How to Write ABOOT Canadians

Canadian Eh? 

^ This is the perfect title for your story as it's original and has never been used before. 

Before you start talking about how nice and free spirited Canadians are, make sure you mention how selfless and understanding they are. If one of your character’s friends ever encounters a dramatic issue, they must always come back to your character as they will listen to them with a kind, open-heart and not let their issues affect them in anyway. Highlighting the fact that they are pushovers and doormats is essential in delivering an accurate piece of work.

Lets face it, pretty much your entire piece of writing will include the word “eh” at the end of every sentence. If a certain character in your story threatens or hurts your main character, MAKE SURE that your character apologizes non-stop, offering themselves as sacrifice because that is their nature. If your character does NOT apologize constantly for potentially almost being killed, your character will automatically be seen in a very negative light; a bad representation of Canadians.

In terms of hobbies and interests, make sure you emphasize how much your character adores Justin Bieber! No one has ever heard of anyone other than the Canadian heartthrob that absolutely adores his fans. Shania Twain? Avril Lavigne? Who?

Due to the fact that Canadians are such selfless people with no personality, polluting the environment would be terribly awful for your story. Your character will ride his/her polar bear to work everyday in the cold yearlong snow.

Make a note that your character’s only friends consist of beavers and moose that they love to constantly ride and complement as if they were human. In terms of your character’s costume, they should always be dressed as either a lumberjack or an eskimo. Also, your character should live in a igloo throughout the year as in Canada, there is no chance of hot summer days. It’s important to know what the weather is like over there!

Your character must only speak English as French Is not accepted in Canada. Canada is a English speaking country no matter what any outside source says. The idea of “French Canadians” is irrelevant to the French Language. As the French are mostly loud and angry half the time, when your character feels the need to express themselves, use expressions such as “Holy Smokes” or “Sugar Plums”. That’s as ‘vulgar’ it will get in your story if you character even DREAMS of expressing anger.

Your character speaks in English, thinks in English, and what not. Your character must use expressions such as “Goodheavens, No” as he/she will identify themselves as being either British or Irish.

One of the most important elements of your character that must be highlighted is their diet. No matter where your character is, he or she should always carry a bottle of maple syrup in their ROOTS backpack. In addition to this, bacon and beaver tales should be available 24/7. Every meal that your character sits down for will consist of bacon and maple syrup. Heck! (Canadians should never swear). Why not throw in a couple maple trees in their backyard?

To finish off, maybe throw in a quote about kindness and caring for others.

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Blog Prompt: Show how and to what effect Achebe makes use of myth,legend or other stories and tales.

Chinua Achebe is a world renowned African author who is known for his best selling novel Things Fall, one that has been translated in over fifty languages and has sold more than 20 million copies around the globe. The central aim of the novel is to bring light to the situations and problems that are associated with the colonization of Africa and the direct impact of the colonizers on African culture and society itself. More importantly, Achebe’s novel is a vivid and enlightening illustration of the African culture to Western readers, presenting a good sense of African language and providing them with a cultural experience through Chinua Achebe’s non-fiction world.

Throughout the novel, many oral traditions are presented, as Achebe frequently uses proverbs, songs and folk tales to accurately illustrate the Igbo tradition. Understanding the Igbo African culture to some extent is essential as it allows the reader to embrace and understanding the potential significance of  the various folk tales and myths presented throughout the novel. As we go through this blog post, I will essentially explore different examples that I feel clearly demonstrate Achebe’s significance in using myths, folktales and legends to provide and strong foundation of the Igbo African culture.

To begin, we will look at the use of proverbs in Chapter One when the art and tradition of passing the kola nut for alliance is addressed. Okonkwo says, “He who brings kola brings life”, which would not make very much sense if one was to view it as a general proverb, but in the context of the text, this is a popular oral saying as the kola nut can be used for many things. Strategically, Achebe’s use of provers throughout the novel are well placed, for instance, the Ibo saying, “When a man says yes, his chi says yes also”, furthermore prevailing the importance of spirituality in the Ibo culture. The use of proverbs, to a certain extent, presents a clear and culturally significant foundation to the Igbo African culture, providing the reader with further insight on the culture itself.

In addition to the use of proverbs, Achebe makes use of the effect of folk tradition and myths in his novel. In Things Fall Apart , an unforgettable folktale told by Ekwefi is told to her daughter Ezinma, about a tortoise and birds. It is the story of the birds and the tortoise who accompanied the birds to a great feast in the sky. The simple tale of the birds and the Tortoise presents itself as a following trend for the entire novel, surrounding the theme of imperialism and the loss of power. We must keep in mind that this story is told between chapters ten, where it is revealed to us that Okonkwo has just obtained the second highest position of importance in Umuofia, next to the leader Evil Forest. During the story, the birds lent Tortoise their feathers in order for him to eventually accompany them to the sky, further symbolizing the support given to Okonkwo by his people that empowered him and allowed him to be Umuofia's proud and reigning champion on a mission of war to Mbaino where he was treated with a high level of respect. This rides side by side with the Tortoise being elevated to the highest place in the sky, where is eventually exiled and abandoned by all the birds who used to be his friends. In addition to this, after Okonkwo’s elevation in social status and power, he is exiled to Mbanta after committing a “woman’s crime” and abandoned by his closest friends. Eventually, when the Tortoise falls to the ground, his shell breaks and he is broken into pieces. This demonstrates a paradigm with Okonkwo as when he eventually returns to Umuofia after 7 years of exile, he is torn apart by the loss of his culture and once tradition, eventually committing suicide. This specific folk tale essentially presents Okonkwo as a tragic hero who has fallen to his descent, as well as some multivocality as to whether or not he truly is the protagonist and not the antagonist of the novel.

Another prominent folktale that must be  approached is the quarrel between Earth and Sky. As all of Achebe’s use of folk tradition and proverbs have a solemn purpose in the novel, the quarrel between Earth and Sky identify a direct significance with the nature of Nwoye, and how it worries his father Okonkwo. Achebe does make it clear that the young boy prefers his mother’s story of a Vulture who was sent to illuminate and soften the heart of the sky with song than his father’s gory story of shed blood and war. As Nwoye is illustrated as a more gentle and kind hearted character, this counters with Okonkwo’s bias belief that Nwoye is more or less to be associated with a “femininity” and “weakness”. Now, this is questionable as to whether or not this has been ingrained in Igbo belief or simply part of Okonkwo’s moral compass of traditional beliefs.

Finally, a memorable instance of a song occurs in Chapter 7 with Ikemefuna and Okonkwo, as they march out to the forest before Okonkwo and his men eventually kill the young boy. This song is directly correlated with Igbo tradition, providing the audience with a truly cultural African experience as there is no context towards the song itself.

In conclusion, Chinua Achebe’s use of several myths, songs, and folktales throughout the novel demonstrate the rich context and essence of the African culture throughout the novel, as it allows the reader to truly embrace the Igbo culture during the intriguing narrative. Many of these provide the reader with an understanding of structural importance within the context of the novel, and add more depth to the storyline itself.

Things Are Falling Apart, Things Have fallen apart...

How can one remember what life was like before, when the present state of your world has been turned upside down? As I sit here staring into the open fields of yams, I begin to think about what life was like before the arrival of the white men. The harmony of our world was in place, the reality of our beliefs remained throughout the tribe and our father Chukwu, and most of all, the men and woman of Umofia were fighters, strong fighters. 

Now, everywhere I turn, what stands in front of me is unrecognizable, and what we thought could never been unbroken is now breaking, slowly falling apart until none of it is left and no one is left to stand for it. Yes, at first we were curious about what these white men had to bring us and of their relevance to our lives, little did we know that they were making significant changes right before our eyes with us under some kind of "spell". Their leader was a kind man of a gentle spirit, but knew how to get his way by truly communicating and sympathizing with the people of Umofia. Eventually, schools and hospitals were built, which all in all contributed to the liking of our people. Our men are in denial! Everything that we are made of, everything that we have built is slowly deteriorating and no one seems to be turning one head.

The land we once called our home has turned into a new world, one that I and others are denying to truly identify with. Things are falling apart…Things have fallen apart.

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Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart intends to recreate the traditional and cultural if you will, fabric of the Igbo life between the 1850’s - late 1900s. The novel itself can be read from many lenses, whether it be feminist, insightful, or complementary, allowing the reader to understand  Achebe’s works and provide a more profound awareness of the cultural context of the novel itself.

The novel revolves around the main character Okonkwo, a man who is most respected and defined by the idea of “masculinity”. He values respect and tradition while being a strong-willed, and somewhat stubborn male character, eventually leading to his downfall. As a person, Okonkwo has embodied who he is based off the failure of his father Unoka. Through Okonkwo’s perspective, his father is weak and cowardly as he was unsuccessful at maintaining a strong masculine identity in the past. Although he is depicted as a negative character, Okonkwo’s perspective of Unoka enables the reader to feel pity for him, viewing him as innocent, and dumbfounded by other people’s opinions. With a fear of being defined by his father’s past, Okonkwo has set a path of success for himself, in which he goes to great lengths to showcase his masculinity and opposition to femininity.

The social and cultural context of Achebe’s novel allows us to understanding and establish connections with the identified Ibo culture. As Things Fall Apart was written in the mid 1800s, societal views were very much different from those of today in regards to women’s rights and the fight for equality. Using a feminist lens to analyze the novel, there are many instances of oppression against women, thus emphasizing one of the major themes; Societal Position and Gender. For example, while Okonkwo resides in his private hut, his wives must stay in smaller separate huts, furthermore emphasizing the imbalance of power throughout the Ibo community. Whilst approaching this from a feminist lens, the reader must keep in mind that these ideas of “masculinity and femininity” were very must opposing values amongst the Igbo tribe. Furthermore, the fixated idea of “gender roles” stood as opposing theories. As a second example, we can look at Okonkwo’s daughter Ezinma, one who carries a masculine personality. Ezinma is considered to be Okonkwo’s most favourited child as she manages to carry more masculine tones in her personality than others would expect. We can directly comment on the difference between Ezinma and Okonkwo’s son Nwoye, who appears to be a weaker character who portrays a much more feminine side, one that Okonkwo is not pleased with and looks down on. These sexist connotations are purposefully applied to the novel and it’s characters in order to effectively showcase the Ibo social structure and cultural values.

In order to approach this idea of femininity vs masculinity and how each gender role is defined, one must have a profound understanding and reminder of the relationship between Okonkwo and his father. One one hand, we have Unoka, one who treats woman with respect and kindness. In Okonkwo’s eyes, this is seen as a weakness and lack of evident courage, yet this is still not an accurate representation of the Igbo culture and their values. Okonkwo is disgusted with his father’s actions, and avenges them by becoming an exemplary version of his father.

Lastly, from a postcolonial perspective, the actions that the Ibo tribe take against the colonizers is seen as form of resistance towards colonial oppression. Based on the nature of colonization, the actions taken are nothing but expected.

Ideally, Chinua Achebe allows his readers to fully appreciate the novel and it’s origins; an upstanding form of African anti-colonial literature and a “set form” for any future African writers, a global inspiration.