TFA Chapter 19

This chapter deals with Okonkwo's last harvest in Mbanta. It is a pretty short chapter so there isn't much to talk about. Basically he says he would have prospered more in his fatherland, which that is where he is returning. He sends money to Obierika to build him two huts and his old compound until he builds more. It explains that he has to wait for the dry season to come before he can return. Until then, he thanks his mothers kinsmen. They have a huge feast before he leaves. That's about it. I thought this chapter was pretty boring. I don't really know what to think about it. I still think Onkonkwo is a jerk.

TFA Chapter 18

Although the village of Mbanta thought the church that was built there would become destroyed, it kept becoming stronger. Three converts came into the village and said that all the gods had been dead. The three of them were then beaten until they were very bloody. I thought that part was just stupid. I think it is dumb that the village believes in multiple gods. Nothing happened between the church and the clan for a long time after that incident. A little while later, Mr. Kiaga (the interpreter) told the clan they must shave off their hair. They were scared that they would die if they did that, but Mr. Kiaga said he wouldn't admit them if they didn't shave their heads. They ended up shaving their head (good for them, the sissys). A year later their was a big deal about the sacred python. It was supposedly killed. Okonkwo says "until the abominable gang was chased out of the village with whips there would be no peace." There were other people that disagreed (thank gosh) .. The Christians ended up growing into a small community. Later it was almost Easter and Mr. Kiaga told the women to get water to wash the church to prepare for Easter. When they returned their pots were empty. Apparently they were whipped by men when they went to get water. I thought this was rude. If they want to believe in one God then let them. I don't want people telling me what to believe in.

TFA Chapter 17

The missionaries ask Mbanta for land to build one of their churches on. The tribe offers them part of the "Evil Forest" because they knew no one would ever accept that offer, but in surprise, the missionaries took the land. They began to clear out the forest and the tribe expected them to be dead after 4 days, but days passed and they never died. Nwoye didn't want to go near the missionaries, because he was still afraid of what Okonkwo would think. The missionaries explained to everyone that they wanted them to go to the church every Sunday. I guess one Sunday Nwoye kept walking back and forth in front of the church debating on whether to go in or not, he never did. The book then says that the peoples "gods" would let 28 days pass allowing a men to defy them. The tribes started to get worried after 7 weeks. The last day came, and the Christians didn't die. Nneka was the first woman to join. When they talked about this in the book I was relieved that finally a woman stood up for what she believed in. I'm happy for her. Then i heard some bad news about her that made me sad. She had four pregnancies and all of them were twins, so immediately at birth they were thrown away. I think this is sick, just because children are twins they were killed? that's soooo stupid. But then the story continues with Amikwu who was Okonkwo's cousin .. and he saw Nwoye at the church. When Nwoye returned home Okonkwo beat him hard with a stick. Nwoye then leaves Okonkwo and returns with his mother, brothers, and sisters. I am happy for Nwoye at this point because he does not deserve to be treated like that. It's crap.

TFA Chapter 16

2 more years after Okonkwo's exile Obierika visits him again. He explains that missionaries have come to Umuofia. They are taking over with building churches. He explains that the tribe feels that they won't last very long in the village. It is said that Nwoye joins the missionary and that he likes singing because he feels good. He doesn't want Okonkwo to find out about it, because he is scared of what he might to do him. If i was Nwoye I would be afraid too. Okonkwo is very violent. The story goes back to talking about the missionaries. There are six of them apparently and one man is white. The missionaries explained to the village people that they believe in false gods and that their it truly only one God. Ohh yeah, they also talked about the "iron horse" again, and I think it is a bicycle? .. I kind of missed that in the last chapter. haha ... anyways.. the rest of the chapter just explains that their gods aren't real and basically Okonkwo disagrees. I'm pretty sure he has no heart and he just doesn't care to believe anything that anyone else says.

TFA Chapter 15

It is now 2 years after Okonkwo's exile. One of his friends, Obierika, came to visit him. He brought with him two young boys, who brought 2 bags of cowries. Obierika mentions that the Abame tribe has been demolished. Okonkwo and Uchendu immediately asks what happened. Obierika explains that a white man on an iron horse rode in. The people asked him what he was doing there and he didn't respond so they killed him. They tied up the iron horse to a tree. Then he says that after a few days the horse went missing, it vanished from the tree, then a white man ended up killing all of the tribe. No one was left. This chapter was pretty short so it was kind of boring as well. I didn't even know that they were really around white people? I didn't know that that was a factor for them? I am curious to see him all of the other tribes will soon be demolished. And will Okonkwo ever return back to his normal tribe?

TFA Chapter 14

This chapter continues Okonkwo's flee from his tribe. He goes to Mbanta to live with Uchendu. When Uchendu sees Okonkwo he knows what he has done without asking him or talking to him about it. The following day Okonkwo ends up telling him the whole story. Okonkwo was given land to build a home and some land to farm on. His first three months there it did not rain. Uchendu's youngest of five sons is getting married. It basically just talks about the ceremony. The soon to be daughter-in-law is questioned. If she lies about the answers then she will suffer or even die at childbirth. If i was her I would not like, because going through something horrible like that would already be bad enough. I noticed in this book they drink a lot of wine. Every time something happens whether it is good or it is bad, they get wine for it. It is kind of weird. I mean we drink wine here, but very rarely. The end of the chapter talks about if you are buried in your motherland then you had a rough life, maybe been abused, and you just need someone to love, which is your mother. If you are buried in your fatherland then you often had a good life and you are very successful. I think this is kind of a stupid belief. I think you should be asked before you die where you want to be buried. People to that here sometimes. It was neat reading about that though.

TFA Chapter 13

At the beginning of the chapter everyone notices that the cock doesn't crow, and they also heard a chant. When these things happened they knew someone had died. Ezeudue was the oldest man in the village, and he passed away. It explains that he was a good and wise man. All of the clan showed up at his funeral. Warriors painted themselves with chalk and charcoal. Ezeudue had taken three titles in his lifetime, and there were only four titles in the clan. This was a very rare achievement. The funerals that these people have and the ones we have our very different. They shoot guns and beat drums. Ours are the complete opposite. They are usually silent and everyone wears black. For their funerals you dance and dress in bright colors. But back to the story .. during the last dance Okonkwo's gun explodes and a piece of iron pierces Ezeudue's chid. He is instantly killed. Even though it was just an accident, Okonkwo had to face the punishment. He had to flee from the land for seven years. When he left a crowd of men set his house on fire, killed his animals, and destroyed his barn. I kind of feel bad for Okonkwo in this chapter, because he has to leave everything behind him. He won't be able to see his friends for seven whole years. I can't imagine leaving my friends for that long. I mean after all, it wasn't really his fault. He didn't intentionally kill the kid. In a way it kind of makes me happy that he is being punished because nothing happened to him when he killed Ikemefuna, and he did that on purpose, so in a way I think he deserves it.

TFA Chapter 12

This Chapter starts out with a man named Obierika. Obierika is one of Okonkwo's friends, and his daughter is getting married. This chapter mainly deals with what goes on during the celebration of someone getting married. The Priestess puts Enzima on Ekwefi's bed in the morning, I didn't really know what to think about that, because I don't know what happened with the two of them the night before, but anyways ... Okonkwo asks who is cooking his meal. So once again, he keeps treating his wives like crap and bosses them around. While all the women were cooking and preparing for the wedding they heard a chant. They all ran out of the huts and saw a cow that got loose by a child. The next day all of the relatives and friends came to the brides house. She got 50 pots of wine. The whole celebration was just like a huge feast. In a way their weddings and ours are basically the same. Family and friends from all around get together, you eat a big meal, you get gifts, except we usually get other things other than wine. This chapter was pretty interesting, because now you can see what a happy moment in their life looks like, instead of being beaten by your husband and such.

TFA Chapter 11

Ok the beginning of this chapter starts off by mentioning a woman named Nwayieke who cooked late at night. Thats cool, I like to cook late at night, i guess. The reason why the mentioned her is because Ezinma and her mother were up later telling stories to eacother. Ekwefi told a story about a tortise. As Ezinma begins her story, she is interupted by Chielo, the priestess of Agbala. Agbala says that she wants to see Ezinma and take her with her. Ezinma begins to cry, because she is scared and worried. Finally after talking to Okonkwo, Chielo takes Ezinma with her. She carries her on her back in the dark. After a few moments, Ekwefi begins to follow Ezinma and Chielo. She follows them for a pretty long time and they end up by a cave. Then I am not too sure what Chielo did with the child but somehow they end up back at the hut in the morning. I don't think she did anything to her to hurt her, but i thought it was weird how she wanted to see her in the middle of the night, then carry her on her back for all that time? I dont know.. maybe it will clear up later.

TFA Chapter 10

Chapter 10 kind of confused me, i won't lie. It seemed like it was kind of a random topic. The chapter starts out with a ceremonial gathering that the village is holding. There is something mentioned about a "secret house" that only men can be in, which is stupid. Once again, women aren't treated equally. Then it talks about a husband and wife. The wife has 3 bothers. The brothers then beat the wife and take her children, but the brother accuses the husband of beating her. Then it is said if she decides to return to her husband his genitals will be cut off, which is really gross. I didn't really like hearing about this part. I kind of thought this chapter was boring. I didn't really understand the whole point of putting it into the book. Maybe it was essential and I just didn't really pay attention? I'm not sure.

TFA Chapter 9

This chapter starts out by saying that Okonkwo can finally sleep. By saying this I'm guessing he is getting over the death of Ikemefuna. It goes in to telling about a mosquito and a certain story that his mother once told him when he was a young boy. Okonkwo falls back asleep and is woke up in the morning by one of his wives Ekwefi banging on the door. She comes in and says that her daughter, Ezinma is dying. Then the story kind of goes into a separate little story about Ezinma. It is said that she is one of 10, but all her other sisters/brothers passed away before they were 3, so she was very lucky. It talks about one of Ekwefi's children that passes away and is then sliced with a razor and drug by their foot into the forest. This part really really freaked me out. I could never see anyone do that to a child! I wouldn't never in a million years think about doing something as gross as that anyways. Then i think the story goes into the passed and says something about Ezinma burrying her iyi-uwa? But i wasn't really sure. I guess that was what was making her sick? Anyways, they go and dig it up, which was underneath the orange tree. I guess that was why she was sick or something? I wasn't too sure about the ending of this chapter.

TFA Chapter 8

Chapter 8 starts out with Okonkwo talking about how he is upset that he killed Ikemefuna. When he called Nwoye in, he got scared and ran out of the hut. Ikemefuna's death affected Okonkwo so bad that he didn't eat for days. Finally after about 2 days, he ate. When he saw his daughter he kept thinking to himself "She should have been a boy". When his was just laying around feeling sorry, he kept telling himself that he became a woman. I think what he meant by this was that he's been acting like a baby ever since Ikemefuna died. The book then goes into the village of Ire. Ogbuefi Ndulue, the oldest man in village, passed away. When his first wife heard that he died she went over to see him. When she went back to her hut, she passed away. I thought this part was kind of weird. It's like they were one person or something.

TFA Chapter 7

The story continues going on after three years. It then goes into Okonkwo telling violent stories to his boys. Nwoye states that he likes his mother stories better, because there is no violence in them. Locusts were brought up, and it said that the people liked them because they were a good source of food. Personally, i hate locusts. They freak me out. The town decides that they are going to kill Ikemefuna. In response to this, Okonkwo tells Ikemefuna that he is going to be taken home the next day. Nwoye overhears this and Okonkwo beats him. If i was Ikemefuna, i would not believe i was going to be going home after three years. There is no way. Ikemefuna wants to see his mother and sister, so he is a little bit excited, but somehow he knows he will not get to see them. They take him outside of the village and a man with a machete cuts Ikemefuna. He runs over to Okonkwo, but then Okonkwo cuts him too. Then the chapter ends. After reading this, it made me pretty sad. I would rather be shot and put out of my misery than to be sliced with a machete. I still don't think the people should have killed a child. It seems wrong to me.

TFA- Chapter 6

Chapter 6 takes place at the playground, which is where the wrestling match occurs. This chapter was pretty short. In the beginning it mentions the Cotton tree, which was very sacred to the people. They say it is where "spirits of good children who were waiting to be born" lived. Ekwefi, the wife that Okonkwo shot at talked to a woman named Chielo. Chielo is a widow of two children. Chielo asked Ekwefi is what she heard was true about the shooting. Ekwefi tells her that it is true. At this point, i feel very bad for all of Okonkwo's wives, because it just doesn't seem right that he should be that violent with them. The story then tells that the wrestling match starts out with 15 and 16 year old boys, who are not real wrestlers. Then the real match started and it was against Ikezue and Okafo. The end of the chapter ends with all of the young women singing a song about Okafo. I think it is cool that their village is big on wrestling, because in America it is also a popular sport.

TFA- Chapter 5

In Chapter 5 it starts by talking about the New Yam. It is an occasion for giving thanks to Ani, who is the earth goddess and the source of fertility. Ani plays a freast part in the village people's lives. The New Yam is held every year before harvest is begun. It is also an occasion for joy. The men are supposed to ask people from far away to come and join them to celebrate. It says that Okonkwo isn't as excited as most people get. He walks past a banana tree and thinks it is dead, but really one of his wives took a couple leaves off of it. He becomes very angry and beats her. After that he decides he wants to go hunting so he grabs a gun. While he as doing that his second wife said something under her breath and he shot at her. Luckily, she did not get hurt. After all of this excitement happens, it starts talking about the wrestling match, which is a pretty big deal for the village. Okonkwo won one of his wive's heart by throwing a cat in a contest. I don't know if this really meant throwing a cat or what? .. but i thought it was kind of odd. I wouldn't date somebody just because they threw a cat, but whatever, it's cool. Anyways, after that, his wives are cooking yams to prepare for the occasion. Nwoye's sister, Obiageli broke a pot while trying to balance it on her head. This made her very upset. After reading this chapter it made me a little more mad at Okonkwo because I don't think he should beat his wives. It just seems very wrong to me. He should be thankful that he has three of them.

TFA- Chapter 4

This chapter talks about Ikemefuna. He lives with Okonkwo and his family. Okonkwo's children learn to like Ikemefuna and they begin to look up to him. In addition, Ikemefuna starts to like Okonkwo and starts calling him father. During the week Okonkwo's wife, Ojiugo, leaves the home to get her hair braiding without cooking dinner. Okonkwo gets very upset and when she returns home he beats her. I do not that he should have beaten her. It is not allowed in America and i think it is very wrong to beat the one you're supposed to love. He commits this during their sacred week and it is forbidden to beat your wife during this week. Because he beat Ojiugo, he has to sacrifice a nanny goat. After the sacred week, everyone in the village begins to prepare their land for growing yams and other things. This chapter was interesting to me, because I wanted to know what Okonkwo had to do for beating his wife.

TFA- Chapter 3

In chapter 3 of Things Fall Apart i sort of feel bad for Okonkwo, because his father left him with nothing. He was not able to inherit a barn or anything else. I thought it was kind of weird that Unoka sacrificed a rooster, but I guess that is a tradition or something? I also thought it was rude to have him carried to the Evil Forest just to die there alone. Dying from swelling is also odd in my opinion. It is not something i would want to die of. When the book talks about Nwakibie, i think he is the oldest man in the village, it seems weird that he has 9 wives. I also think it said he had 30 children? I would never want that many kids to that many different people.

Things Fall Apart Chapter 1 & 2

ok so far I have read the first two chapters of Things Fall Apart. I am not sure if I like the book yet or not, I'm not far enough into it to know. I think the author did a good job at describing Unoka at the beginning of the story. He seems like a nice guy, but I feel bad for him because he was poor. I think it is kind of weird that his son has three wives? I would feel pretty weird if I had to live with my husband and two other wives.