The Question of Culture in Chinua Achebe's Work

by Marshall Keeney

Chinua Achebe was born and raised in Nigeria by a couple of devote Christians. Shortly after his education he published many works of all types including short stories, novels, and even children books. For Achebe it was not the gratifying feeling of completing a novel or the praise he got for his work, but rather the attempt to accurately portray African and Nigerian culture. He noticed, in his youth, that the first books written about the African culture were by the British and to him were very “inaccurate and insulting” (Chinua Achebe Biography). This sparked Achebe to write about true African culture and portray it as accurately as possible. With this dream in mind Achebe graduated from University College at Ibadan in Nigeria. Shortly after his graduation (1954) Achebe published his first groundbreaking novel in 1959, Things Fall Apart, about a proud man apart of a small village (Chinua Achebe). Throughout the story Achebe comments on numerous struggles the protagonist comes by daily in a Nigerian village. He touches a bit on every aspect of society including religion, social status, and “the white man.” This was unlike the British stories that talked only about Christianity and anything to make the nation of Britain look better, where we can only imagine the heavy biased included.

It is interesting that Chinua Achebe was raised a devote Christian and both of his parents were likewise strict Christian as he writes about real Nigerian culture (Ayandele 1967). This is somewhat ironic but by reading one of his stories we would never guess it how he was raised. Achebe does a good job in keeping any Christian bias out of his work because he knows that it is not true African culture (Ayandele 1967). However we do see many instances where he talks about “the white man” and his attempt to convert Nigeria. Mostly Achebe writes about everyday life in Nigeria and the struggles that people often have. In “Civil Peace” he tells of a man coming home from war trying to rebuild his life with his family. They work diligently to earn money any way he can. This is typical of a Nigerian family; according to UNICEF nearly 64 percent of the population was under the international poverty line from 2000 to 2009 (At a Glance: Nigeria). This is a strong indicator because if this statistic is high in recent years past than we can assume in the 70s the problem was only worse. So it is not hard to picture Achebe’s story being very close to reality, a feat that many authors stride towards.

“Civil Peace” ended with the man earning a little bit of money and beginning to get his life back. It was at that moment late into the night that, a group of robbers came to his house and demanded money. Although he did not have much, he was forced to give everything he had. Since Nigeria had just gotten out of a civil war many people had to return home with nothing. Unfortunately not everyone was as honest as the protagonist in “Civil Peace” and crime is always an issue. So it makes sense that Achebe added in this part for many reasons. First, it was a part of everyday life in Nigeria and accuracy was the main goal of the writing. Also it is the perfect ironic struggle to encounter after working so hard to earn the money and makes for good story telling. Finally, he uses this opportunity to throw in a bit of religion into the story. Achebe says “Nothing puzzles God”. It is interesting to see how Achebe can integrate so many aspects of society into a short story. In “Civil Peace” Achebe manages to touch on post war economic status, family struggles, crime, and even religion.

Is it appropriate for an author to throw out the culture in which he was raised, in order to more accuratly portray the culture of his writings?

Works Cited

Ayandele, E. A. "Christianity in Nigeria." The Journal of African History 8.2 (1967): 362-64. Print

“At a Glance: Nigeria." UNICEF. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.

            <http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/nigeria_statistics.html>.

"Chinua Achebe." Africana Studies. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. <http://brown.edu/Departments/Africana_Studies/people/achebe_chinua.html>.

"Chinua Achebe Biography." Encyclopedia of World Biographies. Advameg, Inc., 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.                                                                                                          <http://www.notablebiographies.com/A-An/Achebe-Chinua.html>.

Vietnam: The War No One Wanted To Be a Part Of

by Jake Perry

           The Vietnam War was fought during the Cold War.  But, in reality fighting in Vietnam had been going on before American troops landed.  Northern Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh wanted to unify Vietnam and become an independent country.  During this time Vietnam was a colony of France.  In 1954 after years of fighting and an embarrassing defeat the French decided to leave Vietnam.  After their departure Vietnam tried a democracy but was unsuccessful in South Vietnam and the government was eventually over thrown by a coup.  As a result of this coup came the group called Viet Cong.  The Viet Cong were communist and raising war with the southern Vietnamese.  Since it was during the Cold War and America was practicing the platform of Containment they started to intervene by sending military aid to help the south.  Containment was the idea to stop the spread of communism.  Unlike most wars that America had been a part of before the Vietnam War, it was very unpopular.

            The unpopularity that this war caused was due to the attempt by the government to covertly fight the war and then to try and hide how they were fighting the war and finally to expunge the war completely out of history by covering it up with false images (Franklin).  Let’s also not forget the installment of the draft.  No one was thrilled about that.  One of the biggest events that changed the support for the war was the My Lai Massacre.  “Eyewitnesses described bayonetings, clubbings, and close-range shootings, all without a single shot being fired at the Americans. Many of the dead were women, children, and the elderly. Some were killed while kneeling in prayer” (Carter).  With such horrific actions one can only imagine the protest that came from this tragedy.  Furthermore, the covering up of the war also caused the protest against the war not to mention the novels, short stories and articles about it.  Many of the best articles and stories written about the war came from Tim O’Brien.  The goal for O’Brien was to pull back those fake images of the war page by page in his novels.  He did this by writing about his own experience in the war as well as the experience of other veterans.  He truly showed how America was fighting this war and how damaging it was.  He brought up the use of Agent Orange and Napalm bombs that were used in the jungle.  These two weapons were very devastating to the jungle as well as soldiers.  Once the American population found out about the use of these two weapons is when the protest against the war was at its highest.

            Just like many Americans, O’Brien opposed the war and actively demonstrated against it while he was in college.  Bruce Franklin mentioned that O’Brien even went door to door passing out flyers and expressing the “evil” of the war.  One thing that seems clear when reading about O’Brien is that he regrets being a part of this war.  In all honesty what could he do, flee to the Canadian border?  Or could he of changed religions like Muhammad Ali to escape the draft.  The answer is yes he could of but he did not.  In his books, articles and interviews O’Brien makes it simple on why he couldn’t.  In one interview with the New York Times O’Brien was quoted on saying “I was a coward” on the reason for him not deserting the draft.  It’s not just in interviews with O’Brien it is also in his writing sometimes right to the point and other times hidden.  For instance in “The Things They Carried” it is hidden, no one truly comes out and says they are cowards but they all think it.  None of them wanted to let down their families or their fellow brother in arms.

            History is the main thing that O’Brien writes about.  He writes about the Vietnam War still to this day.  It has had an everlasting effect on him and has also made him very successful.  In his writings about the war the main theme is denial.  Denial of self as well as our countries denial.  Self denial is incorporated in “The Things They Carried.  The soldiers deny the reality of the war through their fantasies as well as the thought of lovers.  The reason for O’Brien to write about the denials is because he to this day has to personally deal with the hardships of the war.  In the words of O’Brien himself what is truly true about his writing?

Works Cited

Carter, Stephen L. "My Lai Revisited."  Newsweek 14th ser. 159.13 (2012). Print.

Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. Print.

Franklin, Bruce H. "Tim O'Brien, My Lai, and America." Tim O'Brien, My Lai, and America. Web. 08 May 2012.

Westwell, Guy. "Accidental Napalm Attack and Hegemonic Visions of America's War in Vietnam." Critical Studies in Media Communication (2011). Print.

Margaret Atwood and Feminism in Her Writing

by Cody Felisky

             Feminism can be seen in many of Margaret Atwood’s most famous novels. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood gives light on the struggles of women during the feminist movement, and how equality is essential for a successful world. In The Robber Bride, Atwood shows the different roles women play in both the second-wave feminist time period and the post feminism time period. Both of these stories may lead the reader to believe that Margaret Atwood is in fact a feminist; however, Shirley Neuman explains how Atwood did not consider herself one, and what she thought about feminism.

            The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a world called Gilead, where new women have been brought in and subjected to “breeding” in order for the population to continue growing since the original women have become sterile. The rights of women are stripped away, forcing them to a life of housework, having babies, and taking care of their families while the men go out and work. It is engraved in them that this is what women are supposed to do and how they are supposed to live. Atwood directly relates this to the real world by keeping records of events throughout the feminist time period on women’s and human rights. She makes it a point to the reader to realize that this world of Gilead is not made up, but rather an extension of the real world and its problems. She explores how fragile the newly found rights of women in 1984 are, and that they can be taken away so quickly. The thoughts of the men in The Handmaid’s Tale directly correlate with how men thought of women and the women’s rights movements during the 1980s. Many influential people said were quoted saying things like “feminists encourage women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbian” (Neuman 860).  Atwood not only showed the world this depiction within her writing but was also able to show the different roles women played throughout the feminist time periods.

            The Robber Bride shows the lives of three women who embody different roles of those who lived in the second-wave feminist time period. A strong and powerful business woman, a spiritual and ecofeminist, and an academic are all portrayed in these women. They show what Atwood believed to be the key ideologies during the time, which were unity, sisterhood, and loyalty amongst women. However, her other character, Zenia, plays the role of a women during the post feminism time period. She represents individualism, sexuality, and diversity. All the traits that Zenia has, the women in the second-wave time period want to acquire. Atwood shows the transition between time periods and how difficult it was for women to change their mindsets. Fiona Tolan, author of “Sucking the Blood Out of Second Wave Feminism,” says, “Post feminist women are strong, independent, and with no need of, or attraction to, organized feminism” (Tolan 46). Atwood shows this thinking through her use of Zenia in The Robber Bride, and how women before her find it difficult to comprehend. To the reader, Atwood may seem like a feminist, however she hardly thinks of herself as one. Shirley Neuman discusses in her article, “Just a Backlash: Margaret Atwood, Feminism, and The Handmaid’s Tale,” how Margaret Atwood really thought of herself and feminism.

            Atwood did not consider herself a feminist and dislike being called one. She resented when critics labeled her as one and feared that they would only look at her most recent work, and not the earlier work. By 1976, she started to come to terms with the idea of feminism declaring that she was “probably a feminist” (Neuman 858). Neuman writes of an interview that Atwood had with feminist theorist Elizabeth Meese. She discusses Atwood’s definition of feminism and what it means to her. Around the time of The Handmaid’s Tale’s release, Atwood said, “my definition of feminism is a belief in the rights of women as equal human beings” (Neuman 858). She made the point in saying that if in fact the world was taken over by the radical anti-male feminist, she would most likely resist. The point being, Atwood’s take on feminism and the feminism shown in her stories differs greatly, something that the reader would not expect.

Do you believe Atwood’s writing reflects a more radical style of feminism or the ideology that she holds, a simple belief in equality amongst all human beings?

Works Cited

Neuman, Shirley. "'Just a Backlash': Margaret Atwood, Feminism, and "The Handmaid's Tale."." University of Toronto Quarterly. 75.3 (2006): 857-868. Print.

Tolan, Fiona. "Sucking the Blood Out of Second Wave Feminism: Postfeminist Vampirism in Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride." Gothic Studies. 9.2 (2007): 45-57. Print.

Murakami's Use of Japanese History in His Writings

by Joseph Bahen 

         Haruki Murakami was born in 1949 in Kobe, Japan.  Since childhood, Murakami has been heavily influenced by Western culture, particularly Western music and literature despite the fact he grew up in Japan.  Even though his favorite style of writing was westernized he could not help but line his works with hints of his time in Japan.  Japan up until about 1960 was a closed off country from the rest of the world.  This closed off environment consumed much of Murakami’s life until he was about 11.  This is when Japan joined the United Nations and opened up free trade with the rest of the world.  New things from all over the world began flooding into Japan and Murakami was fascinated by the things he read from western cultures.  He began to write in a westernized way but his writings still represented much of that closed off old way of life in Japan.  Baik Jiwoon, in his publication Murakami Haruki and the historical memory of East Asia, proposes the question “Can Haruki’s placeless and timeless novels and stories be explained by their feeling culturally lost and their repressed historical memories?” (Jiwoon 65). This is exactly what Murakami does in his short story “The Ice Man.”

            In “The Ice Man” Murakami has introduced us to a character, that I believe, is figuratively made of Ice.  His icy personality makes him a character that is a figure trapped in its past and is fully concerned with preserving the past.  The Ice man is not only dwelling on the past but is constantly reliving it in his mind.   The other character we are introduced to in this story is a young woman who is filled with warmth and love. She strives for a future, a future that consists of Ice Man and for them to live together happily ever after.  However, despite her love for the Ice Man she realizes how different they are and how she still has that warmth for the future in her.  In the story she is quoted as saying “I am perfectly happy. We get along fine. It’s just that I’m bored.  I’d like to go someplace far away see things I’ve never seen before, experience something new” (Murakami 969).  The woman for the rest of the story struggles with this debate of being with the Ice Man but also yearning for something new.  The story ends on the fact that these two travel to the South Pole together.  Ice Man gave her what she wanted in travel but could not go to someplace warm.  He had to stay with the ice.  The young girl becomes consumed by the low temperatures and is soon trapped in the ice, figuratively trapped in the past with the Ice Man.

            The connections to “The Ice Man” and Murakami’s past are undeniably prevalent.  As a reader I see Murakami himself represented as the young woman in this story and the Ice Man as pre-1960s Japan.  Murakami’s passion for western literature shows us his wanting to leave Japan and see the rest of the world but due to Japan’s closed off nature at the time this would have been difficult.  Japan is the Ice Man because for a country to be as closed off as it was before the ‘60s is an ancient principle for a country to hold.  Japan was simply stuck in the past and did not yearn to move on into a future dealing with all other nations.  Because of all this Murakami must have felt as if he was trapped and slowly being suffocated by Japan’s policies.  As we see the young woman consumed in the ice, we must infer Murakami felt the same way when he yearned to see what lied beyond the horizon.

Work Cited

Jiwoon, BAIK. "Murakami Haruki and the Historical Memory of East Asia." Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Volume 11 (2010):             64-70. Print.

MAROTTI, William. "Political Aesthetics: Activism, Everyday Life, and Art’s Object in 1960s’ Japan." Inter-Asia Cultural             Studies Volume 7 (2006): 606-14. Print.

Murakami, Haruki. ""The Ice Man" by." The Story and Its Writers. 8th ed. Vol. 1. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 966-73. Print.

Edgar Allen Poe's "Cask of the Amontillado": Interpretive Disagreements

by Chris Haviland

           Scholars and critics of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” have differing opinions on how to analyze the short story. One critic, Graham Scott, believes that the story holds religious context and creates connections between each part of the story and religion. Another critic, Patrick White, analyzes the short story by highlighting the fact that families are political units. These two analyses by two different scholars of the “The Cask of Amontillado” are very different.

            Scott draws connections between each part of the story and religion. He first analyzes the names of the two main characters. Montresor can be translated to “my treasure” and Fortunato can be translated to “fortune”. Scott then argues that Montresor is God-like in his ability to manipulate his servents, his indifference to suffering, and vengeance. After establishing this information he claims that Montresor can be seen as God’s agent and therefore God’s treasure. He believes that Montresor is only executing God’s will and wrath on Fortunato. Graham Scott believes that “The Cask of Amontillado” is a religious parable showing the conflict between fortune and religion.

            The second scholar, Patrick White, attempts to make a defense for Montresor’s actions in “The Cask of Amontillado”. He claims that a family unit in the time and place of this story was a very strong political unit. This is indicated by the pride in house crests and mottos. White likens loyalty to the family unit to loyalty of one’s nation in our time. Therefore, he concludes, that Montresor’s act of retaliation on a family enemy can be seen as a patriotic act – similar to killing for one’s country now. In further defense of Montresor White examines the family motto, “no one attacks me with impunity.” It is pointed out that this is the same motto used by a Royal house in Scottland. Montresor’s coat of arms is also a foot crushing a serpent which is strikingly similar to the American Revolution crest. Both of these real world connections lend validity and dignity to the actions of Montresor on Fortunato. He claims that Montresor is the snake and Fortunato is the foot crushing him. The snake, Montresor, is biting back and inflicting as much damage onto the foot as possible. Another analysis by White shows that Montresor’s actions are for “God and Family” dictating that his actions are a divine commandment.

            Despite the different analysis from each critic, they both have small similarities between them. Both scholars offer a defense for Montresor and try to justify his actions for trapping Fortunato and leaving him to die. The two critics also attempt to reference real world examples to give validity to Montresor’s actions. Scott makes religious references while White draws social and political references to lend dignity to the murder.

            Regardless of the defenses presented by the two scholars, I believe that Montresor’s actions should be condemned even if the evidence is accepted. Is there any way that Montresor’s murder of Fortunato could be acceptable? Do you agree that Montresor should be sympathized with after hearing a defense for his actions?

Works Cited

White, P. (1989). “The Cask of Amontillado”: A Case for the Defense. Studies In Short Fiction,             26(4), 550-555.

St. John Scott, Graham. (2004). Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado. Explicator, 62(2), 85-88

Margaret Atwood: Physics Complementing Feminism in Literature

by Steven Sibol

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian writer who is known by many to hold a very firm feministic approach to writing.  Concrete evidence of this is found in her writing titled, “Not Just a Pretty Face,” published in The Women’s Review of Books, in which she begins a section saying, “Long, long ago- In 1972, to be exact, I was teaching a Women’s Fiction course at York University” (6).  In this work she continues to pinpoint the idea that female writers, and females in general, are under the microscope, more so than men, when it comes to criticism as she says, “Both men and women have traditionally judged women more harshly than men, in writing as in many other areas of life,” (6).  This judgment is seen in her story, “Happy Endings,” in selection B, when speaking of Mary and John’s relationship, the narrator says, “People at work notice.  Her friends tell her John is a rat, a pig, a dog, he isn’t good enough for her, but she can’t believe it” (54).  As her co-workers take notice of her mistreatment, and her friends bring the matter to surface, they seem to be judging John, but when this instance is thought of in the light of reality these people are actually judging Mary because of her acceptance of John.  It is very common that Atwood, being a connoisseur of feminism, would set up a scenario like this as she it portraying the disadvantage of being a female in this situation.  Despite John’s poor intentions of a strictly physical relationship, Mary has to deal with not only loving, and not being loved in return, but being judged more than the victimizer in the relationship.

            While this approach to feminism seems to be the largest factor to Atwood’s writing, an underlying approach to the relation of physics seems to be another interesting idea.  In June Deery’s, “Science for Feminists: Margaret Atwood’s Body of Knowledge,” she says, “Almost every major theme in Atwood’s writing- the formation of feminine identity, the construction of personal past and cultural history, body image, colonization- all are at some point described in basic forms of physics,” (470).  Deery then goes on to identify that quantum mechanics and relativity theory share commonalities with Atwood’s approach to Literature as she says, “They look at interrelationships and participation, Atwood has been able to use these bodies of knowledge to describe metaphorically women's constraints and their adaptive strategies,” (471).  Pertaining to physics, it is noticed that scientists are forced to deal with harsh scrutiny when presenting their ideas, because of the recognition that these ideas are restricted by uncertainty.  This harsh scrutiny can be directly related to the same scrutiny of Atwood’s writings because of her gender.  In more simplistic terms, despite various forms of disproval, so as to generalize the relationship of physics and Atwood’s, “Happy Endings,” many people can recall middle school information of physics by the common saying, “What goes up must come down.”  This saying directly relates to the story of Atwood’s, “Happy Endings,” as she closes her story with the idea to not focus on the inevitable, such as, “must come down,” saying, “You’ll have to face it, the endings are the same however you slice it,” and, “So much for endings.  Beginnings are always more fun,” (56).

            With these two ideas, and approaches, in mind, how might Atwood’s approach to physics guide her approach to feminism rather than vice versa?  Also, in what ways do other approaches to, and ideas of, physics relate to her story, “Happy Endings?”

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. "Not Just a Pretty Face." JSTOR. Salisbury University, Jan. 1994. Web. 01 May 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/4021722>.

Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. New York: St. Martin's, 1983. Print.

Deery, June. "Science for Feminists: Margaret Atwood's Body of Knowledge." JSTOR. Salisbury University, Winter 1997. Web. 01 May 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/441746>.

Storytelling: A Whole New Way

by Lauren Keffer

“The Things They Carried,” written by Vietnam War veteran himself, Tim O’Brien, puts an entirely new perspective on the telling of war stories.  This fascinating story has the ability to blur together fiction and reality in order for readers to experience, in full effect, what exactly makes up a true war story.  O’Brien was drafted into the army during Vietnam, where he eventually attained the rank of sergeant and received the Purple Heart recognition.  Historically, one may not think to incorporate the effects of storytelling in remembering a war; however in most cases, stories are all that’s left in respect to war.  O’Brien and his writing talents give us the opportunity to piece together the uncertainty of a true war story through the eyes of fiction and first hand experiences. 

 Culturally, we are not going to be exposed to the “full truth” when it comes to any historic event in the past.  What’s true in one part of the world may not necessarily be true in another part of the world.  It basically leaves this all up to our own interpretations.  Therefore, what we choose and choose not to believe is in our own hands.  Critique Steven Kaplan furthers our understanding by stating, “O’ Brien tells us that we are reading “the full and exact truth” and yet, as we make our way through this book and gradually find the same stories being retold with new facts and from a new perspective, we come to realize that there is no such thing as the full and exact truth” (Kaplan 5).  In other words, O’Brien is attempting to further our knowledge about this war through obvious imaginary devices.  Whether you choose to believe them or not, it is only impacting your perceptive on the war.  Kaplan again adds that, “representing events in fiction is an attempt to understand them by detaching them from the “real world” and placing them in a world that is being staged” (Kaplan 5).  Staging can be interpreted as having false intentions, yet in this case it is serving to enhance the experience for the reader. 

It may be that it’s impossible to know exactly, moment by moment, what happened during a war.  No matter how many stores are being shared around the world, no direct quotation can be dictated as the only truth.  Uncertainty will always be present no matter what.  In a personal interview, O’Brien was asked why he wanted to blur the line between fiction and nonfiction; his response included, “I wanted to explore multiple planes of “reality” and multiple planes of “truth”.  Yes, there is a real war going on, with real casualties and real horror, but at the same time those realities are being processed in a mix of memory and imagination. Which is how we shape experience” (Smith 5).  As individuals, we are unable to respond to such situation with clear understanding, nevertheless, a veteran can.  We must push the statistics aside for a moment and realize that the death of an enemy is ultimately reality of war.  Whether you explain this reality through fiction or nonfiction, as readers we are still expected to piece together the information in regards to grasping the true narrative. 

In the article “The Underlying Uncertainty of the Narrator in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried” Steven Kaplan makes a point that, “almost all of literature on the war, both fictional and nonfictional, makes clear that the only certain thing during the Vietnam War was that nothing was certain” (Kaplan 1).  This story has the ability to impact us in a number of ways, whether you chose to believe it or not, an impact is bound to be made.  We are raised in a world full of stories, with that in mind; we should not be forced to believe all stories being told are true.  Contrary to this, we care now exposed to the world of storytelling, through O’Brien’s work, and the ability to combine fiction and nonfiction.  Truth is only depicted by the individual, the word “lie” should not be measured at all.  This inclination in our world, as it may be taken, can change the view of many individuals.  O’Brien made it one hundred percent clear that uncertainty can be solved through mixing fiction and real life experiences in order to perpetually impact the reader. 

Does knowing that this story is a mixture between fiction and reality change your outlook on the story? Do you now have the tendency to not believe parts, if not, the entire story?

Works Cited:

Smith, Jack. "The Things He Carries: For Tim O'brien, The Vietnam War Has Remained A Crucible In His Fiction, But The Power Of Imagination And Memory, And 'Our Elusive Interior Worlds,' Loom Large, Too." Writer 123.7 (2010): 16-47. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 May 2012.

Kaplan, Steven. "The Undying Uncertainty Of The Narrator In Tim O'brien's The Things They Carried." Critique 35.1 (1993): 43. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 May 2012.