things fall apart. fall. fall. fall.

i can't believe i'm doing this. but here i am and here you go. haha. i actually studying for my last paper on Monday, Prose 2. please allow me to sidetrack for awhile, after entering TESL, i discovered my passion in Literature and Writing in Literature was one of my best subjects the previous semester. i should have chosen English literature in the first place, if only i knew. but i wouldn't want to waste a year of my time. =(. 那就硬着头皮撑过去，出来就乖乖当个老师吧许宇晨。噢卖尬!! T.T. okay back! i am going to introduce one of the works we studied this semester, so if you're not interested you don't have to read la haha.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This novella is about the Ibo tribe, or just an African tribe, in Africa, obviously HAHA, and their culture, revolving around the main character Okonkwo, and later, where colonisation  happens and the whole tribe falls apart.
The whole story is divided into 3 parts, where the first part is about the Ibo culture in Okonkwo's village, Umofia, and we get introduced to their food: foo-foo, pottage, and so on, their beliefs: The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves, Ani the earth goddess, and i forgot what lol, and aiya, the social structure at that time la. haha.
Then the 2nd part takes place in Mbanta, his mother's village where he flees to after accidentally killing some poor dude, which is considered a female crime (something done inadvertently). There, Okonkwo still manages to achieve something. oh by the way, men are judged based on their achievement: number of yam barns, number of titles, and the number of wives lol. at the end of the story i think Okonkwo had 5 wives altogether O.O. at the end of part 2, Christianity/ the White Men start to come in.
3rd part is of course about how the white men manage to convert the people to become Christians and how their influence spread among the whole tribe, that even Okonkwo's son left home and became a Christian. Okonkwo returns to his own village after his 7 years away from Umofia, just to come back and see how much his people have changed. it would take too long for me to tell you the whole story, but Okonkwo was so disappointed that he finally hangs himself to death.

now let me tell you why this story struck many of my coursemates including myself so deep. Things Fall Apart, the falling apart does not only refer to the plot like what i summarized up there. even the 3 parts of the story get shorter than the previous one. the point of view is the 3rd person omniscient (which means an observer, not taking part in the story, but know everything), beginning in the voice of an Ibo person, then at the end, there is a sudden shift to the voice of a District Commissioner, or to make you less confused, if you are still reading until here, haha, a white man. even the voice of the story is changed, and that change is so obvious that every one of us noticed that. one last thing which our tutor said that made us all awed is that, the use of some Ibo/ African language in the story also brings meaning, and the meaning made us all go: omghowcanlikethathowcomeweneverthoughtofthat, maybe not so much to you la. haha. but okay, Miss Leong said, the use of the Ibo words for example egwugwu, ogene etc, is like an Ibo person crying out to the world that: MY WORLD MY TRIBE IS FALLING APART THAT I HAVE TO USE ENGLISH TO TELL YOU THE STORY OF MY TRIBE FALLING APART!!!
geddit geddit? if you don't never mind la. T.T

wow and i just revised the whole story in my mind. thank you if you finished reading up to here. i philo you for your patience. haha. i hope i can score on Monday!!! XD

ANGELIC VOICES!!

call someone you love today. it might just make their day. =)