The three stories we have covered "An Image of Africa" "Girls at War" and "The Madman" involve colonialism and the problems associated with it. I find all these stories very interesting however, I must admit at times I found some of the plots hard to follow. "An Image of Africa" gives a sort of parable that involves the effects of colonialism using animals as the central characters.
On the other hand, "Girls at War" is a little more literal in its plot it gives an outstanding and relevant account of the affects of war and its aftermath. All the characters at one time or another are forced into situations they would normally not find themselves in. I love how Achebe gives his characters complex, realistic roles that could mimic any current stories of war that you may find in a book or newspaper.
"The Madman" was hard for me to follow at first however, as I began to view my notes and read the story I begin to understand the plot more. I took the characters too literal and I failed to think in terms of what Achebe was trying to say about his views on society. "The Madman" shows how much influence society really has on everyone especially when injustice is allowed to flourish.
Overall, I was not prepared for the type of stories that I have read so far in "World Literature III." I have read many books on the African American experience and what I am finding is that the stories about Africans and African Americans are similar yet different in many ways. Achebes stories show the far reaching consequences of colonialism and its aftermath.
You make several excellent observations here. Your readers will want more explanations to understand the implications and the evolution of these observations. For example, you compare the African literature to the African American literature, but you do not tell us how you see them contrasting.
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