So, here it is, book number one:
Published 1959
Chinua Achebe (1930-present)
"A simple story of a 'strong man' whose life is dominated by fear and anger, Things Fall Apart is written with remarkable economy ad subtle irony. Uniquely and richly African, at the same time it reveals Achebe's keen awareness of the human qualities common to men of all times and places."
Pages: 209
Reading grade level: 5.9
Read chapters 1-11 by Monday, September 10. (We'll find out what a good pace is. If this doesn't work, we can adjust.)
Throughout the week, I'll post a little supplementary material. I won't give anything away, but I find background information fascinating, and maybe you do as well. If you find good supplement material, please share!
Happy reading, and I look forward to talking about chapters 1-11 next Monday!
A Better Venue
Welcome! I've decided that Blogger's "pages" function does not work well for book club purposes. I've created this "new" blog as a hopefully more fitting format. It will be directly linked to "Passing Through," so we'll just pretend that it's all part of the same thing.
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