Pain Is Fun

            The Underground Man in Dostoevsky’s popular novel, Notes from Underground, derives enjoyment and pleasure from self-inflicted emotional suffering and causing emotional suffering in others. He has suffered all his life and has only recently begun to accept and enjoy the pain of suffering. He regrets not causing others to suffer with him when he was a young man, and now gains pure joy when he causes misery in others. He wants his readers to understand his love of human agony by giving a history lesson about how, “It is said that Cleopatra (pardon the example from Roman history) was fond of sticking gold pins into her slave-girls’ breasts and derived enjoyment from their screams and writhing” (Dostoevsky 22). The Underground Man uses historical examples, even rumors which may or may not be true, of ancient leaders to illustrate his point that suffering is enjoyable even to a demi-god. Though the rumor of Cleopatra may or may not be true, he is convinced that he is not abnormal and that suffering is pleasured by many.

            The Underground Man also believes himself powerless, indecisive  and weak when he commands, “Destroy my desires, eradicate my ideals, show me something better, and I will follow you” (Dostoevsky 34). The Underground Man desires to be hurt and wants to suffer through the destruction of the meaning of life itself for the joy of being killed, mentally, slowly. He causes self-inflicted pain to his own mind and to the minds of all around him for his own personal, twisted enjoyment.

Kayhon Rabbani
Mrs. Hawkins
English II (Block C)
29 January 2014

The Lions Get a Voice

Chinua Achebe and Rick Zand shatter the idea that their respective single stories are the whole truth and strive to show the entire story of Africans and Iranians through examples that show how many Africans and Iranians act contrary to the single story. Achebe uses Okonkwo and the Ibo people in his famous novel, Things Fall Apart, to show how Africans are not just wild, savage, uneducated people by not only showing the missed truths but also showing how the single story is true, just not complete. Zand also breaks the single story of Iranians by exposing the true nature and beauty of Iranians that hidden under the single story. Achebe and Zand’s approach to completing the single story is to unmask the truth by giving solid examples of how Africans and Iranians can be different than their single stories.

In Achebe’s popular novel, Things Fall Apart, set in Nigeria, Africa, Achebe uses the Ibo people, a large civilization of people in differing clans living in Nigeria, to demonstrate the truth of the single story by portraying how the hunters were not wrong just incomplete. The Ibo people are loyal, deticated, hard working, intellegent people who have a high sense of hierarchy and the skills and knowledge to survive and thrive in their environment. The Ibo’s sense of community causes fear in other clans who know not to go to war with the Umuofia due to their power and unity (Achebe 12). Okonkwo, the main character and a member of the Ibo people, who Achebe uses to portray the truth of the single story, shows himself to the world as a strict, violent, aggressive man who beats his wives and children regularly and doesn’t listen to the rules of the Umuofia, his clan, or the gods. Okonkwo represents the Umuofia’s sense of community and is full with pride and confidence. Community, pride, and confidence are the opposite of the single story, but they are a big part of the Ibo culture. Not only is community a big part of the Ibo culture, but so is a sense of order and hierarchy. In the Umuofia clan, “The elders and grandees of the village sat on their own stools brought there by their young sons and slaves. Okonkwo was among them. All others stood except those who came early enough to secure places on the few stands which had been built by placing smooth logs on forked pillars” (Achebe 46). The hierarchy favors the old, wise, and powerful, which includes Okonkwo, who proves the single story true through violence and bluntness but also showing that he is part of the Ibo people who show the complete story of Africa. Achebe completes the story of Africa by promoting the single story as true but, at the same time, adding the whole story along with the single story to provide a full view of African life and culture.

In Rick Zand’s “Breaking the Stereotypes of Persia and Iran” article on the PBS FrontLine website, he breaks the lasting idea of Iranians being cruel, unequal to women and terrorists by revealing the mask of the single story, revealing the whole truth of the Iranian people. Zand discusses how people relate the name Persian to the old, proud, elegant ancient empire and Iranian to the scary, dangerous, evil nation in the Middle East. The Persian Empire was beaten and was pushed down into the Middle East where the Persians created their own nation where they were called Iranians. Persians evolved into Iranians through time, but others look at these two civilizations completely differently. Zand uses the West’s perspective to define the perspective of Iran when he talks about how, “The two names define very different identities according to the western perspective. The study of Persia as an Oriental culture is drawn from aesthetics and the exotic… Iran, by contrast, has become demonized by a Western media and polity through the use of epithets…” ("Breaking the Stereotypes of Persia and Iran." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web.). Also, Zand discusses how Iran is painted as dangerous while Iran is a bustling place filled with workers and businessmen who want to live calm, enjoyable lives like all humans. But the single story shows that, “In the Western perspective, Persia can be subdued, painted, written about, romanticized, and dominated. Iran is perceived simply as hostile” ("Breaking the Stereotypes of Persia and Iran." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web.). Zand strives to reveal the true nature of Iranians, not just the carefree danger of some. He tries to give the lions a voice, not just the hunters with guns.

Achebe and Zand both strive to show the world the full story of their people and break the single story holding back their peoples. The single story of Africans and Iranians both cover up and hide the truth about the real complexity, unity, and kindness of Iranians and Africans. Both Achebe and Zand break the single story by showing concrete examples of many exceptions of the single story, thus proving that the single story is an incomplete story of the truth of Africans and Iranians. Achebe’s quote from Things Fall Apart, “But there was a yound lad who had been captivated, His name was Nwoye, Okonkwo’s first son. It was not the mad logic of the Trinity that captivated him. He did not understand it…. Nwoye’s callow mind was greatly puzzled,” reflects the ideas that Zand is trying to convey about Iranians and how they are complex, interesting, and faithful people, like the Ibo people. Achebe uses Nwoye to go against the single story of Africa because of his deep belief in faith, thrust, and discovery. Achebe and Zand give Africans and Iranians a voice to speak against the world and tell all their true selves and their own stories.

The single story of Africa and Iran is not only promoted by Chinua Achebe and Rick Zand but also broken. Achebe and Zand attempt to show the world the complete story of Africa and Iran by promoting the single stories as true but also by showing that each people have hundreds of stories comprised to make the complete story of a people. The single story of any people is only told from the victors’ standpoint. The story is only complete when hear the voices of the victors and the defeated.

I think you did really well on your essay! I just wished you used more quotes from your additional text and really delved into the stereotypes the others impose on the people so you could counteract them… also maybe trying to converge the paragraphs because you are writing a comparison essay on it.. overall great job!

Bibliography:

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.

Zand, Rick. "Breaking the Stereotypes of Persia and Iran." PBS. PBS, 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.