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God's Bits of Wood Chapters 19-20

Last post for God's Bits of Wood. I'm a little sad that the book ended the way that it did but also glad that it is over. I started off loving the book and saw similarities between Things Fall Apart, the book that made me decide to do IB English, and I really liked the story.

I started to dislike the book when Bakayoko arrived and the women lost a lot of their power and confedenice. I also didn't like how the author made Tiemoko sound terrible and that he was causing all sorts of problems. In the end he only ran the trial with Diara and didn't show up again. What I did like was that Fa Keita came back into the picture. I was wondering for most of the book what had happened to him and was glad that we got to see what he was going through. I thought that the author forgot about Fa Keita and was glad that "the old one" returned safe.

All in all, I liked the book because of the story line and the development characters. I love it when characters change for the better but in this book we see change but don't know if the change sticks. All of the women change to be stronger but after the book ends we don't know if the women will revert to their old ways and let the men run everything. I am still left with questions but all good books do that.

God's Bits of Wood Chapters 17-18

I am starting to hate this book. First off, my favorite character, Penda, has been killed off. She was the strongest character in the book and added a sense of power and independence to the book. It did take me a second to figure out that she died and I was very disappointed.

I was also upset that N'Deye has chosen polygamy and wants to be Bakayoko's second wife. She was completely against it at the beginning but know has decided that she loves Bakayoko enough to be his second wife. She has gone from being someone who hated the traditional African ways to one that will now follow them. This just bothers me so much. She needs to stick with an idea and go with it.

God's Bits of Wood Chapters 15-16

In chapter 15 we finally meet Bakayoko and I don't find him that great. He has basically been traveling around and been spreading the news of the strike. He would have been more helpful if he were helping to find water and rebelling against the French from Dakar or Thies. When he does return and they hold the conference between the French and Senegalese, he is actually doing something that will affect his country in return.

Besides Bakayoko's big entrance into the novel, Penda decides to march the women from Thies to Dakar. If I have not already mentioned, I love Penda. She is so strong and I love how nothing gets in her way and she does what she wants. She successfully gathers all the women and marches them together to Dakar. Another interesting moment in this section was that we finally found out the father of the blind woman's child. I have a feeling that during this time period there were not a lot of single mothers and yet the blind woman wants to be a single mother and be independent. She is also one of my favorite characters and I can see that Penda looks up to her. She sees that the blind woman can do everything she can and more. The blind woman and Penda are very similar and it makes sense that they are drawn to each other.

God's Bits of Wood Chapters 13-14

"They had tasted the bitter fruits of danger and now nothing else had a flavor."

This quote happens after the apprentices have shown what they can do to help the strikers and families. They loved the thrill of stealing food and getting away with it. They could not go back to just killing lizards and snakes but wanted to have a "real" mission again. This is what lead them to smashing the glass and being more rebellious.

There was also a quote that I found very funny and it happened in a show that I was watching.  The quote was "the women don't wait to have one before they're pregnant with another." In How I Met Your Mother, Marshall, Ted, and Barney watch the Star Wars Trilogy every three years and imagine what their lives will be like. In 2012, Ted thinks that Marshall will have impregnated Lily, his wife, with  their fifth child even before they have their forth. Immediately when I saw this quote I got on Youtube and looked up the scene. And i'll post it so you can see the relationship.

God's Bits of Wood Chapters 11-12

In these chapters we have met new characters, like Penda, and are getting closer to meeting the famous Bakayoko. I am usually not open to the introduction of characters as a novel goes on but Penda is an exception. She is a lot like a modern day teenager. She reads trashy magazines, has posters of actors on her walls, and does not care what people think of her. She is very independent and knows what she wants. I always love a strong woman character in novels and in God's Bits of Wood the author incorporates a lot of them.
I also think that Bakayoko will appear later in the novel. He is a major discussion topic with the characters and it has left the audience confused as to why this major character is not involved with the other characters. I am interested in meeting Bakayoko and understanding why he is such a praised character.

God's Bits of Wood Chapters 9-10

In these last chapters fire played a major role. The women in the novel are standing up for themselves and are trying to survive but are destroying things in the process and getting into even more trouble. In the discussion today someone used the phrase "fighting fire with fire" which is exactly what they are doing.

This tactic does lead to the downfall of the rebellion and it also emphasizes that the colonizers have the resources and are willing to waste them. Everyone is scrounging to find food and the water has been cut off. People can live without food for a few days but water is essential for life. When the women follow Rama to the officials office they are surrounded and sprayed with high pressure fire hoses. These people have been starving and cannot find water anywhere and yet the colonizers are willing to use this precious water to teach them a lesson. During this process one woman dies and it seems that the end is near for the strike and the suffering.

In chapter 10 I was confused as to why this chapter was even included. I felt that it added nothing to the story and we did not need to have anymore characters. At this point in the novel we know people are starving and that there is suffering all around. I felt that this chapter should have been cut or moved to the beginning of the novel.