TFA

Okonkwo's fall, while in a different context than the Western/Judeo-Christian context of our other texts, is still similar. While notions of G-d and sin are different, the elements of chi, good and evil, and fate are all present in Igbo culture. Also, in terms of the narrative, all these novels allow for storytelling and some psychological analysis that allow the reader to define a character's fall. The strange thing about Things Fall Apart is that Okonkwo does not really change. His hypermasculine anger is his tragic flaw -- it is reactionary to his idle, lazy, low-status father. And while it provides him the wealth and high status we see depicted in the first part of the novel, it is this same characteristic that results in his fall, his exile, and his suicide.

Awakening

For my final project I will be creating a wiki page for Kate Chopin's The Awakening. The fall narrative is Edna Pontellier's awakening during her vacation at Grand Isle. She becomes more in tune with herself, falling from the highly rigid social world to which she belonged. This mimics the fall of Adam and Eve in Milton's Paradise Lost, when they gain knowledge from eating the fruit and realizing their nakedness. Edna's fall is also correlated to Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, as it is a growing-up process, recognizing the stupidity of social rules and manners.

Final Project Proposal

The text I have chosen for my final project is Moby Dick by Herman Melville. The tale of Captain Ahab’s quest to kill the white sperm whale Moby Dick is a fall narrative, with Ahab himself as the fallen victim. Major themes such as man against fate help Moby Dick sit side by side with fall narratives such as John Milton's Paradise Lost and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. My presentation will explore Captain Ahab’s fall as an individual and how the world that Herman Melville creates at sea compares to the worlds presented in Milton and Wilde’s works.

Things Fall Apart

The most fascinating thing of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is the main character Okonkwo. The intrigue in Okonkwo can be found in the various perspectives the reader can see him in. At first he is seen as possessing great strength and resolve. His rise to greatness through war and strength help portray Okonkwo as a hard working, powerful warrior. The fact that he overcame the laziness and negative stigma of his father also help present him as a hero and someone the reader can feel for. However as the novel progresses the view on Okonkwo quickly changes. His major flaw is his hot temper and fear of being perceived or seen as weak. This causes Okonkwo to act quickly and irrationally throughout the course of the story. This is seen when he refuses to help Ikemefuna (leads to his death) and how he continually beats his wives and children. Okonkwo’s greatest strength ends up leading to his fall in the end. Okonkwo’s inability to adapt to the changing times and the inevitable influence of the white people keeps him and the Umuofia back. From the outset of the novel the reader likes Okonkwo and wishes the best for the hard worker and his tribe. However by the end of the novel one cannot but help feel that Okonkwo’s death as inevitable and self inflicted.

Falls of Don Corleone and Julius Caesar

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather are strikingly alike when put side to side. Interesting to note is the similarities between the falls of Don Corleone and Julius Caesar.
Both men are in positions of immense power and emanate honor and respect. However it is these lofty positions that provide the targets on their backs and fashion the jealousy around them. Don Corleone is almost assassinated in order to breathe new life into the mob and allow a new structure of power to take form. Caesar is killed with the intentions of “saving” the republic and ushering a new era of political power in Rome. Don Corleone and Julius Caesar are seen as figureheads for their “regimes” and are seen as necessary to eliminate in order to move forward.
The assassination of Caesar and the attempt on Don Corleone’s life both lead to political wars. The mob is divided and each family is forced to take sides. The republic is split and everyone is forced to choose either to support the conspirators or avenge Caesar’s death. In each case lines are drawn and choices are made that will affect the “political” landscape in Rome’s republic and between the families that make up the mafia.
Everyone involved in the death of Caesar and the gunning down of Don Corleone all end up dying in the end. The Corleone family (with Michael at the head) kills the rest of the family’s leaders and all those responsible and associated with the assassination attempt on his father. In Julius Caesar the conspirators one by one fall to the fate of death as Antony and Octavius claim revenge for Caesar’s death.
The patterns of each of their respective falls are almost parallel in each other as they produce the same motives and results.

JC/GF

There are many connections and similarities that can be drawn from comparing William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to Francis Ford Copola’s “The Godfather”, most notably in similar characters and group dynamics.

Julius Caesar is murdered by conspiring senators and a New York mob family attempted to murder Don Corleone. Planning Caesar’s murder is what brings Brutus into the group of conspiring senators, while it is Don Corleone’s near death experience that brings Michael Corleone into the family business. Both Brutus and Michael are heroes, very logical about their thoughts and actions, yet both experiencing a fall. This character can be contrasted against Mark Antony and Sony Corleone because they’re lack of seriousness. They are both playboys: Antony parties and engages in sports, while Sonny gets mixed up with drugs and sleeps around.

The group of senators is similar to the Corleone family. The senators are of an elite class of Romans, and many have familial relations to one another. There is also a strong sentiment of love that senators speak of to one another. In the Corleone family, certainly there is a main family with the Don, Michael, and Sonny, who are blood related. There are also many people included in this family who are not blood related, but called brothers and uncles. They similarly talk of love between men in this group. The group of senators has an allegiance to Rome, while the Corleone family also has an allegiance to their home in Italy, despite having immigrated to America.

The similar characters and group dynamics in these two dramatic pieces demonstrate that Julius Caesar could have had a strong influence on “The Godfather”.

Act IV

In Act IV of Julius Caesar, characters call upon the images of animals to depict a lower ranking of another person. Antony doubts that Lepidus is worthy of being a major military and political leader, confiding in Octavius that “This is a slight, unmeritable man,/ Meet to be sent on errands…” (4.1.14-15). Antony then compares Lepidus to a donkey, “He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold” (4.1.24), implying that he accepts their biddings without thought, and to follow whatever Antony and Octavius command of him. Octavius claims that Lepidus is a “tried and valiant soldier” (4.1.32), to which Antony replies, “So is my horse” (4.1.33). Antony continues that Lepidus is trained and follows orders, again simple things an animal can do, especially a horse used in battle. Despite Ocatvius’s protests, Antony derides Lepidus as a viable military and political leader by continually alluding to animals, their obedience and lower standing compared to humans. Antony sums up his argument, stating the Lepidus is even lower than animals, telling Octavius, “Do not talk of him/ But as a property” (4.1.43-44).

Act III speeches

Act III scene ii is one of the most fascinating and interesting parts of the play. After Caesars death, Brutus and Marc Antony both speak to the crowd in order to gain its favor and support. It is important to note that Brutus speaks first (allowing him to set the tone and foundation for what just happened). The fact the Brutus’s speech is written in prose rather than verse is also something that cannot be overlooked. This signifies that Brutus’s speech is plain and simple which can relate more to the Plebeians and put him on the same level. Brutus then leaves and gives the crowd to Antony, which proves to be a pivotal mistake. Antony’s speech is forceful and convincing. At first he does everything Brutus asked of him (do not blame the conspirators and do not criticize what has happened). However with sarcasm like “Brutus says he was ambitious, / And Brutus is an honourable man” (III.ii.83–84), Antony is able to sway the crowd to his side and remind the people of what a great man Caesar was. With his eloquent words Antony is also able to coax the crowd into begging him to read Caesar’s will, which gave all the people of Rome money. This is the icing on top for Antony, as the crowd is now fully convinced that Caesars murder was wrong and must be revenged. Although Brutus had the first word, Antony’s last words proved to be the critical ones.