Things Fall Apart Chapters 8-14 Dialectical Journals

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Honors World Literature25 September 2015 | Things Fall ApartChapters 8-13 | “Okonkwo was beginning to feel like his old self again. All that he required was something to occupy his mind. If he had killed Ikemefuna during the busy planting season or harvesting it would not have been so bad, his mind would have been centered on his work. Okonkwo was not a man of thought but of action. But in absence of work, talking was the next best.” Chapter 8 Pg. 54 | This change in Okonkwo’s personality reveals a how Okonkwo has become wounded. Perhaps the killing of Ikemefuna played a bigger role in Okonkwo’s life then he would like to admit. He didn’t show a lot of emotion towards Ikemefuna, but he definitely really liked him. He was glad that Ikemefuna became a positive influence on Nwoye and he was proud of him. The two of them became so close that Ikemefuna began to call Okonkwo “father”. Okonkwo was very distraught after Ikemefuna’s death. I think when Achebe says, “Okonkwo was not a man of thought but of action” he summarizes Okonkwo’s whole life. Throughout the book so far, Okonkwo has done countless actions without even thinking about the consequences. For example, he impulsively beats his wife during the week of peace forgetting that he is not supposed to do that and will be forced to repent. You could say that he somewhat lives his life in the moment and doesn’t consider the future. He without a second thought kills Ikemefuna and never would have thought that he would be so emotionally scared. | “It was on his fourth trip that he had found Ekwefi, and by then he had become gravely worried.”Chapter 12 pg.82 | As the story progresses Okonkwo continues to appear more and more like a warm loving fatherly figure. I think that Ikemefuna’s death had a part in changing Okonkwo’s character. His actions around his family and others show aggression and the horrible side of

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