Cell One: Locked Up Great Ideas

"Cell One" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a page-turner. Two robberies are introduced within the first paragraph. Readers quickly learn about the relationship the narrator has with her brother, parents, and readers learn about what school life is like. Her brother Nnamabia I believe is the central character in the story, and his persona and actions dictate what we learn about the people around him. For example, his persona as a popular and outgoing person, led me to assume that the narrator is not as popular as he is, or wishes to be. Also, when ends up in jail and his parents visited him everyday with food, I learned that his parents care about him and don't want him to suffer the full consequences of his actions. I was surprised that the parents never asked why he got in jail in the first place. I think that shows they couldn't imagine their son getting into so much trouble.

The text also introduced many binaries, explored by Benjamin, throughout the story. The first one I noticed was one of race: fair skin verses darker skin. The line, "Hey! Madam, why did you waste your fair skin on a boy and leave the girl so dark? What is a boy doing with all this beauty? And my mother would chuckle, as though she took a mischievous and joyful responsibility for Nnamabia's looks" exemplifies that the narrator is held against the standard of fair skin as beautiful and feminine. Another binary I noticed was between university professors and government workers or police. The police think the university faculty members are oblivious to the misbehavior their children are capable of. A third binary I noticed is between the narrator and her brother. After I read the whole story it was clear to me Nnamabia is the favorite child. The narrator clearly shows her opposition to the jail visits when she throws a stone at the car windshield, but at other times it wasn't as clear to me. After Nnamabia is described as having infectious sores across his forehead, and having survived a couple days in jail, the narrator still uses the adjectives, "worldly", "handsome", and "charming" to describe him. When she said her "worldly" brother was breaking down I don't know if she was being sarcastic and mean-spirited, or genuinely upset at the toll jail time had taken on her brother.

Transitioning from Benjamin to Nabakov, according to Nabakov, a good reader is someone who does not try to relate to the characters or the story. As a Nigerian American young woman, I have eaten jollof rice, seen Okadas, and have heard many stories of life at university from both of my parents. It was hard to not picture the last time I was in Nigeria (last summer) and how the story overlaps with my experience. Nevertheless, for the most part I tried to read the text as a true outsider.

Overall, I like how detailed the text is in describing life on campus, interactions with police, and cult culture that develops. It is sad how many of the acts of violence are not uncommon. It is interesting how our country's influence doesn't stop at "rap music and swagger" but extends to cults and guns.