MARVEL OR DC COMICS HEROES?

We all now heroes, there are Marvel Heroes, DC Comics heroes and characters that are imaginary and that doesn’t exist in real life, unless it is a movie with special effects. But what about real people that make sacrifices, that give their life for others or simply that helps each day to needed people, are they heroes? Maybe they are not heroes with superpowers but they are real life heroes. Anyone can be a hero, but there are better heroes than others. Furthermore, everybody is a hero inside their body but many of us need a costume to hide our identity for fear of not being accepted as a hero. But a real hero is the one who doesn’t care what others think of him, he will always act towards others who need help.

In the world, there are many needy people who at least need the help of somebody per day. That needy people may be old people, seek people, people with no legs or hands or sight, poor people, etc. These are an infinite number of needy people that didn’t had the opportunity to choose how to live, that has no more capacity because of their age; nobody chose the way they were born and everybody needs an opportunity.

In the world, there are many persons who care about humanity, who thinks in the future of the next generation. These are the people that are considered heroes. They don´t think in them, or in their future or in the future of their sons; they think in people around them, no matter if familiars and friends or strangers, they care about the future of all the children of the entire world and they are not selfish and think only in them. There are some circumstances that make you a hero, like helping poor people gaining money, helping old people crossing the street, if things fell from somebody help to get it together, and by just giving a smile to any person, somebody you know or even somebody you don’t know.

A real life hero doesn’t just helps persons or humanity; they also help animals and nature, the world and its future. As any human has the right to live, an animal has the same rights and a real life hero knows that and notices it. Africa is a poor continent that needs a lot of help; there are many millionaires persons in the world that has all the money of the world in their hands and doesn´t share it because they want it for themselves and their family. One big millionaire, who created Microsoft, is now dedicating his life to help children in Africa; he doesn’t need more money because he can approximately live from 400 years to 600 years. But all his years that are left, he is giving it to the children of Africa who want to live longer and enjoy life, just as Bill Gates did. He is an authentic life hero, he thinks in others and do not want to have all the fortune in his hands for nothing.

If you have the capacity, use it; but use it for right.

SHAMIR TROCONIS

BOB MARLEY- SHAMIR TROCONIS

"The wars will continue while the color remains more important than the eye."

Bob Marley

This quote was written by Bob Marley and to understand it we have to know a little bit of his life. Marley was a musician with a Rastafarian tendency. What he believed was what he believed, not necessary in a god or a power from beyond; it can be just in faith, in a natural mystic, or his own people. He believed in humanity, that the present is the most important and we have to stop problems, fights, wars and make peace, love, to get together as one and not many all-around in the world. Everybody has the right to everything and no one is superior to others. This quote is divided in 2: the part of “the wars will continue while the color remains more important…” and “…more important than the eye”. By just looking at it, it is easy to understand it; but there is more in each sentence. The first part doesn’t refer to the color of the skin; it refers to discrimination in general: color of the skin, religion, size of the body, country, gender, intelligence, etc. People is discriminated of what anything, not matter if you are “perfect”, somebody will find something for you. The second part doesn´t refer to the color of the eye; it refers to what is inside of a person, of their personality, attitude, who they really are; everybody has a story and everybody has problems; and the rest of the people got to understand it because they all want to be understood. The general idea is no matter the differences of one and the other: they are human; no matter if one is Jew and the other Mussulmen: they are humans (even brothers); no matter if white skin or black skin: they are humans; no matter religion: they are humans; no matter if tall or low: they are human; no matter if ill o normal: they are human; we all are humans and we are the same; they key word to live in peace is HUMANITY.  

I am a man of peace, I am pacifist and I don’t like wars. I think I have the same idea as Bob Marley, I´m not sure because his mind was so complex and nobody will ever understand it. For me discrimination is the worst weapon someone could carry, but we all carry it and do not let it go. Wars will be all the time, countries against countries, religions against religions, women against men, etc. The second part of the quote also says that he has faith in humanity, and I have faith in it; and I will never stop fighting as Marley did, as this quote relates. I don’t hate people who discriminate others but I have faith that someday they will change. I try not to discriminate and I try to stop wars by feeling that your eyes are more important that whatever is against you.

SHAMIR TROCONIS with the help of Bob Marley. 

THINGS FALL APART: PART III

THINGS FALL APART: PART III

After the seven years that Okonkwo waited, he returned to Umuofia with excitement and with all his family. Her daughters didn’t get married because Okonkwo wanted them to marry with a man from Umuofia; they were already a beauty and several men have asked their hand. In their return, they could notice that Umuofia had change a lot; the missionaries were already there and changed a lot of things. They have built some churches in the village´s land; the number of converts was a very high one; and the system had change a little, they implied a new religion and a new government. Obierika and Okonkwo spent talking about what happened when they come and how does they have grown. Okonkwo was disappointed of his clan because they did nothing to rescue what it was theirs.

Mr. Brown, who was the first white missionary man, who also took the control of the new religion, was a soft man. He wanted the well for everybody and to remain in peace, but of course, he wanted all Umuofia to believe in this new religion. Akunna, who was a very intelligent man, a lot of times talked to Mr. Brown about both religions, the one they had and the Christian. They wanted to convince each other of their own religion, but what they always did, was to have respect for each religion and for each other. Chukwu was the god of the gods, he created the world and the others gods as messengers; what Mr. Brown replied was that they also have a He but there is only one god, no more; and what Akunna putted in response was that the white men have been sent to communicate this new religion, just as Chukwu did in his religion with the other gods. Mr. Brown couldn´t stay forever in Umuofia, he got sick and went back home, Reverend James Smith took his place. He was way too different from Mr. Brown; he was mean and wanted everything to be his way, all as he wished. Nobody in the clan wanted him and had a hate for him. They decided to call the spirits and give him a scare. 

Enoch, an important man in the Umuofia village, was one of those who can have access to the spirits wearing a mask. But one of the biggest crimes someone could commit was to take off the mask when the spirits were having contact with them. Enoch did such a thing and was punished, but he wanted to prove that it didn’t really matter, that the spirits were not even real. He was already defending the new religion. Things in Umuofia were getting hard for everybody. People who still believed in their own religion wanted to rebel against the white men. The first thing they did was to burn one of the churches the white men built. Of course, the white men were too angry that they captured the culprits and lock them down; Okonkwo was one of them. They were treated badly and didn’t have any privileges; they had to pee and poop where they were standing and sleeping as well, they didn’t have food or even water and they were beaten. Then the white men said that with 200 cowries, they will be free, so the white men sent their best speaker to the town to announce that if they wanted their people free they have to pay 200 cowries. But instead of telling that, he told them that they needed 250 cowries; there we can see that from that time they were already corrupt. The people paid and Okonkwo and his group were free. They decided to make a big rebellion and start a war; and so they started to pull things together. One night, they were planning their attack and Okonkwo noticed that a white man was spying on them. He grabbed his machete and killed the white man. His men were impressed of what he did and couldn’t believe it; Okonkwo couldn’t understand why they were impressed of that. He couldn’t handle the situation any more, it was too much for him, everything had change and nothing was the same as before; he had to commit suicide. Now, the white men have control over everything and the Reverend felt superior to them, thinking as he was the god of his own religion he introduced.

These situations are really difficult. So I leave you with 2 questions, reflex on them: Why does Okonkwo commit suicide? And why do the white men, especially the Reverend, felt they are superior to all “the primitive culture”?

Achebe, C. (1959), Things fall apart, Anchor Books, New York.

SHAMIR TROCONIS

THINGS FALL APART PART II

PART II

As we know, Okonwo has been exiled from Umuofia and cannot return in seven years. He and his family went to Mbanta, where they were all well received by his mother´s kinsmen. Uchendu is the oldest man in the kinsmen and he is a very wise man, someone who had lived long and had experience in almost everything. Each of the sons of Uchendu gave Okonkwo 300 seed-yams, so he can start working; it was as successful as when he was in Umoufia. Amikwu, one son of Uchendu, is got married and the ceremony of confession was shown. Uchedu gave a speech to all his young children, but especially to Okonkwo. He talked about Nneka that means Mother is Supreme, and why the mother is important in a clan. The mother of anybody will always care for her child and is always well received with her. For the second year of Okonkwo´s exile, Obierika visited him and gave him money from Okonkwo´s work in Umuofia. He stayed with them to talk and meet Uchendu. Abame, a clan, has just disappeared. One white man came into their clan; the Oracle said that the white men will bring destruction among them, so Abame people decided to kill him, and so they did. Then, 3 other white men came and went back with more white men to kill all Abame people. Uchedu told a story to put clear his idea: “Never kill a man who says nothing”.

Another 2 years later Obierika returned with more money for Okonkwo, in their talk they mentioned Nwoye. The missionaries have arrived to Umuofia and now to Mbanta. In Mbanta, at the beginning, almost nobody cared what the white man and the translator said, just a few, and among them was Nwoye. One day, Okonkwo realized that Nwoye is interested in this new religion that talks about a new god. Okonkwo started to beating him up when his uncle ordered him to stop, Nwoye was so angry that he decided to talk with Mr. Kiaga, the translator, which sent him to Umuofia. They were no longer considered by each other as family. The converts were growing and growing. The missionaries asked to the elders for some land so they can build their church. Mbanta people were intelligent and gave them a part of the Evil Forest; they thought they were going to die by the fourth day. Mr Kiaga started living in there and build a church, the days passed and he was still alive, that made Mbanta people to think that he was powerful and his new religion was true.

A lot of people in Mbanta were becoming Christian and now they believed in Jesu Cristi. The situation was worrying, but the elders decided to take it easy. Even the outcasts were accepted by the church and by the Ibo society too. One day, an outcast killed the sacred python that was the most revered animal in the clan. The punishment for killing the animal accidentally was to make sacrifices and to perform a ceremony; there was no punishment for someone who made it on purpose because nobody will, except now. Okonkwo and other men in the tribe talked about this, and as Okonkwo was a man of war he wanted them to punish hardly this man, but this clan was an easy going, so they decided to make something else, to ostracize all men and women that were now Christians. Now, no one of them could enjoy the privileges they had in the clan. It was the last year of Okonkwo since his exile began. He just needed to do one harvesting more and to make the last work. To demonstrate that he felt comfortable around his mother´s kinsmen and that they treated him good, he decided to make a big feast with all his family from the part of his mother. Everybody was invited and they all ate well and enjoy the feast. One brother of Uchendu ended this part with a speech; he said that now the time was difficult, he and his brothers had no problem because they were old and about to get to an end. But that for the generations below it would be difficult and they have to get ready.

I invite you to think about what he was referring and what would happen next in Part 3.

Achebe, C. (1959), Things fall apart, Anchor Books, New York.

SHAMIR TROCONIS 

UCHENDU´S STORY: MOTHER KITE

Uchendu´s story: Mother Kite
Uchendu, as we now, is a man with knowledge and someone who knows about life, someone that has lived long and has experienced many things. The town of Abame has disappeared, and he just said: "Never kill a man who says nothing". For that he told a story:

"The Mother Kite sent her daughter for something to eat. She came back with a duckling and her mother asked her if the mother of that animal had said something, the answer of the little kite was that the mother of the duckling said nothing. So Mother Kite sent her back to give the duckling and to get something else to eat, she brought a chick and the mother asked her if the mother of that animal had said something, the kite answer that she yelled and cursed her. So now the Mother Kite said it was good and they could eat."

Uchendu wanted to teach something. First of all, he makes comparisons between the real life with the Abame people and the white men, and the animals in his story. When the duckling is taken, the mother says nothing so they give the duckling back; when the white men arrived and said nothing, the Abame people should make nothing and stay back, thing that they didn´t do. When the chick is taken, the mother complains and so the Kite realized that it is good if they take it; if the white men would have said something, then the Abame people should kill the white man. What Uchendu wants to say is that if somebody says nothing, then do nothing; and if they make something, then do something. By that, you should never judge a book by its cover, maybe it was a good white man or maybe not. First, you have to see what he wants, and then act with his actions.

Achebe, C. (1959), Things fall apart, Anchor Books, New York.

SHAMIR TROCONIS

Things Fall Apart Chapter 8-13

Things Fall Apart Chapter 8-13

In the last chapter, Ikemefuna was killed by the men of Umuofia. Okonkwo was devastated and in a way he was showing again signs of weakness. 

For some days he did not eat or rest well, but one day he decided to visit his best friend, Obierika, and have a talk with him. They talked and his friend told him that it wasn´t good that he had participated on Ikemefuna´s sacrifice. Then he told Okonkwo that his daughter was going to get married and he wanted him to be in the bride-price business. At the middle of the night, Ekwefi, his wife, went into Okonkwo´s obi and told him that their daughter, Ezinma, was dying. She just had fever and was better the next day. But everybody thought that she was going to die because Ekwefi have had 10 children and 9 of them have died, just Ezinma was still alive. The system of justice in the community was shown, one man beats very hard and very often his wife, the brothers of the wife rescued her and beat the husband. They called the spirits so they judge them and have a final solution to their problem. The solution was that if the husband beats one more time his wife, his testicles were going to be cut. It was at night again and Ezinma and her mother were telling stories and tales, but Chielo, the priestess suddenly appeared and asked for Ezinma, she told that the goddess needed to talk with her. Okonkwo and Ekwefi didn´t want her to go but Chielo just went with her to the Oracle. Ezinma followed them and she noticed that Okonkwo also was following them, that was another sign of care and that he does feel emotions for his family. The next morning was the wedding of the daughter of Obierika, and as Chielo promised, Ezinma indeed was there in the hands of Ekwefi the next day. Then they notified the whole village that Ezeudu has died the next day, he was a great man and required a great funeral where everybody showed signs of respect, animals were killed and in one occasion some men grab guns and shoot them to the air. But Okonkwo, by accident shoot to the son of Ezeudu and that was a big mistake. People of Umuofia burned his farm, his seeds and his harvesting. He and his family were expelled from the village to another one called Mbanta for seven years. For Okonkwo things were already falling apart, now the title of the book is making sense. Okonkwo had built his family, his farm, his titles, his recognition and respect among others, everything was going well for him, until Ikemefuna was killed, he was already like a son for Okonkwo and then everything he had built was already in ruins and he need to begin again his life, things are falling apart from Okonkwo.       

Shamir Troconis

Book from: Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart Chapters 1-7

Things Fall Apart Chapters 1-7

Things Fall Apart talks about the Igbo tribe, in 9 villages where people live in peace. Okonkwo, the main character, lives in Umuofia and now is one of the most known in all villages. He is a great wrestler and nobody has defeated him. His attitude is a strong one, but he has reasons for it, for his father attitude. He doesn’t show love for nobody, not even his family, but he does love them and cares about them. One day, another village killed the wife of Ogbuefi Udo, the best man of Umuofia. The whole village avoided war against them and sacrificed one woman to be the wife of Udo and one man named Ikemefuna from the other village. That boy had to be assassinated but elders decided that Okonkwo will have him for some days, and that days turned into years.

The Week of Peace arrived and nobody could beat anybody or insult. This week is special because the earth goddess will bring everybody a good harvesting. Okonkwo, with his bad attitude, for an accident that his third wife made, beat her and now he was punished because in that week everything has to be around peace. Ikemefuna has adapted to Okonkow´s family, and know is part of them. 3 years already have passed and he still is there. Nwoye was the first son of Okonkwo and he got along with Ikemefuna, they became like brothers.

The Feast of New Yam is a very important date for them. Nobody works during that week, and after that they only eat old yams with their neighbors. Also, during this week, the villages do some wrestling, and first the boys wrestle between them and then the real wrestlers come to fight, there are 9 from each village and there are judges that tell if the fight has been all right. Of course, Okonkwo didn’t fight this year, he had already fought before. The next day, an elder came into Okonkwo´s obi and tell him that Ikemefuna was going to be killed know. Okonkwo didn’t wanted to, because Ikemefuna was already like a son to him. Nwoye cried him for a long time, and indeed, Ikemefuna was killed.  

Shamir Troconis