I think the court scene is both intereseting and an important aspect of the culture. When people need a higher authority to resolve their problems, they go before the egwugwu. There are nine members, each representing one of the nine villages and therefore one of the nine sons of the first father of the clan. The leader is Evil Forest. I thought it was intereseting that the women flee when the egwugwu appear and that the person on trial must touch the ground as a sign of submission.
I also think the tribal court scene is quite interesting. The people of Umuofia has always been portrayed as superstitious and very traditional in the book. Most women are subordinates of men in their society, except for priestesses, therefore you would assume they won't have much rights at all. But Mgbafo, the abused wife, is allowed to stand before the elders, the egwugwu and to have a trial, even though her brother speaks for her. The Umuofia society is not as patriarchal as shown in Okonkwo's family.
What I noticed about Umuofian culture is that their society revolves around Yams. I cannot even count how many times Yam foo-foo is mentioned since the beginning of this book. Social status also depends on how many yams a man can harvest. The number of wives and tribe titles are determined by/according to a man's success at producing a plentiful crop of yams. Okonkwo had to work for Nwakibie to earn his first seed-yams that would alter his fate irrevocably from that of his father's. When Akueke, Obierika's daughter, got married, the main event was the feast of Yam foo-foo. Yams represented wealth in the community and the ability to feed one's family was essential to preserve one's honor.
The trial definitely showed a lot about the Umuofian culture. I thought it was interesting that the women had to flee at the appearance the nine egwugwu. I think it also showed how much the Umuofian people rely on the decisions and orders of a higher authority (the egwugwu and the oracle). Also the beginning of the chapter about the trial showed that Okonkwo may have a different side to him because it suggested that he was a member of the egwugwu.
I think it is interesting how superstitious everyone in the Umuofian culture seems to be. They believe in spirits, as is shown in the court scene, and they take prophesies very seriously. Okonkwo was willing to kill his son simply because of a prophesy. They are even afraid of the dark; "Children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil spirits" (9)
In addition to the trial, I think that it is interesting that Umuofian men are allowed to particapte in polygamy - as shown through Okonkwo having multiple wives. I also found it interesting how Achebe portrayed these people as being very sexist against women. Part of this sexism, however, could be due to our protagonist being a male.
An aspect of Umuofian society that seems to have a large impact on the village's culture is the ideal of masculinity, or male superiority. Obviously, males have had the dominant role in nearly all communities since the beginning of all time, however, it is interesting to note that male superiority is not a factor that causes annoyance or discontent among females, etc. because it is simply expected. This is made clear in the trial scene. Instead of punishing Uzowulu for abusing his wife, the egwugwu's verdict is simply that he must bring a pot of wine to her in-laws and hope that his wife will return. After the deliverance if this minor (and unjustly so ) "consequence" to Uzowulu, one elder states to another that he doesn't understand why "such a trifle should come before the egwugwu" (94). Immediately after, the egwugwu turns its attention to "a great land case" (94). As the elder only confirms, cases involving the mistreatment of women are clearly unnecessary. It is common knowledge that men are superior to women - so common that it does not even need to be discussed in a formal (or daily) setting. The cases involving land and other areas in which males have an important role are those discussed in Umuofian society. These cases are the questions of superiority within the male gender alone and of the businesses in which they take major roles - far more important than anything regarding females.
Something that I thought was interesting about the Umuofian culture was during the trial. I think it's important to note how Okonkwo isn't recognized as one of the titled men, who sit behind the row of Egwugwu. I would have thought that because he was king, he'd have at least a little authority in court.
It is interesting how Chielo randomly came to Okonkwo's home and took Ezinma. I think it is important how it was mentioned that Chielo as the priestess seemed so different from the woman that Ekwefi knew from the market. Are people different by day than they are by night?
In this same event, I thought it was interesting how both Okonkwo and Ekwefi try to make excuses to Chielo for why she cannot take Ezinma. This proves that they are not truly committed to the spirits and beliefs, because they put their child before what the gods order. Also, when Ekwefi decides to follow Chielo, she knows that it is forbidden, especially from the bad omens. Her love for her daughter outshines her commitment to the gods.
One line that I thought was interesting was when Evil Forest said to Odukwe that "it is not bravery when a man fights with a woman" (93). Okonkwo beats his wives frequently, and it seemed that it was almost an aspect of Umufian culture. However, the leader of the seemingly highest authority (which Okonkwo may be on?) denounces it. This seems contrary to Okonkwo's beliefs, which are that the only emotion to show is anger. The reasons that Okonkwo beats his wives may be to show anger and to prove his bravery and dominance, and Evil Forest basically says that the action doesn't prove any of those things. But Okonkwo does appear to be changing for the better ever since the incident with Ikemefuna and talking to Obierka afterwards.
I thought that it was interesting how Umuofian people settle disputes through a court. It makes them seem a bit more civilized than i thought they were. I thought it was important to know that beating your wife was a terrible crime in Umuofia. Omkonkwo seems to beat his family quite often, which made me think that it wasn't a big deal, but now it's clear that when Okonkwo beats his family he is actually doing a very wrong deed.
One of the most interesting facets of Umuofian culture is how strongly people rely on religion. The gods are supposed to control the harvests and the outcomes of people's lives, making the messengers of the gods also invaluable. I also think its interesting that there is a priestess, since women are repeatedly portrayed as inferior to men. Also, it seems that those messengers, like gods, are infallible and not to be questioned. Okonkwo does not object to Chielo taking away Enzima, whether it be his own deference to the priestess or that he does not seem to care significantly for any of his children. Additionally, the medicine man, Okagbue, also is highly respected, whether or not he actually cured Enzima.
I think that people in Umuofian culture really rely on higher spirits (gods) to tell them what to do. They are led by spirits and religion. Also, they believe in superstitions. They do not seem to have a normal type of government. I also agree that the court scene is very important, it shows how the people deal with problems (with representatives from each village) and it shows the subordination of women in their society. I also agree with what everyone says. The Umuofian culture is very different from our culture.
I found the small fraction of Western technology embedded in an essentially traditional society interesting. Umuofia has obviously made contact with the West, as seen by the use of guns and partaking of snuff (which is, by the way, a filthy convention). Yet the rest of the culture is unchanged (a basic hierarchical social structure, primitive farming, architectural, and cooking methods); for all we know, this story could be taking place in the year 1000. Nothing besides the aforementioned really reflects any outside influence except for the tribal court scene, which could possibly be an assimilated Western practice. It made me wonder whether Umuofia is in the early stages of interaction or if they are simply resistant against change, and if so, why?
I thought it was interesting how there were two categories of murder, one being a female crime and the other being a male crime. The female crime is said to be less significant, and one must only be exiled from there fatherland for seven years before they can return. This terminology shows how subordinate women are to men in this society. I also found it interesting when someone was talking about the silent white man, and how silent men are always more dangerous than men who ramble on and on. In general, I completly agree that a silent man is far more intimidating and dangerous than a louder one.
I think that the most interesting aspect of the Umuofian culture is the storytelling. It's neat how important, even sophisticated messages are sent through little kid's stories. They also have explanations for certain things in nature, like in the tortoise story. The tortoise learns the hard way not to trick and be greedy while at the same time an explanation for why turtle shells are not smooth is given. We can also learn the values of the society from these stories, and the basic values seem to be very similar to ours.
I find this culture really interesting because they all value obscure things that we normally don't; for instance, the yams. The whole idea for working for your food, and farming, putting labor into it, to get a finished result really shows how much the Umuofian people vaule hard work. And also the trial scene was quite confusing to me...but I found it really interesting to see how much women are supposed to value their higher authority, and also the decision making process. It seems none of these people can make their own choices in life, and need some sort of consulting with the egwugwu before they do anything in their life. But to me, it seems Okonkwo's family surely stands out in this society, because Okonkwo is a one of a kind man.
19 comments:
I think the court scene is both intereseting and an important aspect of the culture. When people need a higher authority to resolve their problems, they go before the egwugwu. There are nine members, each representing one of the nine villages and therefore one of the nine sons of the first father of the clan. The leader is Evil Forest. I thought it was intereseting that the women flee when the egwugwu appear and that the person on trial must touch the ground as a sign of submission.
I also think the tribal court scene is quite interesting. The people of Umuofia has always been portrayed as superstitious and very traditional in the book. Most women are subordinates of men in their society, except for priestesses, therefore you would assume they won't have much rights at all. But Mgbafo, the abused wife, is allowed to stand before the elders, the egwugwu and to have a trial, even though her brother speaks for her. The Umuofia society is not as patriarchal as shown in Okonkwo's family.
What I noticed about Umuofian culture is that their society revolves around Yams. I cannot even count how many times Yam foo-foo is mentioned since the beginning of this book. Social status also depends on how many yams a man can harvest. The number of wives and tribe titles are determined by/according to a man's success at producing a plentiful crop of yams. Okonkwo had to work for Nwakibie to earn his first seed-yams that would alter his fate irrevocably from that of his father's. When Akueke, Obierika's daughter, got married, the main event was the feast of Yam foo-foo. Yams represented wealth in the community and the ability to feed one's family was essential to preserve one's honor.
The trial definitely showed a lot about the Umuofian culture. I thought it was interesting that the women had to flee at the appearance the nine egwugwu. I think it also showed how much the Umuofian people rely on the decisions and orders of a higher authority (the egwugwu and the oracle). Also the beginning of the chapter about the trial showed that Okonkwo may have a different side to him because it suggested that he was a member of the egwugwu.
I think it is interesting how superstitious everyone in the Umuofian culture seems to be. They believe in spirits, as is shown in the court scene, and they take prophesies very seriously. Okonkwo was willing to kill his son simply because of a prophesy. They are even afraid of the dark; "Children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil spirits" (9)
In addition to the trial, I think that it is interesting that Umuofian men are allowed to particapte in polygamy - as shown through Okonkwo having multiple wives. I also found it interesting how Achebe portrayed these people as being very sexist against women. Part of this sexism, however, could be due to our protagonist being a male.
An aspect of Umuofian society that seems to have a large impact on the village's culture is the ideal of masculinity, or male superiority. Obviously, males have had the dominant role in nearly all communities since the beginning of all time, however, it is interesting to note that male superiority is not a factor that causes annoyance or discontent among females, etc. because it is simply expected. This is made clear in the trial scene. Instead of punishing Uzowulu for abusing his wife, the egwugwu's verdict is simply that he must bring a pot of wine to her in-laws and hope that his wife will return. After the deliverance if this minor (and unjustly so ) "consequence" to Uzowulu, one elder states to another that he doesn't understand why "such a trifle should come before the egwugwu" (94). Immediately after, the egwugwu turns its attention to "a great land case" (94). As the elder only confirms, cases involving the mistreatment of women are clearly unnecessary. It is common knowledge that men are superior to women - so common that it does not even need to be discussed in a formal (or daily) setting. The cases involving land and other areas in which males have an important role are those discussed in Umuofian society. These cases are the questions of superiority within the male gender alone and of the businesses in which they take major roles - far more important than anything regarding females.
Something that I thought was interesting about the Umuofian culture was during the trial. I think it's important to note how Okonkwo isn't recognized as one of the titled men, who sit behind the row of Egwugwu. I would have thought that because he was king, he'd have at least a little authority in court.
It is interesting how Chielo randomly came to Okonkwo's home and took Ezinma. I think it is important how it was mentioned that Chielo as the priestess seemed so different from the woman that Ekwefi knew from the market. Are people different by day than they are by night?
In this same event, I thought it was interesting how both Okonkwo and Ekwefi try to make excuses to Chielo for why she cannot take Ezinma. This proves that they are not truly committed to the spirits and beliefs, because they put their child before what the gods order. Also, when Ekwefi decides to follow Chielo, she knows that it is forbidden, especially from the bad omens. Her love for her daughter outshines her commitment to the gods.
One line that I thought was interesting was when Evil Forest said to Odukwe that "it is not bravery when a man fights with a woman" (93). Okonkwo beats his wives frequently, and it seemed that it was almost an aspect of Umufian culture. However, the leader of the seemingly highest authority (which Okonkwo may be on?) denounces it. This seems contrary to Okonkwo's beliefs, which are that the only emotion to show is anger. The reasons that Okonkwo beats his wives may be to show anger and to prove his bravery and dominance, and Evil Forest basically says that the action doesn't prove any of those things. But Okonkwo does appear to be changing for the better ever since the incident with Ikemefuna and talking to Obierka afterwards.
I thought that it was interesting how Umuofian people settle disputes through a court. It makes them seem a bit more civilized than i thought they were.
I thought it was important to know that beating your wife was a terrible crime in Umuofia. Omkonkwo seems to beat his family quite often, which made me think that it wasn't a big deal, but now it's clear that when Okonkwo beats his family he is actually doing a very wrong deed.
One of the most interesting facets of Umuofian culture is how strongly people rely on religion. The gods are supposed to control the harvests and the outcomes of people's lives, making the messengers of the gods also invaluable. I also think its interesting that there is a priestess, since women are repeatedly portrayed as inferior to men. Also, it seems that those messengers, like gods, are infallible and not to be questioned. Okonkwo does not object to Chielo taking away Enzima, whether it be his own deference to the priestess or that he does not seem to care significantly for any of his children. Additionally, the medicine man, Okagbue, also is highly respected, whether or not he actually cured Enzima.
I think that people in Umuofian culture really rely on higher spirits (gods) to tell them what to do. They are led by spirits and religion. Also, they believe in superstitions. They do not seem to have a normal type of government.
I also agree that the court scene is very important, it shows how the people deal with problems (with representatives from each village) and it shows the subordination of women in their society.
I also agree with what everyone says. The Umuofian culture is very different from our culture.
I found the small fraction of Western technology embedded in an essentially traditional society interesting. Umuofia has obviously made contact with the West, as seen by the use of guns and partaking of snuff (which is, by the way, a filthy convention). Yet the rest of the culture is unchanged (a basic hierarchical social structure, primitive farming, architectural, and cooking methods); for all we know, this story could be taking place in the year 1000. Nothing besides the aforementioned really reflects any outside influence except for the tribal court scene, which could possibly be an assimilated Western practice. It made me wonder whether Umuofia is in the early stages of interaction or if they are simply resistant against change, and if so, why?
I thought it was interesting how there were two categories of murder, one being a female crime and the other being a male crime. The female crime is said to be less significant, and one must only be exiled from there fatherland for seven years before they can return. This terminology shows how subordinate women are to men in this society.
I also found it interesting when someone was talking about the silent white man, and how silent men are always more dangerous than men who ramble on and on. In general, I completly agree that a silent man is far more intimidating and dangerous than a louder one.
I think that the most interesting aspect of the Umuofian culture is the storytelling. It's neat how important, even sophisticated messages are sent through little kid's stories. They also have explanations for certain things in nature, like in the tortoise story. The tortoise learns the hard way not to trick and be greedy while at the same time an explanation for why turtle shells are not smooth is given. We can also learn the values of the society from these stories, and the basic values seem to be very similar to ours.
I find this culture really interesting because they all value obscure things that we normally don't; for instance, the yams. The whole idea for working for your food, and farming, putting labor into it, to get a finished result really shows how much the Umuofian people vaule hard work. And also the trial scene was quite confusing to me...but I found it really interesting to see how much women are supposed to value their higher authority, and also the decision making process. It seems none of these people can make their own choices in life, and need some sort of consulting with the egwugwu before they do anything in their life. But to me, it seems Okonkwo's family surely stands out in this society, because Okonkwo is a one of a kind man.
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