Things Fall Apart Rhetorical Analysis
Okonkwo’s emotions when he shoots the chief's son
Such a sad day today, the chief of the clan has died. He was such a great man,the third oldest of all nine villages and he improved the clan greatly. He made the clan so strong, that they could defeat all their enemies. I always showed respected the chief and “A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness”(chapter 3). The chief was an inspiration to me and I will miss his leadership, but his death could have an advantage for me, because I could have the chance to prove myself as a worthy chief of the clan. The funeral started off wonderfully, with so much celebration and remembrance of the chief. People were pounding the ancient drums, jumping over walls, killing animals or cutting trees that came in the way and they all fired the gun for the last salute, dancing on roofs. They did all this because he was such a …show more content…
noble warrior. It was a warrior’s funeral which lasted all day. I had always dreamt that one day when I die, my clansmen would have a funeral as grand as this for me.
Oh my chi! How did that even happen?! How did I press the trigger? The bullet shot the chief’s son! Everyone knows that I was the one who murdered the chief’s son and now there is no way my dreams will ever survive, because they have all been broken into pieces like a smashed water jug. Being guilty of killing a clansman, I will have to leave this village, and everything that I have worked so hard for all my life will become nothing. I have made such a big mistake, which just took a few seconds to take place. The clan will now banish me because everyone knows that I am the one who killed him, and now all I can do is gather my belongings and flee the village for seven years. I have to leave my lovely village, because of one bitter mistake. Why does the clan need to have these rules, I did this by mistake, I would never want to kill anyone of my own clan. They all know me so well, they know that I would never do anything like this on purpose. But now the price must be paid. Now, after what I have done they will have to cleanse the land and all my hard work will vanish - in less than a second the bullet that killed the chief’s son has made me a cowrie-less exile. I am gutted and distressed that my fate is turning against me.
For me this is a very difficult step, because I had worked many rough years to build my reputation into what it is now.
I felt that I had succeeded in becoming the opposite of my father, but now I feel that my chi has given up on me. I had my farm all set to serve my family’s future generations and now they need me to leave everything in ashes. By now they probably have already burnt down my house, killed my animals and destroyed my barn, because they had to cleanse the land which I had polluted with the blood of a clansman. Why is my chi always testing me on how well I can take on problems? Problem after problem after problem! Its like problems are climbing on my back and breaking it. How on earth will these seven years pass? What will I do? How will I feed my family and where will we stay? There are many questions. But there is only one answer to this problem of where to shelter my family for seven years... Somewhere I know, somewhere I recognize. Maybe I can go stay at my motherland, because after all, “Mother is supreme” (chapter 14). There I can even farm and earn
money.
But how can I go there and face the kinsmen? They will ask many questions which will be difficult to answer. It will be so shameful for me! What will I tell the people there about why I have come here all of a sudden, and will anyone there be willing to help me? I will be such a disgrace for my own mother. Even though she is not alive, her spirit will look down on me with disgust. I have made such a big mistake! How will I get out of this dark time and stand tall?! These seven years will seem like centuries to me. Even after the seven years when I will go back to the village, I will not be able to stand tall and life will be very lonely for me. Now everything is ruined! This bullet will be the biggest regret of my life. I was at the peak of success but my bad luck pulled me all the way down.
Despite all I had accomplished, my chi supported my father and made me just like him. A failure.
Such a sad day today, the chief of the clan has died. He was such a great man,the third oldest of all nine villages and he improved the clan greatly. He made the clan so strong, that they could defeat all their enemies. I always showed respected the chief and “A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness”(chapter 3). The chief was an inspiration to me and I will miss his leadership, but his death could have an advantage for me, because I could have the chance to prove myself as a worthy chief of the clan. The funeral started off wonderfully, with so much celebration and remembrance of the chief. People were pounding the ancient drums, jumping over walls, killing animals or cutting trees that came in the way and they all fired the gun for the last salute, dancing on roofs. They did all this because he was such a …show more content…
noble warrior. It was a warrior’s funeral which lasted all day. I had always dreamt that one day when I die, my clansmen would have a funeral as grand as this for me.
Oh my chi! How did that even happen?! How did I press the trigger? The bullet shot the chief’s son! Everyone knows that I was the one who murdered the chief’s son and now there is no way my dreams will ever survive, because they have all been broken into pieces like a smashed water jug. Being guilty of killing a clansman, I will have to leave this village, and everything that I have worked so hard for all my life will become nothing. I have made such a big mistake, which just took a few seconds to take place. The clan will now banish me because everyone knows that I am the one who killed him, and now all I can do is gather my belongings and flee the village for seven years. I have to leave my lovely village, because of one bitter mistake. Why does the clan need to have these rules, I did this by mistake, I would never want to kill anyone of my own clan. They all know me so well, they know that I would never do anything like this on purpose. But now the price must be paid. Now, after what I have done they will have to cleanse the land and all my hard work will vanish - in less than a second the bullet that killed the chief’s son has made me a cowrie-less exile. I am gutted and distressed that my fate is turning against me.
For me this is a very difficult step, because I had worked many rough years to build my reputation into what it is now.
I felt that I had succeeded in becoming the opposite of my father, but now I feel that my chi has given up on me. I had my farm all set to serve my family’s future generations and now they need me to leave everything in ashes. By now they probably have already burnt down my house, killed my animals and destroyed my barn, because they had to cleanse the land which I had polluted with the blood of a clansman. Why is my chi always testing me on how well I can take on problems? Problem after problem after problem! Its like problems are climbing on my back and breaking it. How on earth will these seven years pass? What will I do? How will I feed my family and where will we stay? There are many questions. But there is only one answer to this problem of where to shelter my family for seven years... Somewhere I know, somewhere I recognize. Maybe I can go stay at my motherland, because after all, “Mother is supreme” (chapter 14). There I can even farm and earn
money.
But how can I go there and face the kinsmen? They will ask many questions which will be difficult to answer. It will be so shameful for me! What will I tell the people there about why I have come here all of a sudden, and will anyone there be willing to help me? I will be such a disgrace for my own mother. Even though she is not alive, her spirit will look down on me with disgust. I have made such a big mistake! How will I get out of this dark time and stand tall?! These seven years will seem like centuries to me. Even after the seven years when I will go back to the village, I will not be able to stand tall and life will be very lonely for me. Now everything is ruined! This bullet will be the biggest regret of my life. I was at the peak of success but my bad luck pulled me all the way down.
Despite all I had accomplished, my chi supported my father and made me just like him. A failure.