As I said before, I really enjoyed reading Things Fall Apart. At first I must admit I was skeptical of reading African lit. The only comparison I could draw from memory was a novel we read during freshman year - I can't quite remember the title, but I know I hated the writing style. I was nervous it would be another broken english slave novel, or an extremely subjective perspective from either a white or African author. Needless to say I was surprised when I realized it was neither. I was instantly captivated by the intro to Ibo culture, and even more so as the story continued to develop. Letting go of any previous opinions, I opened my mind to Achebe's writing and found myself enlightened. I honestly had no idea how incredibly civilized the Ibo were/are. Civilized, as in maintaining a system in which the society existed relatively harmoniously and efficiently. Granted, there are many aspects that would classify them as barbaric, but Achebe mainly highlighted their humanity rather than their inhuman qualities.
This just goes to show how little Americans are exposed to not only African culture, but also cultures in general. There's so much to learn about so many different kinds of people. That is why I enjoy this class so much. It's fascinating to read literature of different countries and then understand its significance historically.
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I also really liked African lit. I had never really been exposed to it before. I really think it was Achebe's style of story telling that pulled me into Things Fall Apart. It was refreshing to be reading an actual story, especially after reading Kafka, Eliot, and Dostoyevsky. It was nice to have a beginning, middle, and end.
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