Things Fall Apart1 essays

Things Fall Apart1 essays The Ibo society in Africa is very different from the American society that I am used to. One of the major differences is the way women are treated. On page 37 of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo conveys that no matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and children (and especially his women) he was not really a man. On page 94 Okonkwos uncle says we all know that a man is the head of the family and his wives do his bidding. This shows us that women in the Ibo society are considered subservient to the men of the society and are sometimes mistreated, however they are still very important to society. This is evident in many other places throughout the book Things Fall Apart. The way women are referred to in the book tells about their social standing as well. Many times women are referred to by their relationship to a man. There are many references to Nyowes mother and Okonkwos first wife, but Ekwefi is seldom called by her name. The same goes with the wife of Ogbuefi Udo who was murdered by the members of another African village near Umofia. In the first chapter of the book we see how women are expected to do what their husbands say with no questions asked. When Ikemefuna comes to Umofia and is put under Okonkwos care he (Okonkwo) immediately calls for his first wife and says look after him, when she asks a question regarding the boy, Okonkwo says do what you are told woman to which his first wife responds by taking Ikemefuna into her hut, asking no more questions. The only two women who are consistently referred to by their name throughout the book are Ezinma and Chielo. That is because Ezinma is very special to her father, Okonkwo, and Chielo is the priestess of the oracle. On pages 122 and 123, Okonkwo thinks to himself that Ezinma is special because of all hi...

The History of Fathers Day

The History of Fathers Day Fathers Day is held on the third Sunday in June to celebrate and honor fathers.  And while the first Mothers Day was celebrated in 1914 after President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation making Mothers Day the second Sunday in May,  Fathers Day did not become official until 1966.   The Story of Fathers Day Who invented Fathers Day? While there are at least two or three different people credited with that honor, most historians consider Sonora Smart Dodd  of Washington State to be the first person to have proposed the holiday in 1910. Dodds father was a Civil War veteran named William Smart. Her mother died giving birth to her sixth child, which left William Smart a widower with five children to raise on his own. When Sonora Dodd married and had her own children, she realized what a tremendous job her father had done in raising her and her siblings as a single parent. After hearing her pastor give a sermon about the newly established Mothers Day, Sonora Dodd suggested to him that there should also be a Fathers Day and proposed that the date be June 5, her fathers birthday. However, her pastor needed more time to prepare a sermon, so he moved the date to June 19, the third Sunday of the month. Fathers Day Traditions One of the early ways established to celebrate Fathers Day was to wear a flower. Sonora Dodd suggested wearing a red rose if your father was still living  and wearing a white flower if your father was deceased. Later, presenting him with a special activity, gift, or a card became commonplace. Dodd spent years campaigning for Fathers Day to be celebrated nationally. She commissioned the help of mens goods manufacturers and others who might benefit from a Fathers Day, such as the makers of ties, tobacco pipes, and other products that would make for a suitable gift for fathers. In 1938, a Fathers Day Council was founded by the New York Associated Mens Wear Retailers to help with the widespread promotion of Fathers Day. Still, the public continued to resist the idea. Many Americans believed an official Fathers Day would be just another way for retailers to make money since the popularity of Mothers Day boosted the sale of gifts for mothers. Making Fathers Day Official As early as 1913, bills had been submitted to congress to recognize Fathers Day nationally. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson pushed to make Fathers Day official, but couldnt muster enough support from Congress. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge  would also recommend that Fathers Day be observed, but did not go so far as to issue a national proclamation. In 1957, Margaret Chase Smith, a senator from Maine, wrote a proposal that accused Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while only honoring mothers. It wasnt until 1966 that  President Lyndon Johnson  finally signed a presidential proclamation that made the third Sunday of June, Fathers Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon made Fathers Day a permanent national holiday. What  Gifts Fathers Want Forget about snazzy ties, cologne, or car parts. What fathers really want is family time. According to a Fox News report, About 87 percent of dads would rather have dinner with the family. Most fathers dont want another tie, as 65 percent said they would rather get nothing than another tie. And before you go running out to buy mens cologne, only 18 percent of dads said they want some kind of personal care product. And only 14 percent said they want automotive accessories.