Favorite Books - Page 4

To Mindcrime: On Things Fall Apart: I have always had an interest in colonization, especially colonization in Africa, so I just found this book to be very moving, especially the last part (or were they called volumes? nevertheless, the last 2 pages of the book). I read it leisurely and then read it again in first year university, and I just got so much more out of it the second time. Prof really brought it more to life, showing how Achebe was brilliant in his use of point of view etc. A quick example of that: the first volume, you're in Okonkwo's mind entirely. Second part, when the white people come, it's third person omniscient, so we see Okonkwo's actions but can only guess. As well, we see the white people's actions and we get a definitive interpretation of them (instead of Okonkwo guessing). And in the third, the point of view is completely within the white man's. And a lot of the book was really building up Okonkwo, how he was such a hero and an icon among his tribe. Yet at the end we see he's just dismissed without a second though "...Okonkwo was an interesting fellow, perhaps I'll write a page about him in my novel..." etc. Really moved me for whatever reason.

So, you can see the point of view as a metaphor for colonization itself: African's viewpoint, African/White viewpoint, White viewpoint.

I dunno, just really made me think. A lot of other nice books out there which I loved obviously.