This story reminded me of some lyrics to a few of my favorite, well-known songs:
"Just Hold On Loosely, but don't let go
If you cling to tightly,
you're gonna lose control"
- Hold On Loosely, 38 Special
"And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets and
Every time I thought Id got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But Ive never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
Im much too fast to take that test
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Dont want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I cant trace time
I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
So the days float through my eyes
But stil the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
Theyre quite aware of what theyre going through
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Dont tell them to grow up and out of it
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Wheres your shame
Youve left us up to our necks in it
Time may change me
But you cant trace time
Strange fascination, fascinating me
Ah changes are taking the pace Im going through
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Oh, look out you rock n rollers
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
(turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Pretty soon now you're gonna get a little older
Time may change me
But I cant trace time
I said that time may change me
But I cant trace time"
- Changes, David Bowie
If you could summarize the whole theme for this story, it is easy to come up with one word: Change. When I first read "Things Fall Apart" in High School, I never really got too into the story or put much thought into it. Sometimes it takes rereading something to really find meaning in it. Reading it for the second time, this story really spoke to me and I could easily identify with Okonkwo. Things Fall Apart caused me to examine my own self and see how much I have changed since I started college. Just as Okonkwo came in contact with white Christians, I have met many new people here at college. Although I have learned from my new experiences and grabbed any chance to learn more, I understand how it could have been difficult for Okonkwo.
Before I really thought about it, change never seemed bothered me. As I take a step back and look at my life, I see a story full of change. Just in my two short years at UNCW, I have changed so quickly into my own person. I am more cultured and aware of diversity than I ever have been, and more welcomed to this change. In High School, I didn't enjoy the thought of changing. I was scared of it and I rarely reached out to other different things.
I think that I was mostly opposed to change because of my family. We've moved so much during the 19 years of my life, that I've never really felt like I've had a real home. I'm very jealous of all of those kids who have gotten to live in a house long enough to have real memories in them. I've always wanted to live in a house with an old dusty attic full of old family heirlooms and old treasures from my past. You could say my parents are minimalists in that way. They are very unsentimental when it comes to old things that used to hold memories. To them they are just junk that takes up space, and as a result my family has been known for our garage sales.
Things Fall Apart - Change
