Oh So Dramatic #%!%!!!

*Grabs and plucks flower*

Nwoye, Okonkwo, Nwoye, Okonkwo, Nwoye. I am not who they want me to be. I am not my father. The manliness of our village, Mother, scares and intimidates me. But I know that it is foolish to be womanly. It is said that a boy turns into a man only when he knows of this. But this is not the case for me. Growing up as the eldest son, Father always had higher expectations for me no matter what I did; whether doing chores or taking care of my brothers and sisters, Father always expected nothing less than the best. A year ago was the closet I came to pleasing Father, the year when Ikemefuna was still alive. I can still recall the day Father returned to his obi from the forests without him. I felt my insides turn to ice, numbness spreading like a contagious disease throughout ever inch of body as I watched Father’s grave face. Watching him slump onto his bed, I knew my brother was gone and soon the heavy burdens that came with being the eldest came crashing onto me again with impossible force. Once again I had become not only my Father’s but Umuofia’s lost cause. The death of my brother sparked mysterious feelings of rage and confusion. These were the same feelings that courses through my veins every time twins are banished. Life should be treasured, not carelessly thrown away; Ikemefuna committed no crime yet he was murdered. He was murdered by an Oracle he never met, the very Oracle that brought him to our village. This is why I chose to join them, those who do not judge me. I can now life my life the way I choose without expectations pressing me down. Nwoye, Okonkwo, Nwoye, Okonkwo, I am neither.

*Beheads poor flower*

My name is Isaac.

The Hero In Their Eyes

Even after a full two weeks of intense pondering during Spring Break, I still do not believe Okonkwo is a hero. Although physically Okonkwo has what it takes to be a hero, he does not have the emotional or mental capabilities to become one. True, Okonkwo has only himself to praise for building such strong foundations for his family with no father to count upon, but his accomplishments are personal and thus non-beneficial to society. A successful man and nothing more, Okonkwo relies on the judgements of others to determine his own success. Also valuing power above all else, Okonkwo is unsympathetic towards the common man and even looks down upon him. These are the traits that are relayed at the end of the novel when a reader fully analyses Okonkwo.

A hero has no mandatory specifications; a hero can be a heroine for all we care. But a hero must provide assurance and comfort to those around him. Okonkwo does not portray this as he commands power through fear. A hero is empathetic and this includes particularly the powerless and needy. If an individual has the potential to help others but is unwilling to, this individual is meaningless to the surrounding community and cannot be looked up to as a hero. This may seem selfish but a hero becomes a hero only when he allows the burdens others impose to become his duty. In closing, Okonkwo is not a hero nor does he wish to be. Okonkwo does not see meaning in assisting the weak as he lives to mock their incapability. As long as he himself and his family are triumphant, nothing else matters.

Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festival

Today's lesson:

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"

Thanks for believing in me :)

The Magic Number Three

War. War brings to mind many conflicts, whether a war between nations, societies, villages, or even families. In "Three Day Road" the central conflict revolves around war and its separate effects on different people. Joseph Boyden's novel was inspired by World War I hero Francis Pegahmagabow, an Ojibwa sniper of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces, who is portrayed by the two main characters Elijah and Xavier. Joseph takes Pegahmagabow and splits him into two distinct personalities, Elijah and Xavier; Elijah is the wild carefree side of Pegahmagabow whilst Xavier is the more careful and calculating side.

The bigger picture shows the man versus man conflict between two opposing forces of World War I but the main clashes are found within the man versus self conflicts of Elijah and Xavier. The conflict of Elijah involves gaining fame within the army's battalions. Well known for their shooting abilities as snipers by the soldiers, Elijah and Xavier quickly gain attention and rank as Sergeant McCaan and Lieutenant Breech, their superiors, notice their abilities and quickly put them to use. Again and again, Elijah and Xavier exceed the expectations of each mission. Not only do they kill all their targets, they even go as far as discovering a German "bunker thirty or forty feet below the earth... [with] comfortable couches and chairs and candles...and in the middle of the room... a grand piano" (Boyden 246-247). Although noticed for their achievements, Elijah is not content and plots different ways to garner even more attention. A simple, static character, Elijah remains this way through the whole novel and even goes as far as to cut the scalps of his victims to show his bravery.

On the other hand there is Xavier. At beginning of the novel, Xavier enjoys his relationship with his friend Elijah but as time wears on, he is no longer sure of this. Because the story is told in a series of flashbacks rotating between the narrators Xavier and his aunt Niska, adding the fact that I have yet to finish the novel, the resolution has not yet been revealed. Xavier's character faces a number of conflicts in the different periods of time; the periods being the past and the present. In the "past" periods of time, where he is still in the war, his man versus self conflict is whether or not to continue fighting in the war or to escape and return home. A part of this want to return home is provoked by a sort of jealously he develops caused by Elijah. Although better than Elijah in shooting, he is not as well known in the army because of his language barrier and personality. Unlike Elijah who is easygoing and absolutely adores bragging about his every accomplishments, Xavier keeps quiet and steadily grows darker every passing day. In the "present" period of time, where he has already return from the war and is under the care of Niska as they are rowing home on a three day journey, his conflict is whether or not to continue living; he has lost his left leg and is addicted to morphine as the drug soothes his pain. Though in living in agony, his love for his aunt is what keeps him from choosing death over life. The three-day road in the novel refers to the journey from birth to death and this is the conflict enchained upon Xavier.

As the novel progresses, I hope to reveal the resolutions both during and after the war.

Two Is Better Than One?

Barbie Dolls. How could such an innocent play toy, the prime inspiration and heroine for many young girls be a neon marker for post colonialism?

Post colonialism is a broad term mainly used for the many changes in ideas and views of British colonies around the world after gaining independence from their mother country; the changes in these colonies include the way race, culture, religion and identity are represented in modern day civilization. The overall premise however is the idea that all that is white is considered "pure and good" while all that is black is considered "tainted and evil". To put it more simply, white is better than black, therefore lighter skinned people are superior over darker skinned beings.

This contemporary example is from a Louisiana Wal-Mart in March of 2010 where the darker skinned Theresa dolls were marked down for discount at $3.00 where as the exact pale-skinned model was marked at $5.93. The models, side by side, can be seen as identical copies of each other with the exception of skin tone. Modern society has dictated Caucasian, fair skinned humans as the zenith of beauty. For a multi-billion company to recognize that dark skinned Barbies are not as sought after as their fairer skinned cousins gives a horrific indication of the racism that lingers still even in first world nations. To market light skinned Barbies at a higher price suggests that Caucasian people are of greater value than other nationalities which in this case is African. Furthermore, dolls are targeted to young girls and this separation in value due to skin colour plants seeds of discrimination as well as sense of inferiority into the hearts of the next generation. Such insolence is rarely tolerated and yet still surfaces into the media regularly. Although Britain no longer rules most her colonies, her values of human identity remains in the souls of countless nations forever.