Discussioins

Throughout the course so far, I've spoken only a few times during each discussion. I have been absent twice and although it may seem as if I have spoken very little, I always try to make my comments in the discussion relevant and very substantial. My worst habit though, by far, is that I never reference the book when I'm speaking. I talk about certain parts or things that are said but never with a direct page mentioned when I talk. The only other thing that I do that I should try to fix is my lack of keeping track with people when they mention specific pages or quotes. I've improved throughout my time at ASL and just recently have been mentioning parts of the book in my quotes, so hopefully by the end of the year I'll be speaking regularly and with purpose.

Tradition or Belief?

In Chinua Achebe's novel things fall apart, the village at the core of the book is heavily religious just like all of the 8 other villages surrounding it. There's a part of the book where the entire village goes to the playground to watch people's trials where they must ask their ancestral spirits who's right, who's wrong, or what they should to fix the problem. There are 9 ancestral 'spirits' that come and sit, ready to judge people. I'm curious right now whether the village people truly believe that these are spirits, or if they simply hold it as a custom for the men of their justice system to dress themselves and play the role of an ancestral spirit. IT says clearly in the book. Chinua Achebe describes the spirits' arrival as a terrifying spectacle, but later goes on to mention how people had recognized akonkwo in the crowd but kept it to themselves. "Okonkwo's wives, and perhaps other women as well, might have noticed that the second egwugwu had the springy walk of Okonkwo. And they might also have noticed that Okonkwo was not among the titled men and elders who sat behind the row of egwugwu. But if they thought these things they kept them within themselves." So now I'm left wondering what it is that the people actually believe. It seems taboo to speak against the religion, yet it seems impossible for them to beliieve that the people holding the trials are truly spirits.

Parent/child

The passage we read today in class was about the wrestling festival that the entire village goes to by their sacred cotton tree. Filled with strong imagery, the passage reminded me of a festival that takes place in my mother's home village of Miziara, in Lebanon. It's the festival of St. Charbel, a hermit who lived close by, in the town center. It's the biggest local event of the year and almost the entire village will either go to the town center or gather their entire families in their homes. At midnight all the eldest people of the village go to the Church of St. Charbel, right by the square, to attend a mass given by a relative of St. Charbel. This wrestling match in Lebanon immediately reminded me of my village tradition because of the social gathering, the separation of older people, and the religious aspects that both of them hold.