God's Bits of Wood Chapters 7-8

These last two chapters have answered some of my earlier questions. In the beginning Ad'jibid'ji did not like Tiemoko and I see why. He has caused all sorts of problems. First, he devises a plan to take Diara and hold a trial because Diara stopped participating in the strike and joined the other side. He tried to pin everyone against Diara, even Diara's son. While this trial is going on Ad'jibid'ji and her grandfather, Fa Keita, show up at the meeting and Keita speaks his mind on the matter and how they should not hurt Diara anymore than they already have. Tiemoko feels as though Keita stole his moment and the reader now sees how selfish he truly is and how the world revolves around him.

After this very memorable moment, disaster strikes. The militiamen come by Ad'jibid'ji's and Niakoro's home looking for Keita. They find him and drag him from his home and in the process injure Ad'jibid'ji and kill Niakoro. I knew before this incident that things would get out of hand fast but this was, in a way, an accident and Ad'jibid'ji's fault. She wanted to go to the meeting and forced Keita to come along. If he did not speak up at the meeting, the militiamen would not have taken him from his home. Niakoro's death was also a part in this because if the men did not show up she would not have been killed by them. I also think that it was an accident that they hit her and she died. She was not their target but was in the way of the final goal. Her death is very similar of the one the twin had in the beginning of the novel.

God's Bits of Wood Chapters 5-6

"They scarcely recognized the woman beside them as the Ramatoulaye they had always known, and they asked themselves where she had found this new strength. She had always been quiet and unassuming and gentle with the children; at the street fountain she never took part in the arguments, and she never spoke badly of her nieghbors. Where, then, had this violence been born?"(74)

The last sentence at the end of the third chapter was "and the men began to understand that if times were bringing forth a new breed of men, they were also bringing forth a new breed of women" (34). This idea has started to show in the fifth and sixth chapters. Rama and the other women living in her house have taken charge and are doing everything they can to keep the children and themselves alive. Personally, I did not think that this idea would take place until later in the novel.

Rama is also not the only woman changing. Mame Sofi also stands up to the water carrier and argues with  him to let her pay for the water later. Eventually all the women around Rama go through a change when they stand up to the policemen that want to take Rama and their food from the ram. I am really enjoying the story that revolves around Rama and her "God's bits of wood." I love the power that the women are showing and I'm finding the mens view on the strike boring. But so far, this has been my favorite part because Rama is my favorite character and I love that she is standing up for herself.

God's Bits of Wood Chapters 3-4

I have never read a school book where the title of the novel is revealed before the first fifty pages. I know this does not mean much to most people but I love it when a play, movie, or book hides the title in the words for me to notice it. It is an "aha" moment where you think "so that's where the title came from!"

I also know what the title is referring to. From what I gathered, Ramatoulaye is the eldest of her family and was given the house. The author introduces the title right after we meet her with the line "her responsibilities had become very great, because the house of which she was the eldest was large: there were no less than twenty of 'God's bits of wood'"(40). Since the title is in a way connected to Ramatoulaye I predict that more of the book will revolve around her. I also know what "god's bits of wood" actually means: it is referring to the people that live in the house.

Aside from finding the title, the chapters were very religious. I kept seeing the word "God" and Islam was being referred to. I expected as much because the title does have "God" in it and religion seems to be playing a large role in the recent books we have read.

I hope that my prediction is true and the main character is actually Ramatoulaye.

God's Bits of Wood Chapters 1-2

So far the book has caught my attention. I had a feeling that it was going to be very similar to Chinua Achebe's book Things Fall Apart. I really enjoyed Things Fall Apart and that was one of the reasons why I joined IB English because I wanted to read more books like that(I obviously got my wish). Already several significant things have happened: a strike was planned and has started to take place, there is a lot of tension between the natives and the French settlers, and a baby has died.

In the short thirty pages that I have read, I have learned very little about the situation that the characters are in and know next to nothing about some important characters that are mentioned like Ibrahim Bakayoko and Tiemoko. The author has done a good job in introducing the characters but he also leaves me with questions.

First off, why does Ad'jibid'ji not like Tiemoko? He has done nothing wrong at this point in the novel and was only voicing his opinion as was everyone else at the meeting. I also do not understand how two cities that are on opposite sides of Africa have anything to do with each other? The author may make a connection to the two places but I think that they are two far away to have any similarities or correlations. This is not really a question, but  I am very curious to know what happens to Maimouna. One of her babies has been killed and she is blind. I have no idea how she must feel and how the other baby feels. Twins have a connection but since one is dead, the other one must feel lost.