Journal Entery

Date: June 24, 2007

Entery Number: 4

Page/Quote reflecting on: Pgs. 24-25

When Okonkwo earned his first seed the weather went totally wacky and Umuofia suffered a massive drought. Then one day it started to rain and continued to rain for a long time and the plants all rotted and died. It was very difficult for a lot of the men to handle. Unoka told Okonkwo "Do not despair. I know you will not despair. You have a manly and a proud heart. A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone." For some reason this quote really stuck out. At first I didn't really get it but after reading it a couple of times I understood what it meant better. He's telling him don't despair; I know you won't because you are strong and have a proud heart. He's also telling him, in a way, that he's proud of him because he is so strong and will not give up. He then tells him you can survive this failure because others are experienceing this same failure so it doesn't prick your pride so much. But when a man fails alone it is very difficult and very bitter. In a way it sounds like Unoka life. Difficult and very bitter. He seemed to just pushed it away with drinking. Maybe Unoka knew he could never do the things as the other men did and knew he was a failure already so he simply didn't try. Who really knows why Unoka was the way he was but it definately shaped Okonkwo's character.