The Rabbi's Cat

The Rabbi’s Cat by Joann Sfar is a very interesting picture novel. Having both the pictures and the words present on the page gives a whole other meaning to reading. The story is able to be told in a different way than traditional books. The pictures allow for the reader to visualize exactly how the author wants the book to be visualized. The negativity of having so many pictures is that they can be distracting to the reader when trying to focus on the words. If the novel is read slowly, including the pictures, the story is very clear.

                For me it was a little hard to relate to the Jewish religion since I am not a Jew myself, but religion is very important to me just as it was to the rabbi, his daughter, Jules, and many others in the book. I also had not had experience with other things in this book, but sometimes I think it would be easier if we were able to talk to the animals. The way this text did relate to me was through readings that we have already read and discussed, for example the book Nervous Conditions. In this novel the problem presented is the effects of colonization. In The Rabbi’s Cat there is not a lot of colonization presented, but the idea that the rabbi had to take a test in French and pass in order to stay rabbi there when he did not teach in French shows colonization in that sense. The school that Jules went to was a French school where he was taught to be a rabbi. It just seems not right for the French to be teaching something that will not be taught in French.

                This text clashed with my views on the learning and qualifications to become a rabbi.  It is hard for me to understand that things can be taught in one language and performed on a daily basis in another. I do not think it is right for those involved in a particular event, or those who shouldn’t be, to make up a criterion that must be followed that is really irrelevant.

                I had learned just like in the previous text required for the class, that there is always someone who is colonizing the so called “lesser” developed country. This makes things complicated for the individuals in the story. To want and to do the best, for the rabbi’s daughter, causes her to change for her husband.

                The text was enjoyable and entertaining. The story was clear and not all over, very easy to understand. I liked having the pictures along with the words. It made for easy and fast reading, but also brought the story more to life. It created a visual link to what was really going on in the story.

Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Damgerembga 

In this reader response the novel that will be reviewed is Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga chapters 1-7. In the text many problems are presented. We have the problems of British vs. traditional, men vs. women, wealth vs. poverty, formal education vs. informal education. All of these problems mixed together give this greatly intense novel that holds your attention in many ways. It can be confusing with the way the author changes the plot from one story to another, but if you think about it these areas of the novel are more like the conversation we would have face to face. I will focus on the beginning of the story at the point where she wants to go to school so bad she is trying to sell the maize.

For me personally this part of the text means a lot. She is so determined educating herself with higher education than what she has already received. She does not listen to others, especially her parents, who tell her she can’t succeed. I have not had to deal with this particular situation, but I have had to pay for many things in my life that others take for granted. Some have disapproved of all that I have had to provide for myself. My parents did not like that I did, but I know secretly they are thankful. As in many families money has gotten tight, but with a family as big as mine it has been rough. Being the oldest of seven children my parents have not been able to help me in many way financially. I am still able to live under their roof which is very important, don’t get me wrong, but school has kind of been out of the question. I have been assisting in paying for many things since before I was out of high school when all of my friends did not have to do the same. This has made me a better person today and more responsible as well. 

Tambu here is learning to provide something for herself to make her a better person, in her mind. To me this is great, but knowing the culture of her people this is not something that is done. She should not want to be educated so much. She is just to me a house wife while the head of the family, a man, is to take care of the family. This idea clashes with my opinion of the world. I do not see that men and woman are not of equal rights and respect not given to all mankind. I see this way of life faulted in this way. Maybe there would be more peace and kindness if everyone was respected and treated equal.

The text I feel is very good to read. It gives you the insight of how other areas of the world function. Tambu wants to be in school to learn; she wants to make more of herself. Drawing into Tambu letting herself become colonized which is why she wants to be educated could be true. For the women population it seems to be a good thing to be colonized. This gives you as a woman more freedom and rights. Overall I feel that the text was very informative and a good novel choice for students to read who are wanting to learn about the African culture.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o (James Ngugi)

Excerpt from Decolonization of the Mind, “Wedding at the Cross,” and “Minutes of Glory” are intense writings by Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Of these three stories I would like to discuss two of them, “Wedding at the Cross” and “Minutes of Glory.” The meaning behind the text of these stories has a personal relationship to everyone everywhere. The colonization of the mind is everywhere in our world. Here in the United States it is still alive. An example of how our lives are still being colonized is the royal wedding happening later this week. Here in the US we do not have royalty, so we look to those we broke away from to be associated with royalty.

The actual text relates to me in a different way than the royal family does, partially because I have not really been keeping up with the royalty. In “Wedding at the Cross” there are many things that I got out of it. I am in a relationship that I hope leads to marriage sometime sooner than farther down the road. If my significant other would change into a person that I did not find myself attracted to I would feel as she did, that the man she loved was dead. As every girl, we want our man to get along with our parents, but not turn into them.  Essentially this is what he did in the story, become like her father, colonized.

In “Minutes of Glory,” as everyone wants to have things they do not have, we are compatible to Beatrice. In everyone’s life we have seen someone that we looked up to and strived to be like them or maybe better than them. In the story Beatrice wanted to be just as wanted if not more than her co-worker. When she couldn’t get it she stole to achieve it. In today’s lifestyle some do the same, for example shoplifting.

Both of these text clash with my view of the world. I now see how some people are colonized so much to the point that the beliefs they have are contradicted by their words and actions. We say we want to be free and do not want to be ruled by a monarchy, but we try to connect ourselves with the lifestyle. These stories also did the same. They were Africans who let themselves be colonized in the mind while they did not realize that is what was happening.

In reading I learned more about what it meant to colonize the mind. Seeing that certain parts of the world have such a large affect on others that it makes them change to be more like the more liked country, it makes me feel as if they change for the wrong reasons.  I see this as important because the United States is the one that seems to influence many places, there are others that also influence us, but to me we need to be somewhat independent. I feel that we should not just change something because someone else says it is better.

The text explains the feelings of the characters very well. It allows the reader to connect to the story in that way. I had no idea that the English way was how many places based their lives. The texts shocked me in the way they were told. The plots were not in the traditional manner that I am used to so the resolution to “Minutes of Glory” was shocking and “Wedding at the Cross” was also shocking. I was surprised with the way she did not accept the way he had changed would not give in to the colonization. I felt like saying “Good for you!” These texts are very informative for college students and would be good for all to read and discuss.

Nadine Gordimer

In this reader response I will be talking about three readings. These include, “Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants,” “Amnesty,” and “Six Feet of the Country.” These short stories have nothing to do with me, but at the same time they have everything to do with me. I have been kept in the dark on the problems over in Africa that I never would have thought it would matter if I knew about their way of life or not. Now taking this course and reading these stories I see how wrong I am. In my schooling career I have never been taught anything about the African culture, way of life, or of any problems that are happening over there in the past or present.

                Some people seem to think that the American way is the only way, well that is fine for those who live here in America, but convincing those in Africa that the way things are done over there is where we go wrong. They need to learn the things that are important to the country not irrelevant material from another.

                All of the text seemed to clash and agreed with my view of the world. For me the first story “Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants” has one large problem that the world presents even now. The last line says, “It just shows you, a woman on her own has always got to look out; it’s not only that it’s not safe to walk about alone at night because of the natives, this whole town is full of people you can’t trust.” In other words you can be of any race, gender, area, you can’t trust anyone. This can be so true in our world today. We like to think that it is not, but it can be the truth. In the story “Amnesty” there is also a clash. The woman is left alone to raise the children while the man is out fighting for the “freedom” of his people seems to be almost heroic. To me this seems almost like in today’s world the idea of the soldiers who are fighting oversees. Here the author supports both sides. What the man is doing is important for the future of all generations, but the woman is left to suffer without having the perfect life she wishes for, being married and having the family she wants.

                The third story addresses a slight problem with me. This story showed me how some people can get so caught up in themselves that they do not even care how it affect others. The man in the story who is called Baas is a very self centered individual that needs to be taught a lesson. He doesn’t even have respect for those who are deceased and their families. I see this as a very important thing in the world. I just feel that it is morally right to respect those who have lost a loved one no matter who they may be. You would want to be treated nicely. Just like the golden rule says, “do unto others as you would want others to do unto you.”

                Overall I am glad I had the opportunity to read these stories. They were very informative on life in the African ways. These literature readings are good for everyone to read because for the knowledge of what is going on around us. I was angry with the text especially after discussing it in class. The things that others pick out of a story help me understand more in depth on what is going on in the reading. I had never realized the hard reality that people from other countries go through.

Chinua Achebe

In discussing three writings by Chinua Achebe; “An Image of Africa,”  “Girls at War,” and “The Madman” I was able to see how he felt about the treatment of the Africans. These stories relate to me in my past, present, and future. This is so because they all have to do with racism and the literature we study in schools today. Growing up I did not really pay attention to know that there are different types of literature. Where I went to school I was never exposed to African Literature that I am aware of. Now knowing that there is such a thing and how it has been put down over the years opens my eyes to the terrible racism in literature.

The racist literature clashes with my views of the world. I strive to have a peaceful world that surrounds me. I think it is wrong to tell Africans or anyone that their writings are wrong and beneath other writings, for example Europe as described in the readings. I see this as something very important in the world. If we cannot be equal and without racism in literature then how are we to be equal in every other way?

I see that Achebe is upset by the degrading of African Literature in the first writing “Am Image of Africa.” He says that a European writer by the name of Conrad can’t be considered a writer of great literature especially when he writes something like “Heart of Darkness.” He says that he is a “bloody racist” and “Heart of Darkness” is very misleading.

In the second reading “Girls at War” there was a lot of irony. The way the woman, Gladys, changes in the story from a good person, to a person she has to be, and then die trying to do a good deed. He talks about Nwankwo, a big man and a member of government, who is better off than most. He only helps those who are close to him or who he chooses like he chose Gladys.

“The Madman” was probably the easiest for me to understand. It says to me that people label others before they even know the reason for their actions. This happened when Nwibe had his clothes taken from him by the Madman and chased after him. The title Madman was them given to Nwibe for the action he had taken. To me Achebe is saying that that happens to Africans all the time and they do not appreciate the assumptions. This also goes for their literature. Just because they are ruled by another country it does not mean that the history they have created is meaningless since they were not able to write it down.

I found all of these readings very interesting. At first they were a bit confusing, but they are very informative. I also learned more about the writer and his views.

The Stranglehold of English Lit

The poem “The Stranglehold of English Lit” is a poem written by Felix Mnthali. When I first read this poem it went right over my head. I had no idea what the author was trying to get across. After reading more deeply I found that the writer had found something very disturbing within Literature as he knew it by the powerful tone he used. He seems sort of angry.

When reading between the lines I noticed that he was upset with the way the African Literature was being portrayed.  This author Jane Austen was someone he would not consider a wise author to read from, being African. He seems to say that what she had to say had nothing at all to do with the life he knew.

Once I understood what the poem was saying I could grasp how the author felt. The teaching of African Literature was actually the teaching of British Literature. In reading these readings in the African schools, where they are irrelevant, unless studying British Literature, brings me to the part of the poem that says “How could question be asked at Makerere and Ibadan, Dakar and Ford Hare with Jane Austen at the centre? He is saying how can the question that the people of Africa be answered if the solutions given are for different answers? It cannot be done.