THINGS FELL APART

Okonkwo was getting tired of all the changes the missionaries were trying to do in his village and saw that it was time for a change. All the men in the village got together and had a meeting to determine what would be done about this. Okonkwo really wanted to fight but the rest of the men were not so sure. Okonkwo convinced all them stand-up and fight against the court messengers and the missionaries. The next morning they planned it and that evening they attacked, not knowing how strong the force of the court messengers. The fight lasted about an hour and at the end only a few court messengers were dead and have the village men were killed. Okonkwo was very disappointed in the lost inUmofia. He didn't know what would come out of this somewhat mini war but ke knew it wasn't good. The district commissioner found out what had went own and immediately called a meeting between the two side. The DC was nervous now because the village was standing up to them and fighting even though they had a greater lost. During the meeting he tried to compromise with Umoufia about their choices on religion and laws. The DC said that they could worship their spirits or whatever but they were not allowed to kill anymore children and there was no such thing as an evil forest. The missionaries were not allowed to force their religion on them and it was free choose the god they wanted to serve. Okonkwo was very upset because the white men did not leave their village. There was really nothing else to be done Umoufia had lost over half their men and the women were not going to fight because half of them liked the white men ways and laws. Okonkwo went back to his obi very disappointed he lived the rest of his short life in much dispair. Things were slowly falling apart in their village and after about five years of these new ways taking over and the village old ways disappearing things just fell apart. Okonkwo died of a heart attack about one month after all the changes had taken place. Even though his son Nwoye hadn't seen his father in over 10 years he returned to give his father a christian burial which no one disputed. I wonder if Okonkwo will be returning to haunt Nwoye till he fall apart.

COMMENTS ON GETTIN GROWN

From the three comments I read it seemed like the movie was a realistic view on growing up. As a mother of three with ages four years apart it seemed to be a movie I would watch with my children. Since the comments that were made talked about teaching responsibilities in growing up and alternative ways of discipline.1LILRED

Info on Douglas

I got my information on Frederick Douglas from www.americanlibrary.gov
1LILRED

Question for Douglass

Since I came to the conclusion that Douglass could have wrote this narrator, my question to Frederick Douglas was how did he really escape.
Can you believe that a train conductor held the fate of Frederick Douglass's entire life in his hands? Douglass described his daring escape on a train ride from Baltimore to Philadelphia in his autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881). For the journey, Douglass disguised himself as a sailor wearing a red shirt, a tarpaulin hat, and a black scarf tied loosely around his neck. He also had to be able to talk like a sailor. Frederick's knowledge of ships and sailor's talk came much to my assistance, for he knew a ship from stem to stern, and from keelson to cross-trees, and could talk sailor like an 'old salt. Along with the other black passengers, Douglass had to show his "free papers" a document proving he was free and could travel along with his ticket. Because Douglass was a runaway slave, he didn't have free papers. Instead, he had borrowed what was called a Seaman's Protection Certificate, which proved that a sailor was a citizen of the U.S. Douglass described his nervousness when the conductor came by to collect tickets and look over papers: "My whole future depended upon the decision of this conductor."
This is how the conversation went when the conductor reached Douglass in the crowded train car."I suppose you have your free papers?""No sir; I never carry my free papers to sea with me.""But you have something to show that you are a freeman, haven't you?""Yes, sir, I have a paper with the American eagle on it, and that will carry me around the world."
A quick glance at the paper satisfied the conductor and he took Douglass's fare and went on to the other passengers. This moment was one of the most anxious Douglass had ever experienced. If the conductor had looked closely, he would have noticed that Douglass did not match the description of the person on the form and he would have been required to send him back to slavery in Baltimore. Not only would this have been terrible for Douglass but also the friend, from whom he borrowed the Seaman's Certificate, would have been in serious trouble. Later, when Douglass wrote his first autobiography in 1845, he didn't include the way in which he escaped because some of the people who had helped him could have gotten into trouble. By the time Douglass wrote his revised autobiography in 1881, he included the real description of his daring escape.
1LILRED

My comments on three

Two of three endings or rewrites of Sonny Blues were sad the two males killed him off. One of them said he found some heroin laying in the street and couln't resist and took it and dies. The other said they he couldn't take being around people and Sonny felt nobody loved him and he overdosed on heroin. The female though I loved what she did she put herself as Sonny's and his brother's mother and told how well they were getting along and had become very close and Sonny was doing very well in his music.
1LILRED

Sonny's Blues ending

I didn't have a problem with the way the narrator ended the story. I was relieved knowing that Sonny's brother finally felt where he coming from in his music. I can add to the ending. Sonny and his band go own to record music and continue to play in the night club on regular basis. Sonny's brother becomes their manager to help with the business deals. With the money they bring in Sonny and his brother open up a youth and rehab center in Harlem. Sonny holds a banquet every year celebrating his year of being drug free and Sonny's brother heads the youth center and the tutoring programs. When all the weekly duties are done Sonny, his brother, and Isabel wind down at the night club where Sonny plays. Sonny and his brother are closer than they've ever been before as they shine new light on Harlem.
1LILRED: January 2006

Sonny's Blue's Ending

I didn't really have a problem with the way the narrator ended Sonny's Blue's. I was glad that Sonny's brother finally felt where he was coming from with in his music. I will add to the ending. Sonny and the band go on to become big recording artist and Sonny's brother becomes their manager. They travel all around opening people up to a new sound of jazz and blues. They open up youth and rehab centers back in Harlem and Sonny has a banquet every year for him being still drug free and Sonny's brother heads the tutoring services. They clean up their community and help guide youth in the right direction. Sonny and his brother become closer than they ever have in their efforts to shine some good light on Harlem.
1LILRED