Literature, Odale's Choice

Literature Syllabus

1. Disception- Disguise/ Lies/ Trickery
- Disguise : horten, lucen, tran
- Lies : tran, pet
- Trickery : Lord, etc. induction
2. Analyze major characters
3. Bianca’s Suitors / Lucentio – courtship, wooing, wedding ,marriage
4. Kat / Petruchio – courtship. Marriage
5. Major themes – Act 2/3/5 scene 2 – Love/ Loyalty
6. Parenting/ Family/ Child and sibling
7. Servants and Master
ODALES CHOICE
1. What is the cause of o’s choice?
2. How does she come to this choice?
3. What are consequences?
4. How did it affect other people in the book?
5. Major Characters : Odale, Creon, Leicho : Look at their relationship, character strength and weakness
6. Themes : Commitment to oneself and bravery
7. What role does the chorus play in the drama?
TKAM
1. Major characters- how do they develop? Scout, Jem, Atticus, Cal*
2. Themes : Family Relationship : The finches
3. Theme : Justice : Tom R. vs. the maycomb community
4. Theme : Revenge : Maycomb citizen and Bob
5. Life Lesson’s learned : what are they, outcome, response
The major characters in the book to kill a mockingbird are Scout, Jem and Atticus. Scout starts the book as an innocent 5 year old not yet weary of the evils of the world. Thorough the book she is exposed to injustice, prejudice and the likes but is lucky to have her father Atticus as her guide. At the beginning of the book, scout plays many plays with her brother Jem andher firend Dill and unknowingly is a victim of evil/ prejudice when their child hood superstition comes into play…however this can be attributed to innocent curiosity as the children do not know much about boo radley besides the rumours that they hear. By end of book scout knows about hypocrisy esp. of Ms. Gates, the unfairnees of the trial and the mean ness of the white community (dolphus Raymond)

The cause of Odale’s choice is her brothers death. Because Tawia is killed and he is defiled she must come the the decision, of obeying her Gods or obeying mans law. The way to obey her god’s laws are to give her brother a proper burial. Odale comes to this choice after seeing her brothers body. Odale didn’t see the point of living if her brother still suffered. The consequences of this choice was ultimately death, but then got changed to exile and then back again to death. Odale’s choice affected other people in the book in various ways. OFr example, the soldier Musa knew that she must bury Tawia to lift the curse off of her family and so he tried to protect her by defending her and lying. It affects Odale in that she grows and learns a very important lesson – to obey God’s laws rather than man. It affectsL eicho in that leicho realizes how much she loves her sister and Leicho realizes that she does not follow or do what is rght but rather succumbs to tyranny. It mostly affected Creon however as Creon is defied for probably one of the first times in his dictatorship. He is shocked at such a adisplay of bravery and feels clearly threatened by it.

Major Characters :
Odale : Odale is the heroine of the book Odale’s Choice and is thewin of her sister Leicho and the neice of the ruler Creon. Odales’ real name is Akwele.Odale was very outspoken. She was a free-spirit at the beginning of the book while she was dancing in the festivities but quicky transforms into a grave and seriousl character after hearing the news of her brother’s death. Odale was more impulsive and passionate about things, following her heart and her intuition about the major choices she has to make in the books .She is very courageous and did not fear death as much as the average person would, it was because of this that she made a great lead in the play and it was that she couldn’t be forced into submission of Creon’s tyranny. Because all of his threats meant nothing to her as she knew that the gods could unleash whatever Croen threatened her with, tenfold. Odale loved her sister very much and it was because of this that she did not force her to join the right side but instead protected her. She knew Leicho wouldn’t have the guts to do what was right in burying the body so she tricked Leicho into going home and staying safe while she took care of the matter. Odale knew that she had to bury her brother to : remove the curse, let his soul rest in peace and put her soul at ease. Odale’s real strength of character is not only shown in her bodl desicisons but her avid compassion for others. WE see this displayed when at the end of the book, she prays for her main oppressor, Creon –that he become more kind. Even when he sentences her to death she prays for him and Leicho, instead of thinking about herself. She is also polite to Creon even if she doesn’t believe in his law. However she is not as submissive to him as Leicho is and is not afraid to defy him. Odale is a martyr in a sense and is self-sacrificial as we see her in the end of the book, accepting the death for herself, Tawia and everyone else to lift the curse that has come upon them.

Creon : Creon was the leader of the nation in Odale’s Choice. He was the “father” of Leicho and Odale as since their father had died/ or had gone away, as the oldest and strong male figure in the family, he had to support the remaingin wife and children. Creon is notorious for being a harsh rule who is hard to please and demanding, evidence of this is the quote said by one of the soldiers “nobody from this place sweep dem house de way dis man want am sweep”. Creon kills his own nephew Tawia because Tawia clearly opposed him and was possibly a threat to Creons rule. Odae thinks that he is a tyrant and very cruel. The people of the land abhorred him. The play is laced with hypocrisy and many of his soldier and servants whom are the closest to him never pass up the chance to complain about him behind his back. Creon hasn’t ever had any children of his own and most people attritue this to his hard and cold ways. Evidence of this is scorning his own nephew and withing a horrible death on him and bad fourtune on his “carcass”. Creon was power-hungry and could be said to tear down anyone or thing that got in the way of his rulership. Creon killed both his nephew and his neice because they both did not comform to his ways. Creon however does have a heart, arguably as it is either a heart or just his plain pride that causes him to reduce the death sentence on Odale to exile and to give her many excuses to lie to him so that she wouldn’t have to die. Either way, Creon is the cause of the curse on the land as his awful rulership and his his disgrace of Tawia corpse bring misfortune on the land. Creon was an autocratic leader of the country, He wasn’t concernend about what anyone else said. Creon could be described as heartless as he left his nephews corpse to rot. He could be described as Ruthless as he didn’t care about the tired soldier having to keep watch ovrer a lifeless body, on a farway hillside, in the cold night, and that the corpse was smelly. And he was very inconsiderate for this sma ereason. The soldier express their disgust for him, as they believe that nothing could have been so bad to not ony kill his child but disgrace the body too. Creon is also very illtempered and illmanneerd and impatient with the natives and their language. Over all Creon is a horrible leader who is the antagonist of the book.

Leicho : Lecicho is the twin sister of Odale and her real name s awkukor”. Leicho ins in a sense odale’s other half – her exact opposite. While most of Odale’s actions are goverened by bravery, most of Leichos are laced with cowardliness. Leicho doesn’t want to talk badly of Creon even though he is a bad leader. Leicho knew exactly where Creon’s body was and how is had been left, yet she did not eant to tell Odale because she knew that Odale would do something about it and put herself in danger. Leichos’ actions were governed by one of two things – love for her sister or plain cowardliness. Leicho discouraged Odale from seeing the body and when Odale had seen it Leicho wanted both of them to hightail it back to their house to avoid getting into trouble. Leicho was Creon’s ideal subject, she was a mindless follower of his rule and with the threat of death she would so anything he decreed or said. Leicho dearly loved her sister but her love onlywent as far as Creon’s law. Leicho knew that it was a curse to follow Creon and his people and not bury the body but she did not want Uncle angry or to die.

Odale’s Choice is to first, defy the ruler at the time (by buring her brothers body) and secondly to refuse the mercy he extends to her at the end of the play .

Themes : Commitment to Oneself

The theme commitment to oneself is intertwined with bravery and present in the play Odale’s choice. There were two main characters who showed this theme in a positive light who were : Tawia, Odale’s late brother and Odale. We do not know much of Tawia but we are sure that he deifed Creon in some way and anyone who defied Creon must have been doing good as Creons practices and was were wicked and evil . Tawia stood up for what was right and fought for it, evidence of this in the play is the statement “ Though the boy look soft, he tail like a scorpion o!” Tawia “bit the same hand that feed am” and turned against Creon and for this was put to death. Odale was a spitting image of Tawia and followed in his footsteps. Odale remaind true to herself and would not be controlled by Creon’s laws. She had to take care of her brother and bury him as even if he “Wasn’t [Creon’s] nephew , he was Odale’s brother”. Both Odale and Tawia are brave in disobeying Creon. Odale esp. knew that she must follow the gods laws rather than man’s . Odale was committed to herself and sacrificed herself so that the curse may be lifted and brother’s body may rest in peace. Odale knew what was right even when everyone else didn’t or didn’t choose to do it.

What role does the mourning women’s chant play in the story?
“O the curse of the gods is upon us
The curse of the gods is upon us
Our household is ruined
Our cooking places destroyed…
Our hearths and holy places destroyed”
Ummm….it tells us about the curse and what the curse has done. It gives us insight as to what the people were going through and what worse things would happen if this curse was not lifted. The repetition in the chant tells us that the curse of the gods us indeed upon them and their houses are destroyed. Or something is….