things Fall Apart Essay -- essays research papers

CHAPTER 10 A very dramatic public ceremonial occasion is described in detail that involves meting out justice. On the village commons ppl gather and the rest of the village is behind them. Nine stools are placed for the egwugwu to sit. Egwugwu equate the spirits of their ancestors and are respected members of the community who can dispense justice in trials. Women stood on the edges of the circle. A gong is loudly blasted and the guttural enunciate of the egwugwu is heard. When he makes his appearance, it is very dramatic as he wears a fearful looking mask and pretends to scare the women. With him , nine other masked men emerge. Okonkwos wives obtain that one of the egwugwu walks with a springy step such as Okonkwo does. They also notice he is absent from where the elders sit. The leader of the egwugwu speaks some words. The hearing then begins. It involves a man named Uzowulu whose wife was taken away by him by her family. He wishes that either she return or they pay him his br ide-price. The womens brother argues that she has been rescued because she is beaten each day and that she will return on the promise that he never hit her again. After the discussion the leader returns with a verdict. He tells Uzowulu to bring wine to his wifes family and beg his wife to return to him. He also expresses disgust at Uzowulus cowardice in beating women and askes him to accept his brother-in-laws offer. The egwugwu and their system of justice are mistakable to Western societys notion of a fair public trial. The men who conduct the hearings are the senior members of the society, and have political as well as scotch power, but they mask themselves to hide their identity, so that a fair judgment can be given. Here each party is given a rule to state their case and then the egwugwu leave to debate a verdict as well as a punishment or remuneration. The dismissive placement one of the elders shows for a trial of this kind reveals the lack of power and respect that wome n had in this society. Not only does the womens brother speak for her, but she has no read in the verdict handed to her husband. Whether or not she wants to return is overlooked by the larger economic reason for her return. Her husbands hand is slapped for being so uncivilised but other than that he is not punished for his crime, simply finedCHAPTER 11 One night, Ezinma and her mother are sitting in... ...anlyfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yu io sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdfsdihsdlhsdodsdjohndjsjdkl hd shduiosy yuio sduisui sdure i entually will