Wrestling as a symbol? Chapter 6

In this chapter, the wrestling has begun and Okonkwo hides his excitement. The wrestling starts with the young boys. One in particular made a move that fascinated everyone. Do all boys have to prove their masculinity by violence? Okonkwo throughout the whole thing tried to hide his amusement and his excitement. He never lets his true person come out. Emotions are part of being human and it probably takes a lot out of Okonkwo to have to hide it all the time. Maybe that is why he resorts to anger. He gets frustrated with having to erase his father from his life and he makes sure they remember him when they hear his family name. He is so ashamed that he doesn’t really care about anything else. It basically has become his obsession. This obsession to be different can lead to many misfortunes. He will soon forget to tend to more important things and it will hurt him in the end. Is his obsession gone too far? What healthy way should he have handled being in his fathers shadow of shame? is wrestling a symbol? Is it a symbol of power or is it a way to escape everyday life?

A Day in the Life of Lala

My day starts out with my mom yelling at me to get up. I can never seem to get up without making a big deal out of it. I take my sweet time sitting up and then I quickly get dressed. I walk in to my small bathroom and start my very precise procedure. I start by brushing my teeth and then by fixing my hair. I try to do something different every time. Today I think I want to straighten it all the way down. My hair is long and dark brown. I then start my makeup, which also takes a while. I start with the foundation and move to the eye shadow. I then apply my mascara and eyeliner. Where would a Latina girl be without her mascara? In Spanish, my mom keeps yelling at me to hurry up. She likes to make me hurry since I have to take the school bus to school. I take an apple from the fruit tray and I walk out. It is nice outside; not too hot and not too cold. I love springtime in Arizona. I start walking to my bus stop it is only a few blocks away. I try to hurry so I won’t miss it. I make it right on time like always and I quickly get on. I sit close to the front and put on my headphones. I love to listen to music wherever I go because it makes my day better. We make a few more stops then head to the school. Once we are there, I make my way to the cafeteria. My friends are waiting there for me and they all smile as I approach. I wonder if it is something I am wearing or if there is something on my face. I ask them and they say, “Lala there is nothing on your face, we are just glad you’re here.” We hang out and laugh at every little thing our friend Maria says. She is the funniest girl ever. The bell rings and I make my way to my first class. My first class today is math. I don’t like math but then again, who likes math? I make my way over to my seat and pay close attention to everything. I have always been very observant but I could never quite have the right amount of concentration.

The rest of my day is a blur except for lunch. Lunch is the best period in my whole day. We all sit together and we gossip about the latest rumors and what we will do after school. We made plans to go to the mall. Right after school we took off on foot at first. We walked to the public bus stop not too far and we got on. We each had to pay a dollar and twenty-five cents. We sit in the back and keep going with our shenanigans. We are the loudest group and everyone kept looking at us. My friend Susan pulls the string to request our stop and we get off. We walk to the mall and go straight for the shoe store. We love to try on all kinds of shoes but especially the high heels. We go through a bunch before we decide to move on to the jewelry. We go and we buy a lot of earrings. I like to wear the big hoop earrings. Next we hit the food court. I decide to buy a smoothie because it is my favorite drink. We drink our sweet beverages on a little bench by a carousel and reminisce the old times. It was getting late so we decide to leave. We take the bus back to school and I walked them to their parents’ cars. They offer to give me a ride but I tell them I would rather walk.

I start my long walk to my house while I listen to my music. I get to my house a little late and as soon as I get inside my mom starts yelling in Spanish. “Why was I so late?” “When was I going to do my homework?” I then walk to my room, relay only thinking of what I did today. I brush my teeth, change into my pajamas, and I start my homework. I didn’t finish it since I fell fast asleep with my books on top of me. I dream about all the things I will do tomorrow and what I didn’t get to do today. I will start a whole new day tomorrow.