Wednesday, April 8, 2015

What are two of Ikemefuna's skills or talents in Things Fall Apart?

In chapters 4-7 of Things Fall Apart,
Ikemefuna has, in three short years, developed into the son that Okonkwo wished he'd had.  He
seems to be a combination of the best parts of Okonwko, the physically talented "natural" male,
and Okonkwo's father, Unoka, the artistic storyteller.  Ikemefuna is a hard worker and a fast
learner.  At age 18, he can perform the manly duties: identify birds, trap rodents, and make
flutes and bows.  And he can also perform the duties of his agbala
grandfather: tell clever folktales.


Ikemefuna is so
talented that Nwoye respects him more than his own father, who cruelly ridicules his own son
because he is lazy, like Unoka.  In fact, Ikemefuna is too talented for his tribe, for they seem
him as an outside threat to their insular male patriarchy.  When he comes of age, the elders
summon his execution for fear that he will weaken their core values.

No comments:

Post a Comment

How is Anne's goal of wanting "to go on living even after my death" fulfilled in Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl?I didn't get how it was...

I think you are right! I don't believe that many of the Jews who were herded into the concentration camps actually understood the eno...