Chapters Five & Six
What role does ritual and tradition play in a community?
In a close community tradition plays a big role. In most small communities everyone knows one another or are related, so they all have similar rituals or traditions. A church community for example has all the same daily rituals. In Okonkwo’s community there is the tradition of the feast of the new yam. This particular feast gives thanks to their earth goddess. The whole community is suppose to participate because it is a community tradition. The women of the community for this tradition do chores. They scrub their huts, prepare meals, and get ready for this ceremony. Also the community paints their skin as a ritual for these times of gathering, especially the children. The role of traditions and rituals is to keep order, and in a way to bring people together.
Chapter Seven & Eight
What happends when we leave or join a community?
When you join a community you have to adapt to the traditions of that community. When you leave a community you have to be able to leave certain traditions and aspects of the old community behind, in order to adapt to another. Ikemefuna stays with Okonkwo’s family for three years. Even though he is not moving into a different community but a different he is having to adapt to a new environment. Ikemefuna has influences around him to adapt him into more of a strong person, as we know weakness is not tolerated in their community. Like going into a new community he also adapts to their culture in Okonkwo’s home. Through out the chapters he noticed a sort of new toughness to Ikemefuna just because of the influence they have on him, but yet there was still weak attributes to him. This was not tolerated in Okonkwo’s community and he is told by the oracle that Ikemefuna needs to be killed.
Chapters Nine & Ten
How does a community fall apart?
A community falls apart when certain rules may not be fallowed. Also if an illness breaks out and the...