Things Fall Apart, Part I

Before reading this book I felt nervous it would be similar to the last. Don't get me wrong, the last book was interesting and forced me to consider new perspectives, but I really wasn't in the mood for concepts quite as challenging or difficult to grasp. Luckily, I learned it was the story of a man in a village and found myself whipping through pages in no time. Although I found myself intrigued with the plot, I noticed fairly often how it tied to Orality and Literacy, the very concepts I initially wanted to avoid. Yet this book clicked with everything I learned last week about oral societies and it was nice to tie that newly acquired knowledge to a realistic story. 


For me, the first indicator that his village was an oral society was due to the daily ceremonies and traditions. "As he broke the kola, Unoka prayed to their ancestors for life and health, and for protection against their enemies." This instance frequently repeats throughout the book, along with many other formal customs and religious rituals. Additionally, the process of asking for a woman's hand in marriage tends to follow the same pattern as asking for a favor or making a request. When there is a particular topic one intends to discuss, he waits until drinking and casual conversation have occurred. Clearly, this is a huge difference between oral and literate societies considering we value immediacy more than tedious formality.

Also, I observed that how one speaks demonstrates his or her role in the village, which then reflects what that society values. In particular, supplying for your family, which primarily consists of hard labor, shows that strength is worthy of respect. "Whenever the thought of his father's weakness and failure troubled him he expelled it by thinking about his own strength and success. And so he did now. His mind went to his latest show of manliness." Additionally, considering this is a society of tradition, respect is also given to the wise, such as the Oracle or the elderly. Yet, of course, this makes women and children insignificant and weak. 

While I have no disagreement that in Okonkwo's society, judging a man by the work of his hands is credible, I can't say it surprises me that the result of this ideology leads to a masculine culture. It makes me wonder if all oral societies are primarily masculine since strength and survival tends to be valued most. Regardless, I feel fortunate to live in a society where we can afford to appreciate thought more than physical strength.