TFA Chapter 24- Doug

By this point in the book, the missionaries have committed a large number of atrocities that have not only disrespected the people of Umofia, but have also humiliated them. Okonkwo's return is the not what he expected, but as he learns what has happened during his years of exile, he becomes increasingly furious. We feel his anger build throughout the chapter as he describes what he "would have done" and what he will do if Umofia decides to not go to war. He however, cannot control himself and therefore kills one of the messengers at the market meeting. Was it his anger towards the fact that he had been absent for so long that drove him to committing murder? Or was it his anger towards the people of Umofia that he assumed would not go to war?

Chapter 8: Okonkwo's Struggle

"Okonkwo did not taste any food for two days after the death of Ikemefuna. He drank palm-wine from morning till night, and his eyes were red and fierce like the eyes of a rat when it was caugh by the tail and dashed against the board."(p. 63) It is from the beginning of chapter eight that we begin to see an entirely different side of the mighty and fearless Okonkwo. He kills Ikemefuna and is emotionally distraught by the fact that he put an end to a young boy's life who called him "father." Not only does he know the extent to which he is affected by it, but he is also aware of the contradiction within himself and all of his "manly" values. Emotional vulnerability, in his eyes, is a sign of weakness. The reality of his breakdown catches up to him on page 65 when he recoups his strengths and asks himself, "When did you become a shivering old woman. . . .you, who are known in all the nine villages for your valor in war. . . .Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed."(page 65) Is his sudden recovery an act of incredibly valor, or just another one of his blind defense systems fed by his hatred of his father's memory? How have his ideals of how men should act impacted his own family, especially his children?

Chapter 8: Duhgless Day La Oh

"Okonkwo did not taste any food for two days after the death of Ikemefuna. He drank palm-wine from morning till night, and his eyes were red and fierce like the eyes of a rat when it was caugh by the tail and dashed against the board."(p. 63) It is from the beginning of chapter eight that we begin to see an entirely different side of the mighty and fearless Okonkwo. He kills Ikemefuna and is emotionally distraught by the fact that he put an end to a young boy's life who called him "father." Not only does he know the extent to which he is affected by it, but he is also aware of the contradiction within himself and all of his "manly" values. Emotional vulnerability, in his eyes, is a sign of weakness. The reality of his breakdown catches up to him on page 65 when he recoups his strengths and asks himself, "When did you become a shivering old woman. . . .you, who are known in all the nine villages for your valor in war. . . .Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed."(page 65) Is his sudden recovery an act of incredibly valor, or just another one of his blind defense systems fed by his hatred of his father's memory? How have his ideals of how men should act impacted his own family, especially his children?

A Glimpse of Brandon

The whole bed vibrates, once at first, but then continues as Brandon frantically struggles through heavy blankets in search of the vibration source. Bzzz, goes the phone for the fifth time and “Ah! I’m out of time!” thinks Brandon. A falling stack of papers only helped to intensify the search and it is already too late. The vibrations are joined by an obnoxiously loud, incomprehensible chorus whose efficiency in waking him up had become the only reason it had stayed his daily reminder that a new day had begun. His alarm clock had been broken for months, and his phone had taken its place. Ever since then, Brandon refused to sleep without his phone by his side for fear that he wouldn’t be able to hear in the morning. And so every morning told the same story; because Brandon was a restless sleeper, he would unknowingly, throughout the night, bury his phone under piles of blankets, therefore making it virtually impossible for his half-asleep—if that—hands to find the phone before it succeeded in carrying out its usual task—telling him its 5:54 a.m., just another day.

The morning routine was a basic one, one that he enjoyed. Getting dressed was never a problem, and if yesterday had been anything like what today would be, then his backpack would already be packed and ready to go after grabbing a cold glass of orange juice and some toast for breakfast. “Alright, off to school.” Twelve and halve minutes later,—this was only an average, and of course as only Brandon would have it, was based on the assumption that one drove at the speed limit—he arrived at school. The walk through the parking lot that continued up around the administration building and finally led to the hallways he knew so well wasn’t actually that bad. In fact, he enjoyed the morning conversations usually held with a fellow classmate who like Brandon, knew the entire layout of his or her day. It usually began with a casual, half-mumbled “morning, how are ya?” and ended with a cheerful “see ya,” which then meant the day really had started.
First through fourth period were never bad. Brandon’s morning classes were always the same, just in a different order every day. But that didn’t matter because he could always count on his third period free for an entire fifty minutes of relaxation time he could not survive without. After struggling through Psychology four period, Brandon suddenly became aware of how hungry he really was. In reality, he was always hungry, and ate like it too. Luckily, he had a fast metabolism to match his insatiable want for massive lunches. His friends all knew he loved food, and so he was often the one who chose where the group could go for lunch. He knew every lunch place in the city, some of his friends claimed. Though obviously an exaggeration, Brandon found it, to an extent, somewhat comforting that he was know for something. He didn’t play sports and his involvement in clubs peaked during his freshman year when he voice cracked during a Rock Climbing role call. But now he was a senior, and quite proud of his food knowledge, which today had led his friends and him to Braza, a brazilian steakhouse. It was a good lunch, they were satisfied and Brandon was determined to finish off one more day. His last three classes went by quickly, the teacher’s lectured as usual and Brandon was glad to be done with his day.

The 3 p.m. bell rang and school was over. After a few friendly goodbyes to some friends and acquaintences, Brandon was again, twelve and a half minutes from home. Four hours later, he had completed his homework, eaten dinner, and was now enjoying more free time. His cell phone vibrated occasionally with text messages, most of which he replied to at random points throughout the night. Besides, most were facebook notifications, and being the 18 year old adolescent boy he was, he was logged on all night. Chatting with people online had become sort of a ritual, but tonight he felt he needed extra sleep. After all, he did have a test in Anatomy tomorrow. He was not worried, he had studied. After packing his backpack and thoroughly going through the hygiene process, he plugged his phone into the charger. It was 9:47 p.m, the alarm was set, he was tired, and so into a deep slumber he fell. Tomorrow would be another day, just another day.

I like my suit, it's fwame-wesistant

I like my suit, it's fwame-wesistant.

As I thought about all the things that make up who I am, I realized that it was impossibly hard to choose something that I would like to change. Every person in the world is different; everyone has a certain aspect to him or her that defines who he or she is. The more I considered this fact, the more I came to realize that I had ironically been thinking about the very thing that makes me who I am. I take pride in knowing that I am knowledgeable and comfortable about who I am. Of course, as most everyone does, I too have several small things about me that would I would like to change. For example, I procrastinate a little more than I would like to do, but I finish my tasks. Being organized is not one of my best characteristics, but I know that my wallet is in the back left pocket of the jeans under the bath towel on my floor. What I mean is that I know myself and how I operate.
I have always been the kind of person that looks for the logical solution in any problem, the logical solution in anything, really. Perhaps it is because it has always worked for me and I feel comfortable with it, but I am absolutely okay with that. It is just another brushstroke that helps paint the picture of who I am. The way my parents have raised me, the values and lessons I have learned from every mistake I have ever made, and the decisions that lead me further in life everyday are all things that have contributed to my making.
I believe everyone is painting a self-portrait, a masterpiece of him or herself. It is however, important that one confidence shines through every stroke. Where does this confidence come from? It comes from knowing yourself. Perhaps my “fwame wesistant” suit is made out of being stubborn, but I like my suit. Why change something that has worked for me? Do I want to be perfectly organized or know every stat there is to know about every professional football team? Wouldn’t that make me a little more like someone else? I like my suit. Changing it would mean changing who I am.

Antigone's Accomplishment: Nothing New

Simply disagreeing with authority and unjust ruling is uncommon when it affects any individual personally, but it becomes an accomplishment when the power of that certain individual has an effect far beyond themselves. Antigone’s determination and belief in her actions is what eventually led to her death, but also to her greatest personal achievement. Creon’s actions were, according to her, violating not only the moral laws that bound their society together, but also the gods’ laws. Though written hundreds of years ago, this feeling of resentment towards the personal violations from an authority has continuously rippled throughout history. The courage seen in Antigone can be noticed in the sit-ins that took place throughout the civil rights movement. The disgust with the immoral laws that drove Antigone to a personal victory over her commanding authority that was present throughout these sit-ins that took place throughout the South.

Both Antigone and the sit-ins demonstrators share a trait that led to both their clash with authority and personal victory: intelligence. Antigone’s flaw is that she is an intelligent woman questioning authority during a time of personal abuse resulting from the immoral actions of an authority. The young African-american men and women’s flaw during the Civil Rights Movement was their intelligence during a time when the violation of their personal rights was an accepted fact. The reason Antigone’s actions were outspoken is that she challenged the highest authority in the state, the king. She however, felt it necessary due to the fact that Creon violated her family’s rights for a proper burial. Many people throughout Thebes agreed with Antigone, but it was Antigone’s actions for a change that made differentiated her. Creon is appalled by her actions, especially because she is a woman, but is precisely this backlash from authority that fuels Antigone’s drive for justice. Similary, the four boys that protested at the Greendsboro Sit-Ins in 1960 began a personal struggle against the immoral laws that prohibited them from simply sitting on a stool at a lunch counter. Their determination was the glue that kept them together during the protests against their actions. As in Antigone’s case, the Greensboro boys stood their ground as they suffered opposition heavy opposition.

The Greensboro Boys and Antigone shared a common goal that was accomplished by both through their will to fight for what they believe was just. Antigone gave her brother a proper burial and died for it just as many African-americans were beaten for simply sitting in a restricted chair in protest. Their struggles against an immoral laws and authority is outdone only by the fruits of their actions. Antigone did not manage to change Creon’s way of being and the Greensboro boys did not change any laws on their first day of protest, but they both acquired a sense of personal progress towards a more just world. The Greensboro sit-ins sparked a chain-reaction that did eventually lead to the banning of many segregation laws and did Antigone secured an after life for her brother. They achieved what they set out to do and were able to finish doing so because of their sense of personal achievement.

Books that have had an impact on me

1.) 1984- The ideas relating to government and authority are so well put together. I remember it because i quoted the book for weeks.

2.)Holes- I remember reading this book and not knowing what was going to happen. I kept reading faster and faster because I wanted to find out what would happen to Stanley Yelnats in the desert.

3.)Harry Potter- I have re-read every book of the series several times. It has an amazing story line with twists and turns that made me keep reading page after page.

4.)The curious incident of the dog in the night-time- This was my summer reading book and I found that I could relate to Christopher's way of thinking. Even though he is autistic, he thinks a logical way, and though I am not saying I think exactly like him, I am a person who tries to use logic to work through things.

5.) Killer angels- This book gave me an entire new perspective and perception of the civil war. I paid very close to attention to every detail and am glad I did. I did well on the test that covered some of the book.

6.) James and the Giant Peach- The one thing that stands out the most for me when I think of this book is the fact that it took me by surprise. It was an entirely new kind of story that had all sorts of characters.

7.) Night- I remember the genuine feeling of compassion I felt while reading the book. I learned a lot more about the reality of the holocaust.