| Chapter 1″Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He was still young but he had won the fame of the greatest wrestler in the nine villages.”Who is saying it (if applicable).Who they are speaking to (if applicable).What it literally means.Why it is important. | Speaking: NarratorSpeaking To: ReadersMeans: Okonkwo is going to do something with his life unlike his father. He is young and willing to work hard. He is also a great wrestler that is the best among the nine villages.Significance: This quote is important because Okonkwo has spent his whole life trying to break away from his father’s reputation. He is a bright young man who is a 100% self made man. He started below everyone else because he had to remove his family’s bad reputation and then make something of himself. |
| Chapter 7″He was afraid of being thought weak”Who is saying it (if applicable).Who they are speaking to (if applicable).What it literally means.Why it is important. | speaking: narrator What it literally means: Okonkwo wants to keep his masculine facade so he’s is scared that people won’t think of him as a man if he shows affection towards Ikemefuna as he dies.Why is it important because there’s a theme of masculinity Okonkwo hides his true feelings to be masculine. Also, Okonkwo was specifically told not to be involved with Ikemefuna’s death, but he’s the one that killed him to put him out of his misery. It shows that Okonkwo actually cares about him. This quote is the true reasoning for Okonkwo rough/abusive demeanor. All his actions are completely based off this fear of people thinking he’s weak, much like his father. |
| Chapter 8″When did you become a shivering old woman, you, who are known in all the nine villages for your valor in war? How can a man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number? Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed”Who is saying it (if applicable).Who they are speaking to (if applicable).What it literally means.Why it is important. | -Okonkwo is talking to himself -Okonkwo is mad at himself and is confused by saying how weak and feminine he has become. After he has fought in war and killed many men before, yet he is getting upset about adding one boy to his list. He is questioning his manhood. -Important because throughout the book Okonkwo tries to prove to everyone that he is more of a man than his father ever was. Okonkwo believes that the should not be upset about this because it would be unmanly of him. Also, this is a connection to Macbeth when Macbeth questioned his own masculinity and was also questioned by Lady Macbeth. This shows us how Okonkwo does not like the idea of feminism which means he does not like women’s views. |
| Chapter 13 “Okonkwo’s gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy’s heart.”Who is saying it (if applicable).Who they are speaking to (if applicable).What it literally means.Why it is important. | -Narrator -At the warrior Ezeudu’s funeral. Ezeudu’s sixteen year-old-son lay in the center of the crowd in a pool of blood. Okonkwo’s gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy’s heart. Even though Okonkwo had inadvertently killed Ezeudu’s son, this was a crime against the earth goddess, to kill a clansman. The punishment was exile, so Okonkwo and his family fled to his natal land and he can return after 7 years. -Early in the chapter the narrator foreshadows the event with his memory of Ezeudu warning him about not killing Ikemefuna. Causing Obierika to question the clan’s traditions. For this crime, the tradition is demanding Okonkwo to be banished for 7 years because of an accidental killing. While he also mourns the fact that he was forced to leave his innocent twins in the evil forest to die. |
| Chapter 3″He was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death.”Who is saying it (if applicable).Who they are speaking to (if applicable).What it literally means.Why it is important. | -Speaking: Narrator-Speaking To: Readers-Means: This quote means that Okonkwo wanted to be the opposite of what his father was, which was a lazy and improvident man. Instead, he became the opposite and is now a successful and strong man in his village. He rose from being poor to being successful in his lifetime. -Significance: This is significant because ultimately this quote comes back to haunt him as Okonkwo makes poor decisions when put in positions when he feels threatened. For example, killing his son so his peers don’t think he is weak. |
| Chapter 7 “Umuofia has decided to kill him. The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves has pronounced it. They will take him outside Umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there. But I want you to have nothing to do with it. He calls you father”Who is saying it (if applicable).Who they are speaking to (if applicable).What it literally means.Why it is important. | -Ezeudu’s speaking -Speaking to Okonkwo-Meaning that Okonkwo is being told that Ikemefuna is going to be killed. Okonkwo does not expect this but he must obey because it’s a command and if he does not agree and follow orders, it may seem like a weakness.-This is important because to this point, Okonkwo has shown no affection towards his wife or children and this is ultimately going to lead to the first time that he will care if something were to happen to his family. |
| Chapter 8 ” ‘She should have been a boy’ he thought as he looked at his ten-year-old daughter”Who is saying it (if applicable).Who they are speaking to (if applicable).What it literally means.Why it is important. | -Okonkwo is speaking to himself-This means that Okonkwo wishes Ezinma was born a boy because she is much stronger than his son Nwoye. His son does not meet his expectations of a man.-Important because it shows that Okonkwo has a preference in the male because they have a chance to show who he is; get a title. Women are not viewed highly or respected among their tribe and this is why when he saw Ezinma he wished she was a boy. Okonkwo views all weaknesses as a characteristic of a woman. |
| Chapter 7 “Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna had been killed, something seemed to give way inside him, like snapping of a tightened bow.” Who is saying it (if applicable).Who they are speaking to (if applicable).What it literally means.Why it is important. | -narrator-Nwoye knew that the boy had been killed because of the look on Okonkwo’s face. Suggesting that Nwoye feels that some of the traditions and customs of his clan are wrong in some way. -important because Nwoye actually questions the customs of the society rather than submissively following as his father does. His ability to step back probably stems from the excessive cruelty from his father. |
| Chapter 4″Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength.”Who is saying it (if applicable).Who they are speaking to (if applicable).What it literally means.Why it is important. | -narrator-This shows how Okonkwo only wants to show strength. Even to his loved ones, he only showed this face. Not allowing any sign of what he considered weakness to show through. He treated his family harshly, and had little patience for less successful men. He was not a man of thought but a man of action. -This is important because it shows the irony as we continue to read, Okonkwo we begin to see Okonkwo in a way lives his life in fear, which is why he is trying to prove his masculinity to hide his true emotions and internal struggle. |
| Chapter 12″Okonkwo was also feeling tired, and sleepy, for although nobody else knew it, he had not slept at all last night. He had felt very anxious but did not show it.” | -narrator-Showing Okonkwo secretly cares for Enzima. As the priestess takes Enzima to the caves, Okonkwo feels anxiety-Im portent because the author is directly showing us Okonkwo’s soft side. Before this Okonkwo would be characterized as a violent and angry man. Caring is now added to the list of characterizations, as we now understand he does care for his family. |
Things Fall Apart Quotes Chap 1-13
February 13, 2020