' How to write about Emirati's'

When considering writing about Emirati's keep the following in mind...

When you first hear of the words the United Arab Emirates (UAE) what comes to mind? Wait, let me just stop you right there, money of course right? As everyone who is Emirati of course is either a member of one of the seven royal families, or is drowning up to their ears in millions of dirhams.

Whilst on the subject of money, make sure you emphasize on how in the majority of the their households they all employ an average of ten maids, five drivers, one nanny per child and a minimum of two gardeners. Oh and do NOT forget to mention their exotic pets, do not pretend like you do not know what I mean. Yes those jaguars and lions that they take for car rides in their Ferraris and Bentleys, after all you know the saying ' A cat is a mans best friend'. Having said that, never expect a local to park their own car, they need a valet for that.

Lets talk shopping, its no secret that all Emirati's live in mansions and of course have got everything and anything that is branded. You just name it they have got it all from Louis Vuitton handbags to rolex watches, just standing in one of their walk in closets will make you feel like your on the Champs-Élysées. Side note: They've got gold everywhere, I mean their toilet seat covers are probably gold for crying out loud.

On a final note, weddings, it's well known that Emiratis tend to go all out when it comes to weddings, I'm talking a wedding to cater for 10,000 guests. Well of course they would have to invite their extensive friends oversea, and no I am not referring to Beyoncé more along the lines of the Queen of England and Barack Obama.

Just an added tip, if you write your book in gold it would be more appealing to Emirati's.

How does Things Fall Apart conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose?

' Things Fall Apart ' by Chinua Achebe, diverts from the stereotypical expectation of a fiction genre based novel. Instead Achebe integrates the genre of 'realist fiction' throughout his novel, in doing so, it assists in the creation of a rich novel. Through the use of realist fiction, it allows the readers the capability to draw their own thoughts and conclusions about the novel, by doing so Achebe presents the lives of the Igbo society through the lens of realist fiction, he is able to highlight certain aspects of our contemporary lives such as social and political events. Alongside that, Achebe is capable of depicting both the worlds of the Igbo society, and the European colonizers.

Through Achebe presenting his novel in a non bias form, not only does it allow the readers to uphold a true perspective of both the Igbo society and the European colonizers but also it displays the truth. The truth of how they were colonized by the Europeans and had their core, which is their culture and traditions be stripped away from them. Hence, Achebe desired to portray the Igbo society in such a way. The novel contains bits and pieces of various traditions and values that are deeply held close by the Igbo society, like the singing of certain songs and telling folktales. These traditions are held similarly throughout contents, the only difference being that they all uphold various meanings. For example in the novel on page 44 when Ikemefuna makes his way towards his death he sings a song to himself, he believes that the song will assist him in controlling his fear and facing his current situation. Additionally throughout the novel the mention of gender inequality is present on various occasions. The Igbo people believe that the men should be the ones who obtain all the power, and with that power comes other factors in which the men are privileged to. Gender inequality is an issue that is still present today in the 21^st century and is treasured and valued by numerous countries. These two examples present the realities in which Achebe was capable of embedding throughout his novel in order to give his readers a better sense of the Igbo reality.

On another note, as Achebe displays the positives and negative aspects of the Igbo society, he further enhances the realism of his novel and achieved cultural authenticity. A positive that is effectively demonstrated would be the portrayal of the two contradicting cultures, as it allows the readers to compose thoughts on both parties and further their understanding of the given situation. The Igbo people are portrayed in a form where we view them as innocent civilians who had everything they ever knew ripped from them, and the colonizers are portrayed as close minded civilians who obtain cruel judgements about the Igbo society. This is made evident through another novel 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad as in his novel the Igbo are viewed as “savages”. A negative that is effectively demonstrated would be that lack of acquiring various characters perspectives. Although the reason as to why there is a lack of Igbo women's perspectives is due to the reason that in the Igbo culture the men are the more dominating gender and all the responsibilities and power is bestowed upon them. If the novel did obtain the women’s perspectives, it would have furthered the capability for women who feel undermined by the men in their society to be able to have that certain connection.

In conclusion, ' Things Fall Apart ' by Chinua Achebe, diverts from the stereotypical expectation of a fiction genre based novel. Through Achebe's representation of the Igbo society's culture, traditions and values we are able to make the clear distinction of what occurred during the colonization. Alongside that we are able to appreciate the Igbo society for what they suffered through and are able to commend them for people whose lives contained “dignity, significance and positive vale”.

Memoir

I will never get the horrific image out of my head, there he dangled looking so fragile and lifeless...

I always ask myself, what could I have done? Could I have been more supportive or understanding? What prevented him to commit such an abomination?

The day my dear companion Okonkwo took his life, was the day when it struck me that our society had truly fallen apart. You see, it all began when the missionaries stepped foot onto our home soil and eliminated our treasured and valued culture and traditions. At first I saw that there was no issue with the missionaries wanting to preach their religion, Christianity, (as everyone has a right to do so) but once the Christian's embedded their thoughts and ideas into our heads, the majority of us were converted in the blink of an eye. After having this eat away at me, I came to the conclusion that the missionaries came to Umofia with both determination and confidence in their eyes. Through the death of Okonkwo, it was evident to me that in a sense the missionaries had won. How was I so blind to this? They had shown up one day out of the blue and declared that we give up our culture and traditions and join theirs, they did not seem to understand that our culture was what made us who we are and that without it well... we would essentially be nothing. We fought and fought in order to preserve what was so near and dear to us, but unfortunately they won and took one of us with them.  

Paper 2- Analytical response

 To what extent has an awareness of context enriched or enhanced your understanding of Things Fall Apart

After further exploring and enhancing my knowledge about the context of the novel ' Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe, all the themes and plots were made evident to me through the assistance of the Igbo people's traditions and culture. Due to Achebe's novel responding to the colonization of his country, he created a format in which he shared what his society experienced and underwent during the colonization. By choosing specific topics to further develop not only the context but also the culture, it really assisted in understanding Achebe's true intentions of what he desired to get across to the readers.

Due to the novel being set in a time era ( 1850's) prior to it being written, it truly emphasizes on the state of mind people where in. Throughout the years societies perspectives and attitudes towards certain subjects such as sexism and gender equality has drastically varied overtime, hence altering the readers awareness of Chinua Achebe true intentions regarding the novels message.

Without the basic information of the Igbo societies culture and traditions, it leads readers to posses various forms of perspectives of the novel, hence causing either misinterpretation or undesired opinion in regards to the novel. An example of a form of perspective would be the feminist lens, it assists in providing a new perspective to the novel. Some people tend to call the novel sexist, as they contemplate that the woman are undervalued by the men in the Igbo society. The feminist lens reinforces in providing the readers with a somewhat better conception of not only the woman’s views but also allows the readers to view the characters in a different light, along with establishing an alertness of social gender construction. During the novel it is mentioned that Okonkwo abuses his wives, he does so in order to demonstrate that he is a powerful respected resident of Umuofia. Alongside that Okonkwo presents that side of himself to insure not only himself but also his community that he will never be like his deadbeat father, a man who was viewed by their people as a weak and undetermined ' agbala'.

Overall one thing that must be regarded is that through his novel, Chinua Achebe is trying to balance his living and upbringing with his religious beliefs. Through his literature Achebe is trying to display the Igbo society through the lens of the colonized, where as in other texts such as ' Heart of Darkness' the perspective is portrayed through a colonizers point of view.

In conclusion after further exploring and enhancing my knowledge about the context of the novel 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe, all the themes and plots were made evident to me. As the readers it is our duty to an extent to be aware of the context in which the novel is set in, in order for us to consider the true meaning behind a novel.

Paper 2 - Analytical response

 Discuss the significance of social status in ' Things Fall Apart', and comment on its contribution to characterization.

Throughout the text ' Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe, the recurring theme of social status is mentioned on various levels. In terms of the context (Umuofia), social status is highly cherished by the Igbo people, and the only way that a member of the community, most likely a man, can truly be respected is through their factors of success. An Igbo man's achievements in life can earn him titles over time, these titles gain them respect in their villages and indicates that they are proficient residents of Umuofia.

Not only do titles gain the men respect but alongside that they are somewhat given privileges, due to them being placed in higher societal positions in Umuofia. When Ezeudu died, due to him possessing titles “(he) was to be buried after dark with only a glowing brand to light the sacred ceremony", whereas if a man like Unoka (Okonkwo's father) who was viewed as an 'agbala' by the community as a result of him being unable to achieve anything vital in his lifetime, you are given a un-respectful burying “He was carried to the Evil Forest and left there to die [...] and was not given the first or second burial".

In terms of Okonkwo, although he had quite an unsuccessful father he managed to make something of his life, even though “a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father". Okonkwo did not desire to be compared to his father in terms of his actions and incompetence, and so that was his motivation to be a better man, “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on his solid personal achievement.” which led to Okonkwo gaining a reputation of physical excellence (wrestling) and courage. Okonkwo was successful in the department of respect, as he was a “wealthy farmer and has two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife. To crown it all he had taken two titles and had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars...He was already one of the greatest men of his time." this all benefited in establishing his advancement of mutual respect amongst his clan.

As the text advances Okonkwo allows his possession in the Igbo society to cause his ego to grow, which leads him to think that he has the right to both physically and verbally abuse his wives and children. After accidentally shooting Ezeudu's son and getting exiled to his motherland 'Mbanta' , Okonkwo comes to terms and realizes that “ he had lost his place among the nine masked spirits who administered justice in the clan. […] He had lost the years in which he might have taken the highest titles in the clan.” but still remained positive and decided that “he would return with flourish, and regain the seven wasted years.”

In conclusion Throughout the text ' Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe, the recurring theme of social status is mentioned on various levels. Social status has proven to further develop a character such as Okonkwo, as it led him to further motivate himself to not only be better than his father but to also aim to further his possession in the Igbo society. Alongside that it has made evident that the titles the men obtain grants them not only high respect from those above and below but also allows them certain privileges.