Perfect Paper 1 - completed version

The first text was a news article from a news paper named Miami Herald located in the business section, its title being "Squatters take on developers and was published in 2007. It discusses the problems of invasion and exploitation within the Caribbean's through factual information. As this article takes place in 2007,its purpose may be more against the idea of colonialism. The second text was an advertisement for "The Great White Fleet in 1922", a pompous  poster promising a pleasant journey around the Caribbean. Both texts fall under the theme of expansion as their topics main concern circles around the Caribbean and its involvement with foreigners. Their concerns, however, lie on different spectrums.  The difference in time frame but similarity in audience will thus shape the main elements such as tone mood , structure and style of those texts which will be examined in this essay. 

Both texts are addressing similar audiences, however the nearly hundred year difference in time causes the message and aim to carry opposing ideologies, displaying the change in priorities and awareness over the years. The news article is most likely directed at the people located outside Panama , perhaps investors who may not be aware of the impact of their actions (american and european retirees) within the tourism industry. The primary purpose of this text serves to provide the audience with factual information and instigate a call for action. This is done through the linking of Panama with people who reside there and the effects of tourism that they suffer from, such as eviction from their own home. So in effect, Pathos is used to stimulate sympathy within the audience so as to abstain from and rethink their choices about the Caribbean's. 

The other given text consisted of an advertisement for the cruise company, “The Great White Fleet” that travels around Central America and the Caribbean. The targeted audience in this case is more specific ; it is directed at wealthy middle class aristocrats who can afford to travel and plan on going on vacation stating that: "Only First class passengers are carried”. Unlike the article , the purpose of this advertisement is to persuade the audience of the quality of the cruise by focusing on the benefits to the passengers that the cruise provides and the exotic beauty of the countries. Considering the advert being during the colonial times, the people who could afford to where still highly encouraged to explore and dominate, not as exposed to the natives and the downsides it would cause for them. The article has moved well beyond that into the post colonial perspective, exhibiting strong opposing views of the exploitation of Caribbean's beauty,neglecting its people and their rights. 

The message of the content of this article can be described as the act of corporate injustice found within the tourism industry in Panama, wherein hardly earned land is stolen from the natives for the entertainment and enjoyment of wealthy foreign investors and tourists. It provides the current state of Panama and presents a strong opinion on what occurs there. Judging from the name of the title "Squatters take on developers" , within it lies the idea of domination. The Squatters can be defined as individuals that unlawfully occupy land, which in this case is the natives. The developers would be the American entrepreneurs that technically have the right to propel the Caribbean's economy forward for their own benefit. Clearly, the writer of the article addresses the issues that arise for the natives through the market of tourism and development and how they face eviction of their own homes due to that. In doing so, this links to the overall theme of expansion as it discusses colonialism. The advertisement transmits the message of relaxation and privilege through promises of excellent food, great scenery and the title stating "the great white fleet". Great and white being associated with the audience being of european descent and powerful through their wealth , evoking a sense of pride and inclusion within the audience. Also at the time this advertisement was published, America was just experiencing the economic boom which meant that a much greater number of people were now wealthy enough to reach out to other countries in a more exploring manner. This further enhances the theme of expansion. The two messages in these texts are quite different as on one side (text 1) the audience is provided with unbiased factual information that asks for reconsideration of what text 2 has created to become the norm: tourism and exploitation of exotic underdeveloped countries. 

The news article has a rather serious tone expressed through the factual information that highlights the graveness of the situation for the natives. The writer of this article expresses himself in a moralistic manner wherein he challenges the foreigners right to exploit the Caribbean's. This can be seen here: "For centuries this Caribbean Island has been a beautiful place to be dirt poor. But in recent years , a booming real estate market has brought american entrepreneurs into direct conflict with Afro-Caribbean and indigenous Indians who occupy these once-isolated isles." Here the writer is acknowledging the natives and their birth right to reside in their own country. He mentions how being poor there was of no importance as that was the norm and the country provided enough resources. Now that the American entrepreneurs entered territory, they can no longer afford to live in their own way and are forced out of their homes as they cannot afford to stay. With continuous accusations the article progresses with a defensive mood. In the advertisement, the tone is rather flattering as can be seen through the word choice here: "Only first class passengers carried". This clearly states that not everyone can take on this exquisite journey ; the passengers must be wealthy. The greatness of the trip is further enhanced through the descriptions of the locations that the passengers will visit, such as Jamaica, Havana and the Panama Canal and how in those specific places the temperature will never rise above 88 degrees, improving its reputation. The overall mood of this advertisement could be described as exited with all the grand promises being made. 

The style in "Squatters take on developers" is very straight forward. The imagery that can be seen is verbal as the article is located in the business section of the newspaper and operates as such. There is 

some evidence of the usage of Glittering Generalities which is what the author uses to introduce his article: " ISLA CARENERO, PANAMA-- In the late 1980's , Nicasio Jimenez built two listing shacks with mangrove beams, a roof of scavenged tin , and rough floor planks that allowed Caribbean breezes and tsetse flies to flit through the cracks." There is no particular back up of this piece of information but it certainly serves well as a vague introduction that uses descriptive words on how a native built his home which clearly doesn't rise up to western standards. There is nothing particularly unique about this statement , however used in this context and as a way to introduce the article , it may manipulate the audience into feeling sympathetic before reading anything else. This can also be classified under imagery as the author uses creative words in order to describe a natives house and thus creates an image of romanticised poverty. There is some use of Testimonial technique, as the writer incorporates the opinion of someone influential executive director Osvaldo Jordan who states: " There is this tremendous lust for the coast line. Developers and speculators will use any means necessary to get the land from the people." So here the writer uses the valued opinion of an individual in order to strengthen his argument and push the audience towards forming the same opinion, under the influence of testimonial. Another technique used is card stacking. The author here is clearly against the developers and this can be seen through the emphasis of the bad done by one side, repressing that side. This can be seen here :"In the past year the conflict has spiralled. Armed private security guards patrol disputed beaches. A powerful union of construction workers has levelled charges of "colonialism" against several developers. Homes have mysteriously burned and been torn to the ground." He is careful to only mention the negative and forceful aspects of Americans, never mentioning investors or innocent wealthy people who are not aware of the damage they're causing. This leads to his use of plain folk, a form of propaganda used where the writer presents himself as someone who is able to empathise with other people's issues while remaining humble. He does this by extracting opinionated information from firsthand sources and generally remaining humble in the background of the article. 

In the advertisement , unlike in the article, Images are the main attraction as well as strategically placed keywords that support the aim of the advert. The title is pompous and as mentioned earlier there is some symbolic meaning behind it, the word "white" being white on a black background associated with the word "great" right beside it; this reflects on the privileged part of the American population. The image of the map transmits a better idea of where the journey could go and draws in to the text in the middle with all the locations mapped out again. It is also located on a globe with a large white ship in the background, towering over the waves. This image transmits an idea of domination and conquering. Overall this advert attempts to appeal to its audience through the use of imagery displaying an array of pleased people dressed in expensive clothes, interacting on the ship. This draws in the audience more. There is some use of Hyperbole as the advert is very focused on the benefits for the tourists and their experience, overly exaggerating  but does not address how this may affect the natives negatively.

Conclusively , it has been established that both texts are based on the same theme of Expansion. However due to the difference in time, the aim and content of those texts was fairly different, varying in persuasive techniques and the ideology of both. The news article was against the exploitation and expansion in the Caribbean's while the advertisement highly encouraged it through presenting it in a different light.

Paper one - Comparative essay draft version.

The first text was a news article from a news paper named Miami Herald located in the business section, its title being "Squatters take on developers and was published in 2007. It discusses the problems of invasion and exploitation within the Caribbean's through factual information. The second one was an advertisement for " The Great White Fleet in 1922" , a pompous  poster promising a pleasant journey around the Caribbean. Both texts fall under the theme of expansion as their topics main concern circles around the Caribbean and its involvement with foreigners. Their concerns, however, lie on different spectrums.  The difference in time frame but similarity in audience will thus shape the main elements such as tone mood , structure and style of those texts which will be examined in this essay. 

Both texts are addressing similar audiences, however the nearly hundred year difference in time causes the message and aim to carry opposing messages, displaying the change in priorities over the years. The news article is most likely directed at the people located outside Panama , perhaps investors who may not be aware of the impact of their actions (american and european retirees) within the tourism industry. The primary purpose of this text serves to provide the audience with factual information and instigate a call for action. This is done through the linking of Panama with people who reside there and the effects of tourism that they suffer from, such as eviction from their own home. So in effect, Pathos is used to stimulate sympathy within the audience so as to abstain from and rethink their choices about the Caribbean's. 

The other given text consisted of an advertisement for the cruise company, “The Great White Fleet” that travels around Central America and the Caribbean. The targeted audience in this case is more specific ; it is directed at wealthy middle class aristocrats who can afford to travel and plan on going on vacation stating that: "Only First class passengers are carried”. Unlike the article , the purpose of this advertisement is to persuade the audience of the quality of the cruise by focusing on the benefits to the passengers that the cruise provides and the exotic beauty of the countries. Considering the advert being during the colonial times, the people who could afford to where still highly encouraged to explore and dominate, not as exposed to the natives and the downsides it would cause for them. The article has moved well beyond that into the post colonial perspective, exhibiting strong opposing views of the exploitation of Caribbean's beauty, neglecting its people. 

The message of the content of this article can be described as the act of corporate injustice found within the tourism industry in Panama, wherein hardly earned land is stolen from the natives for the entertainment and enjoyment of wealthy foreign investors and tourists. It provides the current state of Panama and presents a strong opinion on what occurs there. Judging from the name of the title "Squatters take on developers" , within it lies the idea of domination. The Squatters can be defined as individuals that unlawfully occupy land, which in this case is the natives. The developers would be the American entrepreneurs that technically have the right to propel the Caribbean's economy forward for their own benefit. Clearly, the writer of the article addresses the issues that arise for the natives through the market of tourism and development and how they face eviction of their own homes due to that. In doing so, this links to the overall theme of expansion as it discusses colonialism. The advertisement transmits the message of relaxation and privilege through promises of excellent food, great scenery and the title stating "the great white fleet". Great and white being associated with the audience being of european descent and powerful through their wealth , evoking a sense of pride and inclusion within the audience. Also at the time this advertisement was published, America was just experiencing the economic boom which meant that a much greater number of people were now wealthy enough to reach out to other countries in an exploring manner. This further enhances the theme of expansion. The two messages in these texts are quite different as on one side (text 1) the audience is provided with unbiased factual information that asks for reconsideration of what text 2 has created to become the norm: tourism and exploitation of exotic underdeveloped countries. 

The news article has a rather serious tone expressed through the factual information that highlights the graveness of the situation for the natives. The writer of this article expresses himself in a moralistic manner wherein he challenges the foreigners right to exploit the Caribbean's. This can be seen here: "For centuries this Caribbean Island has been a beautiful place to be dirt poor. But in recent years , a booming real estate market has brought american entrepreneurs into direct conflict with Afro-Caribbean and indigenous Indians who occupy these once-isolated isles." With continuous accusations the article progresses with a defensive mood.  In the advertisement, the tone is rather flattering as can be seen through the word choice here: "Only first class passengers carried". This clearly states that not everyone can take on this exquisite journey ; the passengers must be wealthy. The greatness of the trip is further enhanced through the descriptions of the locations that the passengers will visit, such as Jamaica, Havana and the Panama Canal and how in those specific places the temperature will never rise above 88 degrees, increasing its value. The overall mood of this advertisement could be described as exited with all the grand promises being made. 

The style in "Squatters take on developers" is very straight forward as there is no deception or manipulation of any kind evident in the article. The imagery that can be seen is verbal as the article is located in the business section of the newspaper and operates as such.  There is some use of Testimonial technique, as the writer incorporates the opinion of executive director Osvaldo Jordan who states: " There is this tremendous lust for the coast line. Developers and speculators will use any means necessary to get the land from the people." So here the writer uses the valued opinion of an individual in order to strengthen his argument and push the audience towards forming the same opinion, under the influence of testimonial. Another technique used is card stacking. The author here is clearly against the developers and this can be seen through the emphasis of the bad done by one side, repressing that side. This can be seen here : " In the past year the conflict has spiralled. Armed private security guards patrol disputed beaches. A powerful union of construction workers has levelled charges of "colonialism" against several developers. Homes have mysteriously burned and been torn to the ground." In the advertisement , unlike in the article, Images are the main attraction as well as strategically placed keywords that support the aim of the advert. The title is pompous and as mentioned earlier there is some symbolic meaning behind it, the word "white" being white on a black background associated with the word "great" right beside it. The image of the map transmits a better idea of where the journey could go and draws in to the text in the middle with all the locations mapped out again. Overall this advert attempts to appeal to its audience through the use of imagery displaying an array of pleased people dressed in expensive clothes, interacting on the ship. This draws in the audience more. There is some Hyperbole as the advert is very focused on the benefits for the tourists and their experience but does not address how this may affect the natives negatively.

Conclusively , it has been established that both texts are based on the same theme of Expansion. However due to the difference in time, the aim and content of those texts was fairly different, varying in persuasive techniques and the ideology of both. The news article was against the exploitation and expansion in the Caribbean's while the advertisement highly encouraged it through presenting it in a different light.

Poster

Rationale

COMMUNICATORS: We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups. express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups. 
The aim of my Poster is to follow the communicators style in order to unite people from all over the globe.This is done by the incorporation of various pictures that all reflect on different cultures and religions, of people uniting against the common conflict of war.I have used three languages (english german and arabic) in order to appeal to some of the target populations in this matter, which is as many people as possible.Originally i wanted much more languages but that didn't work out. The audience should feel intrigued by the poster and a need to belong, to take part in the action of rebellion and defence against a common enemy ; war. To stop war and that such is only possible with the help of every nation is what this poster aims to demonstrate. That through the use of communication we can achieve peace.

Propaganda 4 corner reflection

Chosen prompt: “It is acceptable for a government to try to shape public opinion through information campaigns.”

My position on this prompt is that I strongly disagree, which was only reenforced through the Pat Tillman article and the documentary. In many cases this sort of 'privilege ' to withheld valuable information from the public is misused for the benefit of the publicist but not necessarily the public. People have a right to truthful accurate unbiased sources from which they can extract their information and form independent opinions on events and political issues that are only influenced by factual information. Often those sources include information that has been manipulated to fit the certain ideology that is meant to be transmitted to the people, as it is considered to be the most suitable according to the media institution. Reading the article "A Son’s Death, a Mother’s Agony, a Country’s Shame" further supports my opinion , as it addresses how a mother was lied to by the very people who fought in the army with her son:"The government gave him a Silver Star and concocted a story about his death. Only later did a suspicious coroner stateside realise that the wounds came from American bullets, not ones used by the other side." Clearly the governments intention was to steer clear of the effects this type of information would have on the public , knowing that they could possibly lose supporters and thus people that are willing to train and fight for their country since their own associates were allegedly shooting at each other. The fact that the truth was very concealed and hard to unearth only worsens the matter and brings forth the negative aspects of altering information to maintain the needed reputation. 

The documentary "The control room" provided me with some insight into the media itself, how they access information, who they associate themselves with and the overall development of events and issues that arise as they publish information. The core of this documentary was the conflicts between Al Jazeera and the US army spokes people wherein they both disagreed in the way al Jazeera only publishes the US army and what they do in Iraq and not the crimes that are apparently being committed by Iraqis, causing them to deserve the attacks. However this was rather ironic as the US army spokes person was not able to bring forward any substantial evidence of the accusations that were made and thus could not prove their validity or have a right to have them published. This made it clear that Al Jazeera's news coverage is absolutely unbiased. As seen in the documentary, journalists risk their lives in order to have access to first hand footage of what exactly takes place in Iraq and what they find, they publish. Nothing is being kept private , whether it aids Al Jazeera or not, they remain faithful to their aim of providing the public with complete and true information , regardless of what the public would prefer to hear or view. The fact that many arabic channels would ban Al Jazeera only reflects on their pre-set ideologies that they do not wish to alter , continuously feeding the public what they want to hear but not what they need to hear. Personally, the media should never contain manipulated or limited information on any incident or social group as the information isn't forced upon, but given to the public.

  

media bias pistache

The Article I've chosen discusses a plane crash in Sinai and how it is assumed that Egypt is responsible for the crash but denies it. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-metrojet-bomb-claim-1.3305075Metro jet Flight 9268: Egypt, Russia deny U.S., U.K. statement that bomb caused Metro jet crash

Egypt's Antiquities Minister Mamdouh Eldamaty dismissed allegations by the United States and Britain that the Airbus A321 may have been brought down by a bomb.

The minister claims the crash on Saturday in Sinai was "not a terror act. It was an accident." 

He tried to distract from the accusations by stressing that it's "very sad what happened" which appeared to mock, "but we have to wait for the result of the investigation." 

All 224 people onboard the aircraft en route to St. Petersburg, Russia from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh died in the plane crash.

Eldamaty spoke at the ancient city of Luxor as authorities opened three tombs to the public for the first time in an effort to encourage tourism. 

Egypt's presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef also has said that authorities here wish U.S. and Britain had "waited for the result of the ongoing investigation." They displayed inpatient dismissive behaviour, constantly dodging all questions by asking to wait for the investigation to end and provide results, which talks for itself.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin has also rejected Britain's suggestion that a bomb is likely to have caused last weekend's crash. Clearly Russia attempted to pin the plane crash onto Egypt and free themselves on any accusations.

Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that Moscow "cannot rule out a single theory" about the crash but insisted that singling one out is merely speculation.They appear to be invested in not being involved in the crash by stating that one can't rule out any theories , suggesting that a bomb is quite possible in this case. 

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Wednesday said there was a "significant possibility" the crash was caused by a bomb, and Britain suspended all flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh indefinitely.

Hammond said he expects British tourists to be flown back home starting Friday, after measures are taken to tighten security at the resort's airport, angered by the complications and reputation the incident caused him.

Britain has sent a team of security and defence experts to the resort, where thousands of British tourists are stranded.

Hammond said "the airline industry is indicating that they expect by tomorrow to be in a position to start bringing people out." 

Royal beatings IOC

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8-6lAsuwFuOMWk1WXcxWFZLTnM/view?usp=sharing

IOC - boys and girls

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8-6lAsuwFuOaTA5MkZYTWtfSHRWUmdQRThQZGNmUE1HQUFz/view?usp=sharing

This is Water - David Foster Wallace

Task:
In his essay 'This is Water' David Foster Wallace suggests that true freedom acquired through education is the ability to be adjusted, conscious, and sympathetic. 

• How does he develop this thesis? What examples or evidence does he use? How does this theory extend or relate to our inquiry question? -How can literature develop empathy and emotional intelligence?

In his piece of writing,  'This is Water', Wallace introduces his essay with the idea of fish questioning:  "What the hell is water?", in order to provide creative stimuli for the readers. Wallace wants his readers to register the supposed simplicity that lies within the question ; how absurd it sounds once said out loud. More importantly he strived for readers to question what has brought us to this state of devaluing extremely relevant questions on the major components of our everyday life. His aim , however, is to raise consciousness on the actual complexity and depth within the concept of something as common as water. Using this rather simple example, he hints towards the bigger picture ; our lives. 

Wallace emphasises that his essay doesn't concern itself with the questioning of what comes after death, rather what happens before. He develops his thesis of "true freedom acquired through education is the ability to be adjusted, conscious, and sympathetic." in various ways. Pointing out that he's not the "wise old fish" which stands for someone who is an expert in their profession and more or less provides all the answers ; Wallace takes away that responsibility and the expectations the audience would have as they read his essay. He merely suggests his ideas and interpretations on how we could live our lives differently. Here, Wallace questions the validity of what people have to be doing by the age of 30 to 50 and how it leads us to interact differently with our environment. By being adjusted, Wallace means to say that one can mentally adjust themselves to any particular situation and chose to approach it with a different mind set. An example would be the mentioned one of being in the super market , starved and exhausted after a long hard day at work. Normally the individual would easily be irritated and start forming negative thoughts towards everyone and everything around them, shunning some for being loud and others for choosing to be in traffic at the same time. Here, Wallace explores one of the most common experiences that an adult may go through in their working career ; he challenges the concept of thinking negatively without questioning its origin. Perhaps every one around you could be just as annoyed by you and everyone or every thing else. People chose to let out their steam caused by self pity by producing even more negative thoughts towards everyone, without giving them any credit and possibly thinking of a valid reason as to why they behave as such. To try and become more aware of the people and their personal struggles around us, is to become more conscious and thus ; sympathetic in the sense that we begin to feel for those people and come up with reasonable circumstances that have lead them to the same location or situation as us.

The whole idea/purpose of the essay is to inflict within the readers a new way of thinking. It doesn't force, threaten or try to factually bombard us. It merely opens up into Wallace's creative mind, widening our understanding of the world and its possibilities.The readers are brought in touch with an uncommon but more the brilliant way of viewing ourselves and everything around us.  His essay answers the inquiry question by enabling readers to develop emotional intelligence ; read people's emotions and interpret them positively. To adopt a more critical way of thinking and perhaps question many other concepts. Lastly, Wallace's essay brings attention to our ability to take control of our emotions in a variety of situations that we can not control or avoid. He suggests that it is better to manipulate ones own thoughts through adjustment and consciousness to make the best of every situation. 

Alice Munro - Literature reflection

Literature is a relevant aspect of people who wish to be educated in the language department. It can not be avoided as it frames and builds the base of any language. Through stories, songs, tales, novels, poems, letters etc, we have created more sophisticated ways to use language. It is an extremely diverse field of an infinite amount of sources that record humanity; our experiences in many different forms, imaginary stories to tell, inspirational inventions to keep track of etc. The benefit of mastering Literature is to be acutely aware of a language's core. One can't study a language without its literal aspects and expect to fully comprehend its depth and components. In essence, Literature is what brings you closer to a language by being able to identify the strategy that lies behind a well written novel, let alone being able to recognise one. It is a skill that allows you to analyse people and their body language, understanding their feelings and emotions and being able to predict certain events.

Women's literature, quite literally, is Literature that centrals around women and their experiences within the "male dominated world." Many ponder on the fact that there is no "mens literature". This is simply because men are largely to be found to be dominant characters in every piece of literature ;  also to be found in women's literature. Women's literature can vary greatly , ranging from very focused pieces that directly address the issue of sexism in different areas , but can also be found in a story were those issues are subtly hidden beneath the ordinary lives of the characters , or expressed through a theme . It not only serves to raise consciousness on women being oppressed, ignored, left behind and degraded in every possible way. In reality, what most women and female authors want , is to simply star as a main character in a novel or poem. They wish to create their own world wherein they can express themselves without the biased male influence holding them back. Of course many pieces will have bias within them due to the absence of a male character , yet this type of behaviour is clearly evident within many pieces written primarily by males. It is important for people to be familiar with women's literature and pick up on the differences of writing style ; on how women prioritise female characters, describe events and experiences differently. This is of substance as it provides insight into all possible ways in which literature can be expressed, since it is assumed that everyone is familiar with many literature pieces that've been written by male authors.


Alice munro ; famous for her condensed but exquisite short stories, doesn't identify as a feminist writer but has, without a doubt, contributed to the gender equality issue within Literature. Her stories tend to target women of all kinds and their exposure to the world , as viewed by Munro. What is interesting to pick up on is the fact that the majority of her male characters serve as the villains of the story that seem to carry all the fault there is to have in the world on their shoulders. She displays this with discreet remarks here and there, subtle changes in the story and sometimes very straight forward.  Her work provides a voice to many silenced women from many generations and the brilliance lies within the simplicity of those stories that somehow manage to capture the heart of every reader that can relate. She has mastered the skill to turn ordinary life experiences into radiant pieces of work that enhance the beauty that can be found in every so ordinary seeming life. Her themes and values exhibited through her stories were relatively significant during the 1950s till the 1990s as that is where the second wave of feminism took place , a more organised and strategic female force that demanded equality in every aspect there was. Society's expectations of how a woman should behave were shunned and munro's stories reinforced those needs.

I mostly enjoyed the way in which Munro managed to notice the beauty that lies behind every persons struggle in life, whether it be a man or a woman's and express that through characters that appear to have existed forever, their characteristics so common they might as well be real. That, to me, was her key to success. It has definitely expanded my taste in literature as I generally don't enjoy short stories, let alone the ones that capture ordinary activities. Many of those often made me cringe at their pathetic attempt to turn those stories into something worth my while , but Munro actually captured the core of every one of her stories, creating master pieces.

I have chosen option one of our CAP activity. The task requires me to build the stages of a successful short story.
 The theme: Trust

Some background information: 
The following short story will concern itself with the life of a young woman, Amy, and the conflict she is faced with.  The plot of the story circles around Amy having found sickening pictures of tortured people with missing limbs and in revolting conditions in her boss's office. Towards the end of the story, a turn of events will take place and present every character in a different light.Clearly she links these images with her Boss's often aggressive personality that she has to bear with in order to keep her job.

Your Future

Grade twelve is just around the corner, and before we know it we'll be collecting our Diploma and it'll all be over. All of a sudden your friends are gone, peppered over the planet like sprinkles and all you'll have left is memories and their snapchat screenshots. We all tend to picture ourselves with them, forever. Unfortunately no matter how close we are, the differences within us define us and determine our paths which leads to the ultimate separation. This, however, is not the end of it. Your passion or dream of the future, whatever it may be, plants the seed of ambition and independence. You will find yourself, as time passes, less and less indulging in the privilege of having thirty "close best friends forever , surpassing infinity , till the world ends etc). Thats a load of ______ and we all know it deep down there. People don't have the capacity and empathy to genuinely care and stay interested with that many people at our age. At the moment we're ever changing, ever evolving mass of undetermined mystery. Essentially this means that people end up realising they've no interest in you anymore, instead they find themselves spending more and more time with the person they backstabbed daily with you a couple months ago. Of course it stings but have you ever considered the possibility of someone out there having been your victim of neglect and unexplained desertion?

Realising that your life, your capabilities are not in need of anyones unprofessional opinion truly frees the mind. Technically, no one can actually tell you the way you ought to live your life , what to spend your money on, how to dress. Often we take those opinions to fill the empty gaps of individuality within ourselves and thats where it gets tricky. In order to free yourself of the ever draining and consuming need to find approval from someone else to feel "content" with yourself , you need to find yourself. Discover your personal original preferences and opinions on everything, devoid of any external filters. It doesn't matter if your mentality is genuinely parallel with that of someone who may or may not influence you. It matters that you feel at ease while determining who you are as a person. Flaws are not to be eliminated, they're there to stay. This process is essential to the development of ourselves and if you don't invest into this, you may find yourself in a place you despise, working a job you are utterly bored with and associating yourself with people who always seem above you, no matter what you accomplish.
And perhaps that is the truth of it.

Use this year to not only eliminate people who do not have your best interest at heart , but also to let go of a lot of things that are still clinging on to you. You want to close off and exit this chapter of your life with peace at heart, ready for new kinds of heartache.  That massive fight you had with your best friend , left unresolved, the grudge you've been holding against someone who bullied you, the bitter feelings towards your parents for not making high school the best four years of your life. Evaluate the situation and attempt to approach the conflicts you've had and offer your peace and forgiveness. Even if you think you're beyond that, you never know how the other person is off. Humble yourself by giving in to whatever still bothers you and know that whatever reaction you receive, you were the mature one and tried your best. This also isn't a bad time to apologise to some people and thank some others for whatever you're grateful for.

All in all , this is your last year, your last opportunity to make some major decisions that will carve your path into the future. You won't be "feeling it" every day but you'll have to study, work, research and memorise anyway. Learn to force yourself through all the little pesky obstacles in order to achieve the bigger picture. A completed puzzle wont be one if you start to leave out pieces here and there which you couldn't find. Hopefully this has somewhat caused you to re-evaluate your life for your own good and maybe make some changes.

Were yet to be discovered for our ability to turn crap into gold so do not lose hope. 

summer post #1

This summer is the calm before the storm, aka my last year of school and the IB diploma. (yay)

While all my friends who visit regular schools are out and about traveling the world or watching the entire series of Game of thrones in three days,  I'm stuck behind my desk hoping for my school work to magically appear done to perfection, neatly placed on my desk. And since that's not happening,  I'm left with the constant self battle of procrastination and ambition. Also , as an IB student, there's no such thing as procrastination and getting away with it in the long term, alas I actually ended up studying ; "wasting" my precious summer time. 

Then again I did spend three short weeks in London which was a drop on the hot stone, literally. I'd never been there before so I was pretty exited to get off that plane asap as I had simply refused to visit that nasty bathroom for seven hours straight and 3 ginger ales later with the loud flush and people trying to break that glorified curtain out of the frame,  perfectly aware of the presence of someone else. I mostly end up not eating anything on planes because their food tastes worse than Ikea's food ; rather I detect hints of plastic and jelly .  Needless to say I wanted to rip someone's head off as I emerged into the atmosphere outside the airport and felt the all too familiar feeling of heat creeping up on me, my hoodie and wool fed sweatpants sticking on me (I kinda prepared for rain and wind???).  I frantically started walking around looking for the hidden cameras and heaters but apparently there weren't any. 

London was absolutely beautiful and I was surprised to see that the majority of the people were either from the UAE , India and Korea. No londoner's in sight. (they're all here).

Naturally , for any person that's Arab or has arabs in their family , Hyde park became my second home and basically resembled the people you'd find in Abu Dhabi, just without the malls. And people pretty much did the same thing, which was to find a place to sit and rest from a big meal they just had or the 3 meters they had to walk to get there, placing their Harrods bags on the dirty grass and having shisha in the middle of a forrest in London. Iconic. 

I was pleasantly surprised at the cultural diversity , observing people from literally every religion and country I could think of. An entire street was dedicated to muslims/arabs with arab restaurants and shops which was very pleasant to encounter . I feasted my eyes on all these different people who wore extravagant clothes and treated Oxford Street like a fashion show ; I was one of the critics in the rows with my thick black sunglasses, making it fairly easy to scan people for long periods of time. Trust me, once you get there , you realise how deprived your eyes and mind are. 

I became appreciative of the luxuries that we experience in the UAE and that are not available in Europe. If you don't want to get stabbed and actually have some running water you better keep 50 cents in your pockets because public bathrooms will cost you. 

I can't remember having eaten anything English , but their Italian food was hands down phenomenal. 

The one thing , however, which I enjoyed the most was Camden Street. Think of a place that has every single thing you could ever think of , that you can't just get anywhere else. That A8 canvas of a pug claiming the pug life chose him that you've dreamed of forever, or shirts that have "winter is coming" printed on them, I mean come on. I wish I could've visited that street more and I recommend anyone to visit it , simply because you'll find everything you've ever needed there. 

Hope everyone's had a great summer!

How to write about muslims

Hopefully this guide will enable you to write a successful piece about muslim people!

Firstly, before you start jotting down points, take a step back and examine your current knowledge about muslims, or Islam in general. (yes the religion is called islam, not "maazlim cult") , keep that in mind as you want to impress your audience on your knowledge about muslims. After you've thought of everything that you think you know about them, take all the good stuff and chuck it right in the bin. . No one wants to read about muslims who are just like us, with similar , if not more rights and the same level of intelligence. DO not access this information in your piece of writing please.

Now you want to make sure that you mention that the majority of muslims are arabs and can't possibly resemble europeans or any other western country. If they do, its some kind of trick. Plastic surgery does wonders these days. Mum could've been raped by one, as white women are considered the trophies to unlock, but even then they're only half muslim. Could be a phase too, you know white people. Maybe some africans, but mostly arabs, so big nose, camel eyelashes, eyebrows to die for and olive skin: Check. Oh and extremely hairy! The most hair you'll see on a human being in your life time. Including women. Make sure you constantly reference to those characteristics since you want your audience to grasp what they look like , in order to run to safety when they encounter them. Why , you ask? This will be mentioned later on, as we have to establish some other things before you will be delivered with the literal bomb advice of this guide. 

Secondly , a classic favourite would be the topic of the "Hijab", also known as oppressive piece of material that could possibly strangle its wearer or be responsible of a heatstroke due to high temperatures. It is the symbol of male domination and basically means that the women ( including all girls from age 5, very important!!!!!!) , who wear it , are illiterate and not capable of defending themselves in any way. They wanted to be free like their western peers, but Baba said no. No, as in make sure you go into explicit detail of how they get beaten with a belt or a popular beating device known as the "shipship" (shoe), for every time that they refuse to wear it or a body part other than their face shows. This type of behaviour is considered unbelievable and extremely seductive. A man once tried to rape one of them as he was intrigued by her ankles.  Of course, the ideal here would be to have them covered up form top to bottom in black, like garbage bags because essentially that is what they are in Islam. Garbage bags that can clean the house and make great shawarma though! ( a sacred food of the muslims.) It is important to emphasise the sympathy you feel towards them, as they clearly didn't make that choice. Slide in some encounters you had where you tried to save them from their endless torture and they actually had the nerve to tell you that it was all right and they felt comfortable being identified as muslim. This should fully convince your reader that women in islam are meant to be kept like pets and "safe", of course. 

Another important aspect of muslims would be that economically, they're way behind. They aren't even educated in the first place, so clearly, there are no muslims in the workforce. However you can mention the Oil sheikhs who were lucky enough to discover oil underneath the camel crap they dug up in the sand. They're pretty much the richest people you've ever seen and also have no clue how to spend their money. Thank god they have four wives and at least seven children from each to spend it on! Make sure to reference this when talking about their chances of survival in the modern world. Also the women are preferred to stay at home, and even when they go to school, after graduating  they're immediately married off to some hairy creep. There is no choice , as this is known as arranged marriage. Also there have been many occasions where they don't see each other until the moment they are pronounced man and wife. This is done due to the fear of the relationship being mainly sexual , such as the shaking of hands or exchanging smiles. 

Now , approaching the end, we have reached the climax of this guide. Apart from worshipping the devil and beating their wives, the one thing they love to do is bomb any and everything that has America written all over it. Preferably America. You could mention the attack in Paris, but Id suggest we stay with America. Remember 9/11? That's right, as soon as you feel as though you're giving them too much credit for coming up with humus or the brown tattoos they wear on their nails and hands (henna) , you throw in this little grenade. Remind your readers of the grief they must've felt for all these people that died on that day , that had nothing to do with them. Disregard the fact that in comparison to that, and prior to it, at least five times the number of muslims have been killed. Not a good move. Keep this topic focused on what the muslims did wrong, and remember that they're ALL responsible for it. Not just the group of extremists , no the muslim family at Walmart was most probably part of the whole plan. of course god asked them to do it, as they repeatedly scream that god is great whilst attacking. Such acts are the one time they can relax and connect spiritually with their god.Write about how the bump you notice in the headscarf is actually a mini grenade, in case they feel like it, and the long baggy clothes serve to conceal all the machine guns and bombs beneath them. 

This guide should be effective in terms of showing everyone the TRUTH about Muslims. 

 

Show how and to what effect Achebe makes use of myth, legend or other stories and tales

Things Fall Apart

The novel Things Fall Apart is rather heavily involved with the many aspects that shape a certain culture. One can assume that the incorporation of tribal legends and stories, the songs and traditions all serve as a basis for the story. Without them, there would be no plot as dramatic and worthy and no climax as fitted to the story line. The novel examines the conflict that has formed with the clash of two paradoxical worlds, being the Igbo tribe and the British colonisers. Clearly the British's practical invasion of the Igbo people has a considerable effect on them and evokes many distraught reactions and opposing thoughts. This was a new concept to the Igbo people as they very much depended on the silence and cooperation of each other to remain one as a people. 

Igbo tales and stories are what illuminated their culture and kept the people tied to it, in a sense attaching them to their culture through emotion and implied threats, perhaps, as they are viewed with a grain of salt ; yet they carry in them the purpose of intimidation. The story of the tortoise that was told by Ekwefi to soothe Ezinma in her ill state serves as an example. The story discussed a feast that would take place high up in the sky for all the birds, clearly not the appropriate location for a tortoise. The tortoise, however, persuades the birds to lend him their feathers as wing substitutes with his charming behaviour in order to attend the feast and , in that sense share their privileges. The tortoise is one with a cunning mind, thus also persuades the birds to take new names for the feast , incorporating a new custom for his own benefit. He changes his own name into "All of you", as when he asks the hosts for whom the feast is prepared they reply :"for all of you." He then proceeds to tasting the best parts of the food and wine, leaving mere scraps for the birds. This leaves the birds filled with resentment and him without wings. Once again the tortoise persuades a bird to deliver a message to his wife , asking her to cover their compound with all of their soft things so that he may land safely. This time, however, the bird uses the tortoises trust to his advantage and asks the wife to bring out all the hard things, causing the tortoises shell to break. He is forced to have the shells being put back together by a medicine man which is why tortoise's shells aren't smooth. Although one can't establish a link as to why Ekwefi would tell her daughter a story as such, Achebe effectively weaves in the Igbo values of honesty and revenge with a traditional story. Although the moral of the story may appear to be that this would be the reason why tortoise shells aren't smooth, in the context of the novel it carries a much heavier meaning. Through imagination and an abstract story line Achebe manages to entertain the reader , while subconsciously implementing the mentality of the igbo people , which is to take back what has been stolen from them. In the story of the tortoise, the main character has used the birds trust to his advantage and misused it. This causes them to not only strip him off his wings, meaning to say that he no longer has their privileges (In Igbo culture that would mean the extraction of titles and social status as well as land and crops.) ; they also avenge themselves by misusing his trust, causing his weapon of defence leading to his own literal downfall. 

As the Igbo people were completely illiterate , it was of great importance to them to find a way of recording their traditions, cultural views, religion and knowledge embedded within their society. All of that was done orally in the form of songs and mostly stories. They created fictional stories and real songs for the major occasions such as death, marriage, titles, honourable acts and shameful acts. By telling each other those stories and categorising their importance, they created a reliable system of keeping track of their history. The younger ones would remember all those easily as it was one of the main forms of entertainment they had access to, and would effortlessly carry on their tribes legacy. 

Memoir ; Obierika

How things fell apart

I should've known from the day they arrived. Smiling and waving their bible into the air ; the white flag of submission and defeat. I Should've known it was all deception from the very moment they set foot into our land. My best friend was aware of their intentions all along and as a result ended up dead by his own hand. I, however, remain alive and regretful , as when I had the chance I dismissed it as too late.As Okonkwo was getting ready to return to his village, I payed him a visit in order to inform him about what had happened in Umuofia while he was gone, and perhaps , as I was his best friend, to emotionally ease him into what to expect on his return. " He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart." , I told him at the end of our conversation. I firmly believed that the white's had succeeded in destroying our core that held us together, our culture and traditions. The monotone beliefs were what kept order and peace in our village, and those no longer existed as the only beliefs.  Okonkwo had been ready to form a rebellion and save the remaining bits of our traditions , nevertheless I rejected him. In a way I must admit that his suicide took place because of me and how I discouraged him. Yes, more and more people were converting to christianity, slowly forming a solid wall of resistance, but the igbo culture still remained within many of us and we could've done something at the time, when the white men's reign of power was yet to be established. 

I may be a man of wise thoughts and words, a man with a patient mind , but I certainly am no man of bravery and honour. I am starting to question my sense of understanding as I have failed to recognise the danger that was before my own eyes, everyday. I did not see the wit with which the whites manipulated us, distracting us with their new concept of religion. They knew that regardless of how my people would react, there was bound to be some type of uproar of different interpretations which would fill up our minds, distracting us from the initial purpose of their arrival: Our land.

Okonkwo saw what I did not and although he carried with him a number of bad qualities that did not serve him well in the end, he did realise the danger of the white men, and the deception with which they filled us.  His argument was filled with all the wrong reasons, since the religion itself is in no way suggestively evil or contradictory. It was used as a tool against us, but I did not pay attention to Okonkwo, as in my mind he was acting on his impulse once again and wasn't capable of forming sensible connections in a situation like that. I regret to admit how wrong I was and how we could've overthrown the white men if only we tried. Okonkwo would still be alive to this day, and I would sit here beneath the shade, cracking Kola nuts as we discuss our seed yam prices in peace and tranquility. Maybe things would've stayed together. 

Word count: 548

Things Fall Apart, Analytical response

•  Discuss the significance of social status in Things Fall Apart, and comment on its contribution to characterization.

Things Fall Apart is a cultural novel written by Achebe Chinua that concerns itself with the traditional and religious aspects of a society located in Nigeria. I chose to discuss the third option of this task as the novel is very engaged in the significance of social status and reputation. 

Social status in the Igbo culture persists as one of the dominant factors of importance. To the Igbo people , it is of utmost importance to know every single person in their tribe as accurately as possible. Due to the lack of political structures , the Igbo people organised themselves in patrilineages, which were lineage groups organised along lines of descendent from father to son. A system was created based on relationships amongst families. A person would firstly belong to the smallest social unit, "uno", or house. That consisted of a man and his wife/wives and their children. The second group would be the "umunna" consisting of a number of related houses. The third and final group was "obodo" which was a group of lineages that formed a village or town. This system is linked with social status as every lineage is blood related, meaning that the name of every family carries great responsibility as all its ancestors will live under the same name. 

Unlike women, the man were assigned to the task of acquiring titles. By achieving those titles, they would earn social appreciation and respect to an extent, depending on their title and involvement with the council. Some men would manage to attain notable titles , meaning that they were acknowledged as great men with honour or chiefs. The majority of the Igbo men tried their very best to achieve as many titles as possible, if not all of them, but not everyone succeeded. Having a title was a critical moment for the men in the Igbo tribe as without the initiation into certain titles , they could not dress in certain ways , shake hands in certain ways or take a piece of the sacred Kola nut before others did. To them, amongst their culture and religion, social recognition played a big role in their lives and shaped their future. A man who failed to progress beyond the most junior titles was no longer a man in the eyes of the Igbo people. Instead he'd be viewed as a boy throughout his entire life and would be buried without dignity. The importance of social status does influence the people who lived under those conditions to abandon any other factor in their lives and place the titles on the highest pedestal , closing them off to any other ideas. 

As the story commences, the first character introduced to the reader is Unoka and his reputation in the Igbo tribe. He is the father of the main character of the story , Okonkwo. Even after his passing , Unoka's characteristics and actions greatly influence Okonkwo's personality , thus making his appearance in the novel relevant. 
Unoka was known as "agbala", in other words a woman or someone who hadn't acquired any titles in his lifetime.  He was a peaceful man who could be described as effeminate , as his characteristics closely resembled those of a softhearted woman in the eyes of Igbo culture. His major weakness was his laziness which lead to him being overloaded with debts and the distrust of the Igbo people. Unoka also didn't succeed in supporting his family in any major way , instead he preferred to play on his flute and get drunk often. He was looked down upon and at his death did not receive the privilege of being buried, as he was not considered an adequate member of the Igbo society. Understandingly, his actions were payed in terms of social recognition by his children. 
As a consequence of his fathers life decisions, Okonkwo's outlook on his personal life and his attitude towards certain people were changed completely , in the hope of not ending up like his despicable father. This greatly narrowed his capability to understand and accept concepts that weren't similar or familiar to him in the story. 
As Okonkwo is introduced as a character, his success as a young man is the first thing being mentioned , with the underlying intention of providing the reader with some insight of the character. Okonkwo was known for his conquering of "amalinze the cat" , who had never been defeated by any grown men, let alone 18 year olds such as Okonkwo. An event like that spread like wildfire and soon Okonkwo was famous and respected, if not feared ; his fathers lingering image rotting in the flames. This was a significant turning point in Okonwko's life, earning him many titles and opportunities of growing prosperous lands and marrying several  women. Rising above all the material factors, however, was his personal pride which fulfilled him. To him, it was the self assurance of his capabilities and how he did not , in any way, take after his lazy and weak father. 
To Okonkwo, social status is everything. It is clear that he was more than willing to sacrifice his personal feelings and moments of weakness for the reputation of being cold and manly, to exert power and fear through the village. He feels that by doing so, no one would dare to remind him of his father or even link them in any way. His greatest fear is , in fact, to appear weak and in any way replicate the qualities of his father. He takes a dramatic and fierce approach with the purpose of eliminating every last bit of personality that he carried in himself by replacing it with action and purpose. When his son Nwoye begins to show some of his grandfathers personality traits such as being lazy or acting softhearted, this greatly alarms Okonkwo. He often beats him and tries to change his son as he fears that he'll turn out like his father and bring disgrace to the entire family. 

To him, anyone in his family that portrays his father in the slightest is immediate danger to his hard work over the years. Through Okonkwo one can identify the perfect example of what the importance of social status in a society can do to an individual and how it affects those associated with him. 

CHARACTER ANALYSIS WITH OBIERIKA

Obierika , being the best friend of Okonkwo serves as him being his alter ego, as he often feels and thinks rather similar to Okonkwo , although he does not act upon his impulses as similarly. He is a static character that does not undergo any major inner changes throughout the novel. He remains the sensible thoughtful and perhaps, openminded character foil of Okonkwo, as he acts differently on the majority of the time.  He often advises Okonkwo to act less impulsively and smarter. He is also not a rounded character; rather he appears to be flat as he isn’t fully engaged in Okonkwo’s developing journey and his major life changing experiences. 

Looking at his values one can identify him to be a respectful hardworking person as he’s known and respected in Umuofia. Although Okonkwo mostly fails to take his advice, he never ceases to provide him with wise words and alternatives. When Okonkwo falls into depression over Ikemefuna’s death Obierika comforts him over it , although he doesnt approve of Okonkwo killing Ikemefuna. After, when Okonkwo goes into exile Obierika sells his yams and seed-yams and provides Okonkwo with the profits, proving his loyalty. He also soothes him over Okonkwos impatient temper when he says: “’You worry yourself for nothing the children are still very young’”, in response to okonkwo feeling that Nwyoe appearing weak and lethargic. Unlike Okonkwo , who immediately acts on his emotions without paying them any thought, Obierika prefers to contemplate his options and act on them more vigorously and reasonably. 

 In Things Fall Apart, Obierika stands out as being someone who is concerned with moral decisions that include open-mindedness and tolerance. He abstains from making selfish decisions that would lead to others being neglected, rather he practices his decisions with compassion. he focuses on fulfilling his several roles as a best friend, a father and an active part of the community. Also, unlike Okonkwo he views the white colonialists with a more accepting mentality, rather than seeing them as a threat. He is quite reasonable and agrees to co-exist with them as he prefers to inform himself about the western culture and ideals. Obierika , unlike many others , silently questions the validity of his religion and cultures values :“Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offense he had committed inadvertently?.  But although he thought for a long time he found no answer”. This was after Okonkwo had been sent off to 7 years of exile after accidentally killing someone. Okonkwo feels that violence and anger is the only way to approach and eliminate the British, Obierika realizes and accepts that they had won a long time ago. He mentions that the white man “has put a knife on the things that have held us together and we have fallen apart."Although he doesn’t conform to the western religion and culture, he manages to accept their values and beliefs as well as respect them in terms of not burning down their sacred grounds or rebelling against them. Obierika had remained a loyal friend to Okonkwo, supporting him through all his hardships as well as he could. However when Okonkwo ended up hanging himself , one can identify the hatred in his voice :“It is an abomination for a man to take his own life. It is an offense against the Earth, and a man who commits it will not be buried by his clansmen. His body is evil, and only strangers may touch it…”. He feels regret towards being so accepting and sympathetic to the British colonialists as their actions had led to his best friend taking his life. 

Things Fall Apart ; Analysis on Okonkwo

This analysis will attempt to explain how Okonkwo develops themes in the text as a tragic hero, such as culture vs. tradition and fate vs. free will. It will also tend to Achebe's reason of choosing a tragic hero for his protagonist in his colonial counter narrative, thus revealing the purpose of Okonkwo.

To understand how Okonkwo portrays the image of a tragic hero, one must first comprehend its characteristics. A tragic hero is a person of noble character and heroic qualities. He/she , are known to be the protagonist of the story ; commonly found in tragedies. They are fated to destruction and failure by supernatural forces, or God in some cases. However, the initial argument and very essence of a tragic hero is that each and every one of them commit some sort of mistake , perhaps making the wrong decisions, that leads them to their own downfall. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo very much reflects those qualities and actions. His reputation as a fierce  man who acts quickly and endures little  derives from his fear of failure and submission to weaknesses. His loss of high status in the Igbo tribe as well as his suicide both co-exist with Aristotles definition of a tragic hero.

Being recognized as the man who "had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat" ; the warrior that never fell, as soon as his character is introduced, pre-defines his reputation which serves to define him. Being a hard worker in terms of growing food and families was highly respected in the Igbo culture , and a huge aspect and purpose of Okonkwos life. His success in growing prosperious farms and marrying several women with children rewards him with several titles and recognition which elevates him from amongst the other clansmen. Although on the surface, Okonwko appeared to be anything but fearful and insecure, it was his one flaw that was planted within the depths of his heart. To turn into a failure like his father, to have the mere resemblance of any of his characteristics which ranged from large amounts of debts to the lack of titles filled him with anguish. Okonkwo did not grow up with a stable father figure, thus eliminating the chances of him growing into someone who can interpret the idea of an honourable man correctly. Perhaps that was why he'd spread power and control , beat his wives and failed to show any major appreciation for anyone in particular. Any type of behaviour that wasnt familiar to him and didnt prove to be of any profit was immediately dismissed. His son, Nwoye suffered greatly under his fathers disappointment and anger towards him of being "degenerate and effeminate", meaning that he wasnt an honest, proper man in Okonkwos eyes. 

Later on when the british colonialists have reached his village and manage to convince people of their religion and lifestyles, Okonkwo feels attacked and alarmed as no one really seems to identify with his strong hatred towards them. He is not familiar with their mentality and therefore rejects it as anything he doesnt know, he fears. And fear is what he tries to avoid which is why he begins to hate the colonialists in every possible way and refuses to further inform himself about them, let alone live beside them in peace. His decision to do so leads him to face rejection of his prior clansmen. He is forced to back out of the situation as the majority did not feel the need to rebel. Okonkwo feels rather betrayed by his own people and doesnt recognize his own village anymore. He also refuses to acknowledge the fact that his very actions had led him to that position of vulnerability and loneliness. He feels misunderstood and as though all his hard work that he had invested in,  the majority of his life , had been down the drain. This chain of events lead to him hanging himself by a tree which serves as the final proof of his role as the tragic hero in Things Fall Apart.

Most meaningful take away

What was the most meaningful takeaway from today’s discussion relating to the cultural or literary context of Achebe’s work?

Yesterdays discussion proved to be very fruitful and interesting as I discovered a lot of additional opinions and information that I hadn't thought of before. The idea of how the western world (colonisers) may not identify with unfamiliar cultures and lifestyles, thus end up degrading them and misinterpreting them seemed to be the core. We also learned that throughout the media, there has been a lot of bias in terms of how the african nation is being represented. As they don't have access to the technology as much as the western world does, the success of Chinua Achebe's book did have a great impact on their reputation, especially the comprehension and appreciation of their culture. He stayed completely honest throughout the entire book , as he claims that knowing just one side of the story means you don't know the story at all. He managed to have other far away countries and cultures read his book and actually relate to it. This showed that the western population never really had the opportunity to view the africans as anything but needy and dependant as well as primitive. Achebe also stated that they were shown in this light to justify the concept of slavery and colonialism, the taking advantage of them and inflicting a new religion and lifestyle on them, as people were beginning to worry about the ethical considerations of those actions.