A Man Of The People By Chinua Achebe Pdf Merge

I confess I never really understood Achebe's popularity until very recently. Barely held my interest, and I was almost going to give up on him.I abandoned that horrid misconception after reading A Man of the People. Here, Achebe shows more clearly what I had missed.

1. A Man Of The People By Chinua Achebe Pdf Merge Video

He is a savvy chronicler of language, personality, and greed. He writes with affectionate and mocking detail.The story revolves around a young educated man, Odili, and his relationship with Chief Nanga, a corrupt, I confess I never really understood Achebe's popularity until very recently. Barely held my interest, and I was almost going to give up on him.I abandoned that horrid misconception after reading A Man of the People. Here, Achebe shows more clearly what I had missed. He is a savvy chronicler of language, personality, and greed.

He writes with affectionate and mocking detail.The story revolves around a young educated man, Odili, and his relationship with Chief Nanga, a corrupt, swaggering Minister of Culture in an unnamed country. Odili tries at first to become friends with Nanga. After a falling out, Odili plans an elaborate revenge, involving Nanga's young wife and the recent elections.It is easy to say, 'This book is an allegory' - there's politics as the most brutal infighting, the young and educated versus the old and traditional, the power and brutishness of corruption, and so forth. But the story is a bit more subtle than that. Internal tyrants join in with the external ones in the great Scramble for power.

Our heroes tell little lies about themselves to make themselves look better. Achebe savors personal tics, details, dialects, and especially little ironies.Of course, there was a coup, in Achebe's own Nigeria. The book mirrored reality so well that Achebe had to flee for his life, after the government suspected that Achebe must have been a conspirator. This, of course, is the greatest possible irony an author can aspire(?) for.A short yet pungent look on disillusionment and even hope.In such a regime, I say, you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murderer in the chest-without asking to be paid.Rest in Peace.

I strongly disliked the first two thirds of this book, but I really enjoyed the last bit. As with other Achebe books, it has a strong sense of foreboding throughout, and at first it seemed like just another moral fable, of a good man going bad.

But then the narrator, an idealistic young man in his twenties, decides to stand up to a bully, though for some of the wrong reasons. At that moment, Achebe somehow perfectly captures what it is like to be young and foolish and headstrong and selfish and I strongly disliked the first two thirds of this book, but I really enjoyed the last bit.

As with other Achebe books, it has a strong sense of foreboding throughout, and at first it seemed like just another moral fable, of a good man going bad. But then the narrator, an idealistic young man in his twenties, decides to stand up to a bully, though for some of the wrong reasons. At that moment, Achebe somehow perfectly captures what it is like to be young and foolish and headstrong and selfish and idealistic and generous, all at the same time. Also the treatment of the narrator's relationship with his father is just great. It is really exciting and somehow so easy to relate. A gripping tale, with vividly described characters like the bootlicking Nwege, Edna's greedy, avaricious father, the absurdly hilarious chief Koko, and Odili's own proud, well known and widely hated Father, Hezekiah. This story chronicles the politics of African states, and it's eat-and-let-eat leaders.

I read this book 11 years ago in school and I can probably remember it word for word, a must read for anyone seeking insight into the very nature of African state of affairs, from overnight infla A gripping tale, with vividly described characters like the bootlicking Nwege, Edna's greedy, avaricious father, the absurdly hilarious chief Koko, and Odili's own proud, well known and widely hated Father, Hezekiah. This story chronicles the politics of African states, and it's eat-and-let-eat leaders. I read this book 11 years ago in school and I can probably remember it word for word, a must read for anyone seeking insight into the very nature of African state of affairs, from overnight inflation to the disillusion poverty brings, and the rise of unknown backbenchers who will support unpopular motions in parliament if only for personal gain.

Achebe tells this tale with multiple hilarious references, and makes even the most mundane story come through with such a fine mastery of humor. A thought provoking read. Achebe's Man of the People Notes, Discussion and Summary from my For Unofficial Use Only BlogThis novel takes place in 1964 examines the institutions of Nigeria. Coming out of colonial times, the people have no sense of taxes or being taxed, especially the farmers (because the tax is just being wrapped into the purchase price). Originally published in 1966, during which there were two coups in Nigeria. The first coup ended the first republic.

After these two coups Achebe went to Biafra to join t Achebe's Man of the People Notes, Discussion and Summary from my For Unofficial Use Only BlogThis novel takes place in 1964 examines the institutions of Nigeria. Coming out of colonial times, the people have no sense of taxes or being taxed, especially the farmers (because the tax is just being wrapped into the purchase price). Originally published in 1966, during which there were two coups in Nigeria. The first coup ended the first republic. After these two coups Achebe went to Biafra to join their independence movement. When Biafra lost that bid, Achebe headed to the US for an extended period.Without understanding that Chief Nanga is a man of the people, the story does not work.

In the novel, it's the people that drive the action. It's important that Nanga is the only character that talks to the people. Odili never talks to the people in the same manner. Even at Odili's rally, it's Maxwell who speaks, and he still doesn't speak to them in the way Nanga does (paragraph's ideas mainly attributed to prof).Questions and Discussion Points:- How sympathetic is Achebe's hero? Achebe portrays Odili as symbolic of the next generation. It's important to note that Achebe writes in the first person, a departure from his previous novels.- How do women in this book represent society at large?Edna is a pawn and passive figure-the least of the actors.Elsie shows a keen lack of fidelity.Eunice symbolizes accountability, which is what you want in a nation.Akilo is educated but also a prostitute.Mrs Nanga:what's the deal with her Adam's apple?.In the novel, women go along with objectification. If they symbolize society at large, they are treated as objects that don't care that that is the way they are treated.- Where did lack of selflessness come from?

Who's to blame for this endemic corruption? Achebe blames it on scale of largesse-in the nation/state there's no ownership (like that exists at the village level). Before independence stealing was fine because it was from the White man, but now it's stealing from the people?- How is religion replaced by materialism in the novel?- Examine the inversion of education's importance.- Could Chief Koko's overreaction (when he thinks that he's been poisoned) be a dig at the alarmist nature of that region by Achebe?- Examine how he uses different women in the novel:- Examine the theme of infidelity among men and women. Does this transfer to a lack of fidelity in society at large?- Jalio is Soyinka (Sho-yeen-kah). How does this idea fit into the novel's meaning? Incidentally, read some of this man's poetry!

It's essential.- The novel offers Achebe's commentary on education-they purge the western-educated ministers at the beginning and voice a disdain for their education abroad. The action highlights this competition, as well as the inability of society to hold anyone accountable, because they don't understand how their country fits into the larger global context.Examine the roles played by fathers in the novel.Chapter 1Chief Nanga (Minister of Culture) comes to his hometown (village) of Anata. He is 'a man of the people.' Background on his rise to power. He recognizes and remembers Odili, who is a teacher in the village.

He invites him to come stay withi him in the city. The corruption and the politics are introduced.- would a sensible man 'spit out a juicy morsel that good fortune placed in his mouth.' - showing tip of tongue to sky to swear oath?Chapter 2Background on Odili and Else, his friend with benefits.

Also meet his friend Andrew. Odili is firm in his aspirations and his work to keep his actions `clean.' He will not stoop to cronyism to get the scholarship to London that he desires. There is a universal disdain among politicians for education abroad, however Nanga still looks forward to his upcoming honorary law degree from a small college in US.- Objectification and devaluation of women shown in anecdotes.Chapter 3Odili goes to Nanga's and is welcomed warmly. Background on Odili's father, a district interpreter-a powerful and hated man with five wives and 35 children.

Odili's mother died giving birth to him-there's shame associated with this. Odili and Nanga visit Chief Koko, who handles education abroad, but they don't get a chance to discuss the scholarship.- After independence the value of education becomes inverted. Proximity to power is most important.- Corruption feeds and multiplies bureaucracy and vice versa.- OHMS, which the elite don't use. (Our Home Made Stuff)- the gap between power and previous life is so huge that it feeds corruptionChapter 4Mrs. Nanga gets ready to leave with the children to visit her village, which they do at least once a year. Americans John and Jean stop. Jean flirts shamelessly with Nanga while her husband highbrows it with Odili.

Jean and John work in public relations for Nigeria in their efforts with the U.S.- Good details about racism and lynching in the US to contrast with Nigeria's problems.Chapter 5Odili goes to Jean's party and ends up sleeping with her. He finds that he doesn't really like her but ask to see her again. For American, Africans are a novelty, one that they hold apart and distinct from the `blacks' back home. At the dinner party, Odili has a good time. Nanga never ends up going because Mrs.

Akilo arrives at his home-we find out later that he sleeps with her.- Shaking the fist is a sign of great honour and respect.Chapter 6Odili visits Elsie and sets up a date. He takes Nanga's Cadillac which impresses her. They all go together to a book exhibition to hear Nanga speak.- Objectification of women again.- Jalio wrote fictional Song of the BlackbirdChapter 7Nanga makes a good speech and they return home. He comments that he likes Jalio after he sees various ambassadors fawning over the author. They eat dinner and Nanga has sex with Elsie! Odili loses it when he hears them (she is screaming Odili's name in a perverse twist) and leaves the house at 4AM. He comes back in the morning and curses out Nanga and heads to Maxwell's.- a dash is a small loan or bribe-this destigmatizes corruption-it's just a small quick thing after all.Chapter 8Odili plots revenge against Nanga.

Maxwell hold a meeting of the Common People's Convention (CPC). While the party has Communist undertones, Maxwell is quick to reject that label. He reveals that the CPC has an inside man in the current government.- All the politicians care for are women, cars, landed property. It's like a rap video today. Case in point:- some in the older generation wish the white man had never left- 'it is only when you are close to a man that you can begin to smell his breath'Chapter 9Odili goes back to Anata and we hear the story of Josiah, the bar-owner who took too much. Odili visits Mrs. Nanga and gets Edna's location and then visits her, saying that Nanga sent him to inquire after her mother (who is in the hospital).

He gives Edna a lift to the hospital on his bike but also crashes it, humorously.- No greater condemnation: taking things till at last the owner (the people) notice.Chapter 10At Christmas, details of major corruption (more than their fair share) break out in the media concerning current government. The CPC has Odili run against Nanga. Odili implore Edna not to marry Nanga! Odili meets a lot of opposition in his campaign. It's important that he rejects Josiah's offer of support.- now we see a dash of a four-story home!- we also see that the wooden masks are now a game played by drunkards and children- we see Odili enjoying the fear in another person-enjoying power- whereas a telegram might take 3 days to reach the country, rumour took a day or lessChapter 11Odili gets bodyguards as the campaign gets vicious. Through it all, he pines for Edna (probably more than he cares about the CPC). Nanga approaches Odili's father and tries to buy off Odili with 250 pounds and a two year scholarship.

Odili firmly rejects this.- 'Eating the hills like yam'Chapter 12Maxwell arrives from the city with his CPC staff to drum up support for Odili. Maxwell admits he took a bribe similar to the one offered to Odili, however, he insists that the bribe carries no weight and he just did it to take the money. When Odili approaches Edna, she angrily dismisses him. When the POP finds out that Odili's father indirectly supported his son's campaigning, they nearly jail him and levy convenient overdue taxes against him.

Odili's home village loses their pipes for supporting him. Odili writes off Edna.Chapter 13In disguise, Odili goes to Nanga's campaign meeting.

Josiah sees him though and calls him out. Odili is beaten severely, with only Edna vainly trying to help. He wakes up in the hospital and ends up winning Edna. A military coup occurs in the country, overthrowing the government and suddenly Max is a martyr and a hero.- corruption equated with 'a warrior eating the reward of his courage' at throwing the white man out- the people had nothing to do with fall of government-it was unruly mobs and private armies.- 'but in the affairs of the nation there was no owner, the laws of the village became powerless.' - you've lived a good life when someone will shoot your murderer without expecting anything in return. Though cynical, this book is an excellent, excellent read.

It is a prime example of how great literary minds can use the personal to explore the political and its analysis of regime collapse is as compelling as contemporary political science. For any political idealist, it is easy to identify with Odili and his strict sense of moral right and wrong, as well as the disdain he holds for his country's leadership. The book's portrayal of divisions between politicians, intellectuals, and the people, Though cynical, this book is an excellent, excellent read. It is a prime example of how great literary minds can use the personal to explore the political and its analysis of regime collapse is as compelling as contemporary political science. For any political idealist, it is easy to identify with Odili and his strict sense of moral right and wrong, as well as the disdain he holds for his country's leadership. The book's portrayal of divisions between politicians, intellectuals, and the people, though rooted in the post-colonial African context, is broadly applicable. As for the writing itself, I consider this the most mature prose of any Achebe novel I've read.

He does not hold back, shifting seamlessly between different registers of English - formal versus pidgin - and his ability to capture his lead characters' inner psyches is on full display. A pleasurable but challenging read. My one takeaway is that Achebe's cynicism leads him to portray the general public as way too susceptible to demagoguery. While they are clearly under Nanga's spell, Achebe is a little unfair to democracy, which makes it easy to conclude that politics is a hopeless business, even if this isn't the message Achebe is trying to convey.

Ideally I would have given it three and a half stars for I liked it more then 'No longer at ease' by the same author. The book however does not deserve four stars due to the fact that it were the last four pages that made the book, were it not for the ending the book would not have made such a positive impression on me.

Achebe writes amazing endings, just perfect and that is what makes him to me such an incredible author.The story is an educated African cynic story on African early post colonia Ideally I would have given it three and a half stars for I liked it more then 'No longer at ease' by the same author. The book however does not deserve four stars due to the fact that it were the last four pages that made the book, were it not for the ending the book would not have made such a positive impression on me. Achebe writes amazing endings, just perfect and that is what makes him to me such an incredible author.The story is an educated African cynic story on African early post colonial politics. I liked reading the story a lot, however the political message felt a bit like a side dish, the core of the book is Odili the young both cynic and naive but well educated Nigerian and his encounters with mr Nanga the self proclaimed Man of the people and hero of Nigeria. In one way it made a perfect combo, Odili's involvement in politics is directly linked to his personal encounter with Mr Nanga but on the other hand I could not escape the feeling that for it to work completely there should have been less about Odili's struggle for love (the conflict issue between him and Mr Nanga) and more on politics itself. The ending was written to balance the personal and political events but the balance in the books was more of a 30% politics and 70% personal emotions and relations issue. I would have loved to have read more about Odili's involvement in politics then Odili's personal issues and dilemma's but that is a personal opinion perhaps linked again that to me Achebe never reached the same level of character build as he did with old Okonkwo.Having said that the book is a worthwhile to read novel and anyone interested in the period and region should pick up a copy.

The similarities in the politics in Nigeria and Egypt are striking and staggering. The corruption of government representatives and how widely accepted in society as if it's almost logical and wise, licking those powerful people's shoes, glorifying them, protecting them. The thuggery of the police as if it just another 'legal' street gang or mafia. Using 'dealing with Europe and America' to scandalize you political opponents, while in fact dealing with them yourself publicly. Hating the white in The similarities in the politics in Nigeria and Egypt are striking and staggering.

The corruption of government representatives and how widely accepted in society as if it's almost logical and wise, licking those powerful people's shoes, glorifying them, protecting them. The thuggery of the police as if it just another 'legal' street gang or mafia.

Using 'dealing with Europe and America' to scandalize you political opponents, while in fact dealing with them yourself publicly. Hating the white intellectuals, but not hating their money or 'their aids'.

Oh, and that good one, the politics of the white man, supporting two entirely opposite parties. The military abolishing civilian system and declaring a military system. I don't want to go on more, but there's more. Every single aspect mentioned in the book about the political life is exactly identical but slightly worse in Egypt, specially after the last coup.If we divided the book into five parts. The 2nd the 3rd were utterly long, boring, and almost irrelevant. The book isn't written beautifully, it was more like a journalistic narrative, but not at all a work of art. I also didn't like Odili at all.

He was stupid, selfish, narrow and difficult minded, and stubborn. No one is supposed to run for an election because the minister sleeps with the girl like to occasionally sleep with. (then calling her a slut, while you yourself a whore.) He also bugged me when he said to Edna, because she's marrying young 'what are you?

But she's marrying young and she is NOT a mooooslim, so why offending Islam? I usually don't seek out books about politics, so I was surprised that this book kept my attention so well. The reader follows a flawed narrator Odili on his journey into the complicated world of post-independence politics in an unnamed African country. Elements of the book remind me of, specifically the navigation of high society through the eyes of an often cynical and judgemental character. The book is full of ironic moments that Achebe uses to highlight hypocrisy. If you are I usually don't seek out books about politics, so I was surprised that this book kept my attention so well.

The reader follows a flawed narrator Odili on his journey into the complicated world of post-independence politics in an unnamed African country. Elements of the book remind me of, specifically the navigation of high society through the eyes of an often cynical and judgemental character. The book is full of ironic moments that Achebe uses to highlight hypocrisy.

If you are interested in West African history or politics, I'd definitely recommend this book. Excellent and honest look at human nature.A lot of human weakness cleverly and honestly exposed.

I wanted to grab Odili, the narrator, and shake him.But we are guided not to judge him from a distance but rather look at him as a mirror: Achebe hints that this person is not a million miles away from himself (Odili wants to write a novel about the first white men who came to his people). For me this is a signal that I am not to take this as an indictment of any one person or group of people but o Excellent and honest look at human nature.A lot of human weakness cleverly and honestly exposed. I wanted to grab Odili, the narrator, and shake him.But we are guided not to judge him from a distance but rather look at him as a mirror: Achebe hints that this person is not a million miles away from himself (Odili wants to write a novel about the first white men who came to his people). For me this is a signal that I am not to take this as an indictment of any one person or group of people but of all of us.spoilerThis might be why the character feels so real and familiar despite being so duplicitous and self-centred and disloyal.

I can't call him a coward, he is brave enough at times, but it didn't cross his mind to defend Elise when she was raped, or to stand by her or support her. He seems to see everyone as a means to an end and I don't think there is a single point in the book where he shows any genuine concern for another human being.

(Correct me if I am wrong!)Despite all this he is well able to see almost everything that is vile in Cheif Nanga, he thinks clearly and has a strong sense of what is right. Or is he just waiting for 'his turn to eat'? He is very skilled at seeing what is wrong with the world and never stops to look at what might be wrong with him. His chief motivations are sex, revenge and greed.

But through all this he manages to truly believe he is a noble man./spoiler.Some interesting quotes:spoiler'This man had used his position to enrich himself and they would ask you—as my father did—if you thought that a sensible man would spit out the juicy morsel that good fortune placed in his mouth.' 'But we are eating too. They are bringing us water and they promise to bring us electricity.

We did not have those things before; that is why I say we are eating too.' 'Not what I have but what I do is my kingdom' - Thomas Carlyle quoteThere is a bit about voting for someone just because they come from the same village as you, which is also rampant in Ireland and I assume that's the case everywhere. He calls it 'primitive loyalty' which seems appropriate.'

Some people's belly is like the earth. It is never so full that it will not take another corpse.'

'What money will do in this land wears a hat.' 'I could tell by watching his face that his final state of knowledge was achieved through an act of will.' 'She had been like a dust particle in the high atmosphere around which the water vapour of my thinking formed its globule of rain.' 'As a rule I don't like suffering to no purpose. Suffering should be creative, should give birth to something good and lovely.' I loved ‘Things Fall Apart’ but ‘A Man of the People’ didn’t quite do it for me in the same way.It had the same forensic attention to detail and the same peculiar feat of being both ironically detached but also somehow fully engaged but didn’t pull me quite so hard, perhaps I couldn’t get on board with Odili.Odili feels that politics in recently liberated Nigeria should be transparent and free of corruption.

Everyone else feels that corruption is to be expected, everyone is trying to get as muc I loved ‘Things Fall Apart’ but ‘A Man of the People’ didn’t quite do it for me in the same way.It had the same forensic attention to detail and the same peculiar feat of being both ironically detached but also somehow fully engaged but didn’t pull me quite so hard, perhaps I couldn’t get on board with Odili.Odili feels that politics in recently liberated Nigeria should be transparent and free of corruption. Everyone else feels that corruption is to be expected, everyone is trying to get as much of the pie for them and their people and there are no real hard feelings to those who manage to get it.

Despite being idealistic, he quickly finds himself enamoured with Chief Nanga, as much as he is prepared to (internally) mock him. As much as he finds it a joke that the culture minister is almost illiterate, as much as he disliked the man for his contribution towards kicking out good ministers, and as much as he thinks he is crass - he also admires him. Odili is quickly sucked into the luxury, the respect, the charisma and the easy sexual pickings.When Odili is invited to Nanga’s house, he goes principally to get the means to take a scholarship in Europe, but really because it’s a perfect place to meet up with his friend-with-benefits. It’s not the hypocrisy or corruption that radicalises him, it’s Chief Nanga shtupping his fancy bit. He doesn’t even stop to find out how consenting it was, he just leaves and joins a new political party.As much as he tells himself that the new party are different, and he is trying to enter government for noble reasons, it’s really led by pride and revenge. He wants Nanga’s job and he wants Nanga’s second wife. His reasons for going into politics are just as grubby as everyone else’s although he doesn’t realise it.

The fact that his party aren’t as well funded and don’t have roots in the community lead him to be quickly beaten up and left in hospital.The fact that a military coup displaces Nanga while Odili is in hospital means that it is another book with a sudden shift to the left at the ending - is this a feature of Achebe’s work?While I did enjoy this book and I was amused(ish) and disgusted(esque) at the corruption and hypocrisy, it doesn’t have quite the same mythic quality of the other book. I also found the Pidgin extremely difficult to read and felt that although I was getting the gist of what the characters were saying, I was probably missing out on the best jokes. Achebe’s satire of the range of shenanigans in post-independence Nigerian politics was considered first ‘sadly so true’ and then prophetic when the book debuted on the eve of a military coup in the mid-1960s. The writing, however, is timeless and still holds up as funny and farcical 50 years later.

A small-town school teacher encounters his former teacher, now a big shot minister for culture in the newly liberated country. Invited to the big city, he goes through a period of disillusionment, the Achebe’s satire of the range of shenanigans in post-independence Nigerian politics was considered first ‘sadly so true’ and then prophetic when the book debuted on the eve of a military coup in the mid-1960s. The writing, however, is timeless and still holds up as funny and farcical 50 years later. A small-town school teacher encounters his former teacher, now a big shot minister for culture in the newly liberated country. Invited to the big city, he goes through a period of disillusionment, then activism, then a victim of dirty tricks by the powerful minister. All the while, he tries to seduce the minister’s mistress.

Achebe himself was involved with the creation of a center-left opposition party much like the one in the book. Corruption, tribalism and violence plague this fictional country, as they have Achebe’s Nigeria. While mild by today’s standards, I suspect his discussion of the sexual conquests of ambitious young men might have been controversial when this was first published.

Chinua Achebe was a novelist, poet, professor at Brown University and critic. He is best known for his first novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), which is the most widely read book in modern African literature.Raised by Christian parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria, Achebe excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. He became fascinated with world religion Chinua Achebe was a novelist, poet, professor at Brown University and critic. He is best known for his first novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), which is the most widely read book in modern African literature.Raised by Christian parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria, Achebe excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. He became fascinated with world religions and traditional African cultures, and began writing stories as a university student.

After graduation, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service and soon moved to the metropolis of Lagos. He gained worldwide attention for Things Fall Apart in the late 1950s; his later novels include No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964), A Man of the People (1966), and Anthills of the Savannah (1987). Achebe writes his novels in English and has defended the use of English, a 'language of colonizers', in African literature.

In 1975, his lecture An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' became the focus of controversy, for its criticism of Joseph Conrad as 'a bloody racist'.When the region of Biafra broke away from Nigeria in 1967, Achebe became a devoted supporter of Biafran independence and served as ambassador for the people of the new nation. The war ravaged the populace, and as starvation and violence took its toll, he appealed to the people of Europe and the Americas for aid. When the Nigerian government retook the region in 1970, he involved himself in political parties but soon resigned due to frustration over the corruption and elitism he witnessed. He lived in the United States for several years in the 1970s, and returned to the U.S. In 1990 after a car accident left him partially disabled.Achebe's novels focus on the traditions of Igbo society, the effect of Christian influences, and the clash of values during and after the colonial era. His style relied heavily on the Igbo oral tradition, and combines straightforward narration with representations of folk stories, proverbs, and oratory. He also published a number of short stories, children's books, and essay collections.

He became the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States.Achebe died at age 82 following a brief illness. “Chief Nanga was a born politician; he could get away with almost anything he said or did. And as long as men are swayed by their hearts and stomachs and not their heads the Chief Nangas of the world will continue to get away with anything. He had that rare gift of making people feel - even while he was saying harsh things to them - that there was not a drop of ill will in his entire frame.

I remember the day he was telling his ministerial colleague over the telephone in my presence that he distrusted our young university people and that he would rather work with a European. I knew I was hearing terrible things but somehow I couldn't bring myself to take the man seriously. He had been so open and kind to me and not in the least distrustful. The greatest criticism a man like him seemed capable of evoking in our country was an indulgent: 'Make you no min' am.”—.

Things of Darkness - Kim F. Hall SummaryThe 'Ethiope,' the 'tawny Tartar,' the 'woman blackamoore,' and 'knotty Africanisms'-allusions to blackness abound in Renaissance texts.

Hall's eagerly awaited book is the first to view these evocations of blackness in the contexts of sexual politics, imperialism, and slavery in early modern England. Her work reveals the vital link between England's expansion into realms of difference and otherness-through exploration and colonialism-and the highly charged ideas of race and gender which emerged. How, Hall asks, did new connections between race and gender figure in Renaissance ideas about the proper roles of men and women? What effect did real racial and cultural difference have on the literary portrayal of blackness? And how did the interrelationship of tropes of race and gender contribute to a modern conception of individual identity?

Hall mines a wealth of sources for answers to these questions: travel literature from Sir John Mandeville's Travels to Leo Africanus's History and Description of Africa; lyric poetry and plays, from Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and The Tempest to Ben Jonson's Masque of Blackness; works by Emilia Lanyer, Philip Sidney, John Webster, and Lady Mary Wroth; and the visual and decorative arts. Concentrating on the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Hall shows how race, sexuality, economics, and nationalism contributed to the formation of a modern ( white, male) identity in English culture.

The volume includes a useful appendix of not readily accessible Renaissance poems on blackness. Design Things - Thomas Binder,Giorgio De Michelis,Pelle Ehn,Giulio Jacucci,Per Linde,Ina Wagner SummaryDesign Things offers an innovative view of design thinking and design practice, envisioning ways to combine creative design with a participatory approach encompassing aesthetic and democratic practices and values. The authors of Design Things look at design practice as a mode of inquiry that involves people, space, artifacts, materials, and aesthetic experience, following the process of transformation from a design concept to a thing. Design Things, which grew out of the Atelier (Architecture and Technology for Inspirational Living) research project, goes beyond the making of a single object to view design projects as sociomaterial assemblies of humans and artifacts-'design things.' The book offers both theoretical and practical perspectives, providing empirical support for the authors' conceptual framework with field projects, case studies, and examples from professional practice. The authors examine the dynamics of the design process; the multiple transformations of the object of design; metamorphing, performing, and taking place as design strategies; the concept of the design space as 'emerging landscapes'; the relation between design and use; and the design of controversial things. Theories and Things - W.

Quine,Willard Van Orman Quine SummaryHere are the most recent writings, some of them unpublished, of the preeminent philosopher of our time. Philosophical reflections on language are brought to bear upon metaphysical and epistemological questions such as these: What does it mean to assume objects, concrete and abstract? How do such assumptions serve science? What is the empirical content of a scientific theory? Further essays deal with meaning, moral values, analytical philosophy and its history, metaphor, the nature of mathematics; several are concerned with logic; and there are essays on individual philosophers.

The volume concludes with some general reflections on the contemporary scene and two playful pieces on the Times Atlas and H. Quine is always, whatever his subject, an elegant writer, witty, precise, and forceful.

Admirers of his earlier books will welcome this new volume. The Internet of Things - Christian Floerkemeier,Marc Langheinrich,Elgar Fleisch,Friedemann Mattern,Sanjay E. Sarma SummaryThis book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First International Conference for Industry and Academia on the Internet of Things, IOT 2008, held in Zurich, Switzerland, in March 2008. The 23 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 92 initial submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on EPC network, middleware, business aspects, RFID technology and regulatory issues, applications, and sensing systems. Grasping Things - Simon J. Bronner SummaryAmerica stocks its shelves with mass-produced goods but fills its imagination with handmade folk objects.

In Pennsylvania, the 'back to the city' housing movement causes a conflict of cultures. In Indiana, an old tradition of butchering turtles for church picnics evokes both pride and loathing among residents.

In New York, folk-art exhibits raise choruses of adoration and protest. These are a few of the examples Simon Bronner uses to illustrate the ways Americans physically and mentally grasp things. Bronner moves beyond the usual discussions of form and variety in America's folk material culture to explain historical influences on, and the social consequences of, channeling folk culture into a mass society.

Do Hard Things - Alex Harris,Brett Harris SummaryMost people don't expect you to understand what we're going to tell you in this book. And even if you understand, they don't expect you to care. And even if you care, they don't expect you to do anything about it.

And even if you do something about it, they don't expect it to last. – Alex and Brett A generation stands on the brink of a 'rebelution' Do Hard Things is the Harris twins' revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential. Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life. Then they map out five powerful ways teens can respond for personal and social change. Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action.

This rallying cry from the heart of an already-happening teen revolution challenges a generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today. Now includes: -A new introduction from the authors, “Looking Back, Looking Ahead” -Questions (and Stories) To Get You Started -A list of 100 Hard Things to help inspire you -A study guide for personal or group use. Things - Bill Brown SummaryThis book is an invitation to think about why children chew pencils; why we talk to our cars, our refrigerators, our computers; rosary beads and worry beads; Cuban cigars; why we no longer wear hats that we can tip to one another and why we don't seem to long to; what has been described as bourgeois longing. It is an invitation to think about the fetishism of daily life in different times and in different cultures. It is an invitation to rethink several topics of critical inquiry—camp, collage, primitivism, consumer culture, museum culture, the aesthetic object, still life, 'things as they are,' Renaissance wonders, 'the thing itself'—within the rubric of 'things,' not in an effort to foreclose the question of what sort of things these seem to be, but rather to suggest new questions about how objects produce subjects, about the phenomenology of the material everyday, about the secret life of things. Based on an award-winning special issue of the journal Critical Inquiry, Things features eighteen thought-evoking essays by contributors including Bill Brown, Matthew L.

Jones, Bruno Latour, W. Mitchell, Jessica Riskin, Jeffrey T. Schnapp, Peter Schwenger, Charity Scribner, and Alan Trachtenberg. The Secret Life of Things - Mark Blackwell SummaryThis collection enriches and complicates the history of prose fiction between Richardson and Fielding at mid-century and Austen at the turn of the century by focusing on it-narratives, a once popular form largely forgotten by readers and critics alike. The volume also advances important work on eighteenth-century consumer culture and the theory of things.

The essays that comprise The Secret Life of Things thus bring new texts, and new ways of thinking about familiar ones, to our notice. Those essays range from the role of it-narratives in period debates about copyright to their complex relationship with object-riddled sentimental fictions, from anti-semitism in Citrysal to jingoistic imperialism in The Adventures of a Rupee, from the it-narrative as a variety of whore's biography to consideration of its contributions to an emergent middle-class ideology. Other essays situate it-narratives in the context of changing attitudes toward occult powers, the development of still-life painting, the ethical challenges posed by pet ownership and slavery to the culture of sensibility, the circulation of books in the public sphere, the cult of Sterne and the appearance of genre fiction, and the emergence of moral-didactic children's literature at the turn of the nineteenth century. The God of Small Things - K. Surendran SummaryThe God Of Small Things: A Saga Of Lost Dreams Is An Attempt To Make An In-Depth Study Of Arundhati Roy S Epoch Making Novel Which Has Brought Laurels To Her And The Country At Large. To Begin With, An Effort Is Made To Have A Close Look At The Main Theme Of The Novel. This Is Followed By An Analysis Of The Main Characters Who Have Their Own Story To Tell.

The Novel Is Also Considered As A Critique Of The Contemporary Society. Essays On The Structure Of The Novel And The Narrative Technique Adopted Follow And The Significance Of The Title Is Also Discussed In A Separate Chapter. The Epilogue Considers The Autobiographical Elements In The Novel.

The Title Of The Book Becomes Significant As All The Characters, Both Major And Minor Have Shattered Dreams. Even Ayemenem And Ayemenem House Have Lost Their Old Glory And In A Certain Sense Have Lost Their Dreams.

John Ipe S Father Is The Oldest Member Of The Ayemenem Family Who Makes His Appearance In The Novel. Then We Have John Ipe Himself And His Wife Aleyooty Ammachi Both Disappointed For One Reason Or The Other.

Baby Kochamma, Pappachi, Mammachi, Chacko, Margaret Kochamma, Ammu, Estha, Rahel, Sophie Mol, Velutha, Vellya Paapen Have All A Similar Kind Of Existence In The Novel. The Book, It Is Hoped, Will Be Of Immense Help To The Students Who Pursue Research On Roy And, Of Course, To The Academic Community At Large. Social Things - Charles C. Lemert SummaryOnce again, Lemert has revised and updated Social Things, a best seller that is admired by teachers, students, and even their parents for its riveting brilliance. In this edition, he challenges readers to appreciate the surprising story of how globalization requires even the most reluctant to engage with its strange effects. In a new and original chapter, “Global Things Queer the Social”, Lemert unblushingly explains that globalization became a dominant force in everyday life at the very time when ordinary life was threatened by extraordinary human crises of poverty and disease.

The new world order is queer in more ways than one. It forces us to rethink social taboos, including those on talk about sex and sexualities. As in its earlier editions, Social Things excites, disturbs, and instructs readers who wonder what “globalization” means to them and how their sociological competence can contend with the way it emboldens people to look at the world honestly.

A Sense of Things - Bill Brown SummaryIn May 1906, the Atlantic Monthly commented that Americans live not merely in an age of things, but under the tyranny of them, and that in our relentless effort to sell, purchase, and accumulate things, we do not possess them as much as they possess us. For Bill Brown, the tale of that possession is something stranger than the history of a culture of consumption. It is the story of Americans using things to think about themselves. Brown's captivating new study explores the roots of modern America's fascination with things and the problem that objects posed for American literature at the turn of the century. This was an era when the invention, production, distribution, and consumption of things suddenly came to define a national culture.

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Brown shows how crucial novels of the time made things not a solution to problems, but problems in their own right. Writers such as Mark Twain, Frank Norris, Sarah Orne Jewett, and Henry James ask why and how we use objects to make meaning, to make or remake ourselves, to organize our anxieties and affections, to sublimate our fears, and to shape our wildest dreams. Offering a remarkably new way to think about materialism, A Sense of Things will be essential reading for anyone interested in American literature and culture.