Things Fall apart: Summary Part Two

After Okonkwo’s exile of Umofia he goes to his motherland and is well received by his uncle Uchendu, however he has a pessimist attitude and then is lectured that he should change, because in this way he will never progress in life to be happy and thankful for what he has, a good family. Next Uchendu’s five sons help he install by giving him three hundred yam seeds so he could plant and then built his house.

The weather is very harsh but he adapts, his friend Obierika comes one day with bad news in Abame the tribesmen had been wiped out by white men had arrived bringing with them what they called an “iron horse” (bicycle)  so they tied them and killed the white men. Later on the Oracle had predicted that other white men were on their way, the first were set to find out about the tribes, the others to install and so many ran to other clans, as for the ones who remained were terrified and one day in the market place of Abame, they killed everyone there. This situation is explained in Uchendu’s fable of Mother Kite that I previously mentioned in the previous blog. Okonkwo is given cowries from his friend Obierika by the yams he sold.

Two years later missioners had installed in Umofia, Obierika visited again and this time he came to tell Okonkwo that is was strange he had seen Nwoeye in Umofia and as he asked what he was doing there,as for he replies he became one of them an didn’t want to know about his father. Obierika could also presence a strangeness from Okonkwo, as he avoids him and so he asks his wife, at what she just spills bits of the story. When the missionaries had arrived to Mbanta people murmured with excitement as they had heard of them(good and bad), the white spoke to them by an interpreter that spoke funny, what was told to the clan was to believe in God he is good and when all men dye they went to heaven or hell. Then it was said that all their gods they believed in were fake people laughed and Okonkwo thought this was a speech of a madmen he swore to himself never to believe in it, but Nwoeye was especially attached as he felt something inside him, move thought finally some of his questions would be answered.

The next following weeks the white men had stayed in the marketplace but soon requested they wanted some lands so they could construct their church and live on, they offered the evil forest however the clan only  knew that an evil spell was attached to these lands, all the dead people lived there and was a very sinister place. The people of Mbanta expected that the missionaries, would be dead within days however when this never occurred they believed they had some special powers. At first people didn’t trust this new religion but there were the ones who had lost fate in their own religion and so opted to the new religion, a woman called Nneka had had for previous pregnancies all with twins she had to dispose them as it was established, so she and her husband joined the religion.  

Tension grew each time between the expansion of the church and Nwoeye's ambition to join, as for one day Okonkwo's cousin Amikwu passed by and saw him in church; what waited for Nwoeye was a quarrel.As fr the aspect of the church it was rumoured it had become more powerful and a government was installed in Umofia, a man hanged for killing a missionare, however on Mbanta nothing of this had occurred but soon started bringing twins to church which was like a sin for them but eventually people understood they were also brothers of God. In the meantime the elders of the clan decided what to do with these men, some said it was not their incumbency to interfere with a god but Okonkwo as a strict man thought this was a cowardly action, so they decided that when the bell man rung they would rebel against the missionaries.

Finally in the night a bell man announced that the new religion was excluded from the life of the clan members. Until Wednesday in  Holy week women who were ordered to fetch water, red earth they disobeyed because some men had informed of the new plan. Mr. Kiaga(interpreter) went to see what was the commotion about and asked, what was answered was Okoli had killed their sacred python but they never found out as he died.
Then the last harvest season in Mbanta for Okonkwo came, he was glad it was over and thought he should have prospered more in Umofia than here. Everyone was kind to him and he was grateful although he hated every day, he had sent money to Obierika to build his two huts in Umofia by the last heavy rains the huts were built. Okonkwo decides to make a big feast thanking his mother’s kinsmen for their hospitality, so he ordered his wives to cook a big meal. Cassava, smoked fish, palmoil and pepper for soup were some of the dishes to be served. Okonkwo would look after the meat and the yams. Finally all the kinsmen and his uncle Uchendu came and were surprised at the big feast, kola nut was broken first and then they drank palm wine and eat until they were satisfied. In the end one of the eldest of the kinsmen stood up and thanked Okonkwo, wishing him good luck in life and to never forget to be thankful for what he has, be vast, respectful and teach future generations.

 
 


 

 

Things Fall Apart: Story of Mother Kite

In this entry I will talk about a saying that is told by Uchendu (Okonkwo's maternal kinsman)
The story is represented in a fable, were animals are given human personality in this case the kite refers to a black eagle, the mother tells his eaglet to hunt for food. When he returns he brings a duckling but before eating it, the mother asks what did the mother of the duckling say, at what he responds that nothing was said, mother eagle didn't accept because she said there was something eerie in the silence. So the baby eagle goes and hunts again and brings a chick, mother asked again what was the reaction of the mother, at what this time was said that the hen cursed, and shout at him, so it was arranged it could be eaten.

The message of this fable is to be afraid or careful toward people who don't speak because you don't know what they will say or react and leaves you indecisive of how to react and in mystery in return people who make a scandal, yell can be trusted as for many of the things they say you know how to react in each situation like when someone answers aggressively etc. They may not be the wisest but definitely they speak for their opinions.

An example in daily life, imagine when you did something bad and you don't nobody to know about it, but then someone comes with a serious face, immediately you feel shaky that this person might know what had happened, the suspense is killing you as he/ she will not speak. Contrasting this situation when a friend comes really mad and shouts at you, you will know how to react by answering back, defend yourself because you know beforehand  what to do to whatever you are facing. Silence instead makes you think worse things than what was at the beginning of your thoughts.

                                           

Chinua Achebe. (1994). Chapter Fifteen . In: Reed consumers book Things Fall Apart. United States : Anchor Books. pg 138.