In what ways could Wallace’s theory about education be applicable to the writing of Alice Munro?

David Foster Wallace’s theory on education was that education shouldn’t solely focus on abundance of knowledge but also or more so focus on simple awareness; he adds in his speech that college injects over-intellectualized stuff in our consciousness. Another intriguing aspect of his theory was that true freedom is achieved when attention, awareness, discipline, effort, caring and sacrifice for others are all involved. In his speech, he referred a person who is able to practice as being ‘well-adjusted’.

This can be applied to the written pieces of Alice Munro whose stories include awakenings of a female character whether it is in terms of her true identity-like in Boys and Girls-or of her surroundings-like in Moons Jupiter. A commonality of the 6 books is that the female narrator experiences a turning point either by observing a certain event second handedly or undergoing the event first-handedly; the narrator feeds to the realization by being a ‘well-adjusted’ person just as David had mentioned in his speech. For example, in Moons and Jupiter, the female narrator-mom- understands her absent children and sick dad although it is done very inexpressively,

Another important notion David brought up in his theory of education was the ‘reality’ and how self-centered mindset cannot persist and shouldn’t persist, but rather having a mindset that is more comprehensive. By comprehensive, I am referring to a mindset that is broad and understanding enough to think for others; this is called, ‘Shared Humanity’.

In Munro’s short stories, we commonly have a gist of shared humanity in a way that the female does break out of their self-centered mindsets. The largest outbreak seems to appear in Passion where the female narrator seduces her brother in law. Although it may be easily argued that the narrator’s self-centered mindset worsened later after the dramatic event where Neil and the narrator almost have a sexual relationship, but after that event her guilt escalates and even more after she receives a thousand dollar note, freeing up the follow up of the story’s ending for readers’ own imaginations. However, as a reader myself I imagine a follow-up where the female narrator matures and determine to care more for others-a typical coming of age

Paper 2 Outline

Prompt: With reference to Things Fall Apart, discuss how an understanding of gender influences how the text may be understood.

Thesis: To a reader with a contemporary Western understanding of gender, the  rigidly established gender roles both by the Igbo society and Okonkwo, and his relationship with secondary characters i then interpreted as profound hatred. 

Topic sentence 1: Through the precise decoration of the Igbo society in the first part of the book, the readers are presented a story and setting that challenged their former thoughts on Africa. Through this candid decoration and presentation, the readers are almost disgusted by the gender inequality. 
Topic sentence 2: Through the use of such places such as Mbanta, Chinua Achbe also emphasizes that women were also valued, and that gender inequalities within the book were merely anomalies
Topic sentence 3:Through the use of Igbo proverbs and other evidences of orality, Achebe demonstrates the difference in Okonkwo's and the Igbo ideals of gender despite the evidence of rigid gender roles in both. 

Thesis practice

Promt: The personal history of an author can have a significant influence on the way meaning is constructed in his/her writing. Comment on specific instances of such influence in Things Fall Apart.

Thesis

Chinua Achebe, a Christian but also an Igbo-originated writer presents a text highlighting the complexity and duality of his identity and also the Igbo society. This presentation of complexity and duality servers as a backbone for how the Igbo civilization fell apart. 

Topic sentence 1: The author's style of writing is a reflection of the duality of Chinua Achebe as both a Christian-western influenced person- and also an Igbo.
Topic sentence 2: The introduction of the irrational Igbo customs suggest as to why the members of the society so readily accepted the Western ways. 
Topic sentence 3:  Okonkwo's inflexibility juxtaposes with the Igbo duality, which may insinuate the flaws and the eventual fall of Igbo society. 

Thesis statement

Prompt: With reference to Things Fall Apart, show how sub-plots or secondary characters contribute to the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the work as a whole.


The thorough characterization of Unoka, Nwoye and Enzima exists to underscore the inconsistencies and contradictions of the Ibo society, constructing the idea that the Ibo society was not a perfect one. This idea is the overarching theme which presents the flaws that have existed within the Igbo society and how those flaws were a chance for the western people.

Okonkwo

1. What is the significance of Okonkwo’s character? 

Okonkwo continuously strives to achieve success and condemns laziness. He displays hyper-masculinity as well as extreme inflexibility. He has solely one vision of what it means to be a man. Okonkwo's character is significant in that he is a tragic hero archetype, displaying hubris, peripeteia, hamartia, and anagorisis. 
Also, some of his values are reflective of Ibo values. For example, his obsession with titles and recognition is reflective of the hierarchal nature of the Ibo society.  
He represents the old. He is the one holding on to the old values, as evidenced by how he tries to get the tribesmen to drive away the Western influences. Therefore, he is symbolic of the old ways of Ibo life. 
His life falling apart is emblematic of how the Ibo society fell apart, town by town, while the Ibo people themselves weren't fully realizing. 
As a tragic hero archetype, he meets his tragic end. The last hold-on to the old is gone, and so is the old way of life, and the new reality called Nigeria emerges. 

2. What is the purpose of Okonkwo’s character within the text? 

One would be to contribute to the themes as mentioned in the answer to the next question. 
Another is already discussed in the first question, which is to work as a symbol. 

3. How does Okonkwo’s character contribute to themes or meaning

Okonkwo's character contributes to the theme of gender. His inflexible nature exposes the social structure of the Ibo society based on gender to an exaggerated and extreme extent. He calls out on men without titles for being a woman, and is pained by the fact that Enzima is a daughter. It is arguable that this is reflective on the Ibo society as it did have some gender roles. Even in agriculture, there were female crops and male crops. There were female sins, and male sins. Okonkwo's character further highlights this theme of gender already prevalent in the novel. 
Also, his tenacious and inflexible nature leads to adding to the theme of the clash between old and new. 

TRAGIC HERO

We are all very familiar with the Achebe's choice of selecting a protagonist an anti-hero, but we are not very familiar with why Achebe had done this and what effects this has on us as readers in terms of its cultural context. 

To understand this in a deeper level and more easily, let's consider what would have happened if Achebe characterized Okonkwo as an antithesis of his original personality. If Okonkow was of benign and friendly nature, he would have been identical to other members in his clan, very obedient and compliant to changes. Then, Achebe would have not been able to explicitly unravel the destruction and disorder the 'Westerns' have brought, but would have highlighted the upside they have brought such as what Achebe describes in his Interview: 'A more efficient form of life'. However, by delineating Okonkwo as rather a very hostile, easily outraged, and resistant to what he dislikes, Achebe is able to achieve what a benign and gentle Okonkwo would not have. That is, emphasizing the abrupt obliteration that has been put upon the people, the way they think, governmental system, and root of their culture. 

To go into the possible reason why Achebe employed the tragic hero archetype on a more profound level, it is crucial to peruse the characteristics of a tragic hero. A common tragic hero has a hamartia, a tragic flaw or flaws, and in case of Achebe it is inability to be in harmony with his surroundings. Next, tragic heroes undergo perepeteia, a turning point of their fortune and fate, and a course of perepeteia reveals a tragic hero's hamartia. Likewise, when Okonkwo finds out that his land, Umofia, is a city of Christianity followers-this scene being the parapeteia-he is unable to control his anger and be in harmony with the new custom of his village-his inability to control emotion and be in harmony being the hamartias. However, near the end of the story, Achebe deliberately evokes pity and shame for Okonkwo among the audience by illustrating a scene where a number of white officers deride Okonkwo after his lamentable death . If Okonkwo was protagonist who hasn't gone through peripeteia, without hamartias and of good nature, Achebe wouldn't have been able to employ this scene because there would be no need for the white officers to pillory Okonkwo's death. 

SPEECH

Good evening ladies and gentlemen of The Royal Colonial Institute, 

I feel honored to be here as a representative of many missionaries in Africa, and I, as once a missionary in Western-Africa, am here to inform you with how my life was back there. 

There were many great people, although some were very hostile and unwelcoming my existence and Christianity. However, they were willing to give me a small portion of land which they considered evil and unsafe, a burial ground for those who have done misdeed. With the support of Our graceful God, I was able to survive there and was able to prove the very love of our God. Their Gods, or I should say supreme beings, had the name, Chukwu, who, from what I have been told, is relentless, vicious, and materialistic. Then, I had spread the 'Good News' to the Ibo people not as means of colonization,but as means of doing what our foremost Queen and our foremost God have told me to do. The result was favorable: many Ibo people were attracted by this and joined Christianity. Majority of them were outcasts, who have been thrown away from the mainland, but there was this one intelligent and benign child named Nwoye, a son of brave and man-like Okonkwo, who came into my eyes than any other converters. She explained to me about the beauty and valuable cultures and traditions of Igbo. The harmony with nature, the harmony with music, the harmony with people were beyond gorgeous

Yet, these cultures and traditions are being destroyed and crumbled into pieces.by colonizers and of them include us, the British Empire, the appointed and blessed citizens of God. Destroying the harmony with nature, destroying the harmony with music, destroying the harmony with people, and lastly, destroying the beauty of their culture into fragments are not the reasons why God dispatched us to Africa.  

Now, for those who do not appreciate my words and do not appreciate the pulchritude of the Igbo culture, I do want to use this opportunity to open up your eyes. Well, let us not forget that these are humans just like we are, and they are of kind nature. They believe it is a 'must' to be united as a community. Although the village is divided into clans who are not always favorable to each other, they do not forget the importance of union. Occasionally, the whole village gather around to enjoy celebrations and I can't emphasize more how splendid and unforgettable they were. The food people shared across individuals, families, and clans was filled with genuine love. The yams I had eaten was a true resemblance of masculinity and spirituality. The Kola nuts I was offered to break was worth more than just nuts but was rather a symbol of their sincerity and reverence.

However, it would be certainly a lie if I say the journey was only full of felicity. Honestly, there were more fatiguing times than pleasurable times, but I can tell you this, what made me tired was not the Igbo people, but it was us, the colonizers. I strived to resist the British colonizers from enforcing a new governmental system and a new way of living. Instead, they shunned me with cold sight and did everything in their way. Things started to fall apart rapidly. Commissioners replaced village leaders, Jails were built, various goods were imported, and all of these contributed to the downfall of the Igbo culture. Yes, these may have helped them live better lives, but No, these have made them forget the very value of their lives. What do you say, ladies and gentlemen of the Royal Colonial Institute? 

It is not late to turn back. Perhaps, it is the best time to turn back. We have done right things in the past. It is now time to do another.