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TFA Dialectic Journals
TFA Chapters 1-6 Chapter
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“… and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists. He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had had no patience with his father.” pg.4

“Unoka was never happy when it came to wars. He was in fact a coward and could not bear the sight of blood.” pg.6

“As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with the kings. Okonkwo had clearly washed his hands and so he ate with the kings and elders.” pg.8

“Darkness held a vague terror for these people, even the bravest among them.” pg.9

“If the clan had disobeyed the Oracle they would surely have been beaten, because their…” pg.12

“Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness.” pg.13

“There was a story of a very stubborn man who staggered back to his house and had to be…” pg.18

“But he threw himself into it like one possessed.” pg.18

“It was like pouring grains of corn into a bag full of holes.” pg.22 Response
Okonkwo, at age 18 became the best wrestler in his village. He defeated Amalinze the Cat. Most of the time kids follow the footsteps of their parents, but obviously Okonkwo wanted to be a better person than his father, Unoka. He wanted to be successful and he was!

Unoka seems like a definite coward to me. It talks about how he would barrow people’s money but never pay them back. That is basically calling for a war/ fight between his village and him. So when it says he was never happy when it came to wars I just think of him as a coward and someone I wouldn’t want to be around.

When I hear this quote, it think it involves his father. Okonkwo could have grown up like his father, a greedy coward OR he could wash his hands and be a

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