Half Of A Yellow Sun Chimamanda Adichie English Literature Essay

Half Of A Yellow Sun Chimamanda Adichie English Literature Essay After reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies enthralling novel, Half of a Yellow Sun is not a conventional war story. It is a story whose characters live in a changing wartime atmosphere, doing their best to keep that environment at bay. And while the ravages of the Biafran war are well known, they do not manifest themselves in predictable or one-note ways here. From reading the reviews, I learned that this is the authors second novel. It is written with astounding empathy and the natural grace of a normal storyteller, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie weaves together the lives of three characters swept up in the turbulence of the decade. In this literary analysis, I plan on examining aspects of the literary elements that Adichie incorporates as far as her writing style and her reasons for depicting certain elements in certain light. I also plan to break down some characterizations and cultural elements of her novel that I relate to in trying to understand inter-racial/class conflict. Finally, I l ook at how Adichie transforms her characters throughout the novel. Although this analysis may not follow a clearly defined stream, much like the novel does, rest assured that I cover all my bases. The characters and landscape are vividly painted -thirteen year old Ugwu is employed as a houseboy for a university professor full of revolutionary zeal. Olanna is the professors beautiful mistress, who has abandoned her life of privilege in Lagos for a grimy university town and the charisma of her new lover. And Richard is a shy young Englishman courting Olannas twin sister, an enigmatic figure who refuses to belong to anyone. As Nigerian troops advance and the three must run for their lives, their ideals are severely tested and so are their loyalties to one another. In my opinion, the central theme revolves around moral responsibility, about the end of colonialism, about ethnic allegiances, and about class and race. Adichie indicts the outside world for its unconcern and probes the arrogance and ignorance that perpetuated the conflict. Based loosely on political events in nineteen-sixties Nigeria, this novel focuses on Olanna who falls for the imperious academic whose political convictions mask his personal weaknesses; meanwhile, Kainene becomes involved with a shy, studious British white man who struggles to find his place within this conflict though he identifies with the Biafrans. After a series of massacres targeting the Igbo people, the proper world of the two couples breaks down. Half of a Yellow Sun is concerned with class and race and ethnicity which seem to play the biggest role in the relationships of characters to one another. Ugwu is only thirteen when he begins working as a houseboy for Odenigbo, but he is one of the most intelligent and observant characters in the novel. His presence throughout affects the readers experience of the story because he is initially a naive outsider looking in but by the end of the novel he comes into his own. Good or bad, life and the war situation change him into a veteran and he chronicles his experiences during the war. The ways in which Adichie reveals the differences in social class among her characters is also culturally relevant. There are the different cultural assumptions made by educated Africans like Odenigbo, nouveau riche Africans like Olannas parents, uneducated Africans like Odenigbos mother, and British expatriates like Richards ex-girlfriend Susan. Adichie seems to poke fun at certain aspects of her characters, take Odenigbo for instance; the war changes him from educated political debater to a squalid drunk and really displays the power shift in roles. Once he was the stolid figure in the novel, Olanna seems to take that place while he degenerates due to the war scenario. In reading the novel, I couldnt help but express a connection between the Holocaust and the Biafran situation. I found myself questioning why are the Igbo being massacred by the Hausa? I could only attribute their conflict to tribal resentments and rivalries. The novel makes clear that these rivalries have been intensified by British interference supplying the Hausa with money, weapons and ammunitions. Also conveyed by some excerpts throughout the book, the British had to preserve Nigeria as they saw fit a spite of France and to perpetuate their large market. They also rewrote the constitution to give the north control over the central government and even fixed the elections in their favor. Given the history of Nigeria and Britains support during the war, the defeat of Biafra seems a foregone conclusion but I can understand why a people oppressed would revolt. Adichie breaks the chronological sequence of her story so that she can delay the revelation that Baby is not Olannas child and that Olanna had a brief liaison with Richard. The effects of these revelations tell of a cultural dilemma. The babys mother rejects her, Odenigbos mother rejects her for not being a son, yet Olanna shows her true courage in accepting the baby as her own. Adichie makes a point of displaying Olannas middle-class frame of mind. She is disgusted at the cockroach eggs in her cousins house and is reluctant to let Baby mix with village children because they have lice, but by the end of the novel her privileged outlook changed by the war. It is remarkable that a woman so young could write a novel of this scope. There is a human face on these struggles, and being Nigerian-Igbo I can relate to them. Bearing witness to violence and death changes people in the story. Adichie handles descriptions of scenes of violence, death, and famine in an almost brutal and nonchalant way. I can only image what goes through Ugwus mind being that he participates in the rape of the bar girl then finds out that his sister was also gang-raped. Richard, on the other hand, seems like he wants to be African, learns to speak Igbo, and says we when he speaks of Biafra. Although the Biafran soldiers are not impressed, it seems a noble gesture to want to be an Igbo man. Reading this book has deepened my understanding of Biafra in particular and war in general each character make difficult moral judgments. I find myself being least sympathetic to Olanna when she cheats in retaliation, to Ugwu when he rapes the bar-girl, to Eberechi for exchanging favors for security from the soldier, even to Odenigbos mother when she chases Olanna out of the house. Each of the major characters also deal with the question of identity who they are, how they want to be? It is evident that the circumstance in any culture dictates how people act and react and justify their behavior. In this case, survival between two tribes was the catalyst in a previously stable country, language reinforce the novelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s themes of racial and social division. For example, Ugwuà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s love of the English language, or the mixing of dialects and words throughout the novel. Even in Richardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s character, he seems like an outsider. I feel sympathy for him and a lthough his character adds extra insight into the Nigeria/Biafra war, I think that he is much like a ghost roaming the entire novel looking for a place to fit in. That is why it is particularly sad at the end of the novel when Kainene doesnt return as she would have been the only person to allow Richard to assimilate into the culture. In conclusion, the story is one of survival and remembrance from an Igbo perspective; it is important story to retell. The story begins as Ugwus aunty describes to Ugwu his new employer: Master was a little crazy; he had spent too many years reading books overseas, talked to himself in his office, did not always return greetings, and had too much hair. It ends with Ugwus dedication of his book: For Master, my good man. I can only consider how Ugwus relation to his master has changed throughout the course of the story, it fitting that Ugwu, and not Richard, should be the one who writes the story of the war and his people. It was a surprise to discover that Ugwu was the author of The World was Silent When We Died? I found this a great twist and I didnt see it coming. Since loyalty and betrayal is one of the dominant themes throughout the novel, the key characters betray each other, or themselves repeatedly but the greater threat from an outside enemy helps to put things in perspective and enable them to forgive and move on and provides for unification. I found the end of the story sad but settling since the Igbos returned to their homes, I cannot image having to flee from my home due to racial or tribal persecution.

In Cold Blood Essay

Few authors have the skill to express their view of a setting without straightforwardly telling the audience. In this small passage from In Cold Blood, Truman Capote very eloquently does just that, describing the look and feel of Holcomb, Kansas through words. With Capote’s use of many elements like figurative language, imagery, and detain, he reveals his original but mysterious views on the scenery of Holcomb. All while describing this content town, Capote builds up for a drastic change to end the excerpt. Starting strong from the first line of the excerpt, Capote puts in uninteresting details about Holcomb, and saying that other Kansans call Holcomb â€Å"out there†. This brings attention to how isolated and far away from exciting city life this small town really is. Not only does Capote bring in the details of within the town, he describes the location of Holcomb, to give the readers a larger picture. Capote points out that the town is closed in on all side with fields of wheat, a river, and prairies. The inner town is shown as remote, boring, and with a sense of calmness. Images such as â€Å"unnamed, unshaded, unpaved† and â€Å"peeling sulphur-colored paint† show how Capote views Holcomb. He describes a remote and boring place to be. It is clear that Capote see the town as average and lacking in liveliness and excitement. Alongside the details of the landscape, Capote uses a great deal of imagery to describe the town’s small impurities and quirks, as well as they lifestyle and personalities of the people that live there. Concentrating on much of Holcomb’s looks, he describes â€Å"peeling sulphur-colored paint† and ramshackle mansion†, as well as â€Å"flaking gold on a dirty window†. This strong imagery portrays the town’s deteriorating liveliness. The author then shows the residents of the town with â€Å"The local accent is barbed with a prairie twang† and a â€Å"ranch-hand nasalness†. Capote shows his thoughts of the bland town through visual imagery. Through all Capote’s imagery and description, he portrays his true feelings  of how average and dull the town of Holcomb, Kansas is. However, all this simplicity is just used to strongly contrast the ending paragraph, which ends in a mysterious turnaround of having Holcomb become noticed for a certain significant event.

What is Motivation Essay - 1284 Words

Motivation is the â€Å"why† behind our behaviors. Behavior that is usually goal-oriented. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or cognitive in nature. There are, indeed, a plethora of inducements that cause us to act the way we act and do the things we do. They include things like quenching our thirst, reading to gain knowledge, studying to ace an exam, surpassing quotas and meeting deadlines for a promotion, etc. According to Kendra Cherry’s article on â€Å"WHAT IS MOTIVATION†, there are three components of motivation: activation, persistence and intensity. Activation is the decision to initiate a behavior. Persistence is the continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles may exist. Intensity is the†¦show more content†¦I strongly believe that motivation is pre-positioned on what we believe - our convictions. Therefore, in order to know if our motives are right we have to know ourselves, examine ourselves, know what our convictions are, and have the courage to stand by them. Sometimes it’s easier for someone else to motivate a person than for that person to motivate themselves, but I believe the theory discussed in the book â€Å"MIND OVER MOOD† that a person has to change the way they think in order to change how they feel. If they change their perspective on things their motivations will change too. Motivation to me is this - setting goals, hammering into your mind to finish what you’ve started, associating with motivated people and positive thinkers, and being persistent and patient. In the book â€Å"DRIVE - the surprising truth about what motivates us†, Daniel Pink says that people will not do a better job if they’re offered a reward. They will do a better job if given the opportunity to work on their own time, be creative and do good. He states, â€Å"The secret to high performance and satisfaction is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, learn and create new things and to do better by ourselves and our world†. He speaks about a whole new way that companies should look at human motivation. The book discusses three main components of motivation- autonomy, mastery and purpose. Autonomy describes how people want to beShow MoreRelatedWhat is Motivation?2072 Words   |  8 PagesContents Introduction- What is motivation?............................................................Page 3 Achievement Motivation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...Page 3 Motivation Problems with Organizations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Page 4 Application of Motivation Theory in Business†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Page 5 Case Study- Macys Inc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Page 7 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Page 10 Introduction Motivation has become a term as ubiquitous as it is undefinable. 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Historical Perspectives on U.S. Mideast Policy

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