http://prezi.com/ujsajaxkupiu/women-and-children-in-gods-bits-of-wood/

Chapter 17-18

The strength of a large crowd of people is definatly displayed in chapter 17, as Bakayoko's plan works our perfectly. Bakayoko tells Alioune to make the crowd yell in order to let him speak. I thought it was really cool that Bakayoko was able to muster up so much support and overpower everyone so he would have an opportunity to speak. I thought it was nice that in some ways it is shown the strike was succesfful, and Bakayoko tells the crowd to continue challenging authority. The strike was successful but it did come at the cost of a few lives of the Senegales. Proves how a communiyt can unite and overcome challenges.

Chapter 15 - 16

Finally Bakayoko shows up to support the strikers that praise him so much as a leader. His character is pretty interesting as he seems almost overly confident and to agressive in his manner. The way his character was built up makes his introduction almost anti-climactic instead of what most probably anticipated. His actually enterecne into the story was very understated and quiet. Its not until they meet with the managers that his real "passion" comes out. Although i see it more as just a bad temper. It seems as if he almost has the potential to ruin what the stikers have been working for as much as he can help it.

In chapter 16 another leader somewhat emerges in Penda as she leads the march, almost entirely successfuly. I saw Penda as a leader earlier as she displays a very strong independent personality earlier in the book. Penda's death comes as a big suprise too, I think it helps to show peoples willingness to fight for their cause as the marchers press on.

Chapter 13-14

Chapter 13 and 14 show some what of a swtiching in roles between the French and the Senegales. In the beginning of the Novel the French seemed like they had complete control in the way that they were able to manipulate workers, and once a strike started they simple shut off the people from any resources. The Senegalese seemed unorganized and chaotic in the way they tried to deal with the strike. But now as the novel moves on it becomes more evident that the Senegalese people are becoming more close and orgonized, and in turn this is having a significant effect on the French. They French are starting to break down. We see examples of this through Inard's character. For example, when he is the first to somewhat break the strike and offer Doudo a deal to come back to work. Also we see more breakdown through his character when he empties his revolver into the group of children who were simply misbehaving in the town. I think this is the start of the major tansition in power that will happen eventually in Senegal.

Chapter 11-12

Chapters 11 and 12 show another split between focus on the Women, and the Men of Senegal. Chapter 11 focuses on Penda's first interaction with Maimouna when she finds her sleeping in her bed. Penda at first does react in a not so pleasent way, but then seems to come around and shows compassion. For example, when Maimouna asks about her child Penda responds in a way to please Maimouna. Also Penda shows signs of compassion in her intrest of the fathers of Maimouna's children. I thought this was a good reaction seeing as how Penda's character is made out to be very independent and thick skinned.

Chapter 12 switches to focus on the men, specifically Doudo. Isnard offers Doudo 3 million francs to come back and start work again, in hopes that others will follow and the strike will be broken. Doudo proudly declines the offer and returns to the strikers to report what had happend. This gives the strikers more reasons to be optimistic as the French are finaly starting to show signs of weakness due to the strike.

Chapters 9-10

Chapters 9 and 10 both have significant events that are worth mentioning. First off in chapter 9, there is more of the stuggle for women to gain more of a role in the Senegalese culture. The police men come on horses and the women decide that they are going to fight back, they decide to use fire to ward off the police man. It does work, but a simple flaw in their plan is that if a fire is to catch anywhere within the neighborhood, which it does, what are they going to use to put it out? Unfortunatly they dont really have anything, and the fire destroys their neighboorhood. Although tragic for the women, their strength and significance in the strike continues to grow.

Chapter 10 has another death that can be considered somewhat ironic. In some ways it is easy to feel bad for the character as his life is depicted as very unplesant, through his reflections on it himself, and seeing numerous people turn him away when he is need of food. In the end he falls, hits his head, and ends up being eaten by rats, the very specimin he tried to kill for food.

Chapters 7-8

Chapters 7 - 8 made the book a lot more interesting for me because everything that took place made me realize how much the people really value the stike and all though some people are backing out and going back to work, the majority of the people really stick behind it and support. The main even that takes place is the trial. This really showed the strength of the group, especially Tiemoko's bringing his own uncle to trial. The trial in general showed strength because it was the first those people have had, and the embarrassment that came with the trial, for Diara, was enough to set an example for the rest of the people. 
 

Away from the trial, i thought the interaction with Ad'jibid'ji and Niarkoro was interesting with the question Niakoro asks about the water. The death of Niakoro also surprised be. Thinking like a great IB student, i considered what the death of Niakoro could represent metaphorically, and thought that maybe it represents the death of a tradition, or a tradition dying. This is the outcome of the ongoing conflict of the colonization and the internal battle between men and women within the community.