Caspiano _ ENGLISH LITERATURE

This is a  story about the struggle of a man named Jonathan Iwegbu and his family for survival during and after the conduct of the Great Civil war in 1967. The family-like others faced a tough time for their survival, but Jonathan used a different approach to manage his struggle by considering himself lucky and a person with good fortune. He always says “Nothing puzzles God” which I think is his major strength to deal with the situation. Therefore this phrase is very significant and plays an important role in the story by giving the ability and courage to Jonathan to move forward in life without considering the darkness he faced. Despite losing life and so many things that are important to him, he celebrated their survival and recognized the leftover as the special gift of God to them. This key line made him optimistic, focused and efficient to make right decision to protect his family. This line showcased his philosophy towards life that God never concern himself with trying to understand the world and thus the same way Jonathan accepted his present and left the past behind by focusing on the things which remains with him and grabbing the opportunity foreseen in future. Due to this attitude, he moved out of the war successfully and also managed his living efficiently than others. Jonathan returns to this statement many times when he has to contemplate his good fortune. A positive attitude is a key requirement to deal with tough time, and this line serves this requirement effectively by building faith in God in good as well as bad times. This line suggests that what so happens, happens for good as God knows everything and he performs every act by having good intentions in his mind.

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“Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe tries to give the picture of what happened during the civil war in Nigeria. Achebe as an Ibo tries to keep the history of war and the behaviors after the war. The line “nothing puzzles God” shows that God is not very much concerned with what happens in the world and so humans should take care of themselves (Achebe, 1971). The nature of after war shows how much the people were focused on their own interest. Jonathan after the war is only concerned about his family. He abandons the ways they use to work as a community and focus on individual interest. With the phrase “nothing puzzles God,” Jonathan does not care about other but rather he and his family because he knows that God is not concerned about understanding the world.  

The significance of this phrase takes us to the point where Jonathan sees the remains of the war as an opportunity for the future. He does not want to think about the past and the war that even claimed his youngest child’s life (Achebe, 1971). He appreciates the fact that he survives and other members of his family of his wife and four children. Of course, it is important to forget about the past and move on with life, the living has to continue living and the dead are respected and buried to rest. Further, the phrase used by Jonathan made him be a model to other countrymen who were seated waiting for help instead of helping themselves (Achebe, 1971). The phrase laid a background to focus ahead despite the difficult situation that people may be subjected to. Although situation may devastate thinking and capability of moving on, Jonathan’s way of moving on is very convincing since he tries to forget the past and incorporate the available resource to build up a new life.

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