Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Day 13

Hopefully going over the chapters is good for you. Remember that we will have a test on Friday convering the whole novel and it will have short answers as well.

For today:

React to Okonkwo's final act. How does this figure in with his chi? Why did he do what he did? Did he die with any dignity? What do you think about the finality of the Igbo tribe?

18 comments:

cody sulla said...

React to Okonkwo's final act. How does this figure in with his chi? Why did he do what he did? Did he die with any dignity? What do you think about the finality of the Igbo tribe?

Okonkwos final act was kind of cowardly. There is a saying if you do the crime you do the time. I think that Okonkwo should have lived with the consequences. I also think that it was feminine. That also goes with you do the crime you pay the time. If you make some wrong decisions in your life you shouldn't take the easy way out. This goes along with his chi because of all the other feminine things he did. I don't think he died with any dignity at all. If you decide to kill yourself and take the easy way out you have no dignity. Although he lost most of his dignity before that, he had nothing left once he killed himself. If he wouldn't of killed himself i think he might of been able to get some of his dignity back.

kirkwhitt said...

React to Okonkwo's final act. How does this figure in with his chi? Why did he do what he did? Did he die with any dignity? What do you think about the finality of the Igbo tribe?

I think Okonkwo's final act was not worth his life at all. Okonkwo was a strong person at the begining, and ended up a very week person at the end. When Okonkwo was strong his chi was incredibly strong, and balenced. As the story continued his chi slowly got weeker, and more unstabel. At the end when Okonkwo ends up killing him self, he died with no dignity. I think tha Okonkwo let the white man get the better of him. Okonkwo could have resolved this in some way, he could have moved if he had to. The finality of the igbo tribe is horible. I think that it was wrong of the white man to come in and tell the Igbo tribe their belifs were false. That they had to fallow the white mans ways or they went to some horible place when they died. People should not go into other parts of the world and tell people that their beliefs are wrong. What would have happend if the Igbo tribe preached back to the white man telling them that their beliefs were wrong?

ben nicolay said...

I think that Okonkwos final act showed a bit of cowardness. He was going to die anyways because he killed the messenger. The white people would have hanged him because they came after him and found his body hanging by the rope. I think he killed himself because he knew he was going to die and he didn't want the white man to do it and show that they had control over him. I think that his chi agreed with him because there was a quote that said if a man agrees, his chi also agreed. I personally think he shouldve gone out with a fight. He shouldve went and killed more. Im not saying a killing spree is ok but in that case he should have taken more down with him. The Igbo tribe has really no hope. I think that if Okonkwo would have stayed and not been gone for seven years then the tribe might have had a fighting chance. Unfortuanetly, they are probally going to be killed like the Abame if they dont conform to christianity.

Anonymous said...

Okonkwo final act was cowardly. It un balances his chi very much. This now made his chi more femine. I think he did it because he was so against the white men he would rather kill himself then have to obey the laws. He in my opinon died with no dignity. He should have no dignity after all the things he had done and tried to do to the people close to him. He doesnt care about anyone besides his own rep, he is the most selfish person i have seen. Lastly i also think the finality of the tribe i bad. The white men should stick to where there live and not force belief.

Anonymous said...

Okonkwo's chi was pretty negative at the end of the story. Bad things seemed to always come his way. I think he committed suicide because he got fed up with all the things that were going on with his tribe. For example, the white men taking over their beliefs, the fact that his tribe didn't do much to stop it, and even his exile. I think he died with dignity because he never had to see his tribe fall to the white men. I think the Ibo tribe are basically doomed to fall apart. The white men had a lot of force and strategy to get the Ibo to side with them, and many of them did.

Chelsea Gray said...

Okonkwo had so much going on that he couldn't control and just snapped. He commited suicide because thier was too much to handle for him. He believed that he had a bad chi and it was very unbalanced. Due to that, he figured nothing good should come for him because of his chi. Okonkwo often blamed much of his bad luck and situations on his chi. He decided to kill himself because he believed their was no other way out. Suicude was his way to hide and escape. I think he died with dignity for his Igbo tribe. He never gave in to the white man's religion change and stayed true to himself. I think that the Igbo tribe is fading away. The white mans religion is taking over and the Igbo people are in fact joining. It seems they are giving up their old ways to join this new religion.

ScOtW29 said...

React to Okonkwo's final act. How does this figure in with his chi? Why did he do what he did? Did he die with any dignity? What do you think about the finality of the Igbo tribe?

I can understand why okonkwo decided to commit suicide. He went through a lot. It got to a point when he was sick of his life and he just snapped and that when he did it. I think towards the end of the story his chi was a negetive chi. At the begginging of the story okonkwo was a very strong person. I think now at the end of the story he has become a little bit more weak. I dont think that okonkwo died with dignity at all. I think that when he died he pretty much hated himself and what he was all about, which is why he killed himself. I think without okonkwo the ibo tribe are going to fall apart now. The white man is much to powerful and there strategy was a good one to get them to side with them.

Nick Brouillard said...

I think that okonkwo could not take all of the bad things that were happening in his life and that is why he did his final act. I think that by the end of the book okonkwo did not really have a good chi. Okonkwo killed the messanger because he hated the white man and when the messanger came and interupted there meeting it just pushed him over the edge. I think he killed himself because he knew that he could not run or hide what he had done from the white man. I think he did die with some dignity and that was that he was able to kill himself instead of letting the white man do it. I think the Igbo tribe will fall apart and soon all will be with the church and the old ways will be forgoten. Okonkwo probably ruined the villages future by killing himself.

Anonymous said...

Cody Dykes

I can see why he would do this. I get mad and say i;m going to kill myself over allot less bad things. He went through allot to get to this point. He lost everything he aimed for in life. His chi in theory ruined him by making him believe he was no good. All people have worth and the power to do and get whatever they want but his chi/morals/attitude got in the way of that. I think his death was memorable but not with integrity i think he had lost all of that in the eyes of himself. I think igbo people are weak, and don't know how to stick to there beliefs. My favorite character in this book was Okonkwo because he knew what he believed in.

Stephen Manvydas said...

I think that Okonkwo's final act was kind of a shock. A man that claims to be so strong and masculine ended up hanging himself. I think that this kind of balances his chi, as its feminine, but also hurts it badly, as it is against the earth goddess. I think he hung himself because he thought that the village was not worth fighting for anymore. I think that he thought that he alone could not do anything to change their mind either. I think that in his mind he died with dignity but to the tribe it is a disgrase for a man to hang himself. I think that in the end the igbo tribe has 'fallen apart' and assimilated with the missionaries.

Cole H. said...

I can understand his choice to commit suicide. He was under alot of stress do to all that is going on. Things just kept adding up one after another until he could not handle it anymore. He figured that his "chi" was bad and the only way to get rid of his troubles was to end his own life. I believe he died with his dignity because he held true to himself. He did not conform to the "white mans" religion and way of life. He stuck with his traditions and customs and persevered through many hard times. I think that the Igbo tribe is losing its culture and way of life to the "whites", the majority of them chose to conform and go on to deal with their new lives.

alissa welling said...

I think that Okonkwos final act was not the right thing to do. He is supposed to be this strong manly brave guy. Now he is anything but. I think if he was manly enough to beat his wives or do the things he did, then he should have been manly enough to deal with the consequences. Killing himself does not show that he was a brave person at all. It shows that he was scared. I think this ties in with his chi because his chi was always balanced with his feelings. when he was strong and brave so was his chi. When he was feminine and scared then his chi would be the same. He deffinatly didnt die with dignity. Killing yourself is only a way to escape your fears. Dignity is only gained if you stay strong and fight for yourself and he didnt show that at all.

Anonymous said...

I hardly think that Okonkwo was a coward. In fact, he probably did the best thing he could. History remembers martyrs, as can be seen in many religious texts and as being the basis for many religions. Personally, I see his act as being a statement, and an extremely powerful one. He is, in effect, saying that his culture is dead and not worth living for anymore. I would constitute this to being an act of strong moral resolve and not attribute it to weakness or cowardice of any kind. I say this with an abject view and none of the stigmas attached to suicide biasing me one way or another. This reflect on his chi has still being negative. As we alluded to in class, he can only solve things with violence, therefore, violent is the method of his statement.

The Igbo tribe, unfortunately, will be lost. While individuals may carry out customs to this day, the flavour and vigour of the culture in its past are lost. Never will anyone drink out of a human head and called it a show of strength. Never will one make a compound and plant yams while protecting a family from one's obi. This was a proud culture, and the British should have let it be. It angers me to no end to see the flippant arrogance of the "white folk". Even today, perhaps we still see ourselves as privileged, or endowed in some sort of callous delusion. Never is there a sadder moment in history than when one culture asserts dominance over the idea that "we're right". This argument could even be made in Iraq. Yes, Hussein may not have been the best for the people of Iraq, but perhaps they were better off with him. Sectarian violence was almost unheard of until the United States intervened with the "our government system is the right government system for you!" attitude. This was and is a rash, cavalier and crass assumption on the part of the American public. Philosophes noted that government systems generally develop into what is best for the country, and when interfered with, the country falls apart. Ironic that that which happens is also in the book. Things fall apart. My my, what a dilemma to chew on. I hope it doesn't taste good to anyone.

Unknown said...

React to Okonkwo's final act. How does this figure in with his chi? Why did he do what he did? Did he die with any dignity? What do you think about the finality of the Igbo tribe?

okonkwo's final act was one of disbelief. he could not understand how the igbo would just let some outsider white man move in, and change everything. he was a man of action and war, not peace and negotiations. he could not deal with the thought of all of his shortcomings, and womanly behavior. he was a man, and his chi said so. his chi was rediculously to one side, and he felt that to show emotion was to be, essentially, a pussy. he did not die with any dignity, however, i feel, if he were to die normal, he wouldnt have anyway. i think the igbo tribe fell into oblivion with the rise of the white man in their own hme village and culture.

Alyssa said...

For how powerful and how much strength Okonkwo showed to have throughout the story, his final decision did not show it. By killing himself; Okonkwo was just running away from the bigger probelm that he felt like he would rather run away from than just deal with it. The loss of power and say in what the village was doing I believe was what killed Okonkwo's spirit, which really killed him. His chi was so masculine, that he had no clue how to deal with his frustration and his dedication to the village, that when he lost all power, which was most important to him, he just lost it. I believe that if Okonkwo had learned how to balance his chi during exile, and get in touch with his feminine chi during those seven years, he would have learned how to work through the bigger problems rather than just hide from them. I think that when you have to face the biggest obstacles of your life, that is when th truest and strong side comes out of you, and in some cases your most cowardly side. The biggest thing you can do is to work through your obstacle and find a way out, but in Okonkwo's case he turned into a coward and broke down. I do not think that Okonkwo died with dignity, because he had so much respect from the village people before he left for exile, but when he could not deal with the changes that were made by the white men, people lost all respect for him because he no longer had the power and strength he used to have. He had no respect for himself for killing himself, let alone did the people have respect for him in doing this. The Igbo tribe needs to take control over their village and not let the white man push them around. They were there first and they need to take the power back that they once had to bring their village back to what is best for everyone.

Anonymous said...

Okonkwo's final act was to me, selfious and cowardly. I think this because even though yes, Okonkwo had a pretty rough life...but then again who doesn't in many ways? There are so many other ways to go about being bitter and angry to what had happend, and is happening to him in the end of the book and his life. Killing himself figured in with his Chi because obviously his act showed was unbalanced. Okonkwo struggled his entire life to find the balance, and he could never find his feminine side because he was so consumed with being masculine at all times. By killing himself I think he was trying to die like a man, but in reality he died in a feminine way because he was being cowdardly by not facing his fears. Yet, he dediced to end it all instead of facing it head on and taking his own life and not dying with dignity at all. I think the finality of the Igbo tribe was conforming to the white men in many aspects and was seeing to blend in with the white man and lose sight of their own beliefs. I find it to be really sad because they were starting to let go and loose control of their own future.

Anonymous said...

I thought Okonkwo's final act was a good decision for him but not anyone else. True some people might call it cowardly, but everything they he knew was being taken from him. I think that he died with much dignity. hanging himself was a final act of defiance of the white man. This was an act of deifence because he would not let the white man control everything that happened to him. This goes in with his chi because it balances it out a little more. It balances because it goes with the whole take a life, give a life sort of thing.

Alex V said...

React to Okonkwo's final act. How does this figure in with his chi? Why did he do what he did? Did he die with any dignity? What do you think about the finality of the Igbo tribe?

I think that Okonkwos final act showed so of his cowardness. Okonkwo's chi was negative at the end of the story. I think that Okonkwo should have lived with his consequences. Bad things seemed to always come his way in this story. If you decide to kill yourself and take the easy way out you have no dignity. I think that okonkwo died with no dignity. I thik that the igbo tribe is desapireing.