Prezi!

http://prezi.com/0marhwvvsep-/present/?auth_key=2drtf0m&follow=vahs0qvknowe

The Great Trees of Tomorrow

When I saw this line I didn't think anything of it, but now i'm putting it all together. God's bits of wood turn in to the trees of tomorrow, it all makes sense. It's all a metaphor for the Sudanese children growing up and changing the world. The quote comes from when Maimouna, the blind woman, was nursing baby strike and said to herself "I am nourishing one of the great trees of tomorrow" (221).  On the topic of baby Strike, I thought  that she would be a key character in the book after her naming has such importance and relevance, but she somewhat simply disappeared completely from the novel. Though I suppose thats the same as what happened with Abid'id'ji as well, she seemed so important at the begginging but then faded out until the end. In these couple of chapters, very close to the end of the novel the African's power is evident as its clear they are completely in control of the strike, it also becomes very obvious that they are going to win, at least to me. Bakayoko is growing on me as a character, although I wish he had more emotions, as many characters have pointed out to him in the novel, he is very difficult to relate to with the attitude that he has.

Bakayoko

The long awaited arrival of the leader has arrived. It seemed as though the author was building up characterization and anticipation for this chapter when we finally meet this man, Ibrahim Bakayoko. I can't really decide my take on him yet though, because sure he seems very confident in himself and sure, he is a strong speaker. Though as we talked about briefly in class today, he was not there for the majority of the happenings of the strike and just shows up for the meeting and it's somewhat unclear as to if he really has the best interests of the striking people in mind. Though it's said that he represents the "soul" of the strike, this simply means that he is trying to continue and inspiring the people to keep going. But this may mean that he's not thinking through what the people should do realistically. The way he talks is an interesting change but it also gets me somewhat annoyed because after all the Sudanese have done to even get the admistration to meet with them it almost seems like he's throwing their chances at gaining anything away. Especially by chocking a member of the administration, that's just the opposite of what you should do to get what you want.

A New Sense of Power

As the book goes on it appears that the Sudanese are slowly gaining power over the Europeans. The apprentices actions shocked the Europeans and struck fear into all of them. The young boys actions are harmless for the most part, simply destructive, though as most young boys would act if given a slingshot. The africans seem to be gaining ground in achieving what they want with the strike. But even so they continue to talk down to them and about them, as is seen in chapter 14 which they are talking about how dependent the africans are on them. The Europeans come across and snobby and self absorbed to me. The seem to find it practically inconceivable that the Africans could live without their help and all the resources they provide for them. I guess it goes back to the issue we discussed more in the beginning of the book, about whether or not colonization is a good thing, and for whom. Personally, I still consider it true that the African people don't depend on the Europeans nearly as much as they think. Different isn't always worse, and even though the people lives were different in the time before the africa scramble and the colonization it doesn't mean it was worse. It was simply a different way of life.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

With chapter 12 came the first signs of the French weakness as a result of the strike. All through the beginning of the book all we've seen is the Sudanese people struggling under the French peoples persistence. Though with Doudou's conversation with Isnard, and the appearance of the drunken LeBlanc, we see that the French are really struggling with the strike. Lahbib see this event as “the first crack in their armor” (153-154). Doudou’s significant step in this chapter is him standing up to Isnard. He declines his offer of three million francs which is a huge blow to Isnard. Isnard’s miscalculation was that he could bribe Doudou with flattery and try to break him with money and power. Although at least to me this attempt at manipulation was clear from the very beginning with how Isnard's acts all of kindness were simply that, an act. This chapter shows “the first crack in their armor” because this demonstrates a weakness among the French, that they are in panic and doing everything to get the workers back. Now the people of the strike know that the French are desperate for their help and know that they can now win. I also think that Doudou’s question to Isnard about same advantages among the white man and black man is also very significant because it brings up a core problem of this strike, equality.

My, How The Tables Have Turned

Seeing the marks from their tiny feet,

Sounkare thought, finally, something to eat!

So hungry that he could practically already taste,

with all the strength he could muster old Sounkare realized he had to make haste.

At the other end of the bench sat the rat,

with with a good solid rump, firm and fat.

The female then appeared doubling his feast,

Sounkare took on the challenge with the drive of a beast. 

The old man seized the heavy copper tube and hurled it at the pair,

but the object only passed through the air. 

For the rats were much quicker than he,

and the piece of metal simply hit the floor noisily.

Sounkare sighed, leaning on his cane,

after all of his efforts to find food were in vain.

Just a few feet away was a grease pit, 

and the two rats were sitting on the other side of it.

They were watching, and patiently waiting,

as the old mans life was slowly fading.

The cane fell and an icy liquid ran down his back,

and it was finally the rats time for attack. 

Old Sounkare, the chief watchman, had passed, 

his body betrayed him and he was still at last. 

Other rats appeared from every which way, 

and their faces dug in with little delay. 

How To Wash Water

Throughout the entire chapter 8 I lost the ability to focus on what I was reading, because really who asks a question like how do you wash water?! It was distracting, which I guess what the purpose as it definitely caught my attention. I spent the remainder of the chapter trying to come up with solutions to this and couldn't think of any for about an hour. But then I realized that that is the whole issue in Africa right now, with the purification of water. I took this "washing" Niakoro referred to as the act of making water usable or drinkable. So for anyone who was curious I looked this up, the 7 steps to purify water:


1. Clean the containers in which you're going to hold or store the water.
2. Filter water through a clean cloth
3. Speed up the clearing of water
4. Purify the water using any of the following methods (boiling, disinfecting,commercial tablets, etc)
5. Be careful with the cap or lid of the container.
6.Improve the flavor of purified water, if needed
7. Take care when consuming


So, as to whether or not this satisfied Niakoro's question or not I will never know, though I am content with this as a way to wash water.
On a different topic though, the focus of the trial:
"Had his pride made him seek the stimulant that comes from holding power over others? He saw himself again, giving orders to the women, with the policeman at his side. Had it been the taste of flattery that separated him from the others.."
As it is so often seen power can overcome people. Take over completely and in Diara's case leading him to turn against his own people and beliefs simply for that sense of domination and control. Amazing what people will do to further their own ambitions isn't it? 

If You Want Your Meat, You're Going to Have to Kill it Yourself

Ramatoulaye has a drastic change from a timid, desperate woman into a ferocious woman. This change seems to happen very quickly, in the course of a day, but I think her new personality had been building up since the beginning of the strike. Like most other women and probably men in the town, she was fed up with continually making sacrifices for her family because of the Europeans and the strike. The day that she attacked Vendredi, I think all of her emotions bubbled over. This is significant because I think this is the start of a ripple effect throughout the entire town of people acting out like Ramatoulaye. Another significant conflict that we began to see in chapter is the internal conflict of N'Deye. N’Deye’s conflict can be summarized in one phrase, ” N’Deye herself knew far more about europe than she did about Africa” (58). Yes N’Deye seems to be a, “…prisoner in the place that should have been her home” (58). And yes her intellectual and her standards of marriage are not present in the community. But it is important to stress that N’Deye seems to hold Africa dear in her heart. Her strange relationship with Bakayoko strengthens her hidden love for Africa since she is drawn to him despite her appearent beliefs of European superiority. Bakayoko advocates a message of european resistance, but most importantly a message of accepting the African culture, and N’Deye seems to accept this message when she says to Beaugosse, ” Have you noticed that in the whole time we have been talking we haven’t spoken a single word in Oulof?” (63) N’Deye's conflict between African culture and the European influence in my opinion will cause many people to rethink their views about the strike. My friend recently told me that females are attracted to movies and plots where the women has to choose between two men, such as The Notebook, Twlight, etc. This is seen in this plot as well as it is clear that N'Deye will have to make a decision between Bakayoko or Beaugesse, and im very curious to see who she choses.

So Much To Remember

... But all to easy to forget


In reading chapters 3 and 4 I was astounded at how many new characters appeared seemingly out of nowhere! Although all their stories were interesting and I paid very close attention to detail, or tried to at least, I kept asking myself, "who is that again?”. If I was an author I would like to think I would give character’s name that didn't sound so similar, Dieynaba, Dejean, Demba, Doudou, and Deune all introduced in the first couple chapters.. Really?? In places like Dakar and Dialav.. Sensing a pattern? But apart from the character’s names I do enjoy the story, it's very interesting to see how people step up in the time of need. A quote that really stood out to me was in chapter 3:

"And men began to understand that if the times were bringing forth a new breed of men, they were also bringing forth a new breed of women” (34).

I think what really stood out for me as a changing point was one of the last lines of the chapter which had Ramatoulaye saying, “Today, I will bring back something to eat” (34). The women are starting to take on new roles in society along with men whose roles are also changing as well with their decision to participate in the strike. Some of the traditions are beginning to decline as survival becomes more important and with this survival comes change. Ramatoulaye shows these characteristics during her struggles of gathering food and water, and in her conflicts with her brother Mabigué.

“At the moment the eyes of the body closed, the eyes of the mind were opened.”

—God’s Bits of wood

And So It Begins....

So, after reading the first two chapters of God’s Bits of Wood, which I will now be calling GBOW (just to make things easier), I decided to review the chapters on Spark Notes, just for clarification purposes of course. But apparently Spark Notes doesn’t want anything to do with this book. That’s right, no spark notes. I actually have to read the entire book with no assistance. Although, after painfully getting through the 600 page novel that is Crime and Punishment this mere 250 pager seems more than doable. Plus, at least after the first 2 chapters I actually found myself interested in the plot. Especially the little girl Ad'jibid'ji. Ad’jibid’ji is clearly in limbo between the Europeanized Bamako generation and her elders’ generation which clings to the old traditions of the culture. As the strike develops history will be recalled and the elders advise against a strike because of the lives that were lost in past strikes. But  since Ad’jibid’ji’s generation has a different view of the strike, they crave immediate action and want rapid change. They do not focus on past events- even if the strike could be dangerous. Although the younger generation respects the elders, especially Mamadou Keita, and have heard about the outcome of past events they want the strike and display fierce enthusiasm for the cause. This devision shows a major difference between the elders of the society and the younger generation. I belive Ad’jibid’ji’s character will provide critical insight for us as readers and help us understand the relationship between the respected elders and the excited younger generation. I really hope that she doesn't get too mixed up in the violence that will become of this novel, though from end of the second chapter i'd say it isn't looking to good.