"An old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb." pg 21
People get uneasy when topics are mentioned that hit a little too close to home. In this case, Okonkwo can not laugh at the mention of his father. He does not wish to be anything like the man and so shudders at the mere thought of it.
"Never kill a man who says nothing." pg 140
"Living fire begets cold, impotent ash." pg 153
If he says nothing, he can not offend. Only when a man says something that is wrong
or offensive, is it alright to take action against him. The Ibo society is built upon rules
that entail respect to those who deserve it. To strike down a man who did not do
anything wrong would be a serious offense for certain. When they did it to the white man with
the iron horse who said nothing, the Ibo people paid dearly for it
If one's power is too great, things next to it will not have enough room to grow properly.
Because of Okonkwo's great prowess, his son could not become as great. He was often refrenced
as a roaring fire but his son is nothing like him. Nwoye will never be the sort of man his father
wants him to be. He will never be like Okonkwo. For that reason, he is the cold ash
that came from the living fire that is his father.
"Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them." pg 6
"If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings." pg 6
Unoka uses this phrase to say that he will pay his biggest debtors before the smallest. It could also show the idea that greatness will be bestowed on those who work and have a lot before those who have a little and do not work as hard. In the Ibo society, a man prospered or failed by his own hand. The ones who stood through rough times and worked through it prospered the most.
By removing the dirt of the ancestors you can have a chance of a different future; each one builds his own fame. In Ibo society, what a father leaves behind is usually very important to how his son will do in life. In Okonkwo's case however, he is so determined to be nothing like his father that he starts from nothing and becomes very successful all on his own.
Proverbs
a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought; adage; saw.
"A child can not pay for his mothers milk."pg 166
"A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness." pg 19
It is unreasonable to expect a child to pay his parents for taking care of him/her
as that is just the nature of things. It is expected.
The only way to repay this is to pay it forward.
The Ibo put much emphasis on the elders and their role in society. It is their job to teach those
below them. The agbala are the ones that are the most respected as a result because they
are the ones that "feed" the rest of clan emotionally.
A man who respects greatness is more likely to be great himself. When greatness is respected, it usually leads to success. If a great person is followed and respected, then one can learn to be like them. This, therefore, leads to ones own form of greatness. Respect was everything to the Ibo people. It is how one made a name for them self. Okonkwo achieved status by showing respect to those that were above him.
"Proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten." pg 7
"A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi." pg 131
"Those whose palm-kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble." pg 26
"Eneke the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching."pg 16
Those who are succesful due to luck need to remember to be humble because they did not get to where they are due to their own own hard work. In general it seems that the Ibo people are a very hard working and dedicated clan.
To the Ibo people, palm oil was used both for fuel and cooking. It was very essential to their way of life. In their culture, they used proverbs to communicate and show wisdom in a poetic way. Their proverbs were also essential to them because it showed how they lived and what standards they chose to uphold.
In Ibo societey, there were two things that dictated what kind of man one became. One was his work ethic and the other was his chi. Everything was determined by ones chi. However, there is another proverb that states that if a man says yes, so does his chi. One merely has to know what he wants and then strive to achieve it the best that he can.
People adapt to other people's learnings, particularly when the other person's learnings would harm you if you kept on your present course. If Nwakibie gave yams to every man who asked, many of the yams would be wasted by their lack of effort. Okonwo was one who proved worthy of the gift so he was fortunate enough to recieve yams.