TFA+Reflections+PeterL

TFA Reflection (chp. 3-6)

During the discussion, the proverb "when a man says yes, his chi says yes also." was interesting and was debated on among our group. We first discussed about the meaning of the Igbo traditional word, "chi," and eventually came up with the conclusion that it meant a "personal god." We had long discussions about the meaning of the proverb, and came up with saying when a man says yes, he should mean it and cannot go back on his word later. We also talked about the personality of Okonkwo. Our ideas revolved around him being arrogant, having internal emotions, hating idlness/laziness, etc.

TFA Reflection (chp. 7 - 13)

Today's discussion was interesting as we were able to relate some things to colonialism which will occur later. We discussed about the fable "Greedy Tortoise," and came up with a conclusion that a messenger is the person with all the authority and power when it comes to information delivering as it was during colonialism. We also had an intense debate about the relationship between Ezinma and Ekwifi. Are they more like parent-child or equals? A member in my group thought it was parent-child, but I thought they were more like equals since Ekwifi respects Ezinma for surviving among her 10 children and the respect is shared between them. Other questions we discussed include "is Okonkwo a truly cold and heartless person?" and "why is such punishment necessary?" We had a good discussion today and hope to continue it.

TFA Reflection (chp 14 - 22) Today's discussion revolved around the impact of British missionaries in the Igbo society. We discussed about the positive impacts such as modernization (hospitals, schools), as well as negative impacts like rise of conflicts and forced converting. We also discussed ciritically on positive, negative, and neutral elements of the British society, as the British society began to have an effect on traditional Igbo life. We thought the British bringing technology to Igbo society was a positive element, while the British establishing courts was bad since the Igbo people already had an established culture and system in which their society operates.

TFA Reflection (chp. 23 - 25)

For today, we have contemplated about the question, "Why did Okonkwo decide to hang himself?" Okonkwo was a masculine and strong man throughout the whole story, and it was a shock that okonkwo has killed himself out of no apparent reason. We first thought that he was humiliated by the fact that he couldn't control his temper when he saw the white men who have mistreated him. Yet, it still seemed unreasonable for Okonkwo to commit suicide since he said he would go to war against white men, even if it means fighting by himself, in the previous chapter. Thus, it was ironic that Okonkwo, who was a very strong man, was weak enough to kill himself in the end.