Final TFA questions

Here are the final questions TFA. Have an enjoyable week. Email if you have questions. By the way, I'm having to do all this from my iPhone, so I apologize for any errors. Also, I still have to link the map that I mentioned in the previous blog.

Additional questions:

Even as Achebe works to educate his readers about African culture and to combat demeaning stereotypes, he does not present Igbo society as ideal or perfect. The portrait of this culture on the eve of its "falling apart" in Part I of Things Fall Apart is complex, sometimes contradictory and critical. What aspects of pre-colonial Igbo culture does Achebe seem to question or criticize? How does Achebe use characters like Obierika, Okonkwo, and Nwoye to offer such social criticism of Igbo society? How do the people of Umuofia react to change?
Describe your initial reading experience and response(s) to Things Fall Apart Part I as a cross-cultural encounter: how are you responding to this exposure to traditional Igbo culture and people? Why do you think you are responding as you are? What seems most different and/or foreign to you? What seems most similar and/or familiar to you?

Break HW

Hello.

Let me be the last to wish you and your families happy holidays. I hope you have a chance to spend some quality time with family and friends. With that said, I did want to remind you of the work assigned over the break.

You are required to read Achebe's, Things Fall Apart. In addition, please find Yeats' Poem, "The Second Coming," in the literature links. Read this poem at least two times. Consider the poem while reading. You will have a brief assignment relating to this poem after the novel. I am posting some questions to answer during your reading. These are due when we return. The first set of questions are pasted in this post. I will post other questions throughout the week. Please check back in a day or two. There will be a final assignment relating Achebe's book to Conrad's novella. I have posted a link to a colonial map of Africa. Please explore the sight and consider the ramifications of colonialism.

Note: if you've read this book, you are required to answer these questions, but you should also read Godot.

Describe Okonkwo, the protagonist of Things Fall Apart. Consider him as an Igbo heroic character: how does he work to achieve greatness as defined by his and culture? How does he differ from Western heroes with whom you are familiar? What are Okonkwo’s strengths and weaknesses?
Describe Unoka, Okonkwo’s father. What are Okonkwo’s feelings toward Unoka, and why? How does the (negative) example of his father shape Okonkwo’s character and actions? What do the early descriptions of Okonkwo’s success and Unoka’s failure tell us about Igbo society? How does one succeed in this cultural context? What do we learn from the system of the taking of titles? Who seems to be excluded from opportunities to gain such success?
Describe the narrator of Things Fall Apart, the "voice" telling us the story of Okonkwo, Umuofia (Igbo for "people of the forest," per Brians), and the Igbo world of the nine villages. How would you describe this narrative voice, its point of view, its values and perspectives? In an introductory essay to one edition, Simon Gikandi calls the novel’s storyteller a "witness" (xiii)—to what does Achebe’s narrator bear "witness"?
Begin with these questions for the early part of the story.

HW 12/22

Hello. For this evening's homework, please read the next four pages or so to prepare for tomorrow's presentation. If you are not coming in, be sure to check back on the blog, as I will post work for the break. Have a good night.

HW 12/20

Hello. For this evening, please re-read the section we will be studying tomorrow.  Ashtie and Sam will be presenting to the class. On Wednesday, we will take a mock m/c test. On Thursday, we will have a final presentation before the break. Get in your IR if you have not done so. It is losing points. Have a good night.

HW 12/17 - 12/18

Hello. For this weekend, you should be working on your independent reading (due Monday) and reading ahead in HOD. There will be three presenters next week. If you have HOD copy that I provided, you should read up to page 4. Otherwise, read to "... where I knew the water was deep." Please complete the exercise on terms as well. Have a great weekend.

HW 12/16

Hello. I hope you all had an enjoyable day today. I am sure that you missed my pearls of wisdom. But do not despair, I will be back in class tomorrow. I do not have my book with me, but I believe that Brikend will be presenting next?? If this is not the case, please email me to let me know. The presenters have all done a nice job so far. I would like to make sure that at some point, the presenters lead the class in a whole group discussion of the text. Let's not rely too heavily on the group assignments.

Continue to work on your IR. If you did not finish today's assignment, make sure to do it for homework. You should also have the diction exercise. Have a great night.

HW 12/15

Good evening. In case I am not there tomorrow, I will leave some work for you regarding HOD. You can work in groups to complete the assignment. I will follow up tomorrow evening with details about Friday's presentation. If I don't see you tomorrow, have a great day, and please be respectful of the class, school, and substitute teacher.

Follow-up

So for tomorrow, it appears that Tatiana will be presenting as her passage ends with "at least one listener was awake besides myself." However, I may have skipped someone in between them. If you have "They had been talking about Kurtz," or something in between, you are up next. Please email me if you have this quote. Have a good night.

HW 12/13

Hello. For this evening, I would like you to read the essays that we began reading in class today. Make sure to spend a little time looking closely at the essays and evaluating them for their content, length, style, sophistication, etc. Mark the score you would give it and bring it to class tomorrow.

There should be a group presenting tomorrow. So if you know you are up next, please prepare. I will check and re-post tonight when I get home.

Have a good night

HW 12/9

Hello. For this evening, I would like you to read the section of the text that we went over again and make sure that you are comfortable with what is happening. We will not have a presentation, but we will do some work - possibly group - with the text. Next week I will be giving a 45 minute M/C test. Continue reading your independent books. Have a good night
.

HW 12/7

Hello. For tonight, please begin answering the questions from today's handouts. Also, please read the passage for Thursday's presentation. Because we are moving slowly through the text, you should read the passages closely and at least two times. Have a great night.

HW 12/6

Hello. For tonight's homework, I would like you to close read the next section of the text, which will be presented by Johanna and Randy. That section begins where we left off today and ends with "... you won't have the opportunity." They will focus on Conrad's characterization of the company men. I would like to thank the presenters so far. You have done a nice job of focusing your discussion. I would also like to thank the class for your active engagement in the activities and for being well-prepared.

Please continue to work on your independent reading. If there is no other work posted, you should use that time to make progress on your reading. There is always something to do.

Have a great night.

HW12/1

Good evening. For tonight, please read the next section of the book. Tomorrow's passage will be presented by Ashley and Jordan. I would like to thank you for being prepared for, and engaged during, the first student presentation.

Tomorrow, I will use the first 10 minutes to discuss today's film clip assignment and then we will move on to HOD. While we will be doing presentations most everyday, please be advised that your date may change. There are other things I would like to do, so the book may get pushed back. On friday, we will have a timed write or m/c test. This test will be strictly practice/diagnostic so do not worry about the outcome. Remember to prepare for tomorrow by close reading the passage. Prepare some comments, questions, or ideas for discussion. Have a great night.