Taylor
Stimmler
Mrs.
Hume
English
II- G Period
October
17, 2016
Illustrated
Historical Fiction Things Fall Apart
Enzima
I am fading in and out of sleep.
The fire is well lit but I feel as if I was lying down outside. My whole body shivers and I can barely even
feel Okwonko’s touch when he feels my forehead.
I wish I were doing anything else, even cooking yams. I have been sick,
on and off, my entire life but for the past year I have not even felt a shiver.
This all ended tonight when I came into my hut after a meal of foo-foo. My
mother looked at me and we both knew that an illness will soon engulf me.
Ekwefi, my Nne, carried me to the
fireplace and put me on her mat. She quickly built a fire. I think Ekwefi was praying. She was either
saying the same prayer over and over or my mind was playing tricks on me. I
prayed too. I was worried that I would end up like my nine other brothers and
sisters, dead. I feel sorrow toward my
mother. She has suffered way too much as
a women should. And she tried everything to birth children whom should stay
alive. Ekwefi stayed in her village
during a pregnancy, visited several medicine men, and followed the advice of
the village people. None of it worked until me, Enzima. I would consider myself
lucky but my life has been short of lucky.
Illness is a common enemy that I have not
missed. I always see the medicine man and try different ritual and medicines he
has to offer. Sometimes these methods work and sometimes they don’t. I have lost faith in the works of a medicine
man. My father could do better then any medicine man. We have an incredible connection but I feel
as if something is missing. I am a well-behaved
child who obeys her father. Sometimes I
think it is because I remind him of his diseased children or that I am not a
male. I am not certain. 
Out of nowhere the praying stops. I
believe I am awake now. Okwonko picks me up. This is the most affection I have
ever received from my father and it feels nice and strange. That feeling soon
stops. I am placed on a stool next to
what must be a steaming pot. The mat I was laying on is thrown on me. The steam
is chocking me. I feel like I am on fire and can’t breathe. This may be the end
for me. Maybe Okwonko dislikes me more then I thought. He is killing me by
making me stay in the chair. He does not
need to do much because my illness is weighing me down. I am crying but I realize that each second in the mat makes me feel slightly better. By the
time the mat is taken off I can finally breathe. My mother takes care of me,
whipping up the sweat on my body. I
realize that Okwonko loves me more then he or I want to admit. My illness finally
gets the best of me and I fade of out consciousness.
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The author uses Enzima’s trust with her father to build upon the climax of this story where she is led to question that trust and doubt her father’s intentions. This may support her illness and that it has led her to be weak not only physically, but mentally.
ReplyDeleteThe bond between Enzima and Okonkwo are brought to light in this historical fiction story in a way not yet thought of in Things Fall Apart. While reading, I felt a strong connection not only from Okonkwo to Enzima, but one from Enzima to Okonkwo. This made me realize how hard it must have been for Enzima when Okonkwo dies.
ReplyDeleteThe way the author uses the threat of the steam treatment as a means of revealing Enzinma’s true doubts about her father gives the piece a natural flow from past to present. It is apparent by Enzinma’s tone that she has faced many a tragedy in her life, and she is clearly not hopeful about the outcome of this trying situation. This makes it all the better, when, at the end, she has a deep connection with her father and realizes that she should not have doubted his love in the first place.
ReplyDeleteTaylor really describes the trouble Enzima during her illness. Her descriptions of how she feels really bring it to life. From beginning til end Taylor punctuates the illness as a prime motive of the story. She tells of Ekwefi praying and how it worries Enzima and how her praying triggers a thought of her brothers and sisters. Taylor greatly described Enzima’s struggles with her lost siblings and her battle with her illness.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you explored Ezinma’s bond with both her mother and her father. Her doubt that her father really loves her and then her certainty that he does as well as her guiltiness for doing this to her mother even though it’s not her fault.
ReplyDeleteI thought the most powerful part of this story was the portrayal of the bond between Okonkwo and Enzima. Through this telling, it becomes clear that Okonkwo loves his daughter deeply, despite the fact that she is female. Although Okonkwo makes hides his emotion to the point where his daughter thinks he might be trying to kill her, beneath the hard exterior, Okonkwo is showing how he cares Enzima the best way he can - by being strong and taking the lead in treating her.
ReplyDeleteTaylor, I thought you effectively created a perspective of Enzima and her struggles with her illnesses and her father. Even though Okonkwo shows no physical affection towards her, Enzima figures out at the end the story that Okonkwo really does love her when he tries to get rid of her illness. I like this realization because is not shown that much in the book.
ReplyDeleteTaylor, something I really enjoyed was how you begun and ended the story with the same theme/sentence which I felt brought the story together. I also enjoy how you talk about “receiving your first act of affection from Okonkwo,” where you not only show a small action that is powerful, but it also shows how Okonkwo is changing. Your visual aid helped immensely. Great work!
ReplyDeleteI liked the narrative structure of this piece a lot, and I found it to be particularly powerful and engaging. By starting with evocative narration of Ezinma fighting her latest illness, then moving on to a sweeping, general explanation of the most important relationships and events in Ezinma’s life (moving away frm narration, and more towards reflection) and, finally, moving on to a describe her experiences with the remedy (steam) for her illness, I felt that you kept the reader engaged while also demonstrating the primary themes in Ezinma’s life, which, all around, portrayed Ezinma as a complex, multi-dimensional character.
ReplyDelete