Analysis of Tati-Loutard's Poetry

Through all ten of Tati-Loutard's poems in this anthology, the ideas of birth, death, and nature reoccur in some form. He expresses and connects these themes through figurative language such as metaphors, personification, and hyperbole.
In "News of My Mother," he calls nature through lines like "I am now very high upon the tree of seasons" and "by this fifteenth day of the moon." He uses this natural element to describe his feelings of this very idea of death that is so persistent through all of his works. In this poem specifically, he is speaking in regard to the death of his Mother, whom he clearly cared a lot for. This poem stands out to me because he is speaking of his personal encounter with death, rather than the idea in general.
He also often brings up the contrast of light and darkness, and how certain actions may be associated with a certain shade, per se. In "The Voices" he mentions "the insult and darkness of refusal" also known as "a sea full of impurities." All of his poems are or contain a very dark element. Whether it be death, or just something like the above mentioned "refusal."
HE often mentions the idea of death calling him, as if he were suicidal. In "Pilgrimage to Loango Strand" he says "Life sickens me." Then In "Death and Rebirth" he says "Does Death call me? Will it at least offer me / a mirror, a sheet of light where I can glimpse / My profile beyond the grave?" Notice he brings up the concept of light, this time implying a knowledge of some kind. He is clearly queasy about the unknown that is paired with life after death.

Pre-Poetry

Metaphor

Simile

Stanza

Line

Meter...rhythm/beat

Alliteration

Consonance

Assonance

Onomatopoeia

Elegy

Epic

Iambic Pentameter

Free verse

Haiku

Epigram

Sonnet

Villanelle

Sestina

Ode

Sonnet

Verse

Personification

Ultimate

Penultimate

DICTION

Oxymoron

Paradox

Allusion

Allegory

Tone/voice/mood

Vulta (energy shift such as in a sonnet)

Narrative poem

Lyrical poem

Repetition

Rhyme (e.g. rhyme scheme)

Sprung rhyme

Double entendre

Denotation

Connotation

Hyperbole

Poet vs Speaker (not author vs narrator)

Point of view

Syntax

Grammar and punctuation

Form vs content (what vs how)

Final African Short Stories Reading

The short story "Protista" by Dambudzo Marechara incorporates a fable like fantasy that I would love to explore if I get the chance. The thing I love about this short stories book is that the reader does not know what genre of literature they are reading until they have actually done the reading. The first passage of any of these short stories could probably pass off as biographical or realistic fiction, but once you dive further into the story, the fantasy world shows itself. Going into the reading of one of the sections, all that you know is the region that it came from, nothing about the validity. This causes the reader to be even more enveloped in a story which very well could be fictional, as they may think that it could be a first hand account. Although this is evident in multiple stories throughout this compilation, it really struck me in Protista. This short work of fiction begins with speak of a drought, winds, and a man that is sentenced to this desolate place. Seems realistic enough, right? Then this man/narrator talks about a circle that his love drew on the  wall when she left, claiming a sort of magical telling quality in it, throwing you for a loop. When you brush past that, the story seems to become more realistic again. Then suddenly the man wakes up and he is a tree. It is this sort of surprise twist that I would like to try out eventually.

I loved "The Coffee-Cart Girl" because it is very different from most of the stories we have read thus far. It does not reveal much about the location, making it more easily applicable to the reader, allowing the reader to place the "Metropolitan Steel Windows Ltd." wherever they want in the world. If the reader can place the setting somewhere they have been, seen, or experienced allows for a much more vivid picture in their mind. This relatable quality of the story intrigued me.

African Short Stories

One common concept that resides in many of the African stories in this book is the "story within a story." I noticed them right from the first section of West African stories where this concept was displayed multiple times. This can be shown through telling a fable of some sort or from telling a dream. There are many instances where, because of this, they switch back and forth from past and present voices. In "A Handful of Dates," Salih speaks of the past from a present point of view. It is more evident in these stories that the narrator is a person as opposed to an omniscient being. "The Bridegroom" seems to be completely focused on reminiscing as the young man realizes what will have to change to accommodate his soon to be wife. He reflects on how he lived his life before and makes constant references to the past. This idea of voice change and story within a story is far more predominant in the West African stories though.
I am also intrigued by the concept of language that resides particularly in the Southern Africa stories so far. It becomes a sort of barrier and even an exclusive club of sorts. In "Papa, Snake & I," Honwana uses the many languages to create definition between the mother and the servants. Most of the time she speaks Portuguese to her family or those at the same social standing as her, and speaks Ronga to servants such as Sartina (all evident on page 107). When she flips back and forth you can get a clear sense of how "out of the loop" the lower class would feel in this community. Speaking from experience, being in an area where people speak a language that you hardly know anything about can be frightening in a way because they could be talking about anything, even you. It is also condescending the way that she switches or when she uses Portuguese to talk to Sartina even though she knows that Sartina does not understand well. This divide was also evident in "The Bridegroom"where Gordimer uses language to create an even more substantial divide between the races and the social classes.

Nii Parkes Writing Exercise

Take somebody's voice and write their instructions for making one of their signature dishes. Then, jump right into their instructions on how to get somebody to like you.
Mom's instructions for lasagna
So really, all you have to do is throw everything together. You take the meat sauce (I like to throw quite a bit of spice in this, but to each his own) and spread that out along the bottom of a pan. Next you take the precooked noodles and lay out a single layer, maybe with a little overlap if the pasta is your favorite part, and spread ricotta over that. Repeat that as many times as you want to get the amount of lasagna desired. Cook for half an hour at 350F, although I always end up freezing at least half of it for later.
I don't think that there is a particular way to "get somebody to like you." Somebody's approval is not something that you try to get, it should just either come or not. Maybe make them some of my lasagna, haha. Although it is beyond cliche, I think that you should just be yourself, because otherwise you will be a fake "you" throughout your whole relationship. When you start out trying to impress somebody, you often find yourself trying to achieve a higher level with them at all times. A relationship does take work as is, but definitely should not take that much work. People's opinions of you are irrelevant. As Dr. Suess said, "today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one on earth that is youer than you." Be yourself, because everybody else is taken. If somebody wants to be friends with, for a cheesy example, somebody with a British accent, they will find a friend with a British accent, you shouldn't fake one just to please them.

Anowa Phase Two

Phase Two of Anowa seems to be centered on defining the different types of relationships occurring at this place (Ghana) and in this time (late 1800s?). The-mouth-that-eats-salt-and-pepper introduce the point of view that in a sense shows the classic opinions of the relationship that Anowa and Kofi Ako have. This seems to be another example of that resentment of westernized advancements that we have seen so much in our readings of other novels so far this year. Anowa and Kofi Ako make it appear as though they are one of the only couples in their culture that practice monogamy, and that this concept is very controversial. Kofi Ako is completely in favor of remaining this way, claiming feelings that are similar to those of love today. However, Anowa comes off as opposed to monogamy, and keeps recommending that Kofi Ako marries several more women. This relationship, therefore does not really give us a sense of what a typical relationship would have been in this particular setting.
Badua and Osam have something that appears to be closer to a classic relationship of the time, but it is still not completely clear because the old woman and old man don't offer much of an opinion on their relationship. Therefore, we can only truly assume the typical relationship of the setting through the old woman and old man's thoughts, opinions, and proverbs. My favorite line of this phase was when the Old Woman said "As the sourest yam / Is better than the sweetest guava, / The dumbest man is / Always better than a woman. / Or he thinks he is!" This quotation, not said until some of the very last lines of the phase, clearly sums up the masculine ideas that were currently typical. It shows that no matter what, every single man will be above any given women. No matter how hard a woman works, or how little a man does, there will always exist a clear and unmistakable divide between the two.

Phase One

In Phase One of Anowa, Ama Ata Aidoo creates an extremely relatable array of characters. They are relatable to nearly everybody, because most people know of their bickering grandparents, their stubborn parents that seem to be out to get them, or, similar to Romeo and Juliet, they believe they have found "the one."
My first connection upon reading Phase One was to Romeo and Juliet. Anowa seems to think that she has found the perfect man (whether or not it is for the right reasons, we are yet to find out), but her parents forbid this love. The tale of a teenager finding the perfect one for them in high school is a tale as old as time, but reality rarely plays out in the same fashion. The case in which two high school sweethearts have a successful marriage is a rarity at best. Even so, many high schoolers still seem to be convinced that they will live happily ever after, just as Anowa thinks of her relationship with Kofi Ako.
Secondly, there exists the more parental side of the above mentioned situation. I am sure that, at some time or another, anybody over the age of three can relate to the whole "my parents hate me and our out to get me" phase. From about the ages of five to college graduation, kids seem to think for long periods of time that their parents hate them, and are executing strict rules and regulations to make their lives horrible. Or something along those lines. Anowa seems to think similarly when she talks of leaving and hoping never to return, the classic case of running away from home.
Lastly, the relationship that I can relate most closely to, is the bickering old man and woman. My grandparents are notorious for getting into yelling matches over small little issues that they don't truly care about, they just have their strong opinions. The-mouth-that-eats-salt-and-pepper seem to have the same sort of relationship. It's not that they hate each other, but rather that they are two very strong headed people. They also serve as somewhat of an amusement on the side of a family argument, just as making fun of my grandparents debates serves as somewhat of an icebreaker between me and my cousins.

Harkness Reflection

September 27...two participations
September 29...two participations
October 17...one participation
October 19...one participation
October 21...two participations
October 27...one participation
November 3...no participation (1st block of the day)

I have noticed that I don't participate much, but I definitely get a lot from discussions through listening. I feel as though when I first read the assigned reading, I don't necessarily understand the subtext and deeper meaning of passages, but after listening to a discussion things start to click in my mind. This is why I do not participate as much towards the beginning of the discussion, but more so towards the end once I have started to understand the major themes of the reading. I think that in general, as a student and as a person overall, I tend to listen more than I talk. I learn a lot more from listening and taking notes in my book rather than participating in a discussion, though I do know that participating is very important, and is something that I should put more effort into improving on. Reflecting on my progress though, I do think I have started participating more than I was in the beginning of the year when we wrote our first Harkness reflection. This may be because I have become more comfortable with the class as I get to know them.
As noted under the November 3rd participation, I tend not to participate as much during the first block of the day. This is also something I need to work on in English as well as through the rest of my classes. Lastly, I need to improve on eye contact with my peers, instead of just looking to my friends.
Overall, I think I deserve about a 16/20.

Final Reading TBB

I really appreciated the ending of this novel. It solidified the idea of the man of science and man of faith dichotomy. The ending proved that the two can and do exist in a person, in this case Kayo. Towards the end of the book, he starts to abandon the idea of science, whereas in the beginning science was practically all he had. Science was his income, his time, and it encompassed his entire brain. He consciously abandons science altogether when he, symbolically, walks away into the forest. This also expresses the relationship that is discovered between the man of faith and man of science dichotomy versus the city versus forest one. Though they are not exactly the same, they share some similarities. In this particular novel, the cliché of science and city going together as well as faith and forest is evident, but this is more stereotypical in my opinion. I believe that there can be a faith dependent man in a city, just as easily as there can be a science oriented man in the forest. Also, the great thing about this ending is that you don't know where the characters end up. It is extremely possible that Kayo maintains his scientific aura about him even through immersion in the village culture, just as it is possible that a character like Donkor becomes more resistant the scientific, "obvious," and sensible answer even while working for the city police.
The idea of science against faith is definitely a very popular one. Many people refuse to agree that both may coexist, I however believe that they do. I have grown up Christian so I have obviously gotten the whole "God's creation is a myth, there is always the big bang theory" etc, etc. I simply respond that something had to cause the Big Bang to happen, as the chances are very low that this would happen per chance.

TBB p36-80

Throughout these pages, Kayo's persistence in his ways intrigued me. What I mean by that is how he refused to veer outside of his scheduled mix of Anglican and Ghanian routine. He knew what he was doing at all times, without truly having to stop and think. He showed he ability of swapping from an English investigator to a Ghanian friend (as he approached one of the elders of the village, addressing him properly). His decisiveness even made it seem that he was somewhat omniscient, knowing his next step before he even executed his current one. If the reader did not have some access to his internal thought, the impression would be that it was almost too easy or that he was faking his way through.
Oduro's advice to Kayo was also puzzling to me when he said "'Kwadwo, a living thing is always moving; if you look close enough, you can see, sebi, the blood moving beneath the skin. So, if you make an effort, and learn how much of that movement makes up a man's stillness, every other movement will tell you something about him.' Oduro smiled and looked Kayo straight in the eye." The mood of this passage emits a sort of behind the scenes interaction between Oduro and Kayo, giving off the impression that Oduro has a secret of sorts that he may be trying to convey to Kayo. My thought is that Oduro knows a lot more about the mystery than he cares to reveal to anybody that is not Ghanian, such as the police officers upon the encounter with "the mystery." At this point, though, it s unclear and could just be a bit of over analysis.

TBB 1-35 characters

Kayo's character is a very intriguing one. He seems to be very aware of everything around him, for example when he is talking on the phone to Mintah, he notices when Mintah's chair shifts that it is a "wooden chair in a hollow room" (21). This is a quality that is necessary for anybody in the forensics department, his ideal job. I may even go so far as to say he has OCD, as I believe most forensic scientists have to some degree (take the shows Monk or Psych for example). When on the phone with Mintah, he is constantly writing, even things that should be easy to remember (like "police"), which seems like an obsessive compulsive trait to me. These traits cause me to believe that he has some form OCD at the very least, especially when he reveals that he is unsatisfied with the possibly wrongly accused cause of his grandfather's death. The fact that he is still hung up on that reveals a lot about his character.**
He seems to work at his current job with his parents' thought in mind. They seem satisfied with his current career, but he does not. His father even says "there is no greater joy for a man than to sit and eat with his son as a man" (34). His father is evidently proud, but possibly only because Kayo keeps his worries to himself. It is apparent when he thinks to himself that "he didn't want to burden his father with the knowledge that all was not well with him" (34). He keeps any bad news to himself, and therefore his father thinks that all is well and that his son is a successful scientist.
So far, Kayo is a very much so a family oriented man. The reason he wants to go into forensics is to, in a sense, avenge his grandfather's mysterious death. Yet, his current job keeps his parents happy. This debate within him is to either risk it all to do what he loves and has always wanted to do, or to keep his parents happy and proud of him. I am interested to see how this plays out through the book, and whether he will choose the happiness of himself or his parents.
**Throughout chapter two (especially in the beginning) more OCD traits seems to emerge and become more predominant to the story

End of Nervous Conditions

This reading was definitely the most heavily annotated sections of the novel. Line after line shocked or intrigued me. I was surprised at the amount of unanswered questions I was left with at the end.
What exactly happened with Maiguru when she left? She came back an entirely different person. Was this because of something that happened while she was gone, or did Babamukuru talk some "sense" into her when he went to retrieve her? Is this new found personality fake, like a cover up of how she really feels? It does not seem realistic that she could become an entirely different person in just a couple of days. This makes me think that it is artificial, just a show to put on, possibly for the health of Nyasha.
Is Maiguru's return disheartening to Nyasha? As Maiguru was leaving, Nyasha said "now she's broken out, I know it's possible, I can wait." This leads me to believe that Maiguru's return was actually unhealthy for Nyasha because it only reinforced those walls that she feels trapped by. That idea of no escape could have been what pushed her further into anorexia or bulimia.
I thought it was interesting that on one page, Tambu spoke of how she could not even dream of forgetting where she came from, her family, and friends, even if she wanted to. Then not three pages later, she has suddenly run out of time so that there "was none left in which to miss Nyasha, or my uncle and aunt; and if I had ever really missed my home, I had long since stopped doing that during my stay with Babamukuru."
Does Tambu not realize at all that Nyasha is crying for help, or does she just choose to ignore it? She receives many long letters from her frequently, one even speaking of her "diet to 'discipline [her] body and occupy [her] mind." I can't imagine that she could have received all of these letters without having the slightest idea of something going wrong. And she didn't even write back, so the letters stopped. I think that the point that the letters stopped was kind of the point of no return. Nyashsa had then lost the last friend that she could turn to, succumbing to her illness.

Harkness Method

Harkness Method Reflection

1. I definitely need to work on speaking more during a discussion. I do participate every once in a while, but sometimes I tend to forget and then class is over. (spoke once)

2. I didn’t talk at all on this one, and I think this was the first time that I really tried Harkness method ever. (didn’t speak)

3. I remember this day, I had a couple ideas, but they all seemed to get pretty much covered before I got a chance to really speak. (spoke once)

4. Absent

I think that Harkness method is just one that I have to adjust to. It is not the way my English class was taught last year and is a very diverse and unique method. I have never been much of a talker in class, but I get a lot from listening and taking notes. I try my best to voice my ideas when I have them, if they aren’t said before I get a chance. I am going to try to work on thinking about this method as I am reading. I will then try to come to class with multiple ideas that I am confident about sharing.

Nervous Conditions p35-77

I can heavily relate to the way that Tambu feels at the start of chapter four. When she is on her way to a new place, she resolves to leave the old peasant, dirty version of her behind. Whenever I move or go somewhere completely new for me, I always try to be different. Not necessarily different in a way that is not myself, because I believe that would be wrong. I try to be a different, better version of who I already was. This may involve the way I act, the way I present myself, or even the way I think. Although this change is a healthy one, I'm not sure I am in agreement with Tambu's idea of leaving the "peasant" version of herself behind once she leaves for the missions. I think that this is what Nyasha did, and why Tambu grew to dislike hanging out with her back at home. She became an awkward outsider with her family because she gave up on their culture.
YOu can never get rid of where you came from, it is something you will always be and have to live with. Although, this does seem like a theme hat may reappear throughout the novel.

Chimamanda Adichie's monologue

I found Adichie's monologue incredibly interesting. Her thoughts on the "single story" are relatable to anybody. Everybody falls victim to assuming things about a society. I know that I, for one, was surprised when she said that she came from a standard middle class family given her education and intelligent sound  of speech. The whole "single story" concept really stuck with me. The fact that she, a fully educated woman, also fell victim to that idea of being so impressionable just by a couple stories was incredible.
Personally, I have only been to Mexico on a mission trip, so it is a given that the area I visited was an impoverished one. But, that is my only true reference to what Mexico is like. It is therefore very difficult to picture any wealthy are of Mexico, although I do know that many exist. Our minds are so incredibly impressionable by just one point of view. I know deep down that of course the area I visited was one of the worse areas, but it is still the only personal reference that comes to mind when Mexico is mentioned.
Then there is the idea that Adichie spoke of how she didn't think that there were anybody but white people in books. It is tragic that the only books accessible to her were not even relatable to her. She thought that in order to write, she would have to write about something she had no connection to and couldn't relate to whatsoever. This is ironic because that is the complete opposite of what writing is. Any decent writing is rooted from a deep seeded and personal connection to the topic. It is easily distinguishable those books that are based on passion rather than based on fact.

P121-158

Upon first sight of the cover of the copy of TFA that I was given, I thought it wasn't anything special. But, after reading nearly the whole book, I really feel there is not a more accurate depiction of the novel. The cover shows whom I assume is Okonkwo as part of the desert earth. This is perfect because it shows his oneness with Africa and more importantly with Umuofia (in the beginning of the book at least). The cracked desert earth is a great portrayal of his life gradually cracking to pieces. It also shows that each crack leads to another then another and so forth until you get this intricate pattern of distraught. The cover implies Okonkwo is literally cracking into pieces.The color scheme is also an ideal depiction of the mood of the book. The fact that it is all brown warns the reader of a not necessarily uplifting book. There is absolutely no false advertising going on on this cover. It tells you in a very straightforward manner that this is a story of a man's trials hitting him one after the other.

P83-118

I was very intrigued by the circumstances under which possession of the children is given. On page 69, Machi speaks to the point that it would be madness if children belonged to their mother and her family, as opposed to a father and his. Then, in the most recent reading, Achebe throws about the term "her children" or "her daughter" (91). I believe that this ownership depends on the situation. If they talk about the children as one of a man's many possessions, then they belong to the father. But, on the other hand, if Achebe is speaking about a relationship or responsibility to a child, they are most definitely the woman's.

I find this switch of male/female ownership interesting. It gives the impression that the Women of Umuofia do just as much, if not more, work than most men. Yet they still receive much less credit, if any credit at all. Another surprising event was when Ekwefi chased after her daughter. This was the first time in the book that any of the Umuofians showed any incredible connection to a family member, let alone a mother daughter relationship. They rarely even show a loving and meaningful relationship between friends. There most certainly is not any kind of sacred bond between the average husband and wife.

The fact that Ekwefi chased after Chielo with Ezinma was also intriguing because Ekwefi directly disregarded Chielo's instruction. Umuofia was a village where I thought commands and beliefs such as these were most definitely to be abided by. This is the first sign I have read of any disobedience of commands.

This chapter definitely was a turning point where a lot of things

Pages 44-82

Through this reading I recognized the alternating pattern of failures and successes in a generation. Okonkwo's father, Unoka, was an awful person in the eyes of this civilization. He was in debt to everyone that was ever stupid enough to lend him money. Although he was a failure, his son Okonkwo became largely successful. His success began when he threw "the Cat." According to this society, a measure of strength such as this proves a citizen's success. But then, following the alternating pattern, Okonkwo fathered a child whom, in his eyes, is a bad son. So bad, in fact, that Okonkwo wishes that Nwoye was a daughter because he acts more like a woman should rather than a man. In Umuofia calling a man a woman, or anything to that degree, is a very grave insult indeed. It is especially serious in Okonkwo's eyes because his father, of whom Okonkwo is very ashamed of, was frequently called a woman.

This alternating theme of success can very often be held true to any society. Many people try to do anything but be their parents. Through this, they become not necessarily failures, but certainly vastly different people. The term failure or success, however, falls in the eyes of the present society. For example in Things Fall Apart, how the men that acted "womanly" were regarded as failures.

This only leads into the clear theme of a patriarchal society. Throughout what I have read so far in the novel, women are just becoming more and more inferior. By page 69, they disregard other cultures that are female dominant as insane. When told that there are some cultures in which a woman and her family own the children, as opposed to the father and his family, Machi is flabbergasted. He replies saying that it "cannot be...you might as well say that the woman lies on top of the man when they are making the children." Given that a) I'm a woman and b) I live in the 21st century, my views are completely biased. It was a completely different time back then, but it is still difficult to look back on this story without hindsight. Hindsight is, after all, 20-20.