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1/26/2011 We read the first chapter. Summary- Okonkwo is known for beating people up, and Unoka who is his father didn't really have a great relationship. Unoka was always too busy making bets and getting drunk. Okoye comes over to retain the money that Unoka borrowed from him. Unoka is trying to get the idemili title, but dies without having a title. Okonkwo retained two titles and was the greatest man of his time.

Predictions- Unoka's debt will be pushed onto Okonkwo to pay, and people will resent Okonkwo because of his fathers debt.

1/28/2011 Progress- read chapters 2 and 3

Summary- the idea that when there is darkness and terror comes amongst the people, and bad spirits and animals come upon. Is contradictive to the idea that when there is moonlight the children come out to play, and elderly take walks. Okonkwo loves war unlike his father, and brings home a head from a previous war. Okonkwo is a very controlling person and he is very angry. His wives each have their own hut to live in. Because of Unokas failure Okonkwo has always wanted to be the exact opposite. The harvest good or bad depended on the strength of his arm. Unoka had a bad chi and was left to die in the evil forest. Okonkwo give Nwakibie land and in reutrn gives Okonkwo five hundred seeds for yams. The dry season killed every one of Okonkwos yam seeds, but he didn't despair.

Predictions- Ikemefuna will die how Unoka did. Okonkwo will be patient and his farms will grow.

2/1/2011 Progress- read chapter 4 and 5

Summary- Nwoye and Ikemefuna are the son of Okonkwo, even though ikemefuna is actaully not his son. Ikemefuna got over his sickness in three market weeks, this sickness rid him of most of the sadness and depression. Ojigo left the hut so there wasnt an afternoon meal and okonkwo was angry and ended up beating her in the week of peace. The week of peace is meant for no fighting or bad words. Okonkwo had to sacrifice items to ezenai. Harvest starts and does well.

Summary Chapt 5.- New Yams festival is starting to begin a bountiful year. This New Yams festival includes feasting and wrestling. Okonkwo was recieving his gun and his first wife had made a comment about how he never has shot the gun. Okonkwo over hears and ends up shooting at his first wife. Talking about ilo which is the viliage playground and they talked about sports and discussions. The drum beats for the wrestling event where is said to be the heart beat of mbaino. Obiageli was showing off her water pot and ended up breaking it, she was laughing until she got home and started crying.

Predictions- Okonkwo will be punished in the near future for disturbing the peace.

2/3/11 Progress read chapter 6 and 7

Summary- It starts off with the crowd getting ready for the wrestling matches. The spirits of good chlidren lived in the silk-sotton tree waiting to be born. The drums continuously beat. Maduka and another boy had a little wrestling match before the actual meet began. Ekezue and Okafo wrestled the prior year and it was a tie but this time Okafo beat Ekezue. Then in chapter seven Ikemefuna really becomes a part of Okonkwo's family. Nwoye and Ikemefuna are just like real brothers and Ikemefuna teaches Nwoye how to be a man. Nwoye's favorite story was with the bird and the tortoise being thrown by the cat. It was a quarrel between the Earth and the Sky it wouldn't rain and the vulture said to plead with the sky to bring rain. The rain controlled what was going on. This story showed that Okonkwo wanted Nwoye to be a man. The locusts come and cover everything, the people were told to be patient by the elders to start gathering them for food. Locusts settled in the trees, they will now come for seven years and then won't come back for another lifetime. After finding out that Ikemefuna will be taken away to Umofia, Nwoye bursts into tears and Okonkwo beats him for crying. On their journey to umofia, Ikemefuna is carrying a pot filled with wine and one of the guys takes his machete and breaks the pot. Ikemefuna cries out that they are killing him, and Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna. There were twins that were left in the forest with some pots and this is coinciding with the beginning of chapter six about the silk-cotton tree and the birth of children.

Predictions- Okonkwo will become depressed for killing Ikemefuna. Nwoye will resent Okonkwo for killing Ikemefuna.

2/7/11 Read chapter 8 and 9

Summary- Okonkwo starts off depressed about Ikemefunas death. He wishes that Ezinma was a boy. Ogbuefi Ndulues death and his first wife dies suddenly after him. Akueke's marriage is a big part of chapter 8. How the men are bargaining an amount that Ibe has to pay Akueke's father. The final bargain was 20 bags of cowries. Amadi is the guy with leprosy. Then in chapter nine started with the mosquito and ear story. Okonkwo wakes up to find Ekwefi telling him that Ezinma has a fever. Ekewfi sneeks Ezinma eggs and she is the only one out of ten that survived.

Predictions- Ezinma probably ends up dying. And Ekwefi will end up killing herself

2/9/11 Read chapters 10,11, and a page of 12

Summary- The ceremony Mgbafo and Uzowulu were tried because he beats her almost every day, and if he would beat her again his genitals would be removed. Okonkwo is a part of the egwugwus. The ceremony begun when Uzowulu touches the earth. You had to salute the spirits before speaking. Chapter 11 talked about how nights got so dark that even the stars didnt show. Ekwefi tells a story about the Tortoise getting a feather. Ezinma tells a story about the fat cat. Cheilo is the priestess of Agbala and takes away Ezinma away to be cared for. Ekwefi follows Chielo to make sure that Ezinma is ok. Towards the end of the journey when they walk back from Umuachi Okonkwo appears next to Ekwefi and stays with her. Ekwefi had been originally married to a man named Anene because Okonkwo was too poor, but then two years later she left Anene and went to Okonkwo.

Predictions- Okonkwo will develop insomnia again and then become irritable. Ezinma might get sick again, or maybe Ekwefi will go to Chielo to see what happened in the cave that one night.

2/11/11 Read rest of chapter 12 and read chapter 13

Summary- Ezinma wakes up the next morning without sickness. The marriage between Ibe and Akueke is a big part of the chapter. Obierika's in laws and relatives come from the other villages and bring 50 pots of palm wine. They all sit in a circle and the Akueke's mother, Akueke (chicken in hand) and other women shake hands with every person sitting in the circle. Akueke doesnt allow Ibe to touch her foot or hand but she doesn't mind him touching her waist beads. Chapter 13 starts off with ekwe and other people yelling from the distance, informing that Ogbuefi Ezeudu has died. He is the oldest egwugwu, with three titles, and wealthy. The ceremony takes place and the boys and young men and made way for the three oldest men in the clan. They shot guns waved machetes and shot off cannons. Ezeudus sons were doing a dance for their father and suddenly the 16 year old appears dead. Okonkwos gun explodes and a metal piece pierced through his heart. Okonkwo and his families are forced to leave Mbaino and goes to Mbanta. The people of the village burned everything they had to get rid of the bad spirits.

Predictions- Okonkwo comes back seven years later and people will be salty towards him and may become poor.

2/15/11 Read chapters 14,15,16,17, and part of 18

Summary- Uchendu is Okonkwos mother's youngest brother. And Uchendu and his sons gave Okonkwo 300 yam seeds for the harvesting season. Amikwu (Uchendu's youngest son) finishes his marriage with his wife. Uchendu is very wise and tells Okonkwo that he needs to care for his wives and not think he has suffered more than anyone else. Chapter 15, Uchendu meets some of Okonkwo's family and people would run around and catch the frozen rain in their mouths and let it melt. People of Abame killed a white man and hung his horse to the sacred tree. And then White men killed the town of Abame on market day for killing the white man. Chapter 16, Missionaries come to Mbanta and tell the people that they need to believe in God and their ways are going to kill them. Nwoye is the only one from Okonkwo's family interested in the chuch of God. Chapter 17, Missionaries build the church in the "evil forest", after 28 days the men were supposed to die in the forest but they never did, proving that God is a powerful person and will save you. Nwoye got beat by Okonkwo because he started going to church and Nwoye will never return to Okonkwo.

Predictions- Okonkwo will kill every one

3/3/11 Read chapters 19, 20, 21

Summary- Okonkwo has two more children added to his family, Nneka and Nwofia. Okonkwo holds a feast for the kinsmen. The rains are really heavy at the beginning of the chapter. Having the feast showed a strong bond of kinship. Chapter 20, Okonkwo wants to build a bigger obi and barn for his yams, and he has another wife. He has returned from exile. Okonkwo doesn't resent Ezinma anymore he accepts the fact that she is a girl, even though he still thinks about her being a boy. White men brought government with them on their trip. Things in Mbaino are literally falling apart. In chapter 21, Mr. Brown brings in people to learn reading and writing. Enoch killed a snake and ate it. They named the God Chukwu. Nwoye is now named Isaac at a college in Umuru.

Predictions- Okonkwo is going to kill Mr. Brown with a candlestick in the conservatory.