Mood Space Reflections

-Describe the elements of the space

-What mood do you think this space evokes? Why?

1 ) Isabella's Space

I have no idea what mood this space is trying to evoke. She's pretty enthusiastic about the space and is kinda nonchalant about blood and death being in it. If this were a personality trait space, it would say sociopathy; but it isn't, so I'd say confusion or insanity. 

2 ) Julian's Space

Julian's space is obviously meant to be happy in a juvenile sense- he has lollipops and is playing children's music. He has a unicorn horn on and is dancing around with it, so it's definitely exciting at the same time. That led me to conclude that the mood he was trying to evoke was childish excitement.

3 ) Grace's  Space

Her mood is unquestionably sadness or depression. The colors of the room are blue and black, and it is a very quiet atmosphere. There is also slow piano music playing, with black candles and poems on the table. The things in the room are usually associated with sadness and darkness, and this room successfully conveys that mood. 

TFA 25

What are your final thoughts on Things Fall Apart? How is colonialism depicted differently in this book compared to its depiction in Heart of Darkness? Do you have any final questions about the book. If so, what are they? We will discuss these questions during our final seminar on the book on Monday.

I thought that this book was pretty fun to read. It was a lot less symbolic and hard understand compared to Heart of Darkness, which was nice. It was a more straightforward book, and therefore easier to read. On the topic of colonialism's depiction in the book, it was really just from a different perspective (in addition, different settings and situations). In HOD, it was from the perspective of Marlow, a European man; in TFA, it was from the perspective of Okonkwo, an African man. Therefore, the way the opposite culture was delivered into the two books was different.

Questions:

-How would each book be different if it was written from the opposite perspectives?

-In which ways were the two books similar?

-If the two authors were to discuss the topic of colonialism, in which ways would they agree/ disagree?

Painting Mood

I picked the painting Regatta at the Rialto bridge. It shows what seems to be a center of commerce in the middle of the day, with many people moving about along the edge of a river filled with small boats. To me this evoked a cheerful and enthusiastic mood, since it seems like everyone is going a separate way and has different things they need to do. The weather looks pleasant in the painting, and it just looks like a good day to be outside and walking around; thats why (to me) it elicited the moods I mentioned.

TFA 20-24 Journal

Discuss the role of Christianity in Things Fall Apart. How does the new religion affect Umuofia (Okonkwo's people)? What do you think of this?

Christianity somewhat represents the cultural degradation of the Umofia and the other villages. Although the mission's leader, Mr. Brown, is acceptant of their culture and religious practices (to a fault- remember that he's still trying to convert them), he is soon replaced by a new reverend who is the complete opposite. Though he was replaced due to sickness, this still shows a less tolerant approach to the village's christian conversion. But no matter which approach was taken, whether tolerant or not, it's still taking from their culture and traditions through assimilation.

TFA 14-19

Part 2 is about Okonkwo's exile to the land of his mother. In Ch. 15, we finally hear of a white man's appearance in the Abame tribe, their reaction to him, and other white men's subsequent destruction of the Abame tribe. Please write about what you think of this. What happened here? Why did the Abame tribe react so violently against the white man? Was their destruction a fair price to pay for this? Why or why not?

What happened is that a white man stopped by the village on a bicycle and spooked the villagers. I think that the Abame tribe's violent reaction to the white man was done out of fear, seeing that it was a poor and seemingly rash decision (and also because the man said nothing to them). The oracle in the village had also said that more men would follow that one, so the villagers probably just wanted to rid themselves of the possible danger without time for discussing the consequences. A while later, more white men came and wiped out almost the whole village. This action is justified because the villagers were showing hostility towards the men, whether they were afraid or not. Just because they were scared by the outsider doesn't mean they had to kill him, and there were many other ways that the villagers could've dealt with that situation. I think that the retaliation of the white men was a fair price to pay for the unkindness that the Abame people showed them.

TFA 5-13 Journal

Writing Process: Explain what the purpose and who the audience is for your response paper.

The purpose of my response paper is to inform anyone reading it about the many difficulties (ethnical or otherwise) that arise from attempted colonization of an inhabited land, what those difficulties have been in the past, what they will be in the future, and how one could confront them. The audience for my response paper is quite general, and can really be read by anyone who wants to know about colonization and what it entails. If I wanted to get really technical, I guess young children might not be able to read my paper, give a just criticism of it, or simply understand it well.

2) Location 692-715 (pp. 63-65) "Okonkwo did not taste any food...Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed." What does Okonkwo's reaction to the death of Ikemefuna say about his inner struggle with being a "real man?"

Okonkwo was clearly hurt by Ikemefuna's death by the way he acts during this time; he is depressed, is unable to eat much, and is kept up at night thinking about Ikemefuna. This shows his inner struggle of balancing his manly values with his sadness for the passing of someone who was very close to him (as well as other "feminine" characteristics). Being such a misogynist and attributing so many emotions and activities to women and the weak of body or mind, this event really showed that he is ignorant of those characteristics being almost necessary in order to thrive among those who wish to be close to you.