In two separate posts, discuss two proverbs in Chapters 1-5. Explain their meaning and relevance to the situations in which they are said in 4-6 sentences. The first person to comment on a proverb should post the proverb and explain it. Everyone else discussing the proverb should “reply” to that post.
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“When the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk” (10). This is a quote that the Ibo would say. The moon shining is very important to the Ibo. The moon gives them courage to do things. When the moon shines it give injured or disabled people the courage to walk. They value the shining of the moon.
I agree with Alyssa. The moon shining is a symbol of strength. I also think this quote is a mix between “you can’t always get what you want”‘ and “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone”. The cripple are longing to take a walk because everyone is out having fun, but they know they can’t go because if their disability.
I agree with both Alyssa and Janelle. My idea was the similar idea of both of yours. The cripple means people who have a disability and in this case I would say walking because of the “crippling”. Since he can’t show that to people around him because he’s scared they might criticize him of that disability so he just walk at night when there’s less people around and no one would noticed him.
I agree with both Alyssa and Janelle. Janelle made a really good point when she said the quote was a mix between ” you can’t always get what you wan” and you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” People don’t truly know what they have until it is gone.
I agree with all your points. I also think that the cripple could refere to people who have delt with something hard in their life. With the moon shining it gives them courage to let go the past and try to get themselves back up.
I agree with Alyssa and Janelle. I agree that the moon is a symbol of strength. The disabled want to have just as much fun as the non disabled, but can’t. I think the “you can’t always get what you want” fits nicely here because the disabled can’t.
“The lizard that jumped from high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did” (21). Okonkwo spends hours working hard to harvest yams. All the work is going toward feeding his family. Since his father Okonkow can’t build his own future harvesting yams. He seems very proud of his work even though nobody else acknowledges it. He’s praising himself because nobody else is.
I agree with Alyssa’s post on the quote
“The lizard that jumped from high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did” (21).
I think that here, Okonkwo is showing that he is still proud of his work with the yams, even though there is no one else who compliments or praises him about it. He puts so much time and effort into the harvest. I think he’s praising himself here, too.
I agree with Alyssa’s post as well.
“The lizard that jumped from high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did” (21).
I think that Okonkwo’s pride is a large factor in this. He is very prideful, as we see when he beats his wife during peace week. Even though nobody gives him recognition for his farming skills, his pride and ego allow him to convince himself that he has done a good job. He is respected by people, but not for his yams.
I agree with Alyssa’s post on
“The lizard that jumped from high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did” (21) as well
Nice point that Okonkwo is not appreciated enough for farming yams and providing for his family. I also thought that this could be interpreted as him not being liked because of his controversial actions. He beats his wife on the week of peace and gets angry too often. This makes people think of him negatively, but this quote says it doesnt matter because it is enough for one to appreciate his own actions.
“Our elders say thaat the sun will shine on oes who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them” (8). The sun shines on everyone but the strong stand before the weak and get more sunlight. The strong and courageous deserve and have earned that front spot in front of the sun. They have worked harder for their shine and reforge they get more.
“The lizard that jumped from high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no on else did” (21). Okonkwu doesn’t need the approval of others to know that he works hard on his harvest. He has enough self confidence to acknowledge his how work ethic and be appreciative of it. People may think of him negatively because of his i patience with unsuccessful men and his anger problems but he knows deep down that he only means good.
“Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them” (8). It is a contrast between the strong and the weak. The person who is standing has the sun shining on him the most which means he is strong and the man kneeling isn’t getting a lot of sun so he is weak. In the story Unoka is speaking to Okoye and talking about how he is going to pay the other people back who he owes the most to.
I agree with Becca’s post on
“Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them” (8).
The sun is shining on the strong and the weak, but it shines faster and more on the strong than it does on the weak. This could be a reference to Igbo mythology, in which warrior gods would prefer those who are strong and courageous rather than those who are weak to fight in battle. So the sun would be a representation of this deity and the sunlight would be his/her favor on the strong. Interesting point about Unoka and Okonkwo, since Unoka represents the weak and Okonkwo represents the strong that the sun shines up on.
I agree with Becca’s post on the proverb “Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them” (8). The sun shines on the strongest first, because they are putting in the effort to let the sun shine on them. Those who kneel are being lazy, so they do not receive the warmth of the sun as soon as those who try hard for it.
I also agree with Becca, I think the point of the quote is to highlight the nation that the early bird gets the worm. I believe that the quote is about how the strongest will thrive and the weak/lazy people won’t succeed. Those who put the effort into things will get benefits.
This comment has to do with order..he believes he should start by paying the biggest debtors before paying smaller ones. has nothing to with strength,
“As our fathers said, you can tell a ripe corn by it’s look”(22). This is when Nwakibie is thinking about giving Okonkwo yam seeds. He sees Okonkwo as a good man and trusts him. He is basing his judgement off of Okonkwos looks. The proverb means you can tell a good person when you see one.
“As our fathers said, You can tell a ripe corn by its look” (22). This proverb illustrates the fact that you can judge a persons character/personality by the way they look. Here, Nwakibi is forming his opinion on Okonkwo based on the fact that he looks like a good, valuable person.
I agree with Becca and Casey. Nwakibi is thinking about giving his yams to Okonkwo and says he will because he knows a good person when he sees it. It is similar to the quote “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. But in this case, it is showing the positive side of people by how they look.
I ageee with Becca and Casey as well. However, I find the meaning of the proverb to be interesting. Its meaning is that you canjudge a person by their looks, but many people say “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Nwakibi decides to give Okonkwo uams based on his looks rather than the kind of person he is or his personality.
I agree with Casey, this quote mainly represents how much you can rely on looking at a person to determine weather or no they are good people. oknokwo in this case would be a good person by the way he looks.
I agee with Becca, Casey and Janelle. I agree that its meaning is that you judge a person by how they look. Like Janelle said, people say “don’t judge a book by its cover”, which is exactly he opposite of what this proverb is saying. The only reason Nwakibi gives Okonkwo yams based on his looks instead of what is truly important.
I believe in this quote that it explains how an appearance and first impression people give means more at times than the words that come out of their mouth. This quote in a way proves that at times maybe you can in fact judge a book by it’s cover. Those with the good first impression you’ll be able to tell they mean we’ll and are a good person.
“Eneke the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching.” Essentially, if Nwakibie gave yams to every man who asked, many of the yams would be wasted by their lack of effort. The yams did not mean as much to someone who had not rightfully earned them. Basically, someone must know how hard someone worked for something in order to respect the property themselves.
I agree with your statement John. I think Nwakibie is trying to to explain why he is not generous the way he used to be. Times have changed, and young men are soft and do not deserve to be helped. However, he makes an exception for Okonkwo and gives him seed-yams to start him. To add to your last point I would say hard work makes you as a person, without it you would just be borrowing from everyone else and succeeding in nothing.
“Those whose palm-kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble.” This proverb is also rather simple. Basically, people who are blessed with luck by the gods, should be humble, and not criticize other people. They should not think they are better solely because they are more lucky.
“[A]s the saying goes, an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb” (21). I think that this means that people who have a worry on their mind get even more worried when people mention that thing. Old women worry about dry bones because they are harmful to their health. When this proverb is mentioned, it’s about Okonkwo’s worries about his harvest. He doesn’t want people to mention the harvest because he believes that it may be bad luck towards his own.
No this proverb means when a comment is close to home you will be uneasy or silent. For instance an very slim person will not laugh at a joke about being slim.
“As our fathers said, you can tell a ripe corn by it’s look”(22). This is important, especially when Nwakibie wants to give Okonkwo yam seeds. The importance of the proverb is that a person knows a good man when they see one. He believes that Okonkwo is good person and a respectable man. Though he thinks he is a respectable person, he is only saying this on the way Okonkwo looks.
“[A]s the saying goes, an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb” (21). This proverb means that something that makes people uneasy should not be discussed. It brings discomfort to the people. This is talking about the harvest of the year. It almost means do not jinx the upcoming harvest.