imperialism on Trial
For this project we did a mock trial relating to the book we just finished reading as a class; "Things Fall Apart." The trial was concerning the death of a man named Okonkwo, the protagonist in the book. Okonkwo was found hanging from a tree at the end of the book, and there was some debate as to whether it was a suicide or not. Throughout the book, Okonkwo's life gradually disintegrates or "Falls Apart." It seems to start before the book even begins, but gradually worsens as the book goes on. The story introduces us to the concept of imperialism, as part way through the story white missionaries come and build a church near their village, thus introducing European influence to the tribe, and throwing their lives into turmoil.
I was unfortunately absent for the trial itself, but I was able to participate by writing an amicus curiae brief. Amicus Curiae means "friend of the court," and the brief is a way that one who is not directly a part of the trial can ask the judge to rule a certain way. The brief that I wrote was about 450 words, and I tried to light it in as professional language as I could. I tried to encompass the psychological aspect of Okonkwo's death, since I knew psychology most likely wouldn't be brought up in the actual court as it is a soft science. I still believe the brief had value however, because it may have added more dimension to the judge's understanding of the case, the individuals involved, and the victim himself.
My skills of research were strengthened through this project because I had never written an Amicus brief before, and so I had to do research to learn about the formatting and how to write one-not to mention reading the actual book so I knew about the case. I personally feel that my skills with creativity were strengthened as well, since I did have to come up with things to do in order to make up for missing the case and additional school. And of course, my writing was strengthened as I had never attempted to write a piece quite that formal, and I finally got to use some bigger words and vocabulary that I don't get a chance to use very often. I do wish I'd been able to participate in the trial, since I would have appreciated the chance to work on m public speaking skills.
Walking away from this project I feel I have a much better understanding of not only African culture, but also the way that Europeans influenced and arguably destroyed it. I also feel like I have a much deeper understanding of the concept of civilization, and how there are many complexities that our someone limited preconceptions of what a civilization looks like may prevent us from seeing. There are so many different types of civilization, and I truly hope that humanity as a species has moved passed the idea that other civilizations need to be "helped" or "civilized." I fear that in the power-driven times in which this book was set may have irreparably damaged the diversity of civilizations that we used to have in the world.
I was unfortunately absent for the trial itself, but I was able to participate by writing an amicus curiae brief. Amicus Curiae means "friend of the court," and the brief is a way that one who is not directly a part of the trial can ask the judge to rule a certain way. The brief that I wrote was about 450 words, and I tried to light it in as professional language as I could. I tried to encompass the psychological aspect of Okonkwo's death, since I knew psychology most likely wouldn't be brought up in the actual court as it is a soft science. I still believe the brief had value however, because it may have added more dimension to the judge's understanding of the case, the individuals involved, and the victim himself.
My skills of research were strengthened through this project because I had never written an Amicus brief before, and so I had to do research to learn about the formatting and how to write one-not to mention reading the actual book so I knew about the case. I personally feel that my skills with creativity were strengthened as well, since I did have to come up with things to do in order to make up for missing the case and additional school. And of course, my writing was strengthened as I had never attempted to write a piece quite that formal, and I finally got to use some bigger words and vocabulary that I don't get a chance to use very often. I do wish I'd been able to participate in the trial, since I would have appreciated the chance to work on m public speaking skills.
Walking away from this project I feel I have a much better understanding of not only African culture, but also the way that Europeans influenced and arguably destroyed it. I also feel like I have a much deeper understanding of the concept of civilization, and how there are many complexities that our someone limited preconceptions of what a civilization looks like may prevent us from seeing. There are so many different types of civilization, and I truly hope that humanity as a species has moved passed the idea that other civilizations need to be "helped" or "civilized." I fear that in the power-driven times in which this book was set may have irreparably damaged the diversity of civilizations that we used to have in the world.
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