A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid

Jamaica Kincaid in her novel can be said to be structured into four sections each of which is meant to address the diverse issues concerning the island nation of Antigua. Throughout the novel, one will come to the conclusion that the beauty of Antigua that is described by the author is not what it seems. This, it can be argued, is due to the fact that while the island may be full of beauty, it is also ridden with a corruption so great that it has become an integral part of the society. It can further be argued that the main them of the novel is corruption, which is so rife in the Antiguan society that it has led to its underdevelopment. Kincaid describes the beauty of Antigua and makes a sharp contrast of this beauty to the harsh realities which plague this island. When one considers the argument to support this view of her country, one comes to the conclusion that it is all indeed true. One of the arguments that Kincaid makes in support of her argument that Antigua is a corrupt society is based on the fact that while the island has many expensive Japanese vehicles, most of them seem not to be working properly (Kincaid, 7). She further makes the observation of there being various mansions all over the islands, most of which were gained through illicit means. The corruption in the government is so bad that ten years after an earthquake, the public library that was damaged in the event has yet to be repaired. The example of the library’s dilapidated nature, it can be argued, is a symbol of the moral and ethical corruption that is prevalent in Antiguan society.

It can be argued that Kincaid, in her novel, is against tourism as it is packaged by the government and businesses of Antigua because of its insincere depiction of life on the island. While tourists are only shown the beautiful aspects of Antigua, they are not normally shown what has come to be the reality among most of the people on the island; that they are living in deplorable conditions because of the mismanagement of their economy. Kincaid’s arguments seem to be overly critical of the government and all of those who are involved in it, because of their massive corruption which has led to the destruction of the country. In the novel, there is even speculation concerning whether the colonial day may have been better than the present, where everything seems to be going wrong. It can be argued that Kincaid looks upon the government and the people of Antigua in general as being too complacent and accepting of the moral ugliness that it taking place in society, slowly destroying it. In addition to this, Kincaid seems to be highly critical of the culture that the people on the island seem to be practicing and this is because of the fact that most of them practice English culture, which is not their original culture (Kincaid, 12). While the people of the island hated the English treatment of them during the colonial period, they seem to have gone against all logic by abandoning or creating their own culture and have instead adopted the culture of their former oppressors. The latter argument seems to be highly critical of the people of Antigua because it seems to show their feeling of inferiority towards the English despite their resentment towards their treatment of them. It seems that Kincaid is attempting to display the irony that exists in Antiguan society, that while the people hate the oppressor, they love the oppressor’s culture.

Among the most prominent issues that are discussed in the novel is concerning the library, which, despite the ability of the wealthy members of the Mill Reef Club to fix it, they choose not to do it. They instead demand that the library be rebuilt first before they can offer any assistance of their own. It can be argued that the Mill Reef Club, being an all-white establishment does not consider the current state of affairs in the country, being out of their control, to be undesirable, and that they are only being nostalgic for the colonial days, when they were the ruling class of Antigua (Kincaid, 24). The neglect of the library is also a sign, it can be argued, of the state of affairs of the education sector of the country since it has also come to suffer a lot of neglect from the government. Books, it is well known, are the means through which culture is preserved and the fact that the minister of culture has allowed the library to remain as it is ten years after the earthquake is deplorable. In fact, an argument can be made that the minister of culture, despite holding onto a ministry responsible for the cultural development of Antigua does not seem to know what he is doing. In fact, it can be said that he is only in his position because of the pay as well as the prestige that goes with it, not knowing exactly what his docket stands for. It can also be argued that this is a testament of the corruption in government that has made it possible for the development of a lack of the preservation of Antiguan culture in favour of others.

In conclusion, it can be said that Kincaid makes many pertinent arguments concerning culture in the Antiguan society, and how it has come to be affected by the government as well as the people themselves. The depiction of the government in the novel is highly unfavourable because of the fact that many of the government officials seem to be extremely corrupt and because of this, they have made Antigua to be an underdeveloped country. The neglect of the library, which has been given a lot of prominence in the novel, can be said to be a symbol of the destruction of the culture of Antigua in favour of the English culture, which has created a situation of cultural loss within its population. It can therefore be concluded that Kincaid’s novel is about the loss Antiguan culture and the need to maintain this culture for future generations.

Disarming Iran: A First Step by Barack Obama

Barack Obama’s speech seeking to address the Iranian nuclear program is one that promotes the idea that the United States is ready for negotiations. This is especially the case considering that at the time the speech was being made, Iran had just elected a new president who was more open to negotiations with the West and this speech was a means of showing the world that the United States had also chosen to follow suit. However, Obama also offers a warning to the Iranians that if they do not cooperate fully with the United States, they will face further isolation from the international community through the imposition of sanctions. It is also essential that Obama also made comments concerning the steps that have been taken by the United States and its allies to ensure that the Iranian nuclear program is brought to a halt including the imposition of a broad array of sanctions. Additionally, Obama’s statements, especially concerning the willingness to engage with Iran, contain a message of hope that the United States and Iran will be able to reach a deal that will promote the interests of both nations while containing the nuclear ambitions of the latter.

Masculinity in Things Fall Apart

The theme of masculinity in Things Fall Apart can be seen extensively, and it can be said that the male characters involved in it are defined according to this theme. The most prominent of these characters is Okonkwo, whose personality can be said to be thoroughly masculine and who is used as an example from which all the other men in Umuofia are defined. There are instances throughout the novel where Okonkwo is described to do things which one would associate with masculinity, as opposed to femininity. Okonkwo himself is extremely hardworking and ambitious, whose aim is to build his reputation to the highest level that can be attained in his society. His ambition is because of the way his father, Unoka acted his whole life. Unoka can be described as a man who totally lacked ambition and was content to live his life as it was without any worry concerning the future. He is described as having been lazy and owed quite a number of people and extensive amount of debt, which he never bothered to pay. Okonkwo disliked the lifestyle which his father led, believing that Unoka was a lazy man who did not have the capability of developing himself to greatness. Okonkwo, therefore, chose to become as different to Unoka as he could and he did this by doing things which the society considered to be highly masculine such as the attainment of wealth and status as well as a large family. In this paper, we shall consider masculinity in the novel by analyzing the different characters within it, especially Okonkwo, and how Achebe has brought this theme to life in his work.

In the novel, the traditional Igbo society can be described as one which is unquestionably male dominated, with the men being seen as the most influential people within it. Because of the male dominance of society, masculinity in every form is highly emphasized to the extent of making femininity look inferior. Masculinity in the society of Umuofia is tied to the physical characteristics of the people involved, and it can be said that to be born a man in the society is an immense privilege indeed. That is the reason why in the novel, the instances where boys are born are greeted with greater joy than when girls are born. Furthermore, to be a male in this society has certain requirements that have to be met in order to prove ones masculinity. A man has to display in all the characteristics associated with being male not only physically but also in personality. People such as Okonkwo are tremendously respected in the society because of their achievements in the acquisition of wealth and status. Okonkwo, for example, is respected because of the great wealth in yams which he has managed to amass for himself and also because of his prowess in war and other physical activities which are associated with masculinity in the Igbo society. This is in stark contrast to his father Unoka who was looked down upon by everyone in society due to his laziness and easygoing nature that many considered to be feminine characteristics.

Okonkwo goes out of his way to be as different to his father as possible so that he can avoid the shame of being associated with femininity. It can be said that, in Igbo society, femininity is considered to be a characteristic to be ashamed of and which should not be encouraged especially among men in the society. Masculinity in this society is highly priced, and all men are supposed to behave in a way which enhances this characteristic. This is the reason why Okonkwo shows disappointment in his oldest son Nwoye, whom he considers not to display the characteristics which he considers to be masculine. Instead, Okonkwo sees a lot of his own father in the boy, and he believes that Nwoye may have inherited these characteristics from Unoka. What Okonkwo does not seem to realize is the fact that because of his success, he has come to develop extremely high expectations from his sons and if the boys do not achieve what he  has achieved, then he considers them to be failures. He believes that he has to be the embodiment of strength in all ways because if he displays any form of weakness towards anyone, then he would lose the respect of those around him as Unoka did. This is the reason why despite his not being a cruel man by nature, he treats his family with a heavy hand often displaying harshness towards them that he would otherwise not have displayed.

Masculinity is dominant in the society, and this makes every aspect associated with femininity to be looked upon as inferior. This is the reason why women in this society are inferior to the men and their role is tied to the service of their husbands and the bearing of children for them. Women in this society only gain respect through their production of children, with those who have more children being accorded more respect than those with fewer children. This is the reason why the childlessness of Ekwefi, Okonkwo’s second wife, due to from stillbirths and death at infancy, was a source of immense sadness for her. It can, therefore, be said that it was a source of immense joy for her when her daughter, Ezinma grew up past her infancy. Ezinma is throughout the novel, seen to be the favorite child of Okonkwo, and this is mainly due to her strength of character. One will note that Okonkwo tends to wish that she was a boy, and this displays the fact that the society of Umuofia puts more value on boys more than girls. Girls are considered to be more of property than as equals to boys, and they are seen to be only good for childbearing and as a source of wealth to their families. This belief ensures that the men continue to dominate the society and that masculinity continues to be the superior.

In the society of Umuofia, masculinity tends to be associated with violence and men gain the respect of society through their displays of violence. Wrestling is a sport in which there is often some violence as each of the contenders strives to defeat their opponent. The victor ends up being respected by society for their prowess in the ring in throwing their opponents. This was one of the displays of masculinity made by Okonkwo which ensured that he gained the respect of Umuofia. He did this by managing to throw the previously undefeated wrestler known as Amalinze the Cat, because of the fact that his back had never touched the ground during a match. Violence in the name of masculinity is also displayed when the men of Umuofia go to war. Okonkwo receives a terrific deal of praise from his society because when he went to war, he returned with five heads of the enemy, and in this way, it can be said that he established his manhood to the society. In addition, when the Oracle declares that Ikemefuna, a boy who was living in Okonkwo’s household be put to death, Okonkwo is the one who gives the deathblow despite the fact that he had grown extremely fond of the boy. He kills Ikemefuna not because he  had to, but because of the fact that he did not want to be seen as weak among his peers (Korang 15 para.70). Okwonkwo feels that it is his obligation not to show any kind of weakness because, in his society, weakness is associated with femininity. Despite his being a kindhearted man, Okonkwo displays his masculinity by ruling his household with a heavy hand, often beating his wives whenever they do anything to offend him. He is also seen to have a particularly bad temper as seen when he almost shoots Ekwefi after she insults his pride. In this society where masculinity is considered to be dominant, the worst insult to a man is to be called a woman because the latter is associated with femininity and, therefore, weakness. It becomes necessary for men to constantly display their dominance through displays of violence especially against the members of their own households.

In conclusion, it can be said that masculinity is what defines the lives of the men in the male dominated society of Umuofia. These men are obliged to display those characteristics which are considered masculine because to do otherwise is considered to be a sign of weakness. Despite the fact that some men, such as Unoka, are easy going and are often happy with their lives, their lack of display of such attributes that are considered masculine ends up making them to be seen as being weak. Moreover, a display of violence is one of those attributes associate with masculinity, and this is the reason why the men of Umuofia believe that a man is weak if he does not display some form of violence. It can, therefore, be said that masculinity in this society is regarded as a way through which men can retain their dominance.

The Stranger by Albert Camus - Analysis

In “The Stranger”, Meurstault’s mother’s funeral and Meursault’s obvious indifference to the funeral symbolize his detachment from the world, a place full of nothing but conflict and agony in his eyes, and his optimistic attitude regarding death. In the text, Meursault shows a lack of care towards many events and circumstances, even the ones that might be considered essential for the average person, and is thus looked down upon by members of society. His mother’s funeral symbolizes the ironic joy that can be found in death, the liberation of all life’s complications, conflicts, and miseries. Initially, Meursault is perturbed upon discovering his mother’s death. However, upon going to his mother’s funeral, he is unaffected, believing his mother is in a better place. Of his mother’s death, he says, “Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday; I can't be sure.” This shows that despite the fact that his mother is dead, he does not feel any sort of sadness or loss, and it is possible that he considers when she died not to be important.

Instead of concentrating on the funeral service, as normal people would, Meursault instead focuses on the people who have attended the funeral. He does not display any of the regret or happiness that people have come to support him in his time of need, when he has just lost his mother.

Some other memories of the funeral have stuck in my mind. The old boy’s face, for instance, when he caught up with us for the last time, just outside the village. His eyes were streaming with tears, of exhaustion or distress, or both together. But because of the wrinkles they couldn’t flow down. They spread out, crisscrossed, and formed a smooth gloss on the old, worn face.

Meursault is detached from most things in the world and shows a lack of care towards most occurrences. However, when Meursault is free to bond with Marie, a girl he likes, he enjoys life, even if for brief moments. But even towards Marie, he seems to be indifferent because of his belief that the happiness which he is feeling is only momentary and that it will come to an end soon. When Marie asks him whether he loves her, he states that it does not mean anything, and this shows that he has no intention of taking his relationship with her further than it already is a carnal one. Meursault states, “She was wearing a pair of my pajamas with the sleeves rolled up. When she laughed I wanted her again. A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so. She looked sad.”

When he is deplored by society and incarcerated for killing a man, his freedom is essentially confiscated from him, and any values or desires that he was once able to act upon would not be able to be acted upon anymore. In addition, any appreciation he had for life and the world in which he lived is vanquished. Meursault’s trial is not focused on his assassination of the Arab man, but on his “indifference” and his “lack of emotion”, both which should be irrelevant. When questioned repeatedly about his indifference towards his mother’s funeral while he’s incarcerated, Meursault becomes upset and impatient. He finds it ridiculous and redundant the way society is condemning him for his beliefs and not for the crime he committed. Meursault is subject to execution and, at this point, is almost entirely detached from the world. He remembers his mother had told him stories of his father going to executions. Meursault believes that if he would be freed from jail, visiting executions would be joyful for him. This is due to the fact that Meursault finds joy in people being freed from their pain, their troubles, and the world itself. When a priest questions Meursault, Meursault begins divulging all his thoughts, revealing how his mother’s funeral was a moment of joy and not of grief. He was “indifferent” to his mother’s funeral because he loved her and wanted her to rest in peace and be free from the world’s complexities. Meursault’s mother’s funeral is the symbol of hope for Meursault, the symbol that he can find absolute interest in something that will last forever, and the symbol that he can be free from the world and free from society’s expectations.

When Meursault kills the Arab man, it reveals his indifference to the world and to all those who are around him. He does not experience any guilt when he is confronted for this action, he does not display any of the remorse that would be expected. He instead refers to the killing as an act which was inspired by the glare of the sun and the heat. He does not account for the reason why he shot the Arab four more times despite the fact that he was dead. One would surmise that Meursault was not only indifferent, but that he actually took a perverse pleasure in hurting other people. He realizes that his actions will land his in trouble yet he goes ahead and does them anyway. It is as if he finds satisfaction in the act of taking the Arab’s life, despite the fact that there was no real antagonism between them. Meursault gives a vivid description of how he ends up murdering the Arab in cold blood:

The trigger gave; I felt the smooth underside of the butt; and there, in that noise, sharp and deafening at the same time, is where it all started. I shook off the sweat and the sun. I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I'd been happy. Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace. And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness.

This may have been the reason why he agreed to help his friend, Raymond, take revenge on the latter’s Arab lover because of her perceived unfaithfulness. His incarceration is a time for reflection for Meursault and it helps him to solidify his belief of being indifferent to the world around him. He does not spend his time regretting his actions as one would expect, and instead, he spends most of his time attempting to catalogue all the things he owned in his apartment. He even becomes indifferent to the fact that Marie, his girlfriend, does not come to visit him in prison, contemplating that it was human nature to forget and that it was very likely that he would also be forgotten once he was dead as he states “maybe she had become tired of being the girlfriend of a condemned man. It also occurred to me that maybe she was sick, or dead. These things happen. Anyway, after that, remembering Marie meant nothing to me. That seemed perfectly normal to me, since I understood very well that people would forget me when I was dead.”

When Meursault is approaching the end of his life since the court is likely to sentence him to death, he is visited by a priest in an attempt to save his soul. Meursault remains adamant in his atheistic beliefs, stating that God is a waste of time and that he has no interest in Him. The priest does his best to persuade this strange man, “...he said firmly, "God can help you. All the men I’ve seen in your position turned to Him in their time of trouble." Obviously, I replied, they were at liberty to do so, if they felt like it. I, however, didn’t want to be helped, and I hadn’t time to work up interest for something that didn’t interest me.” The lack of interest displayed by Meursault is an indication of his belief that there is no God and that even if His existence were true, then his soul was already condemned. It shows his lack of faith in anything or anyone in the world, because priests, in many circumstances, tend to be a symbol of hope and salvation since they have the power to grant forgiveness for sins.

In conclusion, it can be said that the main theme of this book is that of indifference because of how the main character behaves towards the world. This indifference seems to be born out of pessimism towards life as Meursault does not seem to derive joy from it. Instead of looking upon death with fear or sadness, he looks upon it as a means of salvation from the troubles of the world. It is possible that when Camus was writing this book, he was contemplating on the meaninglessness of the physical world, since it is a place of pain and suffering, and the escape from it through death.

Things Fall Apart - Achebe's Criticism of Pre-Colonial Igbo Culture

Things Fall Apart is the story of a society at a crossroads between the traditional way of life, and modernity, as represented by the coming of the white man and the colonial government. It is the story of Okonkwo, the main character, who struggles to attain his position in society and once he achieves it, this position comes to be threatened by the coming of the colonial government. In writing this novel, Chinua Achebe seems to be criticizing some of the traditional ways of the Igbo society through the various characters that are encountered in the novel. Among the things which Achebe looks at are; the killing of hostages for in exchange for a life taken; the definition of masculinity; and finally, the violence displayed by some of the men in Igbo society.

Among the most prominent of the characters in this novel is Okonkwo, whose personality can be said to be thoroughly masculine and who is used as an example from which all the other men in Umuofia are defined. There are instances throughout the novel where Okonkwo is described as doing things which one would associate with masculinity. He is extremely hardworking and ambitious, whose aim is to build his reputation to the highest level that can be attained in his society. While this is the case, he seems to have an extremely difficult relationship with his son, Nwoye, whom he believes not to be manly enough. Okonkwo is, throughout the novel, seen to treat his son quite harshly, even in very trivial situations. This creates a situation where the relationship between these two is extremely strained and there is a rift between them that cannot be filled. As a result, Nwoye eventually chooses to leave his father’s home and join the missionaries, where he eventually comes to find peace. In this case, Achebe seems to be criticizing the aloof nature of Okonkwo in raising his son, believing that if he shows any affection for Nwoye, then the boy will end up being weak and effeminate.

Achebe criticizes the Igbo practice of killing of hostages from another village in revenge in a situation where a person from the said village has taken a life. He uses the case of Ikemefuna to show his disapproval since this boy was brought to Umuofia as a hostage, where he was put in the charge of Okonkwo. Ikemefuna becomes a part of Okonkwo’s household and is, in fact, treated as an older brother by the latter’s children. However, there comes a time when the Oracle declares that Ikemefuna, has to be put to death in revenge for the killing of an Umuofian years earlier. Okonkwo is the one who gives the deathblow with his matchet despite the fact that he had grown extremely fond of the boy. He kills Ikemefuna not because he has to, but because of the fact that he does not want to be seen as weak by his peers. Okonkwo later feels disturbed by this action and goes to speak to his best friend Obierika, who, ever the voice of reason in the novel, tells him that he should not have participated in the killing of Ikemefuna. Obierika further reveals that he himself did not participate in the putting to death of Ikemefuna, and this can be said to be Achebe’s way of showing his disapproval of the practice.

In Things Fall Apart, violence and a quick temper are associated with masculinity and it is something which is associated to all the men within the society. The most prominent of these is Okonkwo, who, despite his being a kindhearted man; he displays his manly authority by ruling his household with a heavy hand, often beating his wives whenever they do anything to offend him. He is also seen to have a particularly bad temper as seen when he almost shoots Ekwefi after she insults his pride. In addition, whereas the other men of Unuofia choose to submit to colonial rule, Okonkwo chooses to retain the past ideals of his society by remaining violent. This eventually leads to a point when he hacks a colonial officer to death with a machete, thinking that this will lead to the men of Umuofia rising against colonial rule. When this does not happen, he realizes that his way of life is gone, and as a result, hangs himself. In this case, Achebe displays his disapproval of the violent ways of the Igbo culture and how such violence might lead to the destruction of the people.