Hello Dear!
There is elegance in every strand of Achebe's choice of seemingly simple words to express very profound themes and cast rather complicated stories in words that Most people (I nearly used All but reading Dr. Ozoji, I am restrained) understand in his books. If the impression created in a 14-year old, eighth-grade (not eight grade) child is what Dr. Ozoji retains to judge Achebe, I recommend he goes to read those books again with an open mind. Perhaps he will discover the beauty in Achebe's style that has made his books great toasts among literary people all over the world. The comments about Achbe's simplicity did not start today. I recall (but do not remember the exact references) that in his younger days, while trying to get his style across to his readers and also show that he could use alternative styles, Achebe had rendered a chapter of one of his books in the esoteric language that would enthrall people like Dr. Ozoji. He has the capacity but chooses to write in his own style. I believe that this is part of the attraction to Achebe's novels.
The issue of Nobel Prize is a totally different matter and unless one has taken part in reviewing for Nobel prize one is not competent to air opinions on what guides the choice for Nobel laureates. I do not intend to say that the parameters are secrete but the matter of qualification for anything does not always depend entirely on competence. There are many, many considerations usually not known to non-participants.
It is trite to begin now to compare Achebe and Shoyinka. I know that both writers have nothing other than high esteem and profound regard for each other.
Ifedioramma Eugene Nwana
Professor of Agriculture & Economic Entomology
From: Nkolika Ebele <nkolikae@yahoo.com>
To: Ugo Harris Ukandu <abujarock@gmail.com>
Cc: USAAFRICADIALOGUE <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, 11 June 2012, 14:22
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: DR. OZODI OSUJI BE FAIR RE: Lingering Issues In Chinua Achebe's Female Characterisation
Dr Ozoji,
Have you ever heard the phrase, beauty vibrates in simplicity. The simplicity of Achebe's work is what makes it great. As a student we enjoyed all his works, Wole Soyinka is good, but you need a complex faculty to understand him. So keep your biased mind to yourself. Achebe is famous all over the World, I believe you are insulting all those who enjoy his work, not Achebe. such great man has no time for your type of "yabis". Chimanda who is following his footsteps is also making waves. What have you to say?
Nkolika
From: Ugo Harris Ukandu <abujarock@gmail.com>
To: naijapolitics@yahoogroups.com; NaijaBusiness@yahoogroups.com; NIG. INTELLECTUALS NIG.INTELLECTUALS <naijaintellects@googlegroups.com>; igbo_forum@yahoogroups.com; igboevents@yahoogroups.com; NIDO-USA NIDO-USA <NIDO-USA@yahoogroups.com>; talknigeria@yahoogroups.com; Punch me I deck U <nigeria360@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, June 11, 2012 9:14 PM
Subject: DR. OZODI OSUJI BE FAIR RE: Lingering Issues In Chinua Achebe's Female Characterisation
Dr. Ozodi Osuji,
I do not want to engage in this our Nigerian and African debate of who is better or who has done more for their tribe, country or people,but the fact is that Africans and the black race; including Nigerians as an arrow head in our personal capacity and as a group has failed its people, its tribes and our contribution in the world stage is disappointing in every sphere of human endeavour to say the least.
But in the same token, A lot of Africans, Black folks and Nigerians have really done well in their personal capacity to elevate their contribution to development in their own fields, and I do not need to name names here, because the records and facts are there depending on how we want to spine it. Diminishing each other instead of fair criticism is the problem we have to improve on as a people, and I think you will agree with me here.
Your hash criticism of Dr. Chinua Achebe is not charitable all things considered. You Dr. Ozodi Osuji as a writer know how mentally and physically fit you have to be to performed to your highest capacity. We take for granted when we are healthy that millions of people are suffering mental, physical and emotional handicap to function on a daily basis. I am real shocked that you as a Doctor in mental health did not consider these when you loaded these harsh criticism on Dr. Chinua Achebe, and I hope you apologise to show your human and professional tolerance for handicap people, as you know now.
About 25 years ago, Dr. Chinua Achebe was actually in his prime and was still developing in the intellectual level and capacity, when he was involved in a ghastly and serious motor accident along Enugu Nsukka road that nearly killed him. He was paralysed from the back, spinal cord down to his waist and paralysed in both legs till today. Dr. Chinua Achebe at the time was living in Nigeria and teaching at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He would have been dead today if he was living in Nigeria with the poor medical facilities in Nigeria.
His medical condition was too serious that he was flown to American for treatment, because Nigerian hospitals could not help him. His treatment and therapy took almost ten years for him to even get to this his present paralysed condition. He is still paralysed from waist down to his two legs till today. He barely can function independently on his own. He needs assistance in every personal thing he needs to do for himself from eating to personal hygiene; not in cluding the constant and excruciating pains he goes through daily in the last 25 years.
Can you imagine the growth and intellectual power he would have accumulated had he been healthy?. Can you imagine how many more novels and books he would have written had he been healthy?. can you imagine the transition and development into other areas of writing he would have grown into if he was healthy?. can you imagine many training, conferences, seminars and speaking engagements he did not participate because he was not healthy enough; because the logistics, medical and handicap facilities for him was lacking to perform and he lost millions of dollars and ability to help others?. Please sir be fair and consider his terrible situation when criticising him and his work.
For your information, just for him to travel to another city takes different types of logistics to enable him to travel. He needs at all times an assistant and physical therapist to function and move him around. He needs special equipments to enter airplanes, work at home, to move around and to even go to work. These types of medication and handicap equipments/facilities are not available Nigeria.These types of facilities are not obtainable in Nigeria too.
Also, Dr. Chinua Achebe despite these sets backs has been able to train his children, help his people and many relatives. His children today are Medical doctors, Professors and he gave his children the highest education and career part any successful and visionary man can give his children and family.His wife is a Professor too.
His wealth of experience, his children, his family and his contribution to this world makes him a very rich man in any standard despite his condition, and he can afford to live any where in this world money can buy just so that he can live long for us and still contributes his quotas and he chosed America.
Comparing him and Professor Wole Soyinka is misleading. As you know they are different types of writers in this world and both of them write differently and to different audiences. The are writers for children, writers for kids, writers for 18 years old, writers for teenagers, writers for adults, science writers, engineering writers, political writers, philosophy writers, graduate school writers, undergraduate school writers, doctorate level writers etc. it does not matter a writer is a writer no matter the audience they writes for and it does not diminish his or her ability.
Even professor Wole Soyinka teaches and work in USA and European Universities. The type of power house Professor Wole soyinka is today is, because of his knowledge and career in teaching in American and European Universities. Nigeria alone and the deplorable education facility in Nigeria would not have given Professor Wole Soyinka the exposure and income level he has today, mainly from income from his exposure and work in American and European Universities.
If Dr. Chinua Achebe has been healthy enough in the last 25 years, He would have done much more than he has done which in its self is a great effort today.
Please Dr. Ozodi Osuji, put these information into consideration when you try to criticise Dr. Chinua Achebe and others by considering their different conditions, and please apologise to him if you did not include these facts into consideration in your criticism.
Thank you.
Ugo Ukandu
On Sat, Jun 9, 2012 at 11:21 PM, Valentine Ojo <elewuoye@gmail.com> wrote:
Dr. Osuji:Hehehehehehehe!This is why you invariably run into stormy weathers with your Ndi-Igbo confreres!Allow me to duck real quick before the missiles start flying in a fight in which I have no dog!I do not even wish to play UN Peace-Keeper or Mediator here...Just pull back and watch the fireworks from the safety of my computer screen!"I understand that many of his fellow tribal men think that he is the best thing that has happened to writing since Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare and Goethe and that he merits a Nobel Prize...that is what the Nobel Prize has come to, to be given to anyone who takes up a pen and scribes nonsense, not to folks who show profound understanding of human nature." - ozodiosuji <ozodiosuji@yahoo.ca>Hehehehehehe!No comments!On Sat, Jun 9, 2012 at 11:50 AM, ozodiosuji <ozodiosuji@yahoo.ca> wrote:What are the lingering issues in how Chinua Achebe characterized females? Inquiring minds want to know.
What I want to know is whether Achebe is a writer or a mere story teller. This is a serious issue for me. I have been racking my head trying to make Achebe out as a writer but see no reason why I should do so.
He provided us with elementary school level narratives of his Igbo society and their encounter with white men; he also provided us with overly simplistic narratives of how some Igbos who encountered white colonization dealt with attendant cultural conflicts.
What troubles me is that nowhere in Achebe's writings did he engage in developing characters so that his reader would appreciate his comprehensive understanding of human nature, their individual psychologies and how they behave according to patterns (personality) over time.
Achebe did not show understanding of the human emotions; he did not show them at work in people.
The man simply writes as if his reader is under age fourteen (eight grade). I read most of his books before I was fourteen years old and since then have found him simply not intellectually stimulating and informative.
His recent autobiography in which he explored his upbringing in colonized Nigeria is like what one would expect from a secondary school boy's effort at writing; it showed total lack of understanding of adult realities (politics, psychology, and economics).
In short the man seems a noise maker and I am wondering whether we should even consider him a writer?
I understand that many of his fellow tribal men think that he is the best thing that has happened to writing since Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare and Goethe and that he merits a Nobel Prize...that is what the Nobel Prize has come to, to be given to anyone who takes up a pen and scribes nonsense, not to folks who show profound understanding of human nature.
J. Z. Rawlins has written books (Harry Porter series) that sold millions and made her a billionaire yet no one thinks that she is of Nobel Prize quality. But because Achebe has sold a few thousand books, to his people he is a genius.
Well, the man comes across as very unsophisticated, as lacking understanding of human nature and in many instances he appeared not to understand how his portrayal of his people make them out as savages...in Things Fall Apart he made Okonkwo kill the innocent boy, Ikemefuna, thus presenting Igbos as heartless, cruel and savage like.
(Each of his books is under 150 pages long...why in the name of God did he not write a book of five hundred or more pages and take his time to develop characters fully...all his books would fit into one good J.R.R. Tolkien novel, such as The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit.
Anyway, what do you mean by Achebe's characterization of females? Does he even understand females or males for that matter? Is he a writer? What is a writer as opposed to mere story teller?
Ozodi Osuji
--- In NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com, Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye <scruples206@...> wrote:
>
> Lingering Issues In Chinua Achebe's Female Characterisation
>--
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