Are full of passionate intensity. ((Full text.))

So. Okonkwo’s story is reduced to a “reasonable paragraph.” It is a tough story, but perhaps a few questions remain:

• In what way did Okonkwo (by the standards of his society, by his own standards, by the standards of the colonizers) bring about his own fall?
• In what way was he driven to it by events outside his control?
• Can you imagine a way he could have prevented it and maintained his standard of living?
• (Tough question:) What do you think of his final decision?
• We discussed several similar situations in class today. What can this fictional account of historical events tell us about the interactions between societies?
• In what ways are societies like an individual? How does this concept of “identity” play out at the national scale?

More questions to come, I’m sure. Please add your own (or any answers) in class or in the comments below.

We will wrap up our discussion of this novel officially tomorrow, but will continue to come back to it throughout the year. Our next work is Oedipus, which we will follow with The Stranger.

Your midterm paper will follow the same writing process we used your junior year (compilation of patterns and ideas from your journals, organization into outlines, peer review, presentation, rough drafts, peer review and one-on one with me, final drafts. You will be required to pull from multiple works (those read in class and others you discover on your own; check the syllabus for ideas) in presenting your ideas on the development of identity. Keep this in mind as you continue to read and journal. We’ll discuss the patterns you are finding during class discussions and when I check your journals.

Or not.  Stupid snow.  Hopefully it gave you guys a chance to spend some time with Okonkwo and crew.  If not, go outside today and finish up the novel.  We’ll be discussing the end in class tomorrow, and I don’t want to ruin the ending for you.  Here’s the plan:

The Plan

Until now, we’ve focused on the effects of Okonkwo’s father’s legacy on the man, and Okonkwo’s choices in interacting with those around him.  The final section places him in an environment that he cannot control, and forces him to realize that he does not have complete power over those around him.  This is a sobering realization for our strong protagonist, and he makes some difficult choices (or are his (re)actions purely a result of his environment?  We’ll see).

On Tuesday and Wednesday (if we finish our discussion of Okonkwo’s life on Monday) I will present a brief overview of Existentialist ideas.  If you want to get a head start, I suggest The Stanford Encyclopedia of Psychology‘s page on “Existentialism” or *sigh* the Wikipedia‘s entry.  We may also read Jean-Paul Sartre’s “Existentialism is a Humanism” to gain a better understanding of our author’s ideas (you can find a copy here).

By Thursday we will discuss Part One of The Stranger.  Thirty pages per night may be more than you’re used to reading, but Sartre’s prose is not too dense.  Do plan to set aside some time to read the book in chunks, though.

On Friday we will discuss your tentative (hypo)thesis statements in class.  I will also ask you to write a brief paragraph contrasting the philosophies of Things Fall Apart and The Stranger. (Hint: it goes beyond TFA=fate and TS=choice.)  More on this later.

This is just getting annoying.

Because I was not present for your discussion yesterday (which I heard was excellent; you all rock.  Truly.), I can only guess how far you got, so here’s the plan:

1. Finish the questions from yesterday (if you missed any).
2. Take a closer look at the final lines of the book:
• Why does Mersault want to be “rid . . . of hope”?
• What is “the gentle indifference of the world”?  Does this explain his attitude toward his trial, the death of his mother, the help from other people, etc?
• He wants “a large crowd of spectators” to “greet [him] with cries of hate” at his execution?! Discuss.
3. How does this tie into our theme of identity?  That is, how do you think Meursault (spelled it incorrectly yesterday—my bad) would identify himself?  Better yet, what if Okonkwo, Holden Caulfield, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, Eugene Henderson, Meursault, and Viktor Frankl met?  (J. VDW and E. Mc, insert your main character’s names into the list.)
• Start with Frankl.  What makes a man’s life meaningful?  If you’re reading Man’s Search for Meaning, briefly explain Frankl’s philosophy on meaning.  If you’re not, discuss how your character would react to this philosophy.
• As a group, decide which of your characters have similar outlooks on life, and who does not.  I’ll get you started:  If Okonkwo met Henderson (same continent; different times, different locations, but bear with me), it would probably end in bloodshed.  Henderson’s, that is.  Though he seemed to get along well with King Dhafu, right?  Hmm…
4. If you finish this (you won’t, but I’d like to mention this anyway), begin working on your essay topics.  We have around two weeks left in the session, so I recommend starting now.  Send me an email with your ideas if you want/need help.

I’ll see you all tomorrow.  Even if I have to set up a webcam, I’ll see you tomorrow.

Sorry guys. 

Yesterday we discussed Mersault’s interrogation and trial. We focused, as did his interrogators, on the lack of emotion he showed during his mother’s funeral.  While there was much debate as to whether he did not care or was simply lacking “the trappings and the suits of woe,”  I believe we came to the consensus that he was not reacting “normally” to the situation, whatever the cause.

We also discussed the fact that nearly everyone he interacts with is trying to help him in some way, but he either outright rejects the help or ignores the offer.  (See specifically the Inspector and the Chaplain’s attempts to “help” Mersault.)

My questions to you today:

• What types of things does he most often think about?  (The future/the past/the present, emotions/ideas, people/what he’s currently experiencing….)
• Does he act logically?  (Think about our discussion of his reaction to his mother’s death—Is the “normal” reaction that people have logical, or something else?)
• Is he ever emotional?  When?
• Why does he not seem to want to fight for his freedom?  (See “Hope” in yesterday’s post.)  What is it about his outlook on life that makes this impossible?

Finally, take a look at the last lines of the book:

As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.

Discuss.  Take notes.  I’ll look over these tomorrow.

Brief synopsis of our discussion in class today.  More to come tomorrow.  Why does there seem to be an absence of hope in the novel?