At the beginning of the novel, Okonwko was described as being very much in touch with his chi. This is shown when the narrator states: "At the most one could say that his chi or personal god was good. But the Ibo people have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. Okonkwo said yes very strongly; so his chi agreed." (p.27). At a very young age, Okonkwo worked his hardest to become successful, in fear of becoming like his father. It was his strong desire to be great and prosperous that led him to say "yes" to his chi. However, overtime Okonwko started committing errors, made because he was afraid of showing any emotion and not appear manly in front of the tribe. Beating his wife during Peace Week; taking part in the killing of Ikemefuna are all examples of how desperate he was to prove his toughness. I strongly believe that his poor actions caused bad karma. As they say: "What goes around comes around." This eventually led him to his downfall and thus, he defied the previous statement of how saying that "when a man says yes to his chi, his chi says yes also." This is shown on p.131: "Clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things. A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi. The saying of the elders was not true-that if a man said yes his chi also affirmed. Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation." This being said, I believe that in order to say yes to your chi, one must listen to their "personal god" and not challenge what one's inner voice says. I think that deep down, Okonkwo knew how wrong his mistakes were, yet his flaw of not wanting to appear "weak" like his father caused him to disagree with his chi. This is reminiscent to how Okonkwo is a tragic hero: it is his flaw that leads him to his defiance of his chi and thus his downfall.
(Sorry for the longness of the post! previous post was accidentally deleted :s)
I agree with Krista. In order for a person to listen to his chi he must obey to your inner voice. The chi as we have seen in class is a personal god, he fallows your instinct and your decisions and to this means that "when you say yes your chi says yes". The chi in Okonkwo's case it seems to fallow him. But Okonkwo doesn't believe that his chi is strong enough for him. This is making Okonkwo make bad decisions such as the killing of Ikemefuna in chapter 7. He seems to be more concerned with his image of not seeming weak than having himself and his chi saying yes. Because he believes that he says yes to his chi, but it his chi was to be saying yes wouldn't he be living without the problems he is facing now such as expultion of the klan. Using the same quote as Krista " A man could not rise above his chi" Chapter 14, Chinua Achebe shows us another of Okonkwo's flaws which is of believing he is above of his chi. What it takes to say yes to your chi is to believe that your chi is on your side. In Okonkwo's case he and his chi are not on board together making it difficult for Okonkwo to say yes to his chi and that he chi will say yes.
I agree with both David and Krista because to me,your chi is a personal god inside of you which is defined by the narrator, but also your subconscious. What I mean by subconscious is that it always knows what's right. For example, Okonkwo did not listen to his chi before killing Ikemefuna, he was just protecting his image. Also i think that his problems with his image are conflicting with his chi, struggling between right and wrong. It's kind of like a war going on inside him, one side is for his image, being manly and succesful, and another the chi, who knows what is right and wrong. We do see this conflict during the killing of Ikemefuna when he runs up to him and asks for help from the only fatherly figure that he has known, yet Okonkwo does what he was ordered not to by one of the Elders, and kills his adoptive son. I feel a great deal of contradiction that is omitted by Okonkwo, for example he loves Enzinma, but always says that he wished that she was a son and yet not a daughter. If Okonkwo learns what is right from wrong, he will be able to listen to his chi and say yes.
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ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the novel, Okonwko was described as being very much in touch with his chi. This is shown when the narrator states: "At the most one could say that his chi or personal god was good. But the Ibo people have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. Okonkwo said yes very strongly; so his chi agreed." (p.27). At a very young age, Okonkwo worked his hardest to become successful, in fear of becoming like his father. It was his strong desire to be great and prosperous that led him to say "yes" to his chi. However, overtime Okonwko started committing errors, made because he was afraid of showing any emotion and not appear manly in front of the tribe. Beating his wife during Peace Week; taking part in the killing of Ikemefuna are all examples of how desperate he was to prove his toughness. I strongly believe that his poor actions caused bad karma. As they say: "What goes around comes around." This eventually led him to his downfall and thus, he defied the previous statement of how saying that "when a man says yes to his chi, his chi says yes also." This is shown on p.131: "Clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things. A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi. The saying of the elders was not true-that if a man said yes his chi also affirmed. Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation."
ReplyDeleteThis being said, I believe that in order to say yes to your chi, one must listen to their "personal god" and not challenge what one's inner voice says. I think that deep down, Okonkwo knew how wrong his mistakes were, yet his flaw of not wanting to appear "weak" like his father caused him to disagree with his chi. This is reminiscent to how Okonkwo is a tragic hero: it is his flaw that leads him to his defiance of his chi and thus his downfall.
(Sorry for the longness of the post! previous post was accidentally deleted :s)
I agree with Krista. In order for a person to listen to his chi he must obey to your inner voice. The chi as we have seen in class is a personal god, he fallows your instinct and your decisions and to this means that "when you say yes your chi says yes". The chi in Okonkwo's case it seems to fallow him. But Okonkwo doesn't believe that his chi is strong enough for him. This is making Okonkwo make bad decisions such as the killing of Ikemefuna in chapter 7. He seems to be more concerned with his image of not seeming weak than having himself and his chi saying yes. Because he believes that he says yes to his chi, but it his chi was to be saying yes wouldn't he be living without the problems he is facing now such as expultion of the klan. Using the same quote as Krista " A man could not rise above his chi" Chapter 14, Chinua Achebe shows us another of Okonkwo's flaws which is of believing he is above of his chi.
ReplyDeleteWhat it takes to say yes to your chi is to believe that your chi is on your side. In Okonkwo's case he and his chi are not on board together making it difficult for Okonkwo to say yes to his chi and that he chi will say yes.
I agree with both David and Krista because to me,your chi is a personal god inside of you which is defined by the narrator, but also your subconscious. What I mean by subconscious is that it always knows what's right. For example, Okonkwo did not listen to his chi before killing Ikemefuna, he was just protecting his image. Also i think that his problems with his image are conflicting with his chi, struggling between right and wrong. It's kind of like a war going on inside him, one side is for his image, being manly and succesful, and another the chi, who knows what is right and wrong. We do see this conflict during the killing of Ikemefuna when he runs up to him and asks for help from the only fatherly figure that he has known, yet Okonkwo does what he was ordered not to by one of the Elders, and kills his adoptive son.
ReplyDeleteI feel a great deal of contradiction that is omitted by Okonkwo, for example he loves Enzinma, but always says that he wished that she was a son and yet not a daughter.
If Okonkwo learns what is right from wrong, he will be able to listen to his chi and say yes.