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.