Purity: Mental

Whenever I start a book I am just looking at words until finally a scene pulls me in. That scene is usually when I get to understand more about the main character from how they handle an exciting scenario. This scene in Purity was when Pip brought Jason home after their date. Right off the bat, …

Purity: Detail

Franzen's way of describing the world always strikes me as so real and fresh and exact. I wanted to make a post of appreciation for some moments of description in this first section. Also, after reading a book like I Hate the Internet, which is practically stripped of any superfluous detail , it feels fantastic to be steeped in …

Jonathan Franzen “Purity”: Identity

In light of Tuesday's discussion regarding identity and Dike's struggle to recognize himself as both American and Nigerian, I drew a comparison with Pip. One of the reason's for Dike's depression and identity crisis was that Aunty Uju refuses to acknowledge and bring up the fact that Dike was Nigerian by birth and failed to …

Americanah: Love

I found our class discussion this past Tuesday to be particularly intriguing in regards to love and relationships, as one of the main themes driving the plot of Americanah. In Americanah, Ifemelu goes on to describe her thoughts on what could cure racism and hate in her first blog. In summary, she believes love is …

Americanah: Politics

When I read the chapter dealing with Barack Obama in Americanah, I could not help but get a little emotional. When I was 9, I did not feel much emotion that a black man was elected President. I knew I was happy and that it was something that would be written bold in history, but I …

Americanah: Relationship Status

The topic discussed during Tuesday's lecture about impactful relationships was also relevant to this week's reading. When lfemelu returns to Nigeria she encounters a stark contrast to her own relationships in America. The most drastic difference being the relationship between the male and female role. Ifemelu recognizes the submissive roles women in Nigeria feel comfortable …

Americanah: Shan’s Spell

In Chapter 35, Adichie introduces us to Shan. She has this magnetism about her that makes anyone in her presence acquiesce to her way of seeing the world. Surprisingly, Ifemelu succumbs to this power. It seems that Shan is the only person to whom Ifemelu doesn't speak her mind, and I'm curious about why this …

Americanah: Racism within Cultural Context

At the end of chapter 37, Shan says that the reason why Ifemelu can write on her blog so candidly about her observations about racism on the blog is because she is an outsider, who doesn't have the cultural context or background where she has been subjected to racism the way African-Americans are and that …

Americanah: Appreciation

Ifemelu is extremely brave. She may falter when it comes to facing Obinze, but besides that she is courageous enough to speak her mind. She does not just share her opinion when she is around people she is comfortable with; she expresses her feelings and thoughts whenever she deems it important to do so. I …

Americanah: America’s tribalisms

The themes of Americanah keep appearing in my other classes, and I'm really excited (my American idiom is self-aware here - see page 167, and another commentary on "excited" earlier in the text that I can't find) about the interdisciplinary overlap of these themes. I'm reading The New Jim Crow in an Anthro class, we just read …