“Valor in War” (Achebe 65)
I was assigned to write a found-lines poem based on Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Since I am unable to format the poem how I truly wrote it (in three columns to represent the three voices), I have used regular text, italics, and bold to represent the three voices.Â
The “man of action” (10)
“brought honor to his village” (3)
and “the customs of [the] neighbors.” (73)
“[T]he only thing worth demonstrating was strength” (28)
and “a manly and a proud heart” (24)
to “lay the foundations of a prosperous future.” (18)
who “ate with kings and elders” (8)
and was “respected for his industry and success.” (26)
The “lords of the clan” (26)
held “great ceremonies and dances” (42)
and “sang his praise.” (50)
“[T]he cannon boomed” (120)
Then the “offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation.” (11)
“A tough young man” (52)
Will “join the ancestors” (52)
to “honor [an] age-old custom.” (97)
Is there ever “valor in war?” (65)
“Does a man speak when a god speaks?” (101)
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Print.