Readings - the Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born, Things Fall Apart, Ulysses, Power Plays - Literature review Example

Reading and Comprehension of Text The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet Born: Aye Kwei Armah Introduction Aye Kwei Armah was a descendant of a royal family and studied a degree in sociology from Harvard University. In Africa, Amar is a noble writer and a voice of change. This book is a modern literary classic that links the title with the fact that post-colonial generation in Ghana was not willing to change from corruption. The audience is all citizens and leaders. During post colonial period, a nameless man struggles to get into terms with the reality of his nation Ghana, and refuses to take bribe or get involved in the corruption and greed in his society by remaining honest and introspective. Conversely, the leaders in Ghana are worse than colonialists for indulgence into corruption and impunity which becomes the norm for most Ghanaians (Armah). The publication of the book in 1968 deeply captures and symbolizes the extent of corruption, religious death and ethical decadence that prevailed in Ghana during post-colonial period. The writer’s style is simple and hopes to influence people to shun from corruption since one person alone has no power but together change can work. Synopsis The first chapter demonstrates the translation corruption externally as manifested by existing degradation. However, chapter 2 sets The Man apart from the country’s disrepair evidenced in the sleeping night clerk, lottery, broke telephones and pencil sharpener. In chapter 3, the Man’s honesty and inner struggle is evident from the sweat and the need for money in his need for overtime slips but he is hopeful. The fourth chapter introduces moral decadence, rampant corruption and the life of The Man amongst dishonesty and filth. Chapter 5 present conflicts between the new and old worlds like the Congo music does while chapter 6 is the vehicle to convey Armah’s views of Ghana. Chapter 7-14 presents the internal rot of Ghana, materialism, The Man’s Isolation, dubious means by politicians to promise change to citizens, and the cycle of corruption in Ghana. From the book, although there is hope, the current state of corruption, materialism, moral decadence and spiritual death are deeply rooted and only unity against corruption will liberate the nation. 2. Things fall apart: Chinua Achebe Introduction Albert Chinualumogo Achebe was born in Ghana and raised in Ogidi, Eastern Nigeria. He grew up amidst Igbo traditions and colonial legacy which he uses to demonstrate brings social segregation during colonial era and remains an important Africa writer and poet. Achebe’s main message is to educate people on choices and their consequences s seen from the two overlapping around Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s end results from conflict between his traditional and conservative nature and the missionaries’ modernity (Achebe). He hangs himself as he chooses not to accustom to changes by missionaries or handle the clashes in culture and modernity in Umofia after exile. Synopsis In chapter one, Achebe describes Igbo traditions, beliefs, and customs in details through the themes of memory, and ambition and greatness. Chapter two offers Igbo’s levels of social organization while advancing ambition and greatness theme through Okonkwo. Chapter three reveals Okonkwo triumphant over diversity with the death of his father and without inheritance which form his character. Chapter four demonstrates Okonkwo’s pride after being famous over his own effort takes away his humility. Self-absorption in Okonkwo proceeds to chapter 5 but is neutralized by introduction of gentleness through female characters. Women’s vulnerability in chapter 6 comes in Ekwefi’s recent attack by Okonkwo but there is hope since Chielo is a woman and no decision is made in Ibo without her. Okonkwo’s self-absorption is contrasted by Ikemefuna’s gentleness and humility to teach Nwoye male roles. Fear of failure in Okonkwo emerges after Imemefuna’s death and proceeds through to chapter 10 during the case of administration of justice. Chapter 11-14 shows Achebe’s digression into cerebration and rituals of Igbo. First Agbala, the Oracle takes Ezinma at night and relationship with her daughter finds her following the Oracle unarmed unlike Okonkwo. Other rituals include death of Eznedu and the start of Okonkwo’s tragedy then exile which opens way for missionaries into Umofia collapsing the society and Okonkwo who find it hard to cope after seven years of exile from chapter 16-20. In chapter 21-25, the church in Umofia grows stronger under white leaders and Okonkwo’s destruction of the church finds him in prison. His resistance against church prompts him to fight against it but betrayed by the people he hangs himself. 3. Ulysses: James Joyce James Joyce was an Irish Novelist famous for experimental use of language to create invented words, allusions, and puns. Born in Dublin, Joyce’s message in Ulysses is that the limitation of age is overcome by the willingness to adventure and make life worth living. He is the most influential novelist of the 20th century. Ulysses occurs in a day, June 16, 1904 when Joyce saw the universe in Dublin and through the technique of stream-of-consciousness, the universe is like a deep, swift-flowing river. The reader explores numerous human experiences through thoughts, memories and emotions of Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom in one day. Synopsis Ulysses contains 18 episodes and can be divided into The Telemachiad, The wanderings of Ulysses, and The Homecoming. The Telemachiad represents the first three chapters which roughly match up with Odyssey by Homer through focus on Stephen Dedalus who loosely matches with Telemachus, Odysseus’ son. However, Leopold Bloom is Joyce’s chief character. Chapter one uses Dedalus’ interior monologue and events to demonstrate numerous themes that recur in the book including foreshadowing and reference to literary and philosophical works like Hamlet to bring out Dedalus as contemporary ‘Prince Hamlet’. Like Hamlet, Dedalus’ day is characterized to be or not to be. Interior monologue continues in chapter 2 and brings out mother/son relationships. Chapter 3 ends at midday as Dedalus sets to meet Buck Mulligan in Dublin. The wanderings of Ulysses introduce Leopold Bloom at 8 am. Calypso represents Ulysses’ captivity that kept him away from home while at home his wife molly holds him captive. Ulysses has to leave captivity and stays out of the house the whole day. This chapter introduces the theme of love as Molly engages with a young man and Ulysses falls for Clifford and death through Bloom’s dead father and matches with Hades. Chapter 7-9 follow the morning and Ulysses is blessed by Aeolus the god of wind only to face difficult lose-lose situations where the winds distract his course while the same winds demonstrate media incompetence and empty patriotism. In chapter 10-12, Joyce paints a picture of Dublin and compares it to Ulysses’ wandering rocks in the sea both of which are intentional barriers. Love is also depicted in chapter 11 and in chapter 12 the wandering rocks are brought out as barriers that took them to cylops with the intention of eating them only for Ulysses to escape and be saved and engage in mind dialogue with Stephen at midnight and his assistance to him after the fight. The Home coming represents rest and relaxation from the day’s adventures. After saving Stephen, bloom takes him to a shelter at night where the two then engage into a conversation that reveals the day’s activities for Bloom in a catechism or interrogative way which culminates the theme of Christianity while Molly’s decision ends adultery as she vows to preserve her marriage (Joyce). 4. Power Plays: Shakespeare’s Lessons in Leadership and Management: John O. Whitney and Tina Packer Introduction John Olney Whitney was born in 1928 at Oklahoma and was the former president at Pathmark Supermarket. Tina Packer was born in 1938 in England and is the founder and artistic director at Shakespeare and Company. While Tina is one of England’s experts on Shakespeare and theatre arts, John was had a passion in management especially in turning around troubled companies. The two complement each other in offering lessons for crucial lessons for today’s businesses. The book is a masterpiece in using literature to enhance business management. Synopsis The book has 11 chapters. Chapter one reveals that power is relative to time place and situation and requires that leaders comprehend it prior to using it. Chapter 2 explores that promotion into leadership comes with uneasiness and too much opposition from competitors for the same or higher positions. The best leader has to use innocent enthusiasm to succeed. Chapter 3 adds that organizational success goes beyond a great leader to the relationship between the leader and direct reports hence Trusted Lieutenant. From chapter 4, Shakespeare recommends that a leader should avoid trappings like big salary and best cars, houses etc, of power and concentrate on their job. In Chapter 5, Tina Packer gives her views on the unresolved issue of women’s equality arguing that women climbing into leadership must expect and break ceilings along their way like Oprah Winfrey. In the end, Shakespeare brings out women as having a voice to change the world. Chapter 6 and 7 compare business to theatre where everyone must play their role and master the art of persuasion. Chapter 8 -11 recommend that businesses should search within and understand Polonius paradox that each choice has a consequence and the decision to be or not to be lies in understanding fatal flaws that could cost the business like in Hamlet (Whitney and Packer). 5. Law and Literature: The Honourable Richard A. Posner Introduction America’s Richard Allen Posner was born in 1939 and is a renowned author of about 40 legal books and was the most cited in 20th century. Currently, Posner is a jury in Chicago’s United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. By writing this book, Posner uses literature to bring forth better lawyers by emphasizing the differences between law and literature. Posner brings out law and literature facets in the range of popular culture to copyright to help students understand the benefits of reading literature books to one’s moral growth. Synopsis The book has 13 chapters classified into four parts. Part 1- chapter 1-7 offers an overview of literature texts as legal texts. This involves revelation of law in literature, understanding the origins of law in terms revenge, the limitations of legal theory that defines the factors that make literary texts to be legal texts, and exploration of penal theory that required punishment of both man and animals. In part 2, legal text is explored as literary text. Chapters 8 and 9 view legal documents like statutes, contracts, and constitutions through theorized interpretation. Additionally, judicial opinions are theorized for meaning and style. Apart from being part of law and theorizing law, literature’s contribution to law is evaluated in part 3 in chapters 10 and 11. The two chapters proof that when literature is treated offering background knowledge to law, trial and appellate advocacy improves in relation to Julius Caesar’s The Funeral Orations and other literature. Part 4’ chapter 12-13 however recommend that literature in law is regulated for reasons like guarding non writers to avoid defamation by fiction, and guarding other writers from plagiarism, copyrights and creativity (Posner). Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Nigeria: Anchor books, 1994. Armah, Aye, Kwei. The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet Born. United States: Heinemann, 1996. Joyce, James. Ulysses. Ireland: Vintage, 1990. Posner, Richard. Law & Literature. United States of America: The Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College, 2009. Whitney, John, o and Tina Packer. Power Plays: Shakespeares Lessons in Leadership and Management. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. Read More