Things Fall Apart 8 -13

                            Chapters 8- 13 of things fall apart shows how a mother who suffered a lot throughout her life can still maintain strong and brave. Oknowow wife Ekwefi had a lot of sadness throughout her life. For some reason everything she had a baby it will die of illness, everytime she had a child instead of being happy she thought the worst. Ekwefi’s had ten children but nine other children died the first few months they were alive. Ekwefi started to name her babies symbolic things such as “Onwumbiko,” which means, “Death, I implore you,” and “Ozoemena,” which means, “May it not happen again,(Achebe 77). “ The naming ceremony after seven market weeks became an empty ritual. Her deepening despair found expression in the names she gave her children”. (Achebe 77) Okonkwo got a medicine man who told him that an ogbanje was tormenting them. “This man told him that the child was an obanjie, one of those wicked children who, when they died, entered their mother’s wombs to be born again”(Achebe 77). The medicine man destroyed the dead body of Ekwefi’s third child to discourage the ogbanje’s return. When Ezinma was born Ekwefi was a little hesitant but later on when she saw Eznima growing up that all changed and she turned happy and began to love again.
 

                             Ekwefi is very close to her daughter Ezinma since everything she been through. Ekwefi demonstrates that bring strong and brave it not only in a man’s role when Chielo who is a Priestess, informs Ekwefi that Agbala, Oracle of the Hills and Caves, wants to see Ezinma. Okonkwo and Ekwefi got scared and try to make Chielo wait until the morning, But Chielo tells Okonkwo that he must not defy a god’s will. (Achebe 100). Chielo takes Ezinma tells nobody to follow. Ekwefi didn’t listen and even though she was scared she follows anyway. When Chielo enters the Oracle’s cave, Ekwef says that if she hears Ezinma crying she will save her , doesn’t matter what a god says. “She swore within her that if she heard Ezinma cry she would rush into the cave and defend her against all the god in the world. She would die with her.”(Achebe 108). she chooses her daughter over the gods. Even though Ekwefi suffered a lot she is still strong.

THINGS FALL APART

                                                               Things Fall Apart

                                 Okonkwo is a person who doesn’t show any type of emotion and is struggling with looking tuff and not weak. Okonkwo was told that ikemefuna had to live with his family for a while he did obeyed. At first he wasn’t very fond of ikemefuna but later on he saw how a hard worker and a good influence he was to his real son Nwoye. Nwoye gets very close to Ikemefuna and feel like their brothers.. Ikemefuna’s fate gets decided by The Oracle that he must be killed even though Oknowowo was sad about it he decided to let it happen and he went with them. Okonowo to show he was not weak decided to kill ikemefuna himself and When Ikemefuna runs to Okonkwo and says “My father, they have killed me!” (Achebe,61) he killed him with his machete and went on like nothing happened.

                             In Okonkwo eyes emotion is a sign of weakness that’s why he never shows it to show everyone he takes control. Okonkwo anger gets the best of him for example was the “Week of peace”. During the “Week of peace” also known as the sacred week, was the time before people started to plant crops. The “Week of peace” means everyone had to live in peace with no problems in order of the goddess so their crops can grow. He had broken the peace by beating his youngest wife Ojiugo in a way in which he couldn’t stop. Okonkwo hit Ojiugo because she went to get her hair done and didn’t come back in time to cook lunch. Okonkwo anger was so uncontrollable that he did not stop his beating for nothing as quoted in the story. “Okonokwo was not the man to stop his beating somebody half-way through, not even for a fear of goddess”.(Achebe,30)

Characterization of Mrs. Newell

Eng 201                                                                                                             Chantell Agrispin

Prof.Whitley                                                                                                       3/10/2012

                                             Characterization of Mrs. Newell

                           In the story “The Last Asset” Mrs. Newell is the unlikely character. How Mrs. Newell is characterized is a person who cares about social class and money and will do anything to get to the top. As defined in Marxist theory competition Mrs. Newell sends Garnett to find Hermione father because if he is not present she cannot be married. As quoted in the story “ They don’t like it in Europe. And in this case it would have been the end of hermy marriage. They wouldn’t think of letting their son marry the child of divorced parents”.(Wharton 224).

                                 Mrs. Newell is using Hermione to be high in social class and to finally fit in with her “friends” and actually have a reason to because she is going to be the mother in law of royalty. As quoted in the text “What is the use of producing and educating a handsome daughter if she did not, in some more positive way contribute to her parents advancement.(Wharton 218). Mrs. Newell is also portrayed as Commodification. She commidfy Hermione to get in the high social class and finally be the person she believe she had to be. “she was in want of social renovation. She had been doing and saying the same things for way too long”.(Wharton 217). Mrs. Newell only thinks about herself not how Mrs. Newell feels or even Hermione. When Mr. Newell declined her offer to appear in the wedding all he thought about what she had that was going to be disastrous. As quoted “it’s too hard, after all I’ve done! The trousseau is ordered, think how disgraceful”.(Wharton 238).

Marxist Theory of "The Last Asset"

Eng 201                                                                                                             Chantell Agrispin

Prof.Whitley                                                                                                       3/4/2012

                                                            The Last Asset

                       When applying concepts from Marxist Theory to “The Last Asset”. We learn a lot about the character Garnett, Mrs. Newell, Mrs. Newell daughter Hermione Newell & Mr. Newell. In the story “The Last Asset” Mrs. Newell uses Classism “points out that the accumulation of wealth, especially of enormous wealth, isn’t necessarily a sign of merit. All too often it’s a sign of questionable ethics” (Tyson 56). This explanation of classism, is a another one connecting to  Mrs. Newell. In the story Mrs. Newell is using her daughter as her way of being with the high social class people by arranging a marriage with the French.

                       Mrs. Newell also emphasizes Competition. Competition in Marxist theory is “it tends to ensure that the most selfish, unethical people will rise to the top, as they’re the ones willing to do whatever it takes to win”(Tyson, 58). Throughout the story Mrs. Newell daughter Hermione Newell is about to get married to a guy that is French. His family is high class and would not approve of their marriage if Hermione father is not presented. Mrs. Newell is willing to do whatever it takes to get her daughter married. She sends Garnett to find her husband who is Hermione father who they have not seen in years to show up for the wedding. Even though she cannot stand him she is willing to find him and make him show up. Mrs. Newell also uses Commodification. “A commodity is anything that has a price tag. It encourages us to relate to things and people as commodities. Mrs. Newell is using Hermione as a commodity to impress her daughter soon to be husband family showing them she haves a husband and Hermione haves a father. Hermione, was a commodity her mother to be in the high class she wants to be with. As quoted in the story “what was the use of producing and educating a handsome daughter if she did not, in some more positive way, contribute to her parent’s advancement” (Wharton 218).

                      When applying Marxist theory concepts to “The Last Asset” we learned a lot about the socioeconomic system and “how it controls how we perceive ourselves and our world”.(Tyson,53). Just like it did with Mrs. Newell with the concepts Competition, Commodification, and Classism.