Post #15: The Ending of "Purple Hibiscus"

I was kind of disappointed with the ending of Purple Hibiscus; it just didn't end as I hoped it would.  However, I have to explain my feelings first.

I have to admit that I was a little relieved when the father died, firstly because it was him and not the mother (for I was scared to death that something had happened to her when first getting the phone call), and secondly, because he had done some really awful things to Kambili, Jaja, and Beatrice, and they deserved to be free of him.  Not saying that anyone deserves to die, but people deserve their freedom, nonetheless.

Back in Enugu, I was surprised that Beatrice was the one to poison Eugene, and yet it made perfect sense to me.  I think that out of everyone, he was the most (physically) abusive to her, and so, excuse the cliché, he had it coming.  She may have been a bit extreme, but I'm proud of Beatrice for taking action, for after the beating Eugene gave Kambili that landed her in the hospital, something needed to be done.

However, I was so sad when Jaja took the blame for his father's murder, and I was even sadder--and almost angry--that his mother let him do it.  Jaja was obedient to his father for so long, and grew into someone who could stand up for himself, and he gets punished for it.  I know that he was trying to be the man of the family and take care of his mother and sister, but I really wish that things had turned out differently.

What I found almost the most upsetting was how Beatrice, who always believed she needed a man in her life to tell her what to do, turns out in the end.  When she said that she and the children can't leave Eugene, because they would have no where to go and nothing to do, I agreed with Aunt Ifeoma that Beatrice was wrong, that she is a strong woman, and that she definitely does not need a man in her life to be happy.  But in the end of the Purple Hibiscus, it seemed that Aunty Ifeoma was wrong; without Eugene, or even Jaja, Beatrice seemed to wilt, to go crazy, to stop caring what others thought not because she had confidence in herself, but because she did not care about life anymore.  Seeing how Jaja was imprisoned and refused to let anyone comfort him was one thing, but this was a whole other story.  I was so glad when Beatrice cheered up for the first time at the prospect of Jaja being released from jail, but she shouldn't have to "cheer up"--she should be happy with the family and the freedoms that she has left.

Post #14: Comparisons Between "Purple Hibiscus" and Short Stories

One safe comparison to write about in my paper would be the relationship between Beatrice's miscarriage in Purple Hibiscus and the loss of a child in "A Temporary Matter."  This interests me because of how loss is dealt with in each story; in Purple Hibiscus, Beatrice, who is so excited to overcome the obstacles and finally reach pregnancy, refuses to show her devastation when Eugene destroys the fetus by beating her and just brushes over the topic.  In "A Temporary Matter" however, we can clearly see how devastated Shoba really is by her behavior to always keep her mind occupied--to avoid thinking about her lost child--and how Shukumar does anything but just brush their loss off and move on.  It is just so fascinating to see how different the behaviors are of the two couples, even though they are encountering a similar situation--why is that so?  Is love, both that between spouses and that between parent and unborn child, somehow involved?

A risky and more complex comparison I could make in my paper is the relationship of Victor and his father in "This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" and that of Eugene and Papa Nnukwu.  Both Victor and Eugene have not seen their fathers in years, and so when they receive news of their deaths, they do not actually feel anything but the obligation to retrieve the body (in Victor's case) or pay for the funeral (in Eugene's case).  I think it is really sad that their families have been torn apart like this, no matter whose fault it is, and wish that they felt something more than just objective responsibility in their fathers' passing.  To me, it feels very wrong that Eugene should completely disregard and stop caring for his father just because they have different beliefs, but at least I know why those two are estranged.  What happened between Victor and his father?  As this was just a short story, there was no time to really explain the reasoning behind their separation.

The comparison that I will probably use in my paper is that of the relationships between Kambili and Eugene and between Nnamabia and his mother in "Cell One."  Rather, this one is more of a contrast; Eugene is not afraid to brutally punish Kambili when he showcases disobedience in the slightest while Nnamabia's mother always babies her son, even if he does something horrible like stealing and reselling her jewelry for pocket money.  How is it that someone who commits some pretty horrendous crimes can get off scott-free while someone who is not ranked first in her class is terribly published?  Does it depend more on how the parent treats the child than what the child actually does?  I'm interested to explore how incredibly different each parent/child relationship is and the many differences between the actions and consequences of each one.

Post #13: Page 170

     "Amaka will do it, then," Aunty Ifeoma said.  She unfolded and refolded her wrapper around her waist, knotting it at her side.
     "Why?" Amaka burst out.  "Because rich people do not prepare orah in their houses?  Won't she participate in eating the orah soup?"
     Aunty Ifeoma's eyes hardened--she was not looking at Amaka, she was looking at me.  "O ginidi, Kambili, have you no mouth?  Talk back to her!"
     I watched a wilted African lily fall from its stalk in the garden.  The crotons rustled in the late morning breeze.  "You don't have to shout, Amaka," I said, finally.  "I don't know how to do the orah leaves, but you can show me."  I did not know where the calm words had come from.  I did not want to look at Amaka, did not want to see her scowl, did not want to prompt her to say something else to me, because I knew I could not keep up.  I thought I was imagining it when I heard the cackling, but then I looked at Amaka--and sure enough, she was laughing.
     "So your voice can be this loud, Kambili," she said.
     She showed me how to prepare the orah leaves.  The slippery, light green leaves had fibrous stalks that did not become tender from cooking and so had to be carefully plucked out.  I balanced the tray of vegetables on my lap and set to work, plucking the stalks and putting the leaves in a bowl at my feet.  I was done by the time Aunty Ifeoma drove in, about an hour later, and sank onto a stool, fanning herself with a newspaper.  Sweat streaks had washed away her pressed powder in parallel lines of darker-colored skin down the sides of her face.  Jaja and Obiora were bringing in the foodstuffs from the car, and Aunty Ifeoma asked Jaja to place the bunch of plantains on the verandah floor.
                                                                                       -Purple Hibiscus, page 170

I chose this page because it contains one of my favorite parts of the novel.  Aunty Ifeoma is a strong and defiant woman who is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, and she has raised her children to be the same way.  Kambili, on the other hand, is afraid of her own shadow; she is scared to say anything at all, not wanting to overstep her boundaries or upset anyone, least of all her father.  So when Amaka makes fun of how "rich people do not prepare orah in their houses," it is the last straw for Aunty Ifeoma, and she yells at Kambili to stand up for herself, and for once, she kind of does.  This is a shining moment for not just Kambili but also Aunty Ifeoma, because she is finally able to get rid of some of the that Eugene put into his daughter and replace it with the freedom and pride that she wants her to have.  Above all, this is the tipping point for Kambili, where she begins to not just witness freedom and individuality, but also to embrace it.  I was so proud of Aunty Ifeoma for setting into motion Kambili's realization of this.
I love the fact that Adichie uses first-person voice to write this novel--it gives it a more personal feel, when you can see right in to a character's mind, and not feel so distant from the story.  It makes it easier to picture what is happening in my mind as well, and I can just see the emotions of all the characters: Amaka's vengeful sneer, Aunty Ifeoma's raging eyes, and Kambili's fearful reluctancy to do, well...anything.  I love writing that makes you feel what the characters feel and really empathize with them, because it makes me feel like I am a part of the story and like I know each and every one of the characters personally.  The details Adichie includes, like how "sweat streaks had washed away her pressed powder in parallel lines of darker-colored skin down the sides of [Aunty Ifeoma's] face," make it so much easier to be able to picture and analyze the characters, because not only do you know what they are saying, but how their actions make them appear gives incite into Aunty Ifeoma's weariness, or Amaka's ridiculing behavior, or Kambili's disquietude.
I can take a lot away from just one page of Adichie's writing.

Post #12: My Thoughts on Other Characters

In my last post, I chose to describe Jaja, because he was my favorite character.  I loved his love towards Kambili and his mother, his acceptance into his extended family's new way of life, and his defiance toward his father, but after reading this last passage, Aunty Ifeoma has almost pushed him out of the way for the title role of Number One.

Aunty Ifeoma

Before Jaja (and not counting the brief refusal to go to Mass in the beginning), Aunty Ifeoma was the only one who stood up to Eugene, and therefore, was the only one who ever got him to back down.  That is something that I am really proud of in her, that she is unafraid of the man who everyone fears, and by showing her outright defiance, she can get what she wants.  I really dislike Eugene; how he treats his kids, how he treats his wife, and how he treats his father, who gave him life and yet doesn't deserve to live because he is not a Catholic.  Aunty Ifeoma knows how horrible Eugene is but also knows that she isn't able to do anything to stop his behavior, so she does the only thing she can do: take Jaja and Kambili away for a week and treat them how she treats her own family.

Kambili

I feel sad that it has taken them up until now to witness it, but I love the respect and freedom that Aunty Ifeoma gives her children, and now her niece and nephew.  It lets them see a world outside their own, that you don't have to stay strictly on schedule and in a certain belief to have a good and successful life.  Jaja understood that early on, but it took Kambili a while to reach that mindset; parts of me were annoyed with her for disliking anything new and against her father's ways, because not only is life better when you are open-minded, but Papa is the person who Kambili should not be so keen to please and to strictly follow.  He is horrible to her, and instead of directly showing that, Aunty Ifeoma shows Kambili a life where she can stand up for herself and her freedoms without punishment.  One of my favorite parts of the novel is when Amaka makes fun of Kambili for not knowing how to prepare orah leaves, and instead of yelling at Amaka to be nice, like she usually does, Aunty Ifeoma yells at Kambili to stick up for herself.  It is this, more than anything else, that gives Kambili more confidence in the face of her family and friends.

Post #11: A Sketch of Jaja

Jaja is an important character in the story, as he is quiet and obedient like Kambili, yet also strong-willed and longs to be defiant towards his father.  We see this defiance at the beginning of the story, when he takes the rebellious road and refuses to go to Mass one day.  However, after that, his character becomes more passive, and the only times we hear him speak are when he says something pleasing to his father, or when he and Kambili are alone together.  It is the times when he and Kambili are alone that we see the true Jaja; at these times, he talks about things like wanting to keep their new baby sibling away from his father's wrath, or wanting to go to Aunty Ifeoma's house to get away from him.

There are many different characters that are influential to Jaja, and with each one, a connection can be made to an aspect of his personality.  When he is at his home, Jaja's father, and even Kambili, have a great effect on him.  As seen with Jaja's finger, his father beats him if he does not achieve perfection.  This pressures Jaja to be nothing but well-behaved, hard-working, and obedient to everyone, especially his father, for if he strays from this, another beating is on the way.  Jaja is similar to Kambili in this way, because he can be hesitant, quiet, and almost scared like her, not wanting to cross their father for fear of the consequences.  However, a difference between the two is that while she loves always aims to please their father, he goes through life listening to him but also hating him.  When he goes to Aunty Ifeoma's house, he sees how life could be with such a freedom that his father never allows, and he really likes what he sees.  Aunty Ifeoma's influence on him brings out his connection to Amaka, who is a free spirit who does what she wants and doesn't worry about the consequences.  Though I have not seen it yet, I predict that this connection will revert him back to his rebellious ways, and he will be less afraid of his father.

Post #10: How Reading "Purple Hibiscus" Differs From Reading Short Stories

   Reading Purple Hibiscus vs reading short stories have been mainly a similar experiences thus far, but there are some differences between them.  I don't like to take notes when I am reading a narrative because it takes my attention away from what is going on in the story, and so I haven't done that for either type of reading.  If I want to take a break from reading for a while, I make sure to stop at an actual break in the novel, so the portion I have just read is like a short story and is not interrupted.  However, in Purple Hibiscus, I do pay more attention to the characters and their development, for with more pages, there is more time for them to grow, more detail, and I can really feel and react to the actions of each one.  Because the novel is so long, I find that I have to sometimes to look back at a connection between one part of the story and a previous one, to make more sense of what I am reading, and this was definitely not something I had to do when reading short stories.  I also am more able to make cultural and historical connections between characters and events in Purple Hibiscus; for example, how the father is, in essence, a black man who behaves as if he is white, what with how he is always trying to rid himself of his African roots like language, religion, and thus, the culture.

Post #9: Connections Between Adichie's Stories

One of the most prominent connections I made between Adichie's stories was not only how the Nigerian culture differed greatly from the American culture, but also how the two perceived each other, and the resentment they held.  Though I could not find evidence of this them in "Cell One," I could make this connection between all three of Adichie's other stories.

In "The Thing Around Your Neck," the protagonist, with all these preconceived notions about America, finds the country disappointing.  Not only is her belief that "everybody in America had a car and a gun," but the people she meet treat her differently because of her ethnicity, and are almost ignorant and condescending to her.  Because of this, the protagonist feels enmity towards the country and just wants to be back where she belongs.  Similarly, in "Ghosts," there is a part where the main character describes his daughter's "faint, vaguely troubling American accent," and how he does not want to let her know about Ebere's visits, as she'll then have reason to force him to move to America and "live a life cushioned by so much convenience."  Like that of "The Thing Around Your Neck," the main character of this story is grudging toward the American ways of life.  He thinks that people in America are too pampered, too spoiled, whereas he has always known and believed in earning your own luxuries.  Even in "Tomorrow is Too Far," we see how Grandmama holds prejudices against America and the "black American woman" who took away her Nigerian son, and refuses to let her grandson be buried there.  As each of theses characters from each of these different stories exemplifies how Nigeria differs from America and the feelings of pride for their own culture and animosity towards the other, we can see that each persona resembles a piece of Adichie's own personality.

Post #8: Learning About Nigeria Through Education

I want to become a teacher when I get older, and learning about how the different education systems in different countries work has always been fascinating to me.  That's why I am interested in learning more about the Nigerian education system; we learned a little bit about it from Adichie's essay "Why Are You Here?" about how how there are government schools and private schools, and both have strong systems of security and privacy, not wanting outsiders to use education to exploit the country in any way.  But I wanted to know more, about why it was that people would want to spy on the way students learn, and even more, what it was that they would discover.

Though it's been over fifty years since Nigeria gained its independence from the United Kingdom, the education system still reflects the hardships the country went through under British rule, and so is still suffering.  Despite that, education is regarded as "an instrument for affecting national development" by the current Federal Government of Nigeria.

There are five types of schools in the Nigerian education system: primary, secondary, federal government, state-owned, and private secondary.  Primary schools start at age six, with classes in the regular academic subjects, English, and either Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba, the native languages.  Secondary schools are run by either private organizations, the state government, or the federal government, and in the later years, exams are offered for students to prepare for graduation.  Federal government schools are considered "model schools," with federal government workers serving as its staff.  Admittance to the schools is based on merit and exam scores and low tuition rates.  State-owned schools are not nearly as good as federal government schools, but they are free of tuition, with the only costs for books and uniforms.  However, they are low-budget and are often understaffed.  Private secondary schools generally have better environments, with smaller class sizes and more interactive teachers, but they can be very expensive.

Links to Sources:

http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/nigeria_education_profile.html

http://www.wes.org/ewenr/11aug/practical.htm

http://www.mapsofworld.com/nigeria/education/
http://www.gamji.com/article9000/NEWS9192.htm
http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/19126-the-problem-with-nigeria’s-educational-system-nigerian-student-abroad.html

Post #7: Auditions Auditions and More Auditions!

Today, I auditioned for a student-written play called "The Demise of Lord Blackwell and His Wife," through Basement Arts theatre.  I really want to get in, and get the part of Anne, Lord Blackwell's wife.  I don't know when I will find out about the callbacks, but hopefully soon.  I think this was the last day of auditions, and I think they ended at 10.  So should be soon.  The play would be really fun; it's a comedy, which I have never really done.  I mean, I've done musical comedies, but they're not quite the same.  There are four female roles, so I will have a lot of competition, but I think, if given the opportunity, I could definitely pull this off.  It's a long-shot, but I could get the part.  The director told me I did a good job after I read for Anne, so it's definitely possible.

I auditions for some other roles a few weeks ago; M-agination Films, a group of SAC majors, wrote a bunch of 10-minute plays that they will direct and produce, and I auditioned for a couple of the roles.  I really want to play Scarlett in "The Jones Family," or "Meet the Jones Family," or something like that.  She is in a family of serial killers, and her job is to make sure her brother kills his girlfriend, who is their next target.  I have never played any kind of role like this, and I think it would be really fun!  I've never been the "bad girl," and that's definitely what this is.  However, the audition was weeks ago, and I still haven't heard about any callbacks, so this is not a very good sign.  Oh, well.  Just have to forget and stop worrying about it, there's no use there.

I really love acting, and so in high school, I did every play opportunity I could, and there were 3 or 4 productions a year.  However, there are so many opportunities with so many different organizations (some I had never even heard of until I auditioned) that it would be crazy to try out for everything, so I am having to pick and choose very carefully.  Hopefully I've made the right decisions with what I've auditioned for, what I've turned down, what I've accepted, and what I haven't auditioned for, but we'll see!

Post #6: The Inspiration a Writer Can Give

"But if the writing can’t be made as good as it is within us to make it, then why do it? In the end, the satisfaction of having done our best, and the proof of that labour, is the one thing we can take into the grave."

                                                              --Raymond Carver

"Only have faith: the first sentence can't be written until the last sentence has been written.  Only then do you know where you've been going, and where you've been."        

                                                                                                      --Joyce Carole Otes

"When people are very damaged, they can often meet the world with a kind of defiance."

                          --J.K. Rowling                                                                                                                                                                                                        

"The first book you write because of the way it makes you feel. The second one you can't help but wonder how it's going to make the reader feel."

                                                                                                --Kathryn Stockett

"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."

                                    --Victor Hugo,

                                      Translated from French

"The only difference between a wish and a prayer is that you're at the mercy of the universe for the first, and you've got some help with the second."

                                                                                            --Jodi Picoult

"Actually, I love trying to figure out why certain books become hits while others, which may be just as good, have trouble finding an audience."

                                                                                                    --Jay Asher

"I don't exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it." 

                                             --J.D. Salinger

Post #5: Gatherings from the Readings

I could identify with all the warnings of what to and what not to do in your writing in "Politics and the English Language" because not only did it help me understand not to use devices like dead metaphors and overly-complex diction, but I could relate to how he aimed for writing to be more, well, almost conversational.  I like my writing to sound sophisticated, but I also want people to feel like I'm having a conversation with them, so they will feel more involved and will be able to relate to it.  Students can really learn a lot from Orwell's writing tips, for it would be nice for all pieces of writing to be conversational and relatable.

In "The Science of Scientific Writing," I could definitely understand how the way someone structures their writing is a direct factor in how the reader understands it; I know that the independent variable will be on the X-axis and the dependent on the Y-axis, and so if they were mixed up, I would be confused.  This reminded me of a 5-paragraph essay, for the thesis clearly states what each argument will say, and even in which body paragraphs they are located.  I know that in this writing class, we are supposed to branch out and away from more structural writing, particularly 5-paragraph essays, but students should know that they are and always have been really nice with guiding me--and many others--and teaching me to write.