Saturday, April 1, 2017
Beloved and things fall apart
Beloved and Things Fall Apart are visibly connected in the way that they include the past culture of African society. Beloved does so in a more reminiscent form, where as Things Fall Apart utilizes first hand details and the lead up to the arrival of colonial imperialism and the subsequent activity of slavery. To me, the concept of the ogbanje is most directly linked to the two. One of Okonkwo's wife's, Ekwefi, is cursed by an ogbanje. In Beloved, Sethe can be interpreted to be plagued by an ogbanje because of Beloved, who seemingly comes back from the dead. This goes to show that after becoming free in the United States, African-Americans still relied heavily on their past culture.
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6 comments:
I think both stories are also heavily linked through the concept of community. The community we see in things fall apart is a lot more spiritual, whereas in beloved it is more physical. Either way, both stories serve to demonstrate how important community was to Africans on both sides of the Atlantic.
I agree that African history is intertwined into both novels. I think that Things Fall Apart is a first hand account, while Beloved shows the effects of slavery on African culture. In both novels, history and ancestors are very important.
I strongly agree with Luke's point that both novels heavily revolve around the concept of community and familial relations. This is significant because, like Savannah referenced, ancestry and history are both significant aspects of these stories.
While I agree that both stories focus on family and community, Beloved is more about how those bonds are destroyed under slavery. I'm Beloved, Sethe is forced to kill her children because she is not a part of the overall community. I think it's also interesting how in Things Fall Apart it kind of shows the beginning of the downfall of African culture due to white imperialism which is continued under slavery.
I also agree with Luke that community was very important in both stories. We see the effect that the lack of community had on Sethe in Beloved, and we see the importance of community and tradition in Things Fall Apart. Both stories are spiritual and it is interesting to see some intertwining beliefs such as the obanje.
The stories almost work together. Things fall apart shows African culture before and during colonization. Whereas beloved shows African culture after it has been mutilated by slavery. Even once the culture has been affected by slavery, certain things remain the same, such as the importanance of community. Without community, no one can survive.
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