Journal Entery

Date: July 18, 2007

Entery Number: 14

Page/Quote reflecting on: Pgs. 57-62

They can't kill Ikemefuna. That's just sad. I liked Ikemefuna. He's like one of the best characters. Even though with him being Nwoye's idol and Nwoye wanting to grow up all at once, it seemed, he was a good influence on Nwoye. And he did teach Nwoye not to be so childish which in turn made it so Okonkwo didn't beat him anymore and treated him with some respect. HOW could they just up and kill Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna was like a son to Okonkwo. Ikemefuna wasn't like a bother to anyone. They killed him because the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves pronounced that he should die and they have to obey their wishes and commands. That's dumb. Ikemefuna was so cool though and a great help. I wonder how Ikemefuna kind of knew he wasn't going to see his family again and why did he change his thought. Later as a group of men were taking Ikemefuna outside of Umuofia, Ikemefuna started think about his family and it sounded like he was getting his hopes up but before he had that feeling like he wasn't going to be seeing them again. He should have been on his guard and ready to run. Once Nwoye had found out he was "going home" he burst into tears and then got beat for it. When Nwoye told his mother that Ikemefuna was going home she said, "Poor child." It sounds like this lie has been told before and that that type of thing had happened many times before. When the men and Ikemefuna were leaving, everyone in Okonkwo's compound seemed to know they would never see him again nor anyone else. Okonkwo shouldn't have gone with to kill Ikemefuna. That old man, Ezeudu, told him not to bear a hand in his death but he did anyway. Okonkwo was the one who finished Ikemefuna off and Ikemefuna thought of Okonkwo as a father. He was never really fond of his real father but he really liked Okonkwo but Okonkwo turned his back on Ikemefuna and finished him off because he didn't want to be thought of as weak. Ikemefuna's last words were "My father, they have killed me!" and then Okonkwo came up and killed him. Ikemefuna was Nwoye's idol and when Okonkwo came home he knew that Ikemefuna had been killed and he just snapped. Not literally or like how most people snap and go crazy. But he just snapped and hung limp. He didn't even cry. Ikemefuna was one of the best characters but there is always some one who has to die. And usually it's the characters that you like the best and have some really good qualities. I just wish it wasn't Ikemefuna. But that was the whole reason for introducing him into the story.