सदस्यसम्भाषणम्:Swara Satish Deshmukh 2331005
विषयः योज्यताम्
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तव मार्गदर्शनाय विद्यन्ते एतानि पृष्ठानि
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Swara Satish Deshmukh 2331005 Sem4: CIA I
[सम्पादयतु]अस्मिन कार्ये, अहं एकस्य पुस्तकसमीक्षा विषये चर्चां कर्तुमिच्छामि यदहम् एकस्मिन् गुप्तपुस्तके लिखितं। एषः पुस्तकम् "थिंग्स फॉल अपार्ट्" इत्युच्यते यः नाइजेरियायाः लेखकस्य चिनुआ आचेबेः रचिता अस्ति:
"अविवर्तनं च अविवर्तनं च वर्धमानं चक्षुषि
गृध्रः गृध्रध्वजं न शृणोति
वस्तूनि पतन्ति; केन्द्रं न धारयेत्
साधारणं अराजकता लोके व्युत्क्रान्ता अस्ति"
- डब्ल्यू. बी. येट्स, 'द सेकंड कमिंग'
"थिंग्स फॉल अपार्ट्" एषः पुस्तकः अफ्रीकी अंग्रेजी साहित्यस्य अतिविशिष्टं अर्ध-कथा लेखनस्य उदाहरणं अस्ति। एषः उपन्यासः चिनुआ आचेबेः द्वारा अफ्रीकी त्रयीयस्य अंशरूपेण रचितं अस्ति यः जगतः समक्षं तस्य नाइजेरियायी इग्बो संस्कृति की आराधना कुर्वन् औषाधीयन्यायं च उपन्यासस्य गतिमानं प्रवृत्तिनां समीक्षां वर्तते। सम्भवतः, उपन्यासस्य लेपनाय, चिनुआ तेषां जातीयैः इवास्वादिना समुद्राङ्गना इत्यस्मिन् खण्डे कल्याणं, यत्र श्वेतमानवः अफ्रीकी भूम्यां नतमुक्तानां जनतां उपद्रवं प्रदर्शयति।
"काइटः हंसः पातु च; यदि एकः अन्यस्य प्रतिवादः करोति, तदा तस्य पंखं भङ्गं सर्वायाः।”
एषः उपन्यासः मुख्यपात्रस्य ओकोंक्वो विषये वस्तुतः चक्रितः अस्ति, यः उमेउफिया ग्रामस्य उच्चपदस्य स्वयम् निर्मितपुरुषः अस्ति, यः तस्य त्रयः पत्नीः च सप्तपुत्रान् सह तस्य ओबि मध्ये निवसति। एषः पुस्तकः त्रिभागे विभजितं अस्ति: प्रथमे भागे, इग्बो समुदायस्य दिनप्रतिदिनं घटनानां विस्तृतं विवरणं यत्र युद्धानां, विवाहानां, मृत्यूनां च आध्यात्मिकानां संदर्भः दीयते; द्वितीयं भागं यत्र ओकोंक्वो सर्वश्रेष्ठं युवकं जातीयस्य यः एक्सिले त्रिवर्षं जालके अनुत्तरं कर्तुं वेषः प्रकटयति; तृतीयं भागं, ओकोंक्वो चित्तोऽपराधस्थं सहेजनेन गत्वा तस्य अपमानं, निन्दा च यथाशक्तिमत्याः गिरिः च स्वस्यमेव आत्महत्यां करोति।
रोचकतया द्वौ पात्रे दृष्टिमते मम मनसि यदर्थं प्रबलं संवादं च दृष्टान्तं संस्कृतिः करीति: ओबिरीका, ओकोंक्वोस्य प्रियसखा यः प्राचीन पिढियाः प्रतिनिधिः अस्ति यः स्वर्णस्करणं सृजति; अर्को, यः मिशनरीषु च श्वेतकाणाणां आगमनं पूर्वदृष्टयं करोति। पत्राणां बहुस्तः, ओबिरीका तस्य ग्रामस्य मूर्खतां प्रश्नयते च यः बारं बारं उस्मापनः एवं कष्टनिर्णयस्य संदर्भे विचारयति। यः एकाधिवेकं परिभाषितुं सहमतितः न च ओबिरीका नापत्यति यः कृते उभयः पक्षे अपरिपूर्ण हैं, यदा तस्य प्रियसखायां मृते।
अनेन हवेः चरित्रं न्वोये, ओकोंक्वोस्य वृद्धपुत्रः यः युवा, सन्दर्भानुकूलः उमेउफिया दर्शयति। यावत् ओकोंक्वोः देहम् अद्वेषितः च यः अदृष्टिपेक्ष्य कर्तुत्वं समग्रं उपपतिषात् त्यागयति, ओकोंक्वोः नृशंसता संवृत्तिसंस्थायाः शोकभावं च प्रतिसंस्कृत्य न्वोये प्रतीपाद द्वेषं प्रसारयति। कदाचिदधिकारा धर्मसंविधानम् अनियामेन स्वच्छन्दयामः समर्पितं च निर्वासयति। संभवतः, तेन मिशनरीषु, यः तस्य सन्देशः चा उपनयनस्य मूर्तिनं स्वभाषातः अंतः प्रतिसादः जलति। सः स्वपरंपरायाः आच्छादनं प्राप्य एकं नवीनं, आशावादसमुद्रं समर्पयति, यद्यपि ओकोंक्वो ने तस्य वाङ्मयम् उपेक्षते एषः तस्य अयोगः गहनं दुःखणादनि।
"इग्बो सामुदायस्य संवादकौशलं अति उच्चे स्थानं च खजाने यः च मुच्यते। प्रबोधवाक्यत्वं च शब्दानां पाम्बुशं यथा, तस्मिन मनसि मे मार्गप्रदर्शनम् अस्ति।"
पुस्तकस्य बलं निश्चयं पौराणिककथायाम् च व्याप्तं यद्यस्ति इग्बो समुदायस्य धरोहरस्य व्यक्तिगतदृष्टियाः च रचनाप्रवृत्तिः। एषः पुस्तकः मूलभूत सामाजिक, धार्मिक च राजनीति प्रक्रियाणां शिक्षायाः एकः प्रदीपः अस्ति यः च तस्या: ऐतानां एवं उपद्रवस्य वहनं न संस्कृते, यथा च यः सांस्कृतिकदस्तायातात किं तस्य वस्तूसंबद्धः।
वृत्तान्तमधिकृत्य, लेखकस्य यत्र यत्र वस्तूनि आयोजयति; इग्बो आदर्शानां अद्वितीय अप्रेसिरणनं, क्रौंचपंकशास्त्रं च। तेषां वार्तायाः विविधपृष्ठिकां प्रारंभ्ष्वे च, व्यक्तमनसतेः वास्तवीनिमग्नु, ऐतमपदं, च लाभेषु स्वगृहेषु दृष्यते कीलकलशः च यस्तु नित्यम्व्यम्प ज्ञ्रेत।
तथापि, पुस्तकस्य प्रवृत्तौ, लेखकः अनावृत्तं च निर्बन्धमयुनर्त्राणां गुप्तगुण आन्तष्क्रियाणां च प्रकटयति, येन ओकोंक्वोः स्वयम्। अपौराणिकबुद्धिं प्रेयासं प्राप्तं अपत्यदत्वं तस्य जातिविचाराः च वेद्यं बीरागयितुं च अनिर्णयय आनन्दस्य जीवितानाम् एवं धारणायाः। ध्रुवं, एषा पुस्तकस्य तत्त्वानि, लेखकेन स्वीय शीर्षपृष्ठे स्पष्टतः व्याख्यायन्ते। यद्यपि एषः वार्तामृतिः तु धृष्टिपरीक्षा जिवाजातोपादानां च महःकी च यत्र स्त्रियों भी क्रूरस्निग्धम् अस्ति, एषः निरवृत्तः भृकुक्कार लेखकस्य।
संविधानसमूहन्यायवत्त्वस्य, चौतिकुटपरंपरायाः परिवर्तनस्य विघटनं तु किञ्चिद्दिव्यतया च त्वरा नलिनं तृतीयचित्रं च संक्षिप्तं च सम्हृतं स्थितम्, यत्र गौरवाय कात्यायने भूतु, पुनः दीक्षितः समुपदिश्यति दुरावस्थायामः।
संक्षिप्तोपदेशतया, एषः पुस्तकः एकः शिक्षाप्रदः, नैतिकतः च ऐतिहासिकतः विवेच्य अफ्रीकी जनपद इतिहासस्य उपन्यासात्मकः च गम्भीरः, कदाचन अनुभवः पीड्यते औचित्यं कर्तुमपैः कठिनः न ह्यनेष उष्णसंस्कारस्य यथावत् प्रामाणिकः स्थास्यते। आचेकबीः अत्यन्तं निकषमेवं यः पृथिवीणां अंधकारं च अद्वितीययाः सूक्ष्मतराणि चिन्तामापदि, यत्र विश्वालेखामध्ये गूढतया तु स्यात् नित्ये संगृहीतम् अभिज्ञता गतमैवं ओदयीषां विषये विचारणीयताम्।
"कथाते केवलमस्ति यः वयं यथाकृतिः, यः इतिहासं सृजति। कथा-साक्षात्कारः धृत्वास्य स्मृतिं क्रियते यः जीवः अकारणं कर्तव्यं तस्य जीवितं विषये कर्तुं स्व-विधानस्य अर्थस्य न गोप्यते।" ~ चिन्ुआ आचेबे
Original Writing:
For this assignment I would like to discuss a book review that I had written for a lesser known book. It is called "Things Fall Apart" by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe:
“Turning and turning in the widening eye
The falcon cannot hear the falconer
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world”
- W.B. Yeats, ‘The Second Coming’
“Things Fall Apart” is arguably the most critical piece of semi-fiction that African English literature has produced. This novel was written as a piece of the African trilogy by Chinua Achebe in an attempt to resculpt the African image for the world through the celebration of his Nigerian Igbo culture while at the same time introspecting on the validity of his tribe’s practices. Perhaps, in the colonizer’s language, Chinua tries to present to the descendants of those very people the systematic degradation that took place after the white man landed on African soil.
“Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to the other, let his wing break.”
The novel revolves around the protagonist, Okonkwo, a self-made man of high ranks in the village of Umuofia living in his obi with his three wives and seven children. The book is divided into three parts: the first part, giving a detailed account of the day-to-day happenings of Igbo community from wars to marriages to deaths and spiritual encounters; the second part where Okonkwo goes from being the most respected young man in the clan to a seven-year exile due to an accident and watching his surroundings being destroyed; the third part, Okonkwo having faced many betrayals, disappointments and decline in his glory goes from being one of the greatest men in all of Umuofia to taking his own life.
Interestingly enough, two characters stand out to me as the vessels of very strong messages and critics provided by the author himself in the story. Obierika, Okonkwo’s dearest friend who symbolises the older generation who is equally party to a free and all-powerful Umuofia and foresees the arrival of the missionaries and the white men. In multiple parts of the story, Obierika questions his clan’s ignorance and often wonders to himself the validity of the rituals and punishments if they only end up harming his people. That is not to say that he fully agrees with the message that the white men stand for. He continually finds himself questioning both sides presented to him and in the end, deems it all worthless as he finds his dearest friend dead.
The other character is Nwoye, Okonkwo’s eldest son who represents a younger, more impressionable Umuofia. Just Okonkwo’s timid and unsuccessful father had an impression on him, Okonkwo’s rigid hyper-masculine tendencies and violent insecurity has a lasting impact on Nwoye’s mind. He starts to grow a resentment towards his father and this indirectly leads him to be enchanted by the New Religion. Perhaps, he finds comfort and gentleness in the words of the missionaries that were majorly absent in his upbringing. He leaves his traditions for a newer, more promising way of life and however much Okonkwo tries to ignore, it hurts him profoundly.
“Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regrade very highly, and proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten.”
The strength of the book definitely lies in the rich storytelling and personal insights that the author provides to the rich tribal heritage of the Igbo community. The book is a great source to learn about indigenous political, spiritual and social practices of a community that has not been exposed to the pressures of Europeanisation or globalisation. As one goes through the contents, chapter by chapter, a new facet of the community for instance their own system of judiciary, system of transactions and market days and weeks. Their ways to make sense out of events through elements of nature like the Story of the Cunning Tortoise is fascinating and enriching.
However, as the book proceeds, the author reveals one by one the highly patriarchal and unforgiving parts of the society through the character Okonkwo himself. From killing his foster son Ikemefuna to beating his wives and children regularly and eventually himself getting punished for a crime he inadvertently committed shows the Igbo people’s blind obedience and subordination to norms and customs. Even though these are some of the lowest points of the book, the author should be appreciated for his bravery for revealing parts of his culture that are so problematic.
Despite the length of the book being as good as just two novellas, the writing style is very detailed and poetic. It has the essence of being a truly indigenous work despite being written in English. To no surprise the book is so widely read that it has been translated into almost 35 languages across the world because of the ease and simplicity in the way it is written even in the most intense parts of the story. It can be debated how historical the work is in nature because after all it is a historical tragic fiction but what it does capture accurately are the African sentiments coming from an African man devoid of any external influence.
My impression of the book has mostly been an overwhelmingly positive one. However, few things that were lacking were that the violent and hypermasculine nature of Okonkow’s character is not nearly criticised enough and could send out a wrong message to and of the African men. the character could have been treated with more sensitivity and another side of supporting characters criticising him could be added. The constant reference to gendered expressions seem very demeaning to the female sex and again show a general insensitivity which creates a very negative impression in the reader’s mind. A context or a prelude to the origin story of these expressions/practices would have been appreciated. Personally, I felt that the transition from the pre-colonial to the colonial era was abrupt and short and was concluded in a haste without the decision of the fate of a few very prominent characters.
Overall, this book serves as an educational, morally and historically, account of African tribal history and is a rich, gripping and evergreen piece of literature. The ability of Achebe to be able to present such a dark and exploitative period of history with such grace and imagery is remarkable. He successfully tones down the intensity of this subject such that it doesn’t dilute its importance while at the same time makes the readers feel what is there to feel.
“It is the storyteller who makes us what we are, who creates history. The storyteller creates the memory that the survivors must have- otherwise their surviving would have no meaning.” ~ Chinua Achebe