Chapter 25: When the District Commissioner arrives at Okonkwo’s compound, he finds a small group of men sitting outside. He asks for Okonkwo, and the men tell him that Okonkwo is not at home. The men ask again Obierika tells them the same thing once again. The man begins to get angry and threatens to send him to prison if he does not show him where Okonkwo is. Obierika takes him to Okonkwo where the find his body dangling from a tree. He hung himself. Obierika tells them about suicide being and tells them they can't touch his body.

Prove your belief that Okonkwo's choice to commit suicide was or was not the only plausible ending for his tragic life. Use the history of the Igbo people, Okonkwo's interaction with the other important characters, the proverbs and stories belonging to the Igbo culture, as well as your own beliefs to write a final 450 word blog post as the final posting of your personal blog. I definitely think there was a better way to end the story. I don't think that he hurt a lot of people doing this. I think maybe the only people he may have hurt was his family and friend Obierika. I was kind of confused on why he did kill himself he could've run away or something else. You would think he wouldn't stoop that low and kill himself considering that he doesn't want to be seen as weak. Killing himself like that was basically saying he couldn't handle what was yet to come which is very weak. He should've been a strong leader and pushed through. By killing himself he also killed a well, respected leader of the clan with three wives and children and also a high position because of all the things he had done.

 

 

Chapter 24: After being released, the prisoners returned with looks that frightened the children. The village is filled with tense and unnatural silence. The village crier announces another meeting for the following morning, and the clan is filled with a sense of foreboding. The village gathers the next day. Okonkwo barely slept because of his excitement and anticipation. He thought is was all over no matter what was decided he would stick. He takes out his war dress and assesses his smoked raffia skirt, tall feather headgear, and shield as in pretty good condition. He thinks back to his former glories in battle and ponders that the nature of man has changed. The meeting is packed with men from all of the clan’s nine villages. The first speaker talks of how the damage aand how much was done fron the white man. Five court messengers approach the grounds ordering the meeting to stopped. When they finish what the yhave to say Okonkwo kills them with his machete and wipes off the remains of blood and departs when he was finished.

Chapter 22 & Chapter 23: James Smith replaces Mr. Brown. The church finally gets burned down. Okonkwo almost becomes happy again because hechurchwas burned and they are in the midst of running them away. They are captured and jailed. A bail is also set for them.
Some of the traits that Okonkwo had were strength but then that quickly led to weakness because he couldn't take it anymore knowing there was nothing he could do so he hung himself.

Chapter 21: Surprisingly a lot of people are not unhappy with the influence of the white man. They have set up trading posts and money is steadily coming in.  Mr. Brown, the white missionary, restrains his flock from antagonizing the clan. He meets with others to discuss their religious views. Mr. Brown builds a hospital and a school. He asks people to let their children go to his school. Okonkwo is also very disappointed that basically nobody cares that he came back form exile.

Compare and contrast the Igbo tribe before and after colonization. The tribe was a lot different before and after. A lot of things changed and I think most of the reason is because Okonkwo wasn't around to stop these things from happening. It seemed a lot more chaotic to me before he left. Now everything seems more calmer and in control now that the christians are mostly taking over.

Chapter 20: Okonkwo has been planning for a long time to rebuil his compound on a larger scale. He also wants two more wives and title for his sons. I also forgot to mention that because Nwoye converted to christianity, Okonkwo disowned him as a son. I know that was a surprising thing for Nwoye to do but I don't think Okonkwo should've taken it that far. But being the way he is I could see him doing that. But like I said earlier maybe this is what the spirits of the Evil Forest want, because they aren't doing anything to the church for being there. A lot of things have changed since Okonkwo has been gone. He is shocked that the clan has no run the church and its people away. Okonkwo observes that the white man is very shrewd because he came in peace and appeared to have only benevolent interests in the Africans, who thus permitted him to stay. They discuss the story of Aneto, who was hanged by the government after he killed a man with whom he had a dispute.

Chapter 19: Okonkwo's seven years of exile are coming to an end. Before he returned he provided a large feast for his mother's kinsmen. He is very grateful to them for what they have done for him during his exile but regrets the fact that he could have influenced his clan more. He also hates that he spent time with such unmanly men ofr so long. At the feast, someone expresses how surprised they were that Okonkwo was so nice with the food and everything. Another praises his devotion to the kinship bond. The same person also expresses his worry for the children because christianity is winning so many over.
What is the purpose of part 2? I think the purpose of it was to tell how he was sent to exile and to tell you the things that go on while he was gone. I personally think that if Okonkwo was there when the missionaries came Nwoye probably never would have converted unless he did it without Okonkwo knowing. I don't think Okonkwo would have let such a thing happen.

Chapter 18: The church, of course, is winning more and more converts everyday from titleless, worthless men. The church gained a bunch of more outcasts.  Afterward, there is an uproar but Mr. Kiaga firmly refuses to deny the outcasts membership to the church.  The osu soon become the most zealous members of the church. Okonkwo urges Mbanta to drive the Christians out with violence, but the rulers and elders decide to ostracize them instead. The villagers’ trust in their gods is thereby reaffirmed, and they cease to ostracize the converts.

Chapter 17: The missionaries request a piece of land on which to build a church. The village leaders and others offer them a piece of the Evil Forest hoping they will not take it considering it is a big part of them, but they didn't care. The elders are tsurprised that they rejoice over the offer. They are sure that the spirits in the Evil Forest will kill the ministry within a number of days. However nothing happens. The church also wins their first three converts. So what it looks like to me is that maybe the spirits of the Evil Forest don't think that the white missionary putting the church there was such a bad thing. Overtime the church starts to win more and more converts including a pregnant woman. Other people are also starting to notice that Nwoye is hanging around with the christian people. They inform Okonkwo about Nwoye being with the christians. When he returned he choked Nwoye yelling at him. He was very disturbed that Nwoye had converted to Christianity.

Chapter 16: Three years into Okonkwo's exile, Obierika come back to see him. Obierika comes back because he had seen Nwoye with some of the christian converts. He is not going to talk about it around Okonkwo yet. Nwoye's mom tells him a little of the story.  Six white missionaries came to where Okonkwo was. They were telling the people all kinds of crazy things to get them to convert to christianity. They were saying that they were believing in or worshipping a false god. The ywere often laughing about some of the things they were saying. Somehow all of it is making sense to Nwoye and making him want to be a part of them. He is instantly sucked in. The poetry of the new religion seems to answer his questions about the deaths of Ikemefuna and the twin newborns soothing him like the drops of frozen rain melting on the dry palate.

Chapter 14: Okonkwo's uncle and kinsmen help him rebuild a new compound since his other one was burned down. They also lent him some seed yam to start a new farm. His son has a wedding in which he took part in. Chapter 15: During the second year of Okonkwo’s exile, Obierika brings several bags of cowries to Okonkwo. He also brought bad news to him. A village called Abame was destroyed. A white man arrived in Abame on an iron horse which is a bicycle. The vilagers killed the man and tied his bike to the sacred tree. The man's comrades found his bike and assumed that he had been killed. They came back and destroyed the village. The reason for all the money being brought to Okonkwo was the business that Obierika was doing for Okonkwo. He was selling his yams for him.

Chapter 11: Ekwefi tells Ezinma a story about a greedy, cunning tortoise. Chielo tells Ekwefi that Agbala, Oracle of the Hills and Caves, wants to see Ezinma. Frightened, they try to persuade Chielo to wait until morning but angrily Chielo reminds Okonkwo that he mustn't defy a god's will. Chielo takes Ezinma and forbids anyone to follow her. Ekwefi overcame her fear of punishment and followed her. If she heard Ezinma crying she would rush in and defend even if she is a god. Startling her was Okonkwo behind her with a machete. Chapter 12: Chielo exits the cave and brings Ezinma back without saying a word to anyone. Okonkwo was really worried the night before but of course didn't show it. Okonkwo's family prepared for Obierika’s daughter’s uri. They had a successful feast.
Chapter 13: Ezuedu's death is announced. The funeral was big since Ezuedu was known for great things. The men beat the drums and fired guns. Okonkwo's gun went off and accidentally shot and kiled Ezuedu's son. For that he was sentenced to exile for seven years in his mother's homeland.

In chapter 9 you learn that Ekwefi's only daughter Ezinma is dying. You also find out that her nine other children have died in infancy. She developed the habit of naming them symbolic things such as “Onwumbiko,” which means, “Death, I implore you,” and “Ozoemena,” which means, “May it not happen again.” Okonkwo learns that an ogbanje is what is tormenting them. An ogbanje is a wicked child that reenters the mother's womb just to die over and over again to cause the parent grief. The medicine man messed up body of the third child to discourage the ogbanje's return. Ezinma was an ogbanje child as well, like others she suffered many illnesses but recovered all of them. Ezinma's iyi-uwa is found which is the small, buried pebble that is the ogbanje's link to the spirit world.
Chapter 10: The village holds a ceremonial gathering to administer justice. The clan's ancestral spirits known as egwugwus emerge from a secret house where no woman is allwoed to set foot. They take the masked form of men and everyone thinks Okonkwo is with them. The first disputes that comes involves a man and his wife. The man claims that her three brother beat him and took her away from him. The egwugwu decide in the favor of her brothers.

Chapter 8: Okonkwo becomes really sad and depressed. He begins to feel very weak and can't eat or sleep. Ezinma brings him his meal telling him he must finish everything. he wishes that she were a boy and berates himself for the way he is acting. He visits Obierika and congratulates his son for the win in the wrestling contest. They talk about Okonkwo's sons not being manly enough. They also argue about whether he should have participated in the killing of Ikemefuna.

Chapter 7: Ikemefuna stays with the family for three years. Okonkwo is beginning to see his son develop and become more manly. He knows that part of the reason is because Ikemefuna being around. The locusts descend upon Umuofia surprising the villagers. They come once in a generation and will return every year for seven years before disappearing for another lifetime. They tell Okonkwo that Ikemefuna must be killed. They tell Okonkwo not to take part in the killing because he loves him and Ikemefuna sees him as a father. He tells Ikemefuna that he will be returning home. Nwoye so upset bursts into tears. When walking home Ikemefuna thinks about seeing his mother back home. After walking for so long a man attacks im with a machete. He calls for help from Okonkwo but Okonkwo helps cut him down. When he gets home, Nwoye talks about Ikemefuna being dead.

Chapter 6: The wrestling match takes place on the village ilo. Drummers line the field, spectators are overly excited and have to be held back. The wrestling match begins with a fifteen and sixteen year old boy. Obierika's son wins one of the matches within seconds. Ekwefi speaks with Chielo, the priestess of Agbala. The two are good friends. Chielo considers Ezinma her daughter.

~What does Okonkwo's village look like? I would say that there is the housing area in place, the land for their yam farming and other things,and the area for the market. The last thing would be their central meeting area, like the our downtown.

Chapter 5: The village holds the Feast of the New Yam to give thanks to the earth goddess, Ani. Of course Okonkwo doesn't really care for feasts so he becomes angry because he has nothing to do. The women clean and decorate their huts, throw away all of their unused yams from the year before and use cam wood to paint their skin and that of their children with decorative designs. Okonkwo, bored comes up with some crazy reason to beat his second wife. Then he decides to go hunting with his gun. Ekwefi says a snide comment about it and Okonkwo shoots the gun at her but misses. The day after come the annual wrestling contest. Okonkwo's second wife especially enjoys this event because this is where he won her heart when he beat the Cat. He was too poor to pay her bride price then but she soon ran away to be with him. Ekwefi has one child, her daughter Ezinma. Okonkwo is very fond of her but shows rarily any affection towards her.

Chapter 4: The clan decides that Ikemefuna stays with Okonkwo. Ikemefuna is a little homesick at first but that soon goes away. Nwoye's mother treats him as if he is one of her own. Ikemefuna becomes popular with Okonkwo's children and tells them many stories he knows. He becomes like an older brother to Nwoye. Okonkwo finds himself growing very fond of Ikemefuna. He begins love him as if he was his natural son. He doesn't want to be seen as weak so he shows no affection. Soon Ikemefuna starts Okonkwo father.  During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo notices that one of his wives has left her hut to go get her plaited without preparing their dinner. For doing such he beats her really badly. He is punished for breaking the peace of the week. He has to give up a goat, one length of cloth, and 100 cowries. After the Week of Peace, Ikemefuna and Nwoye help Okonkwo get the seed yams ready to be planted. He hopes for Nwoye to become a great man and farmer through critism.

In chapter 3 it talks about how Okonkwo made all of his money alone because Unoka never had a successful harvest. When he visited the Oracle he was told he failed because of how lazy he was. Because of that he died of a shameful illness. It was "swelling which was an abomination to the earth goddess. Unoka never held any of the community's four titles that had to be paid for and left a lot of debts unpaid. Okonkwo couldn't count on his father for any help financially or physically with constructing an obi so he had to do it himself. He succeeds in exceeding other clansmen as a warrior, farmer, and family provider. He asks a wealthy clansmen, Nwakibie, to give him 400 seed yams to start a farm. Nwakibie ended up giving him 800 because he liked what he saw. Another one of Unoka's friends gave him 400 more seed yams, but because of terrible droughts, Okonkwo could only keep one-third of the harvest. That year was a devastating harvest.

~Who is the Igbo tribe? Where are they found? What are some of their most important customs? Who is Okonkwo?
The Igbo people are an ethnic group of Southeastern Nigeria. Some important customs are the thoughts of originating from sanctified ancestors and gods whom it would be sacrilege to disobeyMissionary influence has been felt in aspects of culture including such changes as killing twins among the Igbos. Okonkwo is a respected clan leader in Umuofia. He has strived to a much better, stronger leader than his father, which has driven him to success. His hard work has gained him a high position in the clan. Also working hard has made him wealthy and got him three wives. His biggest fear is weakness. He wants to be nothing like his father Unoka, which makes him behave rashly which later can bring him a lot of trouble.

In chapter 2, the ogene of the town crier went off. Gome, Gome, Gome, Gome boomed the hollow metal. Every man of Umuofia was asked to gather at the market place the next morning. A daughter of Umuofia was murdered. Because she was murdered they needed a young man and a virgin as compensation. Umuofia was feared by all its neighbors. So when the daughter of Umuofia was killed in Mbaino, Ikemefuna came into Okonkwo's household. In this chapter they also talk about Okonkwo's well being. He has his own hut or obi. Each of his three wives had their own hut, which together formed a half moon behind the obi. He also has eight children. It also reflects back on his father Unoka and how much he dislikes him because of his laziness. Nwoye is Okonkwo's first son. Ikemefuna was taken into Nwoye's mother's hut. Ikemefuna becomes homesick leading into chapter three.

Chapter One:
This chapter mostly talks about Okonkwo and who he is. It tells you how he is seen in Umuofia and how he honors them. His fame is rested upon personal acheivements. He brought honor to his vilage by throwing Amalinze the Cat. Amalinze was the great wrestler who was unbeaten for seven years, from Umuofia to Mbaino. He was called the Cat because his back never touched the ground. Also in Chapter One in chapter one it tells you about Okonkwo's father, Unoka. He was shameful, lazy, and weak. He was always losing and borrowing money. He is now deceased but is in a lot of debt. He owed people lots of money, but never paid people back. He wasn't a good supplier for his wife and kids. They often went hungry. Okonkwo doesn’t like his father at all. He doesn’t like him because he weak and lazy and couldn’t really do for himself. He died from a shameful death , “swelling which was an abomination to the earth goddess.”