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Part One Chapter 1**
 * Things Fall Apart: Chinua Achebe

The main character is introduced to begin the story. His name is Okonkwo and for his young age he is already a very accomplished man. He is a wrestler in fact he is the best wrestler in his community. They tell a story of how he defeated the one wrestler that nobody has ever defeated. His wrestling is what put him on the path for success. He talks of his father who was a man who accomplished very little in his life and had incredible debts which he never paid off before his death. Okonkwo is ashamed of his father and is pretty much the exact opposite of him. This got me thinking and I realized that a person does not have to be like their parents. Every person has the right to choose what they want to do with their life. Towards the end of the chapter Okonkwo ate with the elders where he met a boy named Ikemefura. Ikemefura was to be sacrificed soon to avoid war. Its amazing the beliefs and brutality of ancestors of todays people. Nobody in todays society even thinks about doing the things they did.


 * Chapter 2**

This chapter backtracks and tells of why Okonkwo had to watch over Ikemefura. One day all the men of his village and the eight other villages in his comunity were asked to gather at a marketplace. There the leader told the story of a mans wife who went to a foreign market and was killed for it. The men of the town were bloodthirsty warriors who wanted nothing more than to start killing. But the other communities didnt have the resources and stood no chance in a war against Umuofia (the community Okonkwo was a part of). so the people of Umuofia asked that instead of a war they give a young man and a virgin to the Umuofia people. The virgin was made the wife to the man who lost his wife. The boy (Ikemefura) was sent to live with Okonkwo. He lived with Okonkwo for 3 years until he pawned him off on one of his wives. They tell in this chapter how Okonkwo was a strong leader of his house. He wanted to be opposite of his father so he showed none of the softness that his father showed. He worked his sons and his wives hard, and they weren't as strong as him so they grew tired quickly. I think that Onkonkwo needs to chill a little bit because he takes everything too seriously and has no fun in his life all because he doesn't want to be like his father


 * Chapter 3**

Due to the failure of Okonkwo's father he didn't recieve the start that most young men recieve. When his father past away he left nothing behind for his son. Usually a young man inherits a barn, a title in the clan, and a young wife. In Okonkwo's case he recieved none of these things, and he had to build his life from nothing. Every man in the clan needs to farm to provide for himself and his family. Okonkwo recieved no crop from his father which forced him to share crop, which is where a man has to borrow seeds from someone else so he can start his farm. Okonkwo went to the wealthiest man in the clan, he also held the highest title in the clan, for yam seeds. This man is usually stingy about his seeds and wont give them to just anybody, but he knew that Okonkwo would not fail him so he gave him the seeds. The following season was the worst that most could recall, and not one farmer got a decent crop. I feel like Okonkwo deserves the power he recieved, but at the same time i feel that he takes his responsibilities way to serious. It is a true accomplishment to come from his background and still become a respected man in the community.


 * Chapter 4**

The arrogance of Okonkwo shows early in the chapter. There was a clan meeting and a man with no title tried to give some of his thoughts, but Okonkwo didn't like what he had to say and he quickly remarked back "This meeting is for men" calling this man a woman because he held no title. This offended the man and most of the people at the meeting, therefore Okonkwo had to apoligize before he could continue with the meeting. This was a sacred week in the community, and there was supposed to be peace throughout the clan. Okonkwo was looking for his second wife on one of these nights, but he couldn't find her. She was at a friends getting her hair done, and when she returned home she was welcomed with a severe beating from Okonkwo, and when she tried to explain herself Okonkwo pulled out his gun. She was backed into the corner of the shed, and okonkwo fired a shot at her, but he luckily missed. By this point in the book Ive became disgusted with Okonkwo. It shows the he is self centered, and cares not of the feelings of others. He couldn't even realize that it was a sacred week and not beat his wife, but for his own gratification he began the beating.


 * Chapter 5**

The New Yam festival is about to begin, which is a time to celebrate and feast within the village. It relates to a new year celebration in current times. They celebrate because they can now throw their old withering yams away and eat the fresh, newly harvested ones. Okonkwo hates the time before the festival because there is nothing for a man to do but relax. He doesn't want to relax, and he would much rather be working on his farm. In this period Okonkwo becomes impatient and angry. Although he is not happy before the festival he rather enjoys the celebration. Okonkwo is a good sized man who can eat a lot, and he does this during the celebration. The entire village looks forward to the second day of the celebration, for on this day the wrestling matches are held. This celebration reminds me of a dysfunctional family at thanksgiving. All the people in the village eat more than they should, then they spend the rest of the festival fighting.


 * Chapter 6**

This Chapter begins with all the people of the village gathering to watch the wrestling matches. At ages 15 to 16 the youngest begin the fighting first, and these matches are usually short and uneventful. This was different this year because one of the young boys brought the crowd to their feet with a lightning fast wrestling move the likes of which nobody in the village has ever seen. This young mans name was Maduka, and in the short time following the festival he was known throughout the village. Next came the grown men of the village, and these were the matches that brought the crowds. After all these matches were finished it was time for the main event, where the two best wrestlers in the village fight to figure out who is the best. The competitors in this years fight were two men that seemed equally matched, but the people from these mens village swore that their man was better. It was a close match but in the end a man named Okafo was the victor, and he now represented the village as the best wrestler.


 * Chapter 7**

In the three years that Ikemefuna was living with Okonkwo he saw him as a father, and he even called him father. Okonkwo's son Nwoye had also became quite fond of Ikemefuna. Okonkwo also liked Ikemefuna because he was a hard worker, and he was helping shape Nwoye into a fine man. The village elder stopped by Okonkwo's ogi, and told him that the village had decided to sacrifice Ikemefuna. Okonkwo lied to Ikemefuna, and told him that they were going to take him home. Many men of the village (Including Okonkwo) took Ikemefuna deep into the woods, at which point a man struck him hard with a machete. When the boy cried out Okonkwo stepped in and finished the murder by striking Ikemefuna several times with his machete. He had killed a boy that he saw as a son. In my mind Okonkwo is a man ruled by fear. He fears that if he is ever to show weakness or emotion that someone in the clan will call him out, and ruin his reputation. It's amazing that a man could kill a person that is so close to him, and he only did it to protect a reputation.


 * Chapter 8**

Although Okonkwo never shows weakness or emotion it was easy to tell that something was wrong in the days following the killing of Ikemefuna. He didn't eat for two days and he spent all of his time drinking palm wine. He was weak from lack of food, but he still managed to get up and pace around his ogi. It was the time following the harvest, but before the planting season, so there was no work to take Okonkwo's mind off of Ikemefuna. After two days Okonkwo decided to have his wife cook him a meal. Then he met with one of his friends, who was in the process of finding a good price to sell his daughter as a bride. This chapter made me kind of happy, although it was recapping very sad events. It showed that although Okonkwo doesn't want to show that he has a heart he does. He was truly depressed in the days following the death of Ikemefuna. In my opinion he should have never went with the men for the sacrifice.


 * Chapter 9**

Ezinma, the daughter of Okonkwo's second wife, grew very ill. Okonkwo liked this child, but he always wished that she had been a boy. When Okonkwo's second wife Ekwifi came to his door and proclaimed, "Enzima is dying" Okonkwo quickly sprang up grabbed his bad, and headed for the woods to collect medicinal plants. In the meantime the author included the story of how Ekwifi had tried to have many children before she boar Ezinma. She had nine children before Ezinma and all of them died before the age of three. The medicine man of the village said the spirit of the first child to die also known as iyi-uwa kept crawling back in the mother to be born and die again. Ezinma grew ill often, and the medicine man said it was because of her iyi-uwa. Ezinma was the only child to live past three, and when she was a young girl the medicine man came and asked her where she buried her iyi-uwa. At first she was confused, but then she complied and led the medicine man to an orange tree. He dug for hours and eventually he found a smooth shiny pebble wrapped in cloth, and he asked Ezinma if it belonged to her. She said it did. In the years following she no longer grew ill like she had in the past. I really liked the fact that Okonkwo was worried for his child, so he stopped thinking about himself for long enough to care for his sick offspring. It seems that Okonkwo's personality is changing as the book goes on.


 * Chapter 10**

Large crowds began gathering in the village ilo, which is a for sporting events, and discussions. The seats where set up in a way that everyone could tell that this meeting was for men. Many women showed up but they lingered on the outskirts of the meeting area. An iron gong began to play, and was shortly accompanied by a powerful flute. Then came the voices of the egwugwu, and this sent a wave of women and children running. Then the egwugwu appeared, there were nine of them and each represented a different village in Umuofia. The leader of the egwugwu was called Evil forest. Each of the nine villages was founded by a son of the original clan leader, and the leader was an ancestor of the oldest son. These were very sacred men, and they are called upon to settle disputes. In this case a mans inlaws came and took his wife because he constantly beat her. The man went to the inlaws the next day looking to be repaid the brides fees, but the inlaws refused. The egwugwu gave each man a chance to tell his side of the story. After they heard both sides the egwugwu went to their hut and deliberated. When they returned they told the man to offer the inlaws wine, and also told him that it isn't honorable to beat a woman. They then told the inlaws to accept the wine, and to let the man have his wife. Nobody would disobey the egwugwu so everyone was sure that the beatings would end. This meeting reminded me of the US court systems, where a mans fate hangs in the balance of those reviewing his case.


 * Chapter 11**

The chapter begins with Ezinma and her mother in there hut tellin stories. They tell a story of how a tortoise betrayed his friends, who were birds. The story ends with the birds repaying the turtle by deforming his shell, and he has to live with that for the rest of his life. The story session is cut short when a medicine woman stopped by Okonkwo's ogi, and said that one of the village spirits (Agbala) wanted to see his daughter Ezinma. Ekwifi was was very worried Ezinma because she didnt know what the village spirit would want woth her daughter. Evenually Okonkwo and Ekwifi eventually complied and let Enzinma go with the medicine woman. The medicine woman put Ezinma on her back and ventured deep into the forest. She was heading toward the caves where Agbala lived. After a little while Ekwifi couldn't take it anymore so she headed into the woods to catch up with the medicine woman, but the medicine woman couldn't see her or she would grow angry. Eventually she caught up, but she kept her distance. When the medicine woman entered the cave Ekwifi dared not to follow, so she waited outside. Then Ekwifi heard footsteps behind her, so she turned around to see Okonkwo. The two of Ezinma's parents decided to wait until the next morning, which was when the medicine woman would emerge from the cave. Ezinma has very loving parents, and is lucky because many people of this time wouldn't worry about their daughter.


 * Chapter 12**

When the medicine woman emerged from the cave she acted as if neither of Ezinma's parents were present. With Ezinma asleep on her back the medicine woman walked right past her parents and headed for Okonkwo's ogi. Once she arrived their she walked to Ekwifi's hut, then into Ezinma's room. Where she laid her in bed, and once again walked right past Okonkwo and Ekwifi without a word. I was very surprised that Okonkwo wasn't extremely angry about the lack of information. I guess that he happy enough knowing that Ezinma was safe. The day following the cave incident was also the that Okonkwo's friend Obeirika was celebrating his daughters uri. This is the ceremony where a brides future husband brings wine as an offering to the brides family. It is a very large ceremony, where the entire village is invited. That means the women of the village spend the entire day cooking and cleaning to prepare for the celebration. The celebration was a success and everyone seemed to have a great time. The future husband greatly pleased the brides family by bringing more wine than the family ever expected. Marriages were very different then, and woman were seen as an object rather than a person. The bride has no say in what's going on, but she will be the one cooking and bearing this mans children.


 * Chapter 13**

Before the first cock crowed in the morning the sound of the ekwe was heard by the people of the village. The ekwe is a hollowed out wooden instrument, and this morning it was played along with the sounds of cannons. Every person in the village knew that this meant that somebody was dead. In this case it was the oldest man in the village, and his name was Ezeudu. He was the man that came to tell Okonkwo that Ikemefuna was to die. This mans funeral was the funeral of a warrior. Everyone in the clan was firing guns and dancing around in remembrance of Ezeudu. During the festivities there was a loud shriek, and everyone in the village looked to see the sixteen year old son of Ezeudu dead in a pool of his blood. What happend was when Okonkwo went to fire his gun the barrel exploded, and a shard of metal shot strait into the heart of the boy. Although it was an accident it was a law that they had to punish Okonkwo, so they gave him the accidental or lesser offense, and he was only banished for seven years instead of for life. Okonkwo decided to pack up his family and head for his motherland (Mbanta). Once the family had left the village burned their house and barn. This was not out of hatred, but rather an offering to the spirit Okonkwo had offended by killing the boy. i think that the rules of this time were way to harsh. An accident had now forced this family to move to a new land, and start a new life from scratch. That's really messed up, and i think the village should have made an exception because Okonkwo was a big man in the community.

Chapter 14**
 * Part 2

Okonkwo was welcomed in Mbanta, and he was greeted by his mothers younger brother. His name was Uchendu. When Uchendu saw Okonkwo approaching with his family he guessed what had happened and didn't ask questions, so Okonkwo told him the whole story the next day. During the next week Uchendu and the kinsmen of the village helped Okonkwo build a home, and his cousins gave him three hundred yam seeds each, so that he could have a farm for the up an coming planting season. I think it was very kind hearted and generous what the village did. A man showed up with nothing but a family, and the village people helped him build a life in a very short time. Towards the end of the chapter Uchendu was telling of how he was an old man and he had seen much more than all the people that were around him. He asked Okonkwo questions that only a man who has been around for a long time would know. He then told Okonkwo's situation wasn't that bad, and he told the stories of how he had to bury 20 of his children that died at or shortly after birth. This was quite arrogant of Uchendu, and I think he should have kept his mouth shut. Now Okonkwo not only feels bad at the situation, but he also feels like he is sad for a reason that isn't that bad.


 * Chapter 15**

During the second year of Olonkwo's exile his friend Obierika came to Mbanta to visit his friend. Once he had arrived Okonkwo took him to Uchendu's ogi. Obierika had brought two young men along with him, and each of them carried a large sack on their head. Once they got to Uchendu's ogi Okonkwo introduced his guests. Uchendu greeted the men, and as a man of old age he enjoyed telling stories of his past. He told the men that in his time it was common for men to have many friends in many villages, and he explained that this had become rare. He began speaking of all the villages that he had friends in, and among these was Abame. Obierika had explained that the village of Abame had been wiped out by white men. Apparently a white man arrived in the village one day, but the villagers didn't understand his language so they consulted the gods. The people after consulting their gods killed the innocent white man that had said and done nothing to these people. The man had arrived on a horse, and after killing the man they kept the horse tied to a tree. Soon three more white men arrived in the village, but when they saw the horse they left. At a town meeting a little ways down the road men surrounded and killed most of the villagers of Abame. The few survivors fled to Umuofia and told the tale. Uchendu was angered by the story, and he lectured the men never to kill a quiet man. Uchendu explained that the men deserved to be killed for what they had done to the silent man. After the tale Obierika gave Okonkwo the two bags that the boys carried in, and there was money in them. Obierika sold Okonkwo's yams for him and this was the money. Okonkwo was very pleased and didn't know how to thank the man. This chapter made me think of my good friends, and how much i appreciate them helping me through hard times. It isn't possible for someone to thank one of their friends enough for a favor like that.


 * Chapter 16**

Two years after Obierika's first visit he returned, but this time he was in a much worse mood. Missionaries came to Umuofia, and they were building churches and recruiting villagers to join the faith. They even began sending evangelists to the other nearby villages in an attempt to recruit more people. The leaders of the clan were angered by this, but they allowed it to avoid what happened to Abame, and they believed that the faith wouldn't last very long. Obierika had come because he saw one of Okonkwo's sons (Nwoye) among the missionaries. When Obierika first saw Nwoye he asked what he was doin, and he replied, "I am one of them". Obierika then asked how his father was doing, but he just said, "I don't know he's not my father." During Obierika's visit to Mbanta Okonkwo refused to talk about Nwoye, but his first wife told some of the tale. Evangelists came to Mbanta, and began telling all the villagers that they were worshipping false gods. They told all the villagers that there is only one god, and he has control over all the things that these people believed there was a god for. They sang hymns, and these hymns answered many of the questions that were on Nwoye's mind. Okonkwo was convinced that these men were insane, and he simply walked away and ignored their preaching. On the other hand Nwoye was intrigued by what these men had to say, so he was very confused about his beliefs. I think this is when Nwoye first realized that he didn't want to be just like his father. It is a shame when a father and son grow apart, but it happens to the best of us. In these situations the son has to decide his own future, and it will surely be difficult but the ones that prevail are truly good men.


 * Chapter 17**

The missionaries came to Mbanta, and they wanted to speak to the leaders about giving them a portion of land to build a church. It is no easy task to assemble the elders and village leaders, so this took a couple of days. At the meeting Uchendu proposed to give the missionaries a piece of land, but to give them a portion of the Evil Forest. The leaders agreed to this because they figured if they built in these woods that they would all be dead in a few days. The Evil Forest is the portion of land where a village leaves the diseased to die, and also for people that died in sinister ways that would disgrace the community. These spirits are rumored to kill anyone that trespasses on their territory in a short period of time, usually less than four days. Four days past and all the church goers were still alive contrary to the beliefs of the village elders. After that the church recieved its first converts. Some of the villagers believed that spirits would hold their wrath for a while, but no longer than 28 days. When the 28 days past and none of the churches followers were dead they recieved even more followers. Nwoye was very interested in this religion, but when the services were being held Nwoye simply walked past the church. He was afraid that if he went in that his father would catch him and beat him. Eventually he gained the courage to attend the church service, but his cousin had caught him among the evangelists. His cousin went strait to Okonkwo, and when Nwoye arrived Okonkwo didnt acknowledge his arrival. So Nwoye ventured into the house where his father first yelled at, and then beat the child. Uchendu heard the beating and called to Okonkwo to stop. The next day Nwoye went to the missionaries and told them he wanted to attend their school in Umuofia. I think that Nwoye is very brave, and that he is doing the right thing. If you don't want to follow in your fathers footsteps what better way than to move away from him.


 * Chapter 18**

The Christians had a couple crisis' early, so the clan was convinced that the religion would fail in the community. However they got through these crisis' and grew stronger in spirit and numbers. Up until this point the clan really didn't have many problems with the christians, but one day a convert returned to the village boasting how all these people were worshipping false gods. They threatened to prove it by burning down the shrines of the villagers gods. The villagers saw this as crossing the line, and those converts were severely beaten. Nothing happened between the church and the clan for a while. One day a couple osu showed up at the church. These are men that were outcasted from the clan because they worshipped other gods. The converts were scared at first and one even left the church. After a while these outcasts shaved their hair and cleaned up, which proved they were there to worship. Many other osu followed, and the converts accepted these men into the church. Then one of the osu men of the church was rumored to have killed the royal python, which was the emanation of the god of water in the villagers beliefs. This made the villagers very angry, but they didnt c the man do it so they couldn't kill him. At a meeting of the village leaders they decided to ostracize all the followers of the christian church. Mr. Kiagi (one of the missionaries) hadn't heard of the ostracizing so he sent women to gather things to decorate the church for easter. The women were met at their destinations by men with machetes. When Mr. Kiagi heard of this he went to go talk to the men with machetes. They told the man about the sacred snake, but the man who was rumored to have killed the snake wasn't present. He had grown ill and was at home in bed. He died that night, and to the people of the village his death was a sign that the gods were still in control. Therefore they saw no reason to continue harassing the followers of the new faith. To me the missionaries look very good in this chapter. They accept anyone who wants to join without looking at their background. To me this is very admirable.


 * Chapter 19**

At last the seven years of Okonkwo's banishment were coming to a close. Okonkwo wanted to thank all the villagers and kinsmen who helped him in his time of need. So he put together a feast the size of which suprised even the oldest of the villagers. During the feast Okonkwo gave Uchendua a kola nut for him to break and pray. He prayed for the health of his community, and also he prayed that the community have more children, and finally he prayed for Okonkwo and his family. After all the food was eaten one of the oldest members of the village rose and thanked Okonkwo. He thanked Okonkwo in a manner that was rarely seen anymore. He then told everyone how he was worried for the young generation. He said that he had a short time left to live, and he feared for the young generation because they do not realize the importance of kinship. Everything was changing with the arrival of the new religion. This man was deeply concerned about the future of the clan. I think this man has the right to be worried for his clan, and i even agree with his ideas. I predict that this religion will eventually be the downfall of this clan, and it is very saddening.

Chapter 20**
 * Part 3

Okonkwo returned to umuofia, and promised himself that he would regain the seven long years which he had lost by being banished. Okonkwo had lost it all but he planned to rebuild it better than it was before. He had lost his place on the decision making commitee, so he couldn't persuade the village leader to fight against the christians. Okonkwo explained to Obierika that they should fight against the missionaries, and run them out of the village. Obierika explained to him that it was too late because many of a mans brothers, sons, and friends had joined the church. If they tried to eliminate it now, then the community would be torn apart. They should have fought in the beginning, but the village feared the same fate as the Abame people so they held back. The church had also changed, and it was starting to make a government of its own with a courthouse and all. Villagers found guilty in this courthouse were punished either by working like slaves, or in more serious cases being hung. After Obierika's and Okonkwo's conversation the men sat in silence thinking about what had happened to the village. At this point I think that the missionaries have taken this too far. This community was a happy prosperous place before they came, and now families were being torn apart.


 * Chapter 21**

Many men and women in the village were starting to come around and enjoy the new religion. This religion had brought trade shops, which sold such things as palm wine. These shops were bringing a great deal of money to Umuofia. The missionaries also set up some small hospitals, and the medicine that was giving out in these hospitals worked faster and more efficiently than native medicines. Whenever Mr. Brown (a missionary) was in the village he stopped by one of the great mens ogi's. The great mans name was Akunna, and he and Mr. Brown spent long hours talking about religion. Mr. Brown tried to convince Akunna that there was only one god, and that he controlled everything. Akunna explained that in his beliefs that there is one supreme god, and all the other gods the people believe in are messangers for the supreme god. These conversations went back and forth, and both the men learned a lot about the others beliefs. Soon Mr. Brown grew sick, and he was forced to leave. Okonkwo was dissapointed with his return because the people of the community had changed. They were no longer war like, and everything he had come to know and love in the community was changed with the arrival of the new church. I feel sorry for Okonkwo. He spent his entire life to be the opposite of his father, and to become respected in the community. After his return he was simply forgotton in the community.


 * Chapter 22**

The man who came to replace Mr. Brown was Reverand James Smith. He was much different form Mr. Brown, and he openly spoke of down upon the way that Mr Brown was running things. He was a man that saw things in black and white, and it was very difficult to talk to him. Within a few weeks of Mr. Smith's arrival he suspended a young woman from the church. The woman allowed her husband to mutilate her dead child. The child was said to be an ogbanje, or a spirit of a dead child which keeps returning to the mothers womb to be born again only to die. The man mutilated the child in an attempt to discourage it from returning to the mothers womb. Mr. Smith was so angered from the story because he believed that stories like that were spread by the devil to lead men astray. After that problem was solved there was a much worse crisis at the hands of the church. A man named Enoch had done somehting unspeakable when the egwugwu gathered in the village center. The sacred men took a break from the festivities, so the women and children could walk past. During the break Enoch murdered one of the sacred men, this is an extremely bad thing to do. The following day the rest of the egwugwu went on a rampage, and they destroyed Enoch's home and all of his possesions. Then the angered men headed for the church. Mr. Smith bravely greeted the men at the door. He tried to resolve the conflict peacefully, but the men were in no mood for a compromise. The egwugwu told them that the church had caused enough grief in the community, and then they destroyed the church. I think the community did the community a big favor by taking out the thing that was tearing the community apart. Hopefully this is the beginning of changing the clan back to the way it was.


 * Chapter 23**

For the first time since Okonkwo's return he felt a feeling similiar to happiness. Order was returning to Umuofia because the church was destroyed. But then the District commissioner returned form his tour. This was the man that was appointed by the white missionaries to run a court system. Upon his arrival Mr. Smith and he had a discussion about what happened when he was gone. The people of Umuofia saw nothing strange about this because these two had conversations all the time. Three days later the court sent three messengers to the leaders of Umuofia asking the men to meet at the courts headquarters. Okonkwo was once agian one of the six leaders in the community. The commissioner explained why the system was in place, and then he told them that they had done something wrong and had to pay. The courts demanded a payment of 200 bags of cowries. The leaders of Umuofia were locked up and told if the people didn't pay the fee then these men would be hanged. The messengers went to the families and demanded 250 bags, they wanted 50 bags to themselves. This chapter made me very angry. These white men showed up and destroyed a community that was fine without them. Then they take the leaders of the village hostage and demand a lot of money. To me this no longer sounds like a church but rather like a dictatorship, with the white men as the dictators.


 * Chapter 24**

After the men were released Okonkwo was extremely angry, and was prepared to go to war against the white men and their followers. The rest of his clan should have had the same thought process as Okonkwo, but they have been softened by the church. Okonkwo was going to war against these men with or without his clan. The next morning there was a clan meeting, and Okonkwo knew that this meeting would decide whether or not the community goes to war. The first speaker of the meeting was one of the village leaders that was held for ransome. This man explained that the community was letting its ancestors and gods down. He also spoke of how the white man had torn apart the community and many of the families in the community. During the meeting five messengers from the court showed up. They were met at the edge of the meeting by Okonkwo. They demanded to be let passed, but Okonkwo wanted to know what they came for. They said that they were there to stop the meeting. Okonkwo drew his machete but the lead messenger stood his ground, so Okonkwo killed him. At that point he realized that the community wouldn't go to war because they let the other 4 messengers go. After this happened Okonkwo heard people saying things like "why did he do that." In my opinion Okonkwo was justified in what he did. I think he has the right idea and the clan should go to war, and return the community to the way it was.


 * Chapter 25**

The following day the commisioner arrived at Okonkwo's ogi, and instead of finding Okonkwo he found a bunch of his friends. When he asked to see Okonkwo the men said they could take him to Okonkwo, and then they said maybe you can help us. The commisioner was confused by the statement. The men led the commissioner behind Okonkwo ogi where they found him hanging from a tree. The men told the commisioner that Okonkwo was one of the most honorable men in the village, and the church and other white establishments forced the man to kill himself. The men asked the commisioner and his men to take down the dead body because in their religion you weren't supposed to touch the dead body of a man who killed himself. The commisioner agreed and had his men remove the body. The book ended with the commissioner talking about the book he was writing about the time he spent in the village, and that he would add the story of Okonkwo to his book. The book never told what happened to the community, so there are a lot of unanswered questions. This was a sad ending, and it showed that sometimes when people are trying to help they can make the situation a lot worse.


 * THE END**