“It was this man 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” (3).
“He [Okonkwo] had a slight stammer and whenever he got angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists” (4).
“Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness….It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father” (13).
“Behind them was the big and ancient silk-cotton tree which was sacred. Spirits of good children lived in that tree waiting to be born. On ordinary days young women who desired children came to sit under the shade” (46).
“Okonkwo was inwardly pleased at his son’s development and he knew it was due to Ikemefuna. He wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough young man capable of handling his father’s household when he was dead and gone to join the ancestors” (52).
“Umuofia has decided to kill him. The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves has pronounced it. They will take him outside Umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there. But I want you to have nothing to do with it. He calls you father” (57).
“A man’s life was a series of transition rites which brought him nearer to his ancestors” (122).
“They [the white people] must have used powerful medicines to make themselves invisible until the market was full” (139).
“The white man was also their brother because they were all sons of God. And he told them about this new God, the creator of all the world and all the men and women. He told them they worshipped false gods, gods of wood and stone” (145).
Things Fall Apart - Important Quotes
Crosscurrents (Essay 2)
A woman’s body has always been a center of controversy. Over the centuries, views and opinions of the female body has changed and evolved based on culture, society and religion. In some cultures a woman’s body is worshiped as a symbol of birth and fertility, while in others it has become a symbol of sin and shame. Despite where they are in the world, most women feel that they are prisoners in their own body. As seen by Frank Cordell’s “The Century Project” and the film Persepolis, the stress of keeping up with societal and religious standards can drive any woman crazy.
In Frank Cordell’s “The Century Project,” he goes through photographing women naked who have struggled with their looks for most of their life. Whether it is due to weight, scars, or just the way their body looks, many women have been tortured for years because of the “cookie cutter” view of a woman’s body in the United States. At an early age women are exposed to what the ideal woman’s body should look like through magazines and Barbie dolls. Most girls grow up with this false perspective in their heads and wonder why their bodies don’t grow into that same shape. With this ideal brainwashed into them, most girls start to feel self-conscious about their body and grow to have low self esteem. Frank Cordell and the women in his project, however, are trying to break this mold by exposing the real female body. Although a naked woman’s body would be against the religion in Persepolis, the women in The Century Project feel liberated by showing off their normal, beautiful bodies.
The naked photographs of the Century Project caused so much controversy because the United Stat’s view of a female’s body has become so distorted. A woman’s nude body seems to have lost its beauty and has automatically become a vessel that insinuates some sexual, pornographic intent. It is left to wonder if the Century Project was made up of male nude photographs if the reaction would still be the same.
Like in the Century Project, Marjane in the film Persepolis struggles to be her own person through the cage of her female body. Just like the women in the Century Project, Marjane struggles both against her society and her religion. In Marjane’s religion, the female body is seen as a symbol of sin and lust. Women are blamed for tempting men into sin and are forced to cover their hair and bodies because of this. In one scene of the film, Marjane is in an art class where she is supposed to be drawing the figure of a woman in front of her. Ironically, the woman is so covered up by her garments that only her face could be seen. In another scene Marjane is running to catch a bus and some police officers stop her because her “butt was shaking too much while she ran.” Using these ironic and funny scenes, Persepolis does a great job of illustrating how ridiculous and stupid rules are about the female body. Marjane spends the entire length of the film and her life struggling to find out who she really is through the constraints of society and religion.
Although the women in the Century Project and the film Persepolis are separated by hundreds of thousands of miles, they still struggle against a common enemy. Whether by society, religion, or both, the women feel that they are cages in their own bodies. Whether nude or covered up, many women feel that they are held back in the world because of their looks. It is a shame that so many have to work so hard for others to see past their gender and just see their personalities.
The Century Project
At first I really didn't know what to expect with The Century Project. I had heard so much controversy around it that I was unsure of my own feelings. I am never one to listen to movie or book reviews; I always have to judge things for myself. I was glad that Dr. Hollingsworth gave us the opportunity to go see it during class. I am ashamed to say that my feelings were so mixed that I'm not sure if I would have gone if she had not prompted us to. I am very glad that she did because my experience there definitely changed my life.
After taking the time to move around the room, see the photos and read the stories, I felt it became very hard to not let my emotions come out and burst into tears-- Not necessarily in a sad crying manner, but the stories and images conveyed so much emotion, passion and true life that I was just so overcome with a sense of myself. In the faces of these women, I saw my cousin who has a huge scar running down her chest from the open-heart surgeries that she's faced over her 24 years of life. I saw my mother whose face has been distorted and cut-open because of the cancer that ravaged her skin. I saw my grandmother whose frail, small body has seen more war, death and coldness than any one person should have to face. These women, my family, strong and beautiful because of their flaws. This is real life. This is what a woman should look like. I'm sick of seeing Photoshopped, stick-thin women in magazines and people telling me this is what we should look like.
Why is it so hard for people to accept reality? Society is so ingrained in this idealistic view of the world and seem to be pained and ashamed of what things really look like. They shouldn't be afraid of what the real world looks like and things that seem anything other than perfect. Reality isn't perfect. Real life is full of scars, flaws and different shapes and sizes. This is how we were made, and how were are supposed to be. Is that why The Century Project was put into so much controversy? Do people really want to try that hard to blind themselves of the truth? I will never understand why the truth is so painful. You don't have to candy-coat the fact that people aren't perfect.
I really hope that Frank Cordelle continues to share his project. I think that it would be a very great thing for any young girl to see these pictures and read these stories. I think that I would have grown up a more confident, independent girl if I could have seen these women and what a normal body was really supposed to look like. With the images of actresses, models and plastic dolls ingrained in my head, I was sure that what I looked like was wrong. If I had been shown the truth, I would have been happier and loved myself through those awkard years of Middle and High School.
I don't know what anyone hopes to accomplish with censorship. Censorship is just like lying, covering up the truth that is meant to be known. I hope people come to see the error of their ways and allow things The Century Project to be seen. Nothing good ever comes out ouf lying, and I hope that The Century Project still circulates when I have children because I'd love to share this experience again with my daughter.
Chinese Literature
I was really glad to be able to read stories like "Monkey" and "The Story of the Stone" in class. To be perfectly honest I never really thought much of areas like China or Japan having much of their own literature. I know that sounds pretty horrible, but I don't think us as Americans get exposed much to Asian culture. I rarely got to read anything but American and British Literature.
I really enjoyed "Monkey" and especially how humorous it was. I was afraid when we started reading Chinese literature that it would be boring and I was quite surprised to find the humor in it. I think that this class is a lot about breaking stereotypes in what we read and in cultures. Learning is the first step to really knowing what is out there.
I also really liked "The Story of the Stone" as well. I like the title "The Dream of the Red Chamber" a lot more. It is what they call the story in China. I found the full book version at this link:
http://books.google.com/books?id=babCqQYkYroC&dq=The+Story+of+the+Stone&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=jhAASsm3EIKKyQXBotmbCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4
Introduction to World Literature
I am very excited to start off in this class. I enjoy reading stories, especially those from around the world. I am glad that the selections in this class will be so diverse. It seems that the literature chosen for us in High School is very focused around American and English works. I am glad to be able to expand what I know about literature and get to taste what it is like around the world.
I also really like this idea of the blog. I struggle with being shy and talking out loud in class, so I am glad to have an outlet for my thoughts about this class.
Looking forward to good things this semester!
