Reflection Question 1

Based on your reading (gender differences), reflect on how these women are treated in the novel. The following questions can help you as you write your reflective piece:

• How are the women treated in the novel? Do all members in the community agree with the status quo? Why?
• What contributions are made by the Igbo women to the survival of their culture?
• What are the changes in the women's roles in this present world?

Based on the novel we discussed entitled ‘Things Fall Apart’, by ‘Chinua Achebe’, I discovered how women are treated. They are treated like they are owned by a man. Once you able to ‘buy’ or afford a woman, then it's all yours. You can even beat them if they are making mistakes to show that a man possessed a greater power over a woman. In this novel, Okonkwo beats up his third wife, Ojiugo for being late to prepare meal. Probably, not all of his members in the community agree with the status quo because it is unfair to receive such treatment. But women mostly decided just to follow the mindset of the people at that time and just obey the their culture. But still some women possessed a higher position in the society such as Ezeani, the priest of the goddess of earth. Even Okonkwo, the great warrior bow to her. In order to preserve the survival of the culture, the women tend to just follow the every rule and taboos inside the culture itself. Even it crushed their dreams. For example is the twin killing. Women prefer just to do what they are asked to do without complaining.

Now, women have changed. They no longer sit under the pressure of men and culture. They are free to do or to choose whatever they wanted to do. Compared to the Igbo’s time, only men allowed to plant because it represents the manliness and manhood. Today, women can plant anything they like in their backyard. Besides, in the Igbo’s culture, when Okonkwo accidentally killed a kid, it was mentioned that "The crime [of killing Ezeudu's son] was of two kinds, male and female. Okonkwo had committed the female, because it had been inadvertent. He could return to the clan after seven years." We can see here that they even have gender differentiation in Igbo classification of crimes.  Okonkwo fled to the land of his mother, Mbanta, because a man finds refuge with his mother. And the last point is that Okonkwo and his family are required to go to his motherland. Why motherland? It is because they believe that if you are happy, you must go to your fatherland, but if you sad or sorrow, you must go to your motherland. It's just similar to what happened to a child, when they happy and proud of something, they will do and share with his father. But if they are happened to be bullied there, they intend to go and tell their mother. Now a day, whether you are happy or mad, you can go anywhere and no one would even care.