Thursday, May 15, 2014
English IV Final Journal (Quotation Analysis)
Given a quotation from a work/ text, students will analyze its importance in regard to the entire novel or play. Please pick ONE quote from each text.
Things Fall Apart
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
- W.B. Yeats (Quote from the introduction)
“Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”
- Obierika
The Stranger
“She said, “If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.” She was right. There was no way out.”
“I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.”
“As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.”
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Justice Pangelinan-
ReplyDeleteIn the quote, “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”, Obierika expresses his deep concerns and his dislike towards the colonists coming into their land and telling them that their religion and beliefs are wrong. He is still baffled at the fact that the white man can come in and change people even when they don’t speak the same language as they do or know any of their customs. Obierika is more upset at the fact that some of the people from their tribe have converted into christianity. They’ve ultimately betrayed the tribe and he comes to a conclusion that the white man is “clever”. The colonists have managed to get to the root of everyone and break the tradition and bond of the Umuofia tribe. Although the colonists didn’t really force the igbos to convert, I can see where Obierika would be coming from. I know I would feel a bit betrayed if my family members would try to change their ways to become like the people who have come to destroy the land and culture we’ve built.
In the quote, “As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.”, Meursalt has come to realization of the indifference of the world and has learned why he is being executed. It all has finally clicked in his mind that life really has no meaning and that it has no rational order. Meursalt, at the end of the book has felt like he has won. Yes he will be executed but he has found a new side of him through the time of being in a battle with the court. I don’t think I could ever live an existentialist life just because of the fact that I have grown up and have been taught at a really young age what is wrong and right and how you’re supposed to react to certain things. To act indifferent would be absurd.
In the quote, "does the white man understand our custom about land?" "How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart." This quote can connect to the title of the book. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo and his family are living an ordinary lifestyle. Everything is peaceful until the evangelists invaded then things eventually did fall apart amongst the society. That's what Obierika is explaining in the quote. His society was perfect until the evangelists came in and began to promote christianity in the tribe. It eventually led to the people of the society to convert to christianity and make religion a core value. Okonkwo and Obierika attempted to prevent the event but they ultimately failed and Okonkwo eventually died for killing an evangelist. With the evangelists in, the tribe began changing their beliefs and values. They began to look at god as an authority figure. Okonkwo witnessed how effective the evangelists were when his son converted to christianity. Him and Obierika feel betrayed that they left the tribe in order to turn to religion. They felt that they were both strong enough to stop them but the evangelists were to smart to be overthrown. That's the reason why there society falls apart. People are leaving and betraying the tribe and on person eventually commits suicide because of the events that took place.
ReplyDeleteIn the quote, "as if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself - so like a brother, really - I felt that I had been happy and tht I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd if spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate. This quote shows how Meursault had a realization. He finally feels emotion after showing his existentialist personality throughout the book. As he is about to be executed, he realizes that he has emotion. He feels that he had bonds with people like Raymond, Marie, and his mother. He finally realizes the actions he has performed including his attitude at his mothers wedding, reaction to a job promotion, reaction to marriage, and killing the Arab. In existentialism, a person tends to believe that death is imminent and will happen eventually. That is what Meursault believes in, that's why he doesn't are about much. When he is about to be executed, he feels that people should watch because he wants them to see how he changes and how he had an indifference from society. In the story, Meursault is really known as a stranger because he is totally different from others. When it comes to existentialism, I'm on the same side as Justice. I can't see myself as an existentialist because I tend to show emotion in a lot of things I do. Whether it's my family or sports like basketball or bowling. I always seem to show some kind of emotion. I do seem to not care about several things but the things I do care about outweighs the things I don't care about.
Things Fall Apart
ReplyDeleteParishae Williams
“Does the white man understand our custom about land? How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”
This quote is important to the novel because the whole novel is basically talking about how family needs to stick together and how the gods will be there to help you through all of your problems if you listen and belief in them, but the irony kicks in once Okonkwo’s family begins to fall apart such as when he had to kill Ikemefuna to prove he was not weak, and also when Okonkwo’s son wanted to join Christianity but Okonkwo felt like he shouldn't because they had been believing in their own gods for so long, why should he have to change his beliefs because a white man told him otherwise. If religion and tradition are the threads that hold the clan together, and if that religion is flawed and that tradition vulnerable, it becomes hard to determine who is at fault for the resulting destruction
Obierika says “Does the white man understand our custom about land? How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? He says this because the white man is a Christian and he knows that serving a god that is not real or a statue perhaps is bad, but Obeirika and the rest of the clan feel that it is not bad because they have been praising their gods for so long now that it is a routine and its their religion so they feel how can someone tell us what is wrong if they don’t even speak our language or even talk to our gods and receive what they ask for. Then Obierika says, and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” Obierka states this because he knows that since the white man has turned their own family on them they cannot fight against the white man because then their own family will fight the clan because they have joined over to Christianity so what they now believe is right they are going to fight back for which is Christianity, while the clan is trying to fight for their own religion that’s been carried for many years, so they state that the white man is clever because now he has the clan’s family believing in a different religion. Yet, Obierika does not lay the blame directly on the side of the white man. He feels also that the Umuofians who have converted to Christianity have consciously and wrongly turned their backs on their own brothers. Plus since the white man seemed harmless the clan let him stay because they felt that no one would believe him and he would eventually leave, but instead he has turned some of their family away from them because he has put a knife into what was holding them together which was their gods and their original belief causing their clan to fall apart.
The Stranger
ReplyDeleteParishae Williams
As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself -so like a brother, really-I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate. These are the last lines of the novel. After his meeting with the chaplain, whose insistence that Meursault turn to God in the wake of his death sentence puts Meursault into a “blind rage,” Meursault fully accepts the absurdest idea that the universe is indifferent to human affairs and that life lacks rational order and meaning
This quote is important to the novel because Meursault never really cared about his mother dying and he never knew how to exactly feel because he had a bad relationship with his mother. So when he finally was about to die because he was indirectly charged with a crime and he had to go to the death chair, he said “For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” This is said because he wanted to die with a large crowd of people who did not like him screaming and yelling for him to die and showing hate.
Meursault realizes that the universe’s indifference to human affairs echoes his own personal indifference to human affairs, and the similarity evokes a feeling of companionship in him that leads him to label the world “a brother.” Because he has finally realized how the world has operated and how he now has a relationship with the earth because he has so many similarities to it such as the gentle indifferent side of him. So now it makes him full of joy that he is just like something, when he thought he had no feelings for anything and n care in the world, such as stated As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself -so like a brother, really-I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again.
When Meursault was passively content at best, here Meursault finds that he is actively happy once he opens himself to the reality of human existence. Meursault finds that he is also happy with his position in society. He does not mind being a loathed criminal. He only wishes for companionship, “to feel less alone.” He accepts that this companionship will take the form of an angry mob on his execution day. He sees his impending execution as the “consummation” of his new understanding.
Alexandra Barton
ReplyDeleteThings Fall Apart
“Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” –Obierika
This quote in, In Things Fall Apart shows much importance in regard to the entire novel. It’s based on two main characters, Obierika and Okonkwo. Obierika is Okonkwo’s best friend. He is a much respected man in Umuofia. He often offers reasonable counterpoints to Okonkwo’s desire for rash action, but Okonkwo rarely takes his friend’s advice, which in many cases is a bad thing throughout the book.
Obierika stands out in the book because more than any other character, he is a thinking man, one who works things out in his head. He is one of the few characters who are truly concerned with moral ambiguities and he encourages Okonkwo to view the world in a more balanced and less hasty manner.
This quote refers to one major theme in the book; which is traditions and customs. Their lifestyle called Igbo is highly stylized, from its ritual speech to the actions performed for certain ceremonies. Most of these gatherings are formalized to show respect to some external being-another man, an ancestral spirit, or a god. They feel, respect and knowledge of one’s role in society is very important in determining such customs. Another institution that rituals address and honor is the family unit. What holds the family together by means of promises is stylized language.
Another aspect is the effect of colonialism, which is seen in the book. Throughout the whole book you can see different impressions on the tribe, many other people, and the relationships between the white man and the black man. But, while this quotation displays his condemnation of the colonialists for their disrespect toward Igbo customs, it also shows his criticism of some clan members’ responses to the colonial presence.
This discussion of the white man not understanding the customs and traditions comes ever since the arrival of the colonialists, Obierika seems to voice Achebe's own thoughts on colonialism. Upset by the fact that the white men have come and completely disregarded the Igbo sense of justice, Obierika points out the impossibility of the colonialists understanding anything about the Umuofians without speaking their language. Then he points out the foolishness of belittling unfamiliar customs. Obierika does not lay the whole blame on the white man's side. He feels also that the Umuofians who have converted to Christianity have wrongly turned their backs on their own “brothers”. This belief complicates our understanding of the novel, as Achebe prevents us from seeing matters in clear-cut terms of good (black) versus bad (white). Religion and tradition are the things that hold the clan together, and if they are cutting these kinds of things out, then the tribe or clan will or have fallen apart. Certainly, Achebe does not blame the villagers.
The Stranger
“I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.”
This quote views the point of absurdity throughout the book, in Meursault’s viewpoints. Meursault and his boss really don’t see eye to eye and with this his response to his boss’s offer of a position in Paris betrays his belief that certain hopelessness surrounds change and human existence. His comment also states that each person’s life is essentially equal to everyone else’s, and that there is no sense in change.
“I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.” The importance about this quote is that it makes you start thinking about events that happen in our life and makes you think that every life is the same and give's purpose to our meaningless lives because ultimately death is the final stage of life, which is not to be feared. You can change you life and live it different but you are the same person and you will still have the same problems no matter what. Meursault is emotionally indifferent to others, including his mother and his lover, Marie. He still live his life as if nothing happen when his mother died he said “Its seems like nothing has change I still have to work and continue what I do as any other day.” He does not show passion for anything and shows no passion. It was like the color black and white there no wow factor or something interesting, why because life had no meaning because you come into this world to be ready to die and try to built a better future for yourself. After Meursault kills a man for no apparent reason and when to jail he was able to break through his indifference and make sense out of his life. When he becomes aware that his life will end soon, that is when he truly understands the meaning of life. This quote just make you think about your life and makes you question it do we really live all the same life and whats the reason to change life if you still the same person you cant change yourself you would still have the same effaced you did and why change your life when you can just fix it. In the book it shows that he wasn't up for no change because he would get up go to the same place and work day by day doing the something and he wasn't complaining he wanted to live that life. so when his boss told him he didn't seem very interesting he like the way he was living so he wasn't going to change.
ReplyDeleteObierika:
What this Quote means is that how can somebody that don't know anything about them or what they believe come in and try to change the mind of this people when clearly they have no knowledge on their history. They have no right to come in their home and talk about there customs being bad and that they shouldn't believe in that. When all there lives they have been told and teach there customs and a stranger come in and telling them its all a lie thats not a religion they should believe. Obierika couldn't believe that the people would change there believe for this white man they don't know and all this years for them to change there mains just like that. They were told wonderful things about christianity and saying that this customs are better then there. When Obierika goes and tells Okonkwo about the coming of the white missionaries to Igbo territory. She told him that Nwoye has joined the missionaries in Umuofia. Obierika questions the Igbo traditions and ritual, as well as their tribal law. He thinks that change may improve the Igbo society. He comments that the white man "has put a knife on the things that have held us together and we have fallen apart.” When Okonkwo killed himself that was the last thing till everything fall apart his death made everyone go their own way because he was the made head and he was the leader that everyone loved and admire but now that one of the greatest men he has known as a cowered death and shame. Made them have no faith and believe the man who they don't know nothing about. Through out this book the british gave them no second chance either you believe the religion there gan a teach you or you will die but tthey were fight for there believes until Okonkwo death maid people give up.
By Christian Olide
DeleteWhat can be more significant in a novel than the quote which incorporates the title in it? In Things Fall Apart Obierika's excerpt when he says, “He has put a knife on the things that held together and we have fallen apart,” the entire message of the book is laid out in front of us. The actuality and undignified feeling of colonialism is exposed with his words. Obierika's character in this novel is one who is extremely sensible, intellectual and reasonable and tries to thoroughly explain what has caused their tribe to deteriorate from its primary unity. He speaks of several different downfalls which have all contributed and led to the complete “falling apart” of Umuofia.
ReplyDeleteThere's two separate aspects to Obierika's excerpt; the fault of the white men and the fault of their own men. He starts off by rhetorically asking, “Does the white man understand our custom about land?.. How can he when he does not even speak our tongue?” This strong statement unravels the primary fault of the colonialists. Not just in this novel, but in other historical events of colonialism, has there been countless white men who claim land that's already been occupied by an entire people. These colonialists don't make the effort of trying to learn more about the culture which they've bombarded, but rush to make these tribes more like them. They completely disregard any of the tradition and culture which makes up this African tribal society and try to convert them into believing and following the “white” traditions. Obierika mentions how, “The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peacefully with his religion.” This specific tactic had allowed the evangelists to stay and spread themselves like a virus in a body. Just this part alone from Obierika's speech we learn the true essence of how tribes and other indigenous groups have been and are being convinced that their way of life is incorrect. The “white man” makes these natives “change for the better” making their own people seem uncivilized and wrong, thus converting them to the whites' beliefs. The other portion of this whole quote is centralized at the fault of the Umuofians.
“Our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us?” Obierika exclaims this as an emphasis on the fact that they lost their own people. How were they supposed to retake control and authority from the whites if the whites have some of their men on their side? It was almost as if it were inevitable to happen to their tribe, since previously in the book they mention different accounts of other tribes being attacked and converted before them. Obierika makes it a point not to put all of the blame on just the evangelists, but to their own men as well. “We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one.” He realizes their tragic flaw of thinking they outsmarted the white men and allowing them to stay on their land ultimately backfired. This entire excerpt shows the pinnacle of the realization that Umuofia is literally starting to “fall apart” and they really only have not only the white men to blame but mostly themselves.
In The Stranger we get to view an existentialist's view on life and experience his lifestyle. And with this we find that Meursault and ourselves really don't have a way out of life other than death. There is no essence to existence other than that you give it yourself, and for Meursault there wasn't any essence to give in the first place. When Maman died and he had to walk under the scorching hot sun the nurse advises him, “If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.” To which Meursault thinks to himself, “She was right. There was no way out.” In this sense there's no escaping the sun's rays and its unfortunate effects of staying under it too long. This is an overall metaphor for life as well, the sun ultimately symbolizing death. When Meursault realizes that the nurse's words accounted for more than just that funeral ceremony, his point of view on life starts to come full circle. With this quote we uncover that death is inevitable.
ReplyDeleteWe know how much the sun affected Meursault for some weird reason throughout the novel and this event was the introduction to that. If we look at it as if the sun is death we can compare the burden it relays on Meursault to how death may be a burden to some of us in the real world. No matter what choices we may have to make in our lives it will ultimately end us all up in the same place, death. The two options the nurse gives Meursault both result with him being in some sort of unfortunate state. He either ends up with sunstroke or a chill, neither one seemingly better than the other. But keep in mind that both of these outcome are risks. He's not 100% sure he'll get sunstroke if he walks too slowly and he wouldn't find out unless he did so. The same goes for if he were to run too quickly and sweat and get a chill. These two possibilities are exactly that, possible. He could do either and end up perfectly fine, but knowing the potential outcome of the two could potentially prevent him from doing either.
This quote focuses on the novel's message of the unavoidable aspect of life that is death. Some people view it as a burden, others may make it a reason to take as many risks as possible. When Meursault reflects on this woman's advice it's a very significant part to the novel because it showcases how the smallest things can lead to your biggest revelations. Here is when Meursault discovers that no matter what he does he'll eventually end up where the rest of us are headed and that there's really no escaping it.
The quote that is stated, “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”, by Oberika shows a state of worrying . He’s worried of his home taken away and that the people he knew and were close with will change and go agaisnt him. This shows the change of tradition and customs that was so very important from generations to vanish. This quote not only shows Oberika concerns but the difference racial and religion underlining of the colonists and natives. This breaks \down the understanding of the colonists destruction to the natives’ home, customs and the environment. Colonists try to change something that does not need to be changed and force matters to become worst. Also after those horrible events take place the colonist would just shrug it off like it’s nothing and that the natives are like wild beasts or savages.
ReplyDeleteIn the Stranger the quote that says, “If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.” She was right. There was no way out.”, shows that things happen in a certain order especially death. No one can escape death and happens everywhere, everyday and consistently. Death is unavoidable like many other things. This shows it’s best to accept it because if this event or matter does not happen now it can happen in the future. Everything should and will be expericed as it is fate to do so. Stating this it should be known that it’s better to accept these things rather than deny it because like the quote says “there’s no way out”.
“Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” – Obierika
ReplyDeleteThis quote is very important in both developing the plot of the story and addressing the major themes of the book. In the book, this quote is said by Obierika at a tense point in the plot. Many Umuofians are leaving the tribe in droves to join the colonialists and become Christians. This is especially prevalent among the young people. In this exodus, the tribesmen are inadvertently making their tribe weaker, and the colonialists stronger. While this exodus is occurring, Okonkwo is waging a campaign against this change, as he is wholeheartedly committed to the old ways of the tribe. However, it is at this point in time that Obierika says these words that are more or less an admittance of defeat against the white colonialists. In terms of the themes of the book, this quote is very indicative of one of the most important themes of the book, things falling apart. By the time Obierika utters this quote, many things have already fallen apart. Okonkwo’s family has fallen apart, mostly due to Okonkwo’s wrath. Okonkwo’s life had already fallen apart earlier because of his sin that casted him out of the tribe. If anything, the events that had gone on in the story that had prompted Obierika to say this is an example of the triumph of fate over free will. No matter what Okonkwo could do to try to save the tribe and himself, nothing would work because in the end, fate was favoring the death of the tribe. This would eventually prove true in the end for Okonkwo himself as well, as he ends up killing himself in the attempt to prevent capture, ironic as the tribe condemns suicide.
“As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.”
This quote by Meursault at the very end of the story is the ultimate summation of his beliefs and actions in the story. This occurs at the end, where Meursault is about to be executed. Here, Meursault finally embraces the idea of his death, even revels in the pleasure in it. The theme of existentialism is cemented in this quote, as Meursault is finally at peace with his existence, accepting the “gentle indifference” of the world.
In the book Things Fall Apart, Obierika says “Does the white man understand our custom about land? How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” This quote has great meaning to the book for several reasons, some being that they mention a version of the title in the quote (things falling apart), but also because it plays the supreme role of setting the mood and direction of the novel. This quote is like the pivotal point of the novel where the clan finally realizes the true danger of these 'white men' that were taking their people by storm. This quote also highlighted the irony of their actions, how the white men brought their peaceful religion in a gentle way and took their clan forcibly through persuasion. This quote also gives the green light to Okonkwo's finale; With this statement, it signaled that unless they change their route right now, there was no coming back to how everything was before the expansionism hit their tribe, which is why Okonkwo declared war on the white men by killing one of the messengers, yet no one did anything to support it. With that, Okonkwo committed suicide, thus ending the book.
ReplyDeleteFrom The Stranger, Meursault goes into soliloquy mode saying: “As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” This quote, like the one from Things Fall Apart, is also a realization. Meursault realizes that throughout all of this, this absurd life, he realizes that he had cleaned himself of whatever was inside him that made him so careless about everything. He finally felt free of the thing that was trapping him from the inside out. He really didn't care what happened next, he was just waiting for the next thing to happen. Whether this quote was vitally important to the text or not was simple: it was. It's the set-in-stone response to his death sentence, he knew it was all over. All of the effort that life required, to wake up every day and take care of yourself. All of that was over for Meursault and he loved the idea of it, which was the final thought and final description that we'd ever learn from Meursault, of Meursault.
Steffon Williams
ReplyDelete“Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” In this quote by Obrieka he is referring to the Missionaries and colonists coming in to the villages and trying to change them. He saying that how can someone come and try to change something they don’t understand. They don’t know the language, the traditions and the customs, so how can you judge something you don’t know? also that for those who decided to take in the new customs they also started agreeing with them and they started shunning there old ways even though they once thought it was right. Fighting the opposing side is almost impossible if some of your own are taking side with the outsiders. Obreika is also saying how the white man or the missionaries came in so sneaky like. They came in all calm and non violent so they weren’t seen as a threat, and then they slowly started taking over. It was as if they started planting seeds in peoples head. At first they were nothing like a fly on the wall then all of a sudden they were everywhere changing everything.
In the quote “As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” Meursault is starting find some meaning in his crime. He likes the thought of being hated by society on his execution day, he wants the people to hate him and want him to die for his crime. He says that it’s as if they are taking away his hope for the first time in life nut yet do they know he doesn't care. Giving them an execution to look forward to is okay with him because he doesn't care and it doesn't change the crime that is already gone.
In the quote by Obierika in “Things Fall Apart”, he says “Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How about he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”
ReplyDeleteFor the above quote, it is clearly shown how much he cares for the loss of his brothers. He does not only lose them physically, but mentally as well. They had always been suspicious of these newcomers and put them at a far enough distance to keep them from interrupting their lives, but the white man succeeded. The white man was not blamed in particular, but the weak clan members who gave in to these strange customs. All that was needed were those customs in which kept the clan intact, however as soon as they strayed away from tradition they had become more vulnerable. This could also relate to the arrival of the white man in the Americas, who began pushing the Native Americans off their lands. The Natives thought if they gave in to the commands of the Whites, they would be left alone as they had said. Both groups who were suppressed are tricked slowly into allowing the interactions between the groups continue on which led to their demise.
In a quote in “The Stranger”, the nurses states “She said, “if you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.” She was right. There was no way out.”
For the above quote, I believe the nurse was trying to explain the philosophy of existentialism towards Meursault. Meursault was told that no matter what happens, we can always get caught up in a situation whether we try to get in it or not. These events are what take us on a path to our death. The point of existentialism is that no matter what our actions are, every event happens for a reason and that reason gives us one more step closer to our time that will come. We can never avoid such a situation because we are only meant to live a certain time and once that time comes, there is no more life. Within the story, we become aware of how much of an affect the sun had on Meursault. It constantly put pressure on him and he had no way of avoiding it. The sun was a significant factor that weighed his judgement in many different ways because he showed no care in the world, whatsoever. Meursault is known to become a very unique individual because he shows that he cares for no one and nothing in general. Throughout the novel, there were events in which the sun/heat became present. These events were life-changing for him whether he had liked it or not because it had been bound to happen regardless.
The way I would analyze the quote of is that I agree with what Obierika is stating. He is trying to explain to Okonwo that now since the “white men” have arrived the Umuofia traditions and customs are gone total. The white men have let women and teenagers convert into their religion and even people from their own families have joined them. The white men brainwash the Umuofia and tell them that their old traditions are bad and that they go against their new religion. An example of this is Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son joins the white men and this is why Obierika is saying that they can’t go to war with the white men. If they go to war it would like going to war with your family members. Plus he knows that they don’t stand a chance with the kinds of weapons the white men.
ReplyDeleteThe way I would analyze the first stranger quote is that I agree with what how it is stated. This quote is just really saying that sometimes the things you do will have a big consequence and one way or another you will have to face it. For example here she is telling him that he has gone too far this time and no matter if he gets there fast or slow the consequence will be waiting for him. Also here she uses the metaphor of the weather to represent his inner feelings about what he might be feeling in these situations.
Emely Perez
The quote, “Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” - Obierika, from the novel, “Things Fall Apart”, by Chinua Achebe features the main point of the novel and the general lesson which is being brought out. The point being brought out is trying to disapprove colonialism, with the foreign nations moving into lands owned by the native peoples and taking the lands for themselves by force or assimilation of the natives. The quote can be taken from a different perspective as well. Say from the perspective of the Native Americans observing the different European explorers or from other groups seeing foreign explorers and settlers coming into their lands. The quote works universally and can apply to any group, anywhere; it could even apply decades or centuries from now when the human race encounters a new sentient species in the cosmos. Anyways, the quote summarizes the events of the novel in one paragraph stating how the ‘white men’ came in and began slowly assimilating the population few at a time and had transformed from a laughable show of fanatics to a powerful inquisition which was spreading its influence throughout the population quickly, which had broken apart traditions causing previous friendships to be broken in exchange for new ones which come with benefits from the settlers. This for the natives brings their traditional life and views to a halt and forces them to conform to the new ideas brought by the white settlers or be seen as an outcast by fellow conformed natives. It truly shows how the natives have “fallen apart”, with no longer functioning as a whole and all being ruined for the new transition into a new form of living.
ReplyDeleteThe quote, “As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” - Meursault, from the novel, “The Stranger”, by Albert Camus contains the end result of the main character Meursault, basically the final stage of his character development whilst including existentialist points which are prevalent throughout the novel. In the quote, Meursault accepts the way the world works and finally becomes “happy” due to his discovery, in addition to that, he finds a meaning to his life, which is to be the sight of hundreds of spectators awaiting his death. And that usually isn’t what one would want to do with their lives but prior to this he had no meaning to his life and wanted to live it solely to live it, he created his own meaning to his life and hoped that his life would be enjoyed by hundreds of onlookers rather than doing his usual duty of doing aimless work. This is a existentialist point, of creating a meaning to your own life and not going off of what others want or care about but only your own thoughts and opinions.
- Zachary Borja
Roman Nava
ReplyDeleteW. B. Yeats’ quote “Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” Is an important quote about what happens in the story. The quote already talks about how “things fall apart”, which already happens in the book. Another part of the quote, “the falcon cannot hear the falconer” also talks about how the tribe, and Okonkwo, didn’t see the white men coming to destroy their culture. The last part of the quote, “Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world” is what happens to Okonkwo’s life and the tribe at the end of the book. Okonkwo has to kill himself to avoid getting killed by the white men, so once he fell apart, that meant the tribe was gone too. This entire quote also tells what happens in the book in order, from when the tribe ignores the white men, to when the white men break apart their culture, to when the tribe completely dies out.
The quote in the Stranger that says “She said, “If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.” She was right. There was no way out.” Explains many things in the book. This quote explains Meursault’s life and story in the book, because one little action can cause big things to happen. What happened to Meursault was that he shot one person, but now he is about to face the death penalty because of it. The quote also explains the existentialism in the book. Meursault says “She was right. There was no way out.” This is an example of existentialism because one part of existentialism, fatalism, explains that life is fixed and there is no way for us to change it. That is why Meursault says there is no way out.
Aidan A.
ReplyDeleteThe two quotes I have chosen in order for interpretation and analyzation are; “Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” - Obierika from Things Fall Apart and “She said, “If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.” She was right. There was no way out.” -From The Stranger.
Beginning with first quote from Things Fall Apart, what Obierka is saying is that it's hard to judge a religion based on your beliefs, how clever the evangelists were to turn create civil hostility, and how their village's people have become detached from one another. What the evangelists have done in the beginning was try to judge Okonkwo's village's religion based on the ethics and beliefs of theirs, which was Christianity. In a way it is sort of judging between apples and oranges because they are two different things. What they have also done is to create hostility within without showing hostility at all. A clever tactic in order to create civil tension between the villagers. By doing that, they were able to be peaceful but have a hostile agenda underneath. To one half of the villagers, they are bad people, but to another half, they are righteous people that want to help them. When the villagers do not agree on something especially this matter, it leads to chaos and segregation between two sides. Because of this segregation the villagers have become detached from each other. The neighbor that used to be best friend may turn against you, or vice versa. All of these factors directly tie in to what the title of the book is called, Things Fall Apart, because like the thread that binds them together, it had been cut by the evangelists without the villagers even knowing.
The quote by the Stranger is very existentialist because of the manner it is said through figurative language. It is a message that you have to look upon in order to understand the full meaning of it. Starting with the first line, it states that you either get a sun stroke by going to slow or work up a sweat going to fast. This is can be seen as a reference to living life. While in the second part, it all makes sense from an existentialist point of view as it states that there is no way out. Whatever you do in this life, whether being rich and successful to being homeless and poor, it doesn't matter, either way you end up in the same size coffin, in the same ground, and the cycle repeats.
“Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” is a quote from the book things fall apart that is a quote that is able to tell the meaning of the book title. The book first starts with Okonkwo and his village living life in a very traditional way and sticking to their culture, but once a foreigner comes into their life, that foreigner being the white missionaries then their culture and way of life slowly changes. With the introduction of the missionaries the village people started to change their way of life and when they did they would turn their back on their roots. Okonkwo was the only one that would stay to tradition while every one changed their opinions. With the mere change in ideas it was able to bring a strong traditional culture to its end. What the quote shows is the general idea of the book. Outsiders come into a culture and say it is bad and gains followers that turn back onto their own tradition, and with someone saying that their idea is better is what made things fall apart.
ReplyDelete“As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” This quote by Meursault relates to the theme of existentialist where one does not take in consideration of his actions. only to act in the moment. With Meursault acting that way in the beginning of the novel his actions now catch up to him in the second half. Meursault actions without thoughts of the future and now the repercussions of his actions catch on to him. It shows that an existentialist lifestyle would have major consequences in the later future. For example Meursault where he shot a man and did not care at the moment but he knows realizes his actions and his consequences. The quote ties the novel together with it stating that existentialist have you not thinking of the future but your actions now will have repercussions, just like Meursault.
Obierika’s quote, “Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” Means that everything has gone wrong for the tribe. Now that the white man has taken everyone from the tribe and made them become Christians, the tribe is dead now. Even though Okonkwo wants to put everything back together by going after the white men, there is no use because even Obierika thinks that everything has fallen apart. However, another important thing about this quote is that Okonkwo disagrees with it, because he thinks that he has to fight, instead of give up. This leads to his entire life falling apart, because he fails in fighting and ends up committing suicide. His death is the last thing that fell apart, but it is probably the most important because of how important it was to the end of the tribe.
ReplyDeleteIn this quote in the Stranger, Meursault says “I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.” This quote shows existentialism because of how Meursault believes that lives can’t change. This follows the beliefs of existentialism, in that life has no meaning, so therefore there is no way that I can change. The second part of the quote is also existentialist because if life once again has no meaning then there is no reason why any other life is better or worse than another. The only thing about life that Meursault believes in is that it is pointless and that all that matters is what you do.
Marcus Herrera
Specific quotes in novels have the power to condense the whole book into a single sentence or paragraph. Most often, the author weaves these quotes in by making a character of significance recite them. This happens in both Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Stranger by Albert Camus.
ReplyDeleteIn Things Fall Apart, for example, Obierika, a character who plays a vital role in the protagonist’s life, said “Does the white man understand our custom about land? How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like on. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”
Coming from Obierika, who is known as a man who ponders, thinks, and rationalizes quite a lot, it is inferred that he’s exposing a bitter truth. This quote directly states the problem at hand. If anything, it is also symbolic of not only the clan falling apart, but also Okonkwo falling apart. In the beginning, allowing the white men to be on the land did not seem to pose any negative repercussions. Ultimately, this turned out to be the complete opposite. As the obsession with money began to liven up, the culture itself began to die down.
The Umuofians were not loyal to their culture. Some decided to simply forget their culture in order to modernize, and become more “civilized.” There is no such thing as “civilized.” It is merely a form of perception, and choosing what they deem as better. Obierika is trying to logically appeal to what is left of the clan by declaring the downfall of their culture. Religion is supposed to bind people together, but in history, it’s one of the major reasons for schisms, whether it’s between tribes, clans, or even countries. This quote maps out the damage done by trying to choose what’s “better.” Although it may have helped the individual clan member to move on to bigger things, the tribe itself was slowly deteriorating.
The Stranger also had a quote that demonstrated the major context of the novel. The quote was, “I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.” This novel is a result to the ideologies of existentialism, which is basically the belief that there is no purpose in life, but to acknowledge that it has no purpose. The quote encompasses the major themes of existentialism. Meursault shows his thoughts by saying that life is life, and there’s nothing more to it. Life does not change, as it is a recurring experience. Every life has the same potential to do great things as the life of a peer. Existentialists just go with it, as they are careless—no emotion, effort, or belief in purpose. With this being said, there is no reason for Meursault to be unhappy or unsatisfied with the life he has, because looking at the bigger picture, life is great the way that it is. A life is set in stone. You drive the sail to your own life, and must accept the consequences as a result to the actions you take.
The quote is more that appropriate to be placed in the book as it not only gives the reader an inside look on Meursault’s outlook on life, but it is also a miniature lesson on existentialism. It was important that this quote was to emerge from Meursault, as he is the main character in the book, and barely exposes his innermost feelings. It just takes some reading between the lines. Both quotes play important roles in the books. Each do a splendid job at briefly explaining the two novels.
Brandon Estrella
ReplyDelete“Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” - Obierika.
What this quote is saying is that missionaries or the white people have taken over the village from behind. It's almost as if it was a deceptive tactic in order to gain the village, the people, and the land with its resources. But Obierika is right, the white man has judged their religion based off his Christianity and bible, he has turned their village against each other, and he has cut the figurative strings that held them together. The white man has beat them with a game that they didn't even participate in because the white man was so deceptive. In the end, everything does end up like the title of the book, Things Fall Apart, for them.
“I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.”
What this quote is saying that all lives are equal, not two lives are different. You can go anywhere in the world, anywhere in the universe, and still end up with the same result; death. For instance if there is two children born in two different countries that are thousands of miles apart, they'll grow up in different cities, different cultures. One might become successful, or they both might be successful in their lives, both could have a family, or one could be just single. One could own a black car, and one can own a white car. It doesn't matter what they do because each life is the same and nothing is going to change the inevitable for both of them. Death will merely knock on each of theirs door when it is their time.
Jose Maciel
ReplyDelete“Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” - Obierika.... This quote ties in with the book and the title of the book in many ways during the novel Okonkwo faces many challenges witch he has to over come from going from one of the most respected memebers of the clan to being thrown out of the clan shows how things can "Fall Apart" very quickly. he speaks about the white man also because after returning the white men have began to show up and are manipulating the clan into following their beliefs and making each other turn vs one another witch makes their clan go from a peaceful society to a dysfunctional society. witch also shows the theme of things falling apart.
In the novel The Stranger the quote “If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.” She was right. There was no way out.” is important i believe because it shows the main theme of the novel of existentialism sense the quote shows that either way the person would encounter a problem they didn't want witch meursault through out the whole book shows that what ever he does has no meaning to it, he also shows it in the quote after his boss offer him a new job an a fresh start but he responds with “I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all." witch shows that it didn't matter if he moved or stayed he was going to be the same person in either place nothing was going to change that.
Darren Nguyen
ReplyDelete“How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad.
This quotation is towards the White Men who have came into the villages to try to provide what they thought was best for the villagers but not taking consideration for what was best for them. The White Men were their to conquer, claim land and to convert the villagers into their own religion. They don’t speak the same language yet they try to force them into following them when the villagers are capable of handling themselves. They were seen as savages when Obierika was trying to express his feelings and concerns towards this rough situation where his brothers are being lost where they were most vulnerable. Okonkwo knew before people started converting already that the white men were their to convert them, turning them against one another without even realizing it. This is important to the entire novel because it demonstrated on how Things fell apart. It was the obstacle that Okonkwo had to witness that was very deeming to the evangelist. It plays a major role when the novel’s theme is all about family and how family needs to stick together but having this as a major obstacle things fall apart and doesn’t go the way it’s suppose to go.
“I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.”
This quote plays an important role in the novel The Stranger because that’s what the novel is about, life and how things play out. Whether there is a reason to life or not there are always events that occur in everyone of our lifetime. It is up to us to make our own decisions and what we are satisfied with which is what this quote is trying to point out. As people live they don’t their lives stay the same, they may go through some changes which isn’t always the easiest thing to do but the basis of life stays the same. “That in any case one life was as good as another” Meaning everyone is equal no matter who has what over others. We all go through the same thing in life making life the same. This quote is important because Mersault goes through a major phase in the novel, before not caring about existence he starts valuing equality. Mainly with life and death.
Angelo Bonifacio
ReplyDelete“Turning and turning in the widening gyre, The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” - W.B. Yeats
This quote is a foreshadow in the introduction of Things Fall Apart. By dissecting each sentence of the quote, we are able to put together what W.B. Yeats was trying to get to us. With the turning and turning in the widening gyre we are given a visual of a vortex or sort of tornado like spinning. To me, it's almost like a dramatic toilet flush as it keeps spinning around the bowl until it eventually goes down. Then when the falcon cannot hear the falconer, this a foreshadow of disobedience and disloyalty. This is seen when the villagers clash against each other because they have been converted to a different religion. These converted villagers do not listen to what their brethren and family say. They have lost control and now the falcon which is the people, roam free. Then when it says things fall apart, the center cannot hold, it shows the title of the book and how the village is falling apart. The center of the village which is the people, aren't sticking together, and that is why things are now falling apart. It's because their center is no longer strong enough to hold each other up because segregation in the village. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, this is a discerning vision as it shows exactly what happens at the end of Things Fall Apart. The village is broken up, the villagers fight each other, rules are broken, and Okonkwo's death becomes one of the many things that happened in the chaos started.
“She said, “If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.” She was right. There was no way out.” - The Stranger
What this quote is saying is that death is brought to every one. Although at first looking at the quote, that is not what you picture, looking back at it, it does show the existentialist concept that the book was created on. If you live slowly, you end up getting a sun stroke, or what I derived from it, a stroke like when you have old age. When you live fast, you catch a cold, which I thought was a sickness like cancer because it always seems like when you are living life to the fullest, some type of sickness always hits you. Whatever you do, the woman is right, there is no way out. Death is promised to everyone.
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ReplyDeleteRicky Hernandez
ReplyDeleteThe two great novels, Things Fall Apart and The Stranger display their themes very obviously and continuously throughout the stories. The former holds a theme of entropy and the loss of a core while the latter expresses an existentialist theme, demonstrating action and consequence. Things Fall Apart has continuous examples of the loss of bonds, beliefs, and, ultimately, the death of a culture due to the interference of a new one. The Stranger displays numerous examples of how an individual shapes their own future, the absurdity of life, and the absence of a larger picture or order of things.
A message that resonated most for me in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was that anything could deteriorate and fall apart. Regardless of the bond, there is no permanence. The culture of the Umuofian tribe had a long, powerful, and proud history, but that all changed with the introduction of a new cunning culture. The novel is introduced by the following quote from W.B. Yeats’s The Second Coming, “Turning and turning in the widening gyre The Falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” Illustrating clearly the theme of the novel, Achebe manages to connect this story with so many other topics. Yeats’s quote gives novel a broader and more metaphorical emotion. Yeats intends to draw a picture of a falcon flying in a circle, and as it ventures out more and more, it loses sight of the falconer and can no longer hear their call or instructions. The center, the falconer, cannot maintain control of the falcon as the creature begins to explore further. The same applies to Umuofia: they were a strong culture, but became tolerant of the missionaries who came to their land, became less strict about their rules and traditions, and lost the bond that held them together which was unity. They lost their brotherhood as the missionaries converted the less orthodox members of the tribe and those who were seen as outsiders, then slowly spread. By killing the brotherhood of the tribe, they killed the spirit of the tribe. They stabbed it in the spine, rendering it motionless and leaving it to die while they occupied the land. The falcon could no longer hear the falconer.
“I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.” Here, Meursault is explaining to his boss his indifference toward the promotion that he is being offered that would include him moving to France. There is on key piece that stands out the most which ties the novel, themes, and title together, “in any case one life was as good as another.” Existentialism embraces the beliefs of simply existing, understanding the existence of the rules of the universe, understanding their absurdity, and continuing. “One life was as good as another,” in other words, one life is no different from another. If all lives posses the same elements, then what are we but strangers? One person’s life is just as good or bad as that of someone whom they have never met. In the novel, Meursault is arrested and sent to trial for murdering an Arab; however, he is sentenced to death because of his morals, lack of emotions, the fact that he didn’t cry at his mother vigil or funeral, and because of his honesty. In the end, he is executed publicly. His finale is death, as was the Arab’s. One ending was as good as the other.
Both the quotes highlight the consistent principles of the writings and connect the works to their core themes, characters, titles, and plots. Existentialism and entropy are very visible and beautifully illustrated by the authors.