Question 5

I am sure by now you have completed reading the whole novel "Things Fall Apart". There are issues which you might find troubling. You may even disagree with some of the actions taken by the characters in the novel. Your views are important and let not the various articles you've read swayed you into accepting them as gospel truths. Do question what you have read.

In your respective blogs, think reflectively of the issues found in the novel. The following questions should help you in your analysis:

1. Based on your reading of “Things Fall Apart”, what aspects of the Igbo culture allow the 

British to take over?

2. Since Sarawak has also undergone colonisation, how has this affected aspects of culture in our society?

3. Are there any changes brought about in the lives of the indigenous tribes in Africa and Sarawak?

In depth answer compared to the first question before. 

1. Based on my reading of “Things Fall Apart”, the first aspect of Igbo culture that allow the British to take over is the abandonment of twins at birth. I feel that to kill babies just because they are twins are totally not acceptable. Babies are born pure without any sins. They do not even do good or bad yet. They just enter the world and it is the time for them to start a new life after nine months living in their mother’s belly. Killing them is a very barbaric action and not acceptable in citizen nowadays. The other culture that British are allowed to take over is the superstitious belief that the Igbo people practice. They are quite superstitious and believe in such supernatural creatures as ogbanje. The ritual that they always do is the mutilation of infant corpses thought to be ogbanje which is a cruel action.

                 

2.  Colonisation in Sarawak creates a lot of cultural diversity there. Immigrants from all over the world come to Malaysia to trade in their business in Sarawak. When immigrants from all angle of the world enter Sarawak, they will stay here for a while. This leads to the mixture of culture, races and the marriage between the local people and immigrants can create a mix of culture. This is the reason why Sarawak has the most cultures and races in Malaysia.

3. Yes, there are some changes that had been brought in the lives of indigenous tribes in Africa and Sarawak. The first change is that people from those tribes get to have education and study in school. For British people, they know that education is very important so they take the responsibility to give the indigenous tribes the education and help them to be more civilized. The second change is to lead the tribes to trust only to one God. There are no multiple gods in the world and people should worship only to one God.

Fatin Syazana binti Yahya

Question 5:

          In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, he exposes us with  Igbo culture which consist of positive and negative values. From my reading, there are many negative values that caused British to take over. To start with, women do not have a right to voice out their opinion or in other words glass ceiling are practicing in this society. Women are not allow to state their right and forced to obey the men.  In my opinion, this is one of the reason why the White can attract women to join them.

          Besides, this society also authorized a man with title and power. For them, a weak man is the same as women. From this statement, we can see that the relationship among them are not strong as they do not respect each other.  They only respect a man with title. We do need to respect everybody as everyone has their own part in this world. I think the weak man such as Nwoye feel like he is not belonged in the society and turn to White who accept him for whatever he is.  Here, I state again that the reason behind the success of British to take over is because of the unfair of right in humanity.

          After the colonization, Sarawak has been  a state with variety of culture.  It is rich with culture that make it special and unique. During the colonization, the local leader had lost their power as the white took over all the power. The local leader become powerless. But there were a local leader who stand up and against the white to preserve their right.  Other than that, the outside culture also had been introduced  by the White.  For instance, the uses of English language in administration and in most of the matter.  Yes! there is a changes. Both Africa and Sarawak indigenous tribes had undergone a change in religion aspect. 

Nur Afiqah bt Abdul Manap

1. In my opinion, the aspects of the Igbo culture that allow the British to take over is the different status level among the people. The question about whether change should be honored over tradition often involves the personal status. Okonkwo, for example, objects the new political and religious orders because he feels that they are not manly. He afraid that he himself will not be manly if he agrees to join or tolerate the new political order and religion. To some extent, Okonkwo’s resistance of cultural change is also due to his fear of losing societal status. His status depends on the traditional standards by which the people of Umuofia judges him. This system of evaluating one’s self inspires many of the clan’s outcasts to embrace Christianity and at the same time accept the colonization of British. They feel that they are not appreciated in the society, therefore, these outcasts find in the Christian religion a protection from the Igbo cultural values that place them below everyone else. In the new community, these converts enjoy a higher status, which means, one has the same status just like everyone else. However, Okonkwo may have wanted a different status for himself, which is a higher status than others. Before the British comes, people view Okonkwo as someone who has many abilities as Okonkwo succeeds in beating Amalinze the Cat once. Okonkwo may fear that he will lose respect from the Umuofia people if he allows the British to spread the new religion. 

2. As Sarawak is colonized before, there are many assimilation of culture in the country. One of them is the language used. Sarawak uses English as the language of communication during the British colonization. Only ten years after independence, the medium of communication in Sarawak is changed to Malay language.  Besides that, mixed marriages happen because of this colonization. The assimilation of culture between two different ethnics happens due to these marriages.  As Sarawak was divided into eleven divisions, there could be an unbalanced division to the ethnics too. An ethnic may live at a place where there is only their own tribes who live there. Therefore, they are not mixing with other races. Some things that the people do centuries ago even have been accepted as taboos and traditions now. For example, the do's and don't's before a wedding ceremony of an ethnic culture are still practiced now. 

3. The changes brought about in the lives of the indigenous tribes in Africa and Sarawak are in the aspect of social and education. In Sarawak, when the British colonized, they build schools and hospitals. The British provides the people with education and they also take care of their health. Both male and female also have the opportunity to attain education. Although there was no official announcement of education policy until the mid 1950s, the colonial government from the start sets an education programme with two objectives, which is to close the wide gap in education between the native people and the Chinese, and to bring the existing school system inherited from the Brooke period into a national education system. Besides, a national education policy aims to develop a sense of common citizenship, identity, brotherhood and undivided loyalty to Sarawak among the multi-ethnic younger generation. The idea of getting education is highly supported by the people. The people realize the importance for younger generation in both rural and urban areas to be educated.

PERFECT CHARACTER A DELUSION OR REALITY

In the novel Animal Farm, the hope for a better world remains unattainable. Even with the change of governance, the animals are eventually mistreated. How is it possible that the longing for good can turn awry when the person is in power for long?

In the case of Okonkwo, he is not painted as someone who is without fault. In fact, he is in many ways a tragic hero. Neither is he a person who is evil despite his part in killing Ikemefuna. Based on your understanding of him in the novel, reflect on the following questions:

• How has Okonkwo been a figure of inspiration and disappointment to his people? 

• What are the characteristics of Okonkwo that you can find in your nation’s leader?

Answers

       For the first question, Okonkwo is portrayed as the tragic hero in Things Fall Apart and he inspired people in the Igbo community. These are the reasons why he is seen as an inspiration for the clan. First, he holds a position of power and prestige in his clan and his tragic flaw is his fear of weakness and failure and does not want to be like his own father who is very weak. He is the leader of the Igbo community and also known as a wrestler, a warrior and a successful farmer of yams.  He has three wives and many children. He is a very masculine man and he tries his best not to be like his biological father, Unoka who is very weak and lazy. Unoka is poor, lacked of responsibility, neglectful and he does not plan for the future. Okonkwo works very hard so that he will not be like his father and he knows that he can support his family on his own. All these characteristics that he has are the reasons why he is an inspiration for the people in his clan.

He is a very successful person but he also has weaknesses and these are the reasons why people feel disappointed about him.  He gets angry easily especially when he has to deal with men who are weak and lazy. Sometimes, he feels that the inward affection but he never portray it because he feels that by showing affection to other people is a weak characteristic. He tends to express his anger through violent, stubborn and beats his wives and his children if his family members do not fulfill what he want. He also acts before he thinks. He kills Ikemefuna just because he is afraid of being thought weak although he has been advised not to participate in the murder. Other than that, he kills a messenger from the British district office because he feels that people who enter Umuofia destroy the Igbo culture.  Unfortunately, there is none of the clansmen who support him but back away in fear. He is totally defeated and he ends up his life by committing suicide, a shameful death like his father’s. People feel disappointed because a person who once became a hero in the clan dead in a very disgraceful way. 

         For the second question, there are some characteristics of Okonkwo that can be seen in my nation's leader. Okonkwo is a leader of the Igbo community and Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak is the leader for the Malaysian people. Based on the sentence, it can be seen that there is a similarity between my nation’s leader and also Okonkwo, the protagonist of Things Fall Apart. They are leaders who run their own people to become successful  
Okonkwo is a leader who inspires the Igbo community and knows how to lead his people.  Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak also inspires his people in Malaysia to become a good leader and to master the leadership skills so that one day, people in Malaysia can lead the nation or the world in the future. The most important part is both of them are the leaders who want their people to be united. 

Fatin Syazana binti Yahya 

          In my opinion, Okonkwo has been a figure of inspiration to his people. In chapter 1, Okonkwo manages to win over Amalinze, the cat .  Amalinze was the great wrestler but Okonkwo has successfully brought honor to his village by winning the game .

“Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat. Amalinze was the great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino. He was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth. It was this man that Okonkwo threw in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights.” (Chapter 1: Paragraph 1)

        This shows that at the early age Okonkwo has successfully achieved a great achievement. Nevertheless, Okonkwo also had disappointed his people. This is when he beats his wife during the sacred week. As a well-known person, Okonkwo should not do something that he already knows prohibited. The characteristics of Okonkwo that I can find in a nation’s leader is responsible. In this novel, Okonkwo does responsible for every of his action.   

          The characteristics of Okonkwo that I can find in our nation’s leader, Tun Dr Mahathir Muhammad is determination. Okonkwo determines to do everything that he is supposed to do. He is not a type of man who is easy to give up. This is totally different to be compared with his father Unoka.

         To put it briefly, human do have flaw even the leader. So, we must work hard to build a good character in order to bring peace in society. 

By: Nur Afiqah bt Abdul Manap

               Okonkwo has been a figure of inspiration because he is a successful man. He is a rich and respected warrior of the Umuofia clan. Moreover, in his youth, he brought honor to his village by beating Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling contest. It is a very great achievement for Okonkwo and the Umuofia clan because Amalinze the Cat had been undefeated for seven years. He gains respect and praises from the clan.

                However, Okonkwo brings disappointment to his people when he beats his wife during the sacred week.  He should have control his anger because to his clan, he has made the god angry. He is also disappointing when he killed Ikemefuna himself. He should not interfere during Ikemefuna’s killing because Ikemefuna has considered him as a father.

              My nation’s leader is very responsible. He never neglects the citizens just like what Okonkwo did. Apart from that, he is also someone who fights for the right of his people. I believe that he has the qualities of a good leader. The concept of 1 Malaysia that he introduced has gathered people from all races.

By: Nur Izzah Zawani bt Boher @ Bujang Amri

                   For the first  question , Okonkwo is a wealthy and respected warrior of the Umuofia clan  in a lower Nigerian tribe that is part of a consortium of nine connected villages. He is haunted by his father who is a idle, poor, profligate, cowardly, gentle, and interested in music and conversation. Then he became totally opposite as his father. It has become a figure of inspiration for  me because we are not supposed to rely on our past, we have to improve our living style and become more successful. 

                   Okonkwo brings disappointment when he neglects to follow the rule of sacred week. He beat his wife. He also killed Ikemefuna so that society will respect him and in order to maintain his reputation.

                   The characteristics of Okonkwo that can be found in my nation's leader is hardworking. My leader never neglects his society like Okonkwo did. My leader fights for the best and give importance to the comfort of his society.

                                                                          RAVI SHANKAR A/L M.SARAWANAN

    Okonkwo was famous because he acquired many titles during his early age. He was wealthy and rescpectable in his village. He was a good wrestler and a great leader. The main reason why he became a successful leader was he was afraid of becoming his father who was irresponsible weak, and full of debt. Once he has the awareness of how being weak wont help, he tried to be strong and work his life out. Then he became an inspiration of his people.

    In this novel, the writer told us that not every human is perfect. We have weakness and flaw. So does Okonkwo. He was 'allergic' to people with weaknesses. Take his son as an example. He beat his son and show hatred when his son shows his weak action. Besides that, he also killed Ikemefuna. He was strong outside but weak inside. This lead to the beating of his wife during the sacred week. Villagers were aware of this.

   My nation's leader work hard like Okonkwo to maintain the stability of the nation. With good effort, comes good outcome. Malaysia is now a stable and peaceful country. All thanks to the nation's leader hard work.

                                                                                 ABDUL FALAKH ZAFRIEYL

Religions and Superstitions

• Analyse how superstitions and religions play in the life described in the novel. 
• Do superstitious beliefs and religion affect the development of a country? How?
• How does one’s belief affect the nation in terms of politics and culture?

In the novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe, superstitions and religions play in a way that it benefits the society and in some aspects, it harms the society. In this novel, they kill people to fulfill the order of the Oracle. The killing of the young lad is not a decent action because humans must not take other human’s life. Life and death are God’s plan. Besides that, members of the tribe that suffered from illnesses were seen as unclean. These people would not be buried, but being cast away into the Evil Forest. It would have been better if the society helps to cure the illness rather than casting away the sick people. However, values such as respecting and obeying the eldest are implied in this novel which gives a good lesson to the society.

Superstitious beliefs and religion do affect the development of a country. There are both good effect and bad effect of superstitious beliefs and religion. If a ruler rules his country by referring to the religion, he can produce a society that does not easily commit crime. Believing in God and applying moral values in one’s life will restrict him from committing wrong doing. But, relying on superstitious beliefs may give negative effect towards a country because superstitious beliefs sometimes are not based on religion principles. For example, superstitious beliefs affect the way of Filipino living. The Filipino becomes limited as to what already exists now such as the technologies that will make the impossible become a bit possible. Filipinos are quite dependent on their beliefs that somehow hinder them to achieve the success. For instance, an individual should go back home when a cat crosses his path as this is a bad omen. Thus, a person must return back home when a cat crosses his path on his way to work. If this situation happens every day, how would he gain income for his family? This will bring no benefit to him. Moreover, the Filipinos do believe that their superstitious beliefs is useful and thus helping them to have a happier life. They should be open as to the new generation. Their beliefs have been passed from generation to generation. They should respect their superstitious beliefs, but why would you stick on your belief if it isn't lead you to a better life? They should get to work and make themselves successful.

One’s belief will affect the nation in term of politics in a way that a leader will rule his country justly based on the religious view. He will not make any decision that benefits him only. From what we can see today, most of the ministers worldwide and their family live a wealthy life meanwhile; some of the citizens live in a poor condition. If a leader really emphasizes the teaching of religion in his administration, citizens would not be facing the poor life anymore.

Each belief emphasizes on togetherness and respecting each other. If the society applies these values in their life, the nation may live peacefully. Practicing your faith will make your culture last longer. However, some beliefs which include too many taboos do give problems to a nation that their participation are limited in many aspects.

Reference: http://cebuanawithlove.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/superstitious-beliefs-of-filipinos/

By: Nur Izzah Zawani bt Boher @ Bujang Amri

          In things Fall Apart, superstitions and religions are strongly practiced by Ibo people.  Their believe are mostly based on their relationship with nature and its elements. For instance, they worship the goddess of the earth and are always careful to avoid committing sins against nature. This is because they afraid of punishment that might wipe out an entire generation.  For instance, one cannot do harm during the sacred week.

          Superstitious beliefs and religion do affect the development of a country.  This is because, religion helps us to set our goal of life. Without it, we might lifeless and do not know why we are living in this world. Everything happens in this world has their own reason.  The development of a country depends on the society of the country.  If the society do not proactive and have a motivation of life, the development of that country will decline. So this is important for a person to have a religious faith in order to help him to set his goal of life. Indirectly, the country will develop well as the society knows reason of life. Nevertheless, superstitious might bring a negative  influence as some of the superstitious believes are not relevant with religion. People must know how to balance their life so they will not influence by negative ways of living and cause the country cannot develop well.

          One’s belief can affect the nation in term of politics and culture. It can be positive and it can be negative. For example. If the leader practices the positive values that had been taught in his belief he will rule the country well. He will learn to respect others opinion although that person is from different belief. Besides, he also will alert with other’s belief sensitivity. Indirectly, the country will live in harmonious.  But if the leader too obsess with his belief and culture he might neglect others belief. 

By: Nur Afiqah bt Abdul Manap =)

Men vs. Women

• How are the women treated in the novel? Do all members in the community agree with the status quo? Why? 
• What contributions are made by the Igbo women to the survival of their culture? 
• What are the changes in women’s roles in this present world?

       In the novel Things Fall Apart, some of the women are treated as less important. For example, Okonkwo’s wife herself, Ojiugo was beaten by Okonkwo because she went to her neighbor to plait her hair. Ojiugo might do this for the purpose of beauty but Okonkwo accused her of negligence as she did not prepare Okonkwo’s meal. Okonkwo severely beat Ojiugo, but his other wives did not have the courage to stop Okonkwo’s action. Besides that, Okonkwo loves his second wife, Ekwefi the most and his child with her, Ezinma. This proves that he is not being fair towards his other two wives.

         However, some women also have a high position in the community. For example, the oracle, Ezeani was seen as a priest to counsel the community of Umuofia. She was respected because the society believed that she knew how to please the goddess of Earth, Ani.

          Some members in the community did not really agree with the status quo but some did agree with the status quo. For example,  Okonkwo agrees with the status quo because he has societal status in his community.  His sense of self-worth was dependent upon the traditional standards by which society judged him. Some members who did not agree with the status quo embraced Christianity. These outcasts found protection in the Christian value system compared to the Igbo cultural values that placed them below everyone else.  These converts enjoyed a more elevated status when they joined Christianity.

           The Igbo women contributed to their culture by inculcating the good moral values in their children. For example, Okonkwo’s wives taught their children folk tales to demonstrate good values. Folk tales give many beneficial lessons to children.  Besides that, they never forgot about their duty such as to prepare meals and decorate the hut when there are festivals take place in their village.

        Most African women now enjoy the same status as men. They get an equal right at education, economy, politic, workplace and in the society just like other women all over the world. However, their participation is not really acceptable because of the view of the society who is biased toward the female.

FEEDBACK 

In other parts of the world such as America, cultural changes were shifting the role of women in American society in the 1960s. Before 1960s, most women are suppressed because they are experiencing unwanted pregnancy. This restricts them from getting jobs. They spend a lot of time managing the housework and looking after the kids. After the federal government in 1960 approved a birth control pill to free women from unwanted pregnancy, they have more choices and freedom in their personal lives. More females are getting job and this increase the dissatisfaction among women regarding the huge differences in pay and advancement between males and females. According to an article by Kenneth T. Walsh, gradually, Americans came to accept some of the basic goals of the Sixties feminists: equal pay for equal work, an end to domestic violence, curtailment of severe limits on women in managerial jobs, an end to sexual harassment, and sharing of responsibility for housework and child rearing. 

Reference: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/03/12/the-1960s-a-decade-of-change-for-women

- Nur Izzah Zawani bt Boher @ Bujang Amri-

Woman in Things Fall Apart

          Women in Things Fall Apart novel (TFA) are mostly treated unfair. They view women as weak and frail. For example, Okonkwo’s main character  father, Unoka are called as agbala which mean a man who had taken no title or “woman”. Okonkwo hated anything weak or frail, and his descriptions of his tribe and the members of his family show that in Ibo society anything strong was likened to man and anything weak to woman. (June Chan '94 (English 32, 1990)) . Besides, in Ibo culture they allowed wife beating. For instance, Okonkwo beats his third wife when she did not prepare his meal. For him, a wife must respect, obey and listen to her husband. Due to that, he beats her severely and get a punishment because he beats her during the Week of Peace.  In addition, women in TFA are viewed as a person that has to take care of children, house and fulfill their husband needs. On the other hand, men are viewed as the breadwinner. 

          In my point of view,  most of the men are agree with the status qua but women are not. This is because, due to the status quo men can do anything towards their wives and women do not have a right to speak loud and suppressed by a man.

          Nevertheless, women also contributed to the survival of their culture.  For instance, women painted the houses of the egwugwu. Furthermore, the first wife of a man in the Ibo society is paid some respect. For example, during the palm wine ceremony at Nwakibie's obi . Anasi, Nwakibie's first wife, had not yet arrived and "the others [other wives] could not drink before her". This means they do pay a respect towards the older woman.

          In this present world, women’s role having a great changes. The glass ceiling has been broken. Nowadays, women are involved in men sectors too. For instances, in business, politics, technology, entrepreneurship and leadership. Here is one of the successful women of Africa “Isis Nyong’o, 35, is the Vice President and Managing Director of the African operations of InMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile advertising network.” (www.forbes.com)

Links:

http://www.postcolonialweb.org/nigeria/women.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2012/06/12/africas-most-successful-women-isis-nyongo/

 by:  Nur Afiqah bt Abdul Manap ^_^

FEEDBACK:

Yes, there are some men who don’t agree with the status quo. For instance, Okonkwo’s father and son who are Unoka and Nwoye.  Both of them do not act like other men did. For them, life is not based on status only. For Nwoye, he does not agree with the status quo because of the dumpling of the twin babies. For him, this is not fair to the mother and the babies themselves.  From this, we can say that Nwoye does not agree with the status quo because women cannot speak out loud their feelings and opinion.

Women in Ibo’s society do not only practice the culture but they are also ensuring the survival of their culture. For example, during the palm wine ceremony at Nwakibie's obi . Anasi, Nwakibie's first wife, had not yet arrived and "the others [other wives] could not drink before her".  This is to ensure that the next generation will also respect the elders by watching their parents act. Children are not learning from words but from what they see. Apart from that, mother tells a folk tale to their children. But why? When they story about the folk tale, their children can learn the moral values from the story. Women in Ibo’s society not only do a house chore they also helping in educating their children.   

-Afiqah-

The Women's Role 

1.         In Things Fall Apart,from the view of female nature, husbands are allowed to beat their wives. This can be seen from the novel when Okonkwo beats his second wife because she did not come home to make his meal. He also beats her during the Week of Peace. He beat her again when she referred to him as one of those "guns that never shot." For me, based on the novel, the community accept and agree with the status quo although it is very unfair for women. This is because men are the one who support the family's life, so without them, it is difficult for the other family member to live.

2.         Despite of being the minority group, women are also very important to the Ibo society. Women painted the houses of the egwugwu. Furthermore, the first wife of a man in the Ibo society is given some respect. This can be seen during the palm wine ceremony at Nwakibie's obi. The other wives of Nwakibie cannot drink before the first wife arrived at the ceremony. The importance of woman's role also can be seen when Okonkwo is exiled to his motherland. His uncle, Uchendu, explains how Okonkwo should view his exile: "A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland." A man has both joy and sorrow in his life and when the bad times come his "mother" is always there to comfort him. Thus comes the saying "Mother is Supreme".

3.         For the present world, women are now known as the gender who have the same opportunities in jobs like man. Women nowadays are not like the women in the previous time where they used to only work as a housewife. Now, most of women have their own successful careers such as doctors, teachers, businesswomen and others, and at the same time they can look after their family, the husband and also the children without having any problem or clash with their own work.

Feedback

Firstly, I want to state that the men in the clan may be agree with the status quo but definitely most women do not agree with it. It is normal for women to be beaten by their husbands during that time but it was totally unacceptable as it hurt the women. I knew about female nature when I searched the information about women versus men in Things Fall Apart through internet.  It is supposed to be “Ibo view of female nature”. I feel female nature from the Ibo people view is thing which is natural for women to do at that time. For example, cook for the family, taking care of kids, clean the house and others. Since women are considered as the predominant group, men feel that they have the right to beat their wives if they want to do it so. That is basically the meaning of female nature. Next, I feel that there is such a concept as male and female nature. As I stated earlier, the female nature is the thing which is natural for them to do and male nature is the thing that is always be done by that dominant group such as being the leader of the family, work for the family so that he can support them and others. 

Fatin Syazana  binti Yahya

I am sure by now you have completed reading the whole novel "Things Fall Apart". There are issues which you might find troubling. You may even disagree with some of the actions taken by the characters in the novel. Your views are important and let not the various articles you've read swayed you into accepting them as gospel truths. Do question what you have read.

In your respective blogs, think reflectively of the issues found in the novel. The following questions should help you in your analysis:

1. Based on your reading of “Things Fall Apart”, what aspects of the Igbo culture allow the 

British to take over?

2. Since Sarawak has also undergone colonisation, how has this affected aspects of culture in our society?

3. Are there any changes brought about in the lives of the indigenous tribes in Africa and Sarawak?

Answers by Fatin Syazana binti Yahya :

1. Based on my reading of “Things Fall Apart”, the first aspect of Igbo culture that allow the British to take over is the abandonment of twins at birth. I feel that to kill babies just because they are twins are totally not acceptable. The other culture that British are allowed to take over is the superstitious belief that the Igbo people practice. They are quite superstitious and believe in such supernatural creatures as ogbanje. 

2.  Colonisation in Sarawak creates a lot of cultural diversity there.  This leads to the mixture of culture, races and the marriage between the local people and immigrants can create a mix of culture. This is the reason why Sarawak has the most cultures and races in Malaysia. 

3. Yes, there are some changes that had been brought in the lives of indigenous tribes in Africa and Sarawak. The first change is that people from those tribes get to have education and study in school. . The second change is to lead the tribes to trust only to one God. 

Answers by Nur Izzah Zawani bt Boher @ Bujang Amri: 

1. In my opinion, the aspects of the Igbo culture that allow the British to take over is the different status level among the people. The question about whether change should be honored over tradition often involves the personal status. Okonkwo, for example, objects the new political and religious orders because he feels that they are not manly. He afraid that he himself will not be manly if he agrees to join or even tolerate them. To some extent, Okonkwo’s resistance of cultural change is also due to his fear of losing societal status. His sense of self-worth depends on the traditional standards by which the people of Umuofia judges him. This system of evaluating one’s self inspires many of the clan’s outcasts to embrace Christianity and at the same time accept the colonization of British. They feel that they are not appreciated in the society, therefore, these outcasts find in the Christian religion a protection from the Igbo cultural values that place them below everyone else. In the new community, these converts enjoy a higher status.

2. As Sarawak was colonized before, there are many assimilation of culture in the country. One of them is the language used. Sarawak uses English as the language of communication during the British colonization. Only ten years after independence, the medium of communication in Sarawak changed to Malay language.  Besides that, mixed marriages happen because of this colonization. The assimilation of culture between two different ethnics happens due to these marriages.  As Sarawak was divided into eleven divisions, there could be an unbalanced division to the ethnics too. An ethnic may live at a place where there is only their own tribes who live there. Therefore, they are not mixing with other races.

3. The changes brought about in the lives of the indigenous tribes in Africa and Sarawak are in the aspect of social and education. When the British colonized, they build schools and hospitals. The British provides the people with education and they also take care of their health. Both male and female also have the opportunity to attain education.

Answers by Nur Afiqah bt Abdul Manap :

1. Igbo people have many culture. They are too believe in their culture and do not take any consideration about the effect of  their culture. Due to this some of them openly receive the Christianity into their village. As they accept the Christianity they have their faith on the religion. Besides, the different of classes between people also had been abandoned after the colonization.

2. We have variety of cultures in Sarawak that make us unique due to the colonization. After all it is a good thing. As we living in multicultural society we learn to respect others culture and we even learn their language. For example, a language. After English colonized Sarawak , they talk in English. Besides, we even sometimes had practiced others culture values. Varieties make society closed.

3. It does has a change in the lives of the indigenous tribes in Africa and Sarawak. They start to receive different kind of knowledge by attending  schools. They become more knowledgeable that can give their opportunities to improve their life. Besides, many more development that can improve the society life.

Answers by Sir Zafrieyl

Chinua Achebe introduced a lot of Igbo cultures in the novel “Things Fall Apart”. After finished reading the novel, I find that British successfully took over because of Igbo’s superstitious beliefs. They believed that twins bring back luck to the village and they also chase out some villagers just because of their cultural beliefs. British brought Christianity there which accepts anyone. After some period of time, more and more people converted. Even the main character’s son converted. People who needs shelter and safety mostly went to the church. Another aspect that caused British to take over their village is the social class. Social class exists because of their superstitious beliefs. Besides that, Nyowe converted to Christianity because his father did not give support to him.

Sarawak was once colonised by the British. From my observation, the most affected aspect in our society is the clothes that we wear. Our formal attire to attend lectures are long pants, neck tie and long sleeve shirt. Besides that, English language became the second language.  Before the colonisation, Bahasa Melayu and other natives language is used as a medium of communication. Just like the people of Igbo, Christianity was brought to Sarawak too. After being colonised, British brought immigrant from India and China to Sarawak. This made Sarawak a multi-religions state.

                   As we can see, there are many positive and negative changes brought to Africa and Sarawak. From the positive side, British introduced a better way of administrating these two places. A stable and organized structure of ruling which is democracy. The people have the right to choose their leaders. Besides that, schools are built. This is to improve the education received by the citizens. From a negative perspective, we can see that the traditional customs of the original settler are subsiding. 

Answers by Ravi Shankar A/L M. Sarawanan :

1. From my own opinion , one of the aspects of the Igbo culture that allows the British to take over is that the Igbo Culture is not consistent over their culture . They are not protecting their culture . They are easily influenced by the missionaries . After the missionaries provide them the job opportunities , they follow whatever the missionaries told them.

2. For Sarawak , we can see mixed marriage everywhere and this affects the language that their baby would be talking . A foreigner perhaps , might be  married with a rural area people . Hence it affects their children language . Another example would be our formal attire that we used to wear to school , office and etc .

3. Yes . This has improved peoples health . It is because they had build clinics , hospitals and so on . Other than that , British colonialism introduced a rule of law, effective administration, and competitive markets, promoting development in that era. 

A Little Place Off the Edgware Road

          In "A Little Place Off the Edgware Road" the writer uses psychoanalytical theory which has the id, ego & superego. From our researches, according to this theory when someone's superego and id are imbalance, he cannot think in a conscious mind.

The main character, Craven has a recurrent nightmare in which all the dead people walked in and out of each other's grave. He goes to the cinema where a man sits next to him and starts talking rubbish. Graham Greene has used the psychoanalytic theory in this story.

In this story, some situations show the elements that suits with psychoanalytic theory. The first one is sexual desire.

        ‘All the way up the Park, he was reminded of passion, but you needed money for love. All that a poor man could get was lust. Love needed a good suit, a car, a flat somewhere or a good hotel. It needed to be wrapped in cellophane.’

       Another example which shows that he has an unstable thinking about life and death is,

         "He remembered a dream he had three times woken trembling from: He had been alone in the huge dark cavernous burying ground of all the world. Every grave was connected to another under the ground: the globe was honeycombed for the sake of the dead, and on each occasion of dreaming he had discovered anew the horrifying fact that the body doesn't decay. There are no worms and dissolution. Under the ground the world was littered with masses of dead flesh ready to rise again with their warts and boils and eruptions. He had lain in bed and remembered as "tidings of great joy"- that the body after all was corrupt."

       As a conclusion, the writer uses psychoanalytical theory to interpret the character.

Graham Grene =)

About Graham Grene :
- Henry Graham Greene
- 2 October 1904 - 3 April 1991
- He was an English writer, playwright & literacy critic
- He suffered from bipolar disorder

Graham Grene's  Quote :

"Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation."

- This quote is closely related with his teens life where he had attempted to suicide. His parents took him to the therapist and the therapist suggested him to start writing. 

Some of his famous novels/ short stories :

1. The Basement Room / The Fallen Idol = Drama, Mystery, Thriller
2. The Third Man =  Mystery, Thriller, Romance
3. The Quite American = Fiction, War
4. Our Man in Harvana =  Fiction
5. Looser Takes All = Comedy, Speculative fiction

In this entry we are going to focus on THE BASEMENT ROOM / THE FALLEN IDOL .

Here is the link to the short movie clip from the The Fallen Idol film :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTEJgT0Cegw

Summary :

A diplomat's young son, Phillipe, idolises his father's butler, Baines who has invented a heroic persona to keep the boy entertained, and often tells him stories of his exotic and daring adventures in Africa and elsewhere. In reality, the butler has never been to Africa and is stuck in a loveless marriage, while dreaming of happiness with a younger woman whom he tells Phillipe is his niece after the boy finds them together. After Baines has an argument with his jealous wife, she accidentally falls from a landing to her death. However, Phillipe believes that he has seen Baines murder her. The boy desperately and clumsily attempts to protect his hero when the police investigate, but his efforts only lead Baines deeper into trouble.

Characters :

- Philippe ( A diplomat’s young son)

- Mr. Baines ( Butler)

- Mrs. Baines (Butler’s wife)

- Julie (Mr. Baines affair)

Literary Theories that can be used in this story:

1. Travel Theory 

- Author experiences, admiring the places

In The Basement Room by Graham Greene, the butler, Mr Baines told Philip about his daring experiences in Africa. But, actually Mr Baines never went to Africa. He just wants to keep the boy entertained.

- Perhaps, Greene writes this book based on his trip to Africa.

The author Graham Greene journeyed to West Africa in 1935, ostensibly to write a travel book. But, claims Tim Butcher, it was a cover for a spy mission on behalf of the British anti-slavery movement which was investigating allegations that Liberia, a state born as a refuge for freed US slaves, was guilty of enslaving its own people.

The reason Greene was sent to Liberia is that a country originally set up as a sanctuary for survivors of slavery had committed the ultimate betrayal: the authorities had been caught selling their own people as slaves.

Biographers of Greene have picked up on his connection, prior to his Liberian trip, with the antislavery society. But they failed to reflect the depth and extent of the relationship and the role it played in turning him into a full Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) spy in the Second World War.

Greene’s original diary of the three-month trip and one of his first manuscript drafts of Journey Without Maps are held at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas. These contain extensive details of labour practices in Liberia, including details of wage rates, that go far beyond what one would expect a journalist or travel writer to focus on.

Greene was to serve as a spy for SIS between 1941 and 1944. After basic training in Britain he was deployed to West Africa, but his first choice of returning to Liberia was stymied because its government was still angry at the way he had presented the country in Journey Without Maps as backward, undeveloped and peopled with primitive tribes who were being ruthlessly exploited by a corrupt elite. Instead he completed field training in Nigeria and then spent just over a year serving as officer 59200 in Sierra Leone before returning home to work briefly under Kim Philby, who was later exposed as a Soviet spy.

2. New Historicism 

GRAHAM GREENE : he tried running away from home several times . In his teens , he attempted suicide . His therapist encouraged him to start writing as a means of developing a stronger self image and a more positive outlook on life .

After his relationship ended , he had string of mistresses , including in the 1950s Swedish actress Anita Bjork in 1938 , Greene began an affair with Dorath Glover .

Without bothering to end his affair with Glover , Greene began affair with a beautiful Catholic convert , Catherine Waltson.

So it is proven that Graham Greene’s short story emphasizes on his biography and social background .

Graham Greene