Urenna Quotes From Things Fall Apart

I named her Urenna, meaning father’s pride. She was born on the last market day Nkwo, on the 13th month. I remember pacing around the placid compound, with my younger brother Achike filling my ears with calm reassurance and comforting words. I sat under the eerie darkness to the break of dawn, whispers and prayers slipping from my chapped lips until the midwife came out, her bloody hands clasped at her front. “ Nwanne, the gods have given to you new life and have taken the old. You have been blessed with a beautiful daughter.”
I looked up at her, my hands shaking. I knew she was not finished, that there was more to be said.“And in many pregnancies Ani, the goddess of fertility demands a sacrifice. Chinasa has paid that sacrifice with her life.
In fact, I have seen the unimaginable. The white men we heard about! The ones from the West! They are here in Awka and they come bearing weapons and goods like nothing we’ve ever seen.” My ears perked up at this news. The onye ochas had finally come to trade with us.“So Achike, what are they willing to trade for? What do they want us to give them?”
“All they want are people. They say they will bring them to the ‘new world’ and they will become like the onye ochas.” People? Why would they want our people? I wanted the resources but the price seemed too high. Achike looked at me with eyes full of ideas.
“You could give them Urenna” he suggested “Then remarry, maybe even have a son. It is not like she can inherit anything from you once you pass, so the money would do us g…”
Before I knew what I was doing, my right hand came in contact with the side of Achike’s face and with eyes as dark as n’abali I ordered him to get out. Achike quickly stormed out and did not return for the next week. I kept a close eye on Urenna all through the week, only letting her go to the stream when I was at home. I had finally relaxed enough to grab my flute and practice in the back, when a cry came from the front of the house.
“ONYE NO EBE? ONYE NO EBE! BIKO NYERE M AKA!”
As I ran to the front, Ijeoma’s face was filled with tears and scratches marked her arms and
My hands and feet were bound and I was on my knees. Four hazy figures stood in front of me. “Finally, you have awoken! We’ve been waiting for you for quite a long time.” I knew that voice better than anyone. It belonged to the person who I trusted and cared for all my life. Achike. Slowly, the figures became clear and Achike stood with two odd looking men and at his feet kneeled Urenna, cut and crying. The men that stood near Achike resembled ghost and it seemed as if they had not met the sun before. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. “You see, Abuchi, you have always been the favored one even by the gods. You were born first, you were giving everything you could ever ask for. Everything Papa owned had been given to you! It is time for you to lose something, to feel what I feel!” Achike was enraged. I never knew that he had such dark intents down in his soul. I forced up the words stuck in my throat.“Achike, I have already lost my wife, I can’t lose my daughter...or you.” I felt something sharp poke into my back as I spoke. “I did not know how you felt. I will give whatever you want, just don’t hurt Urenna, she is your only niece.” The pale men wore white shirts and navy jackets with gold buttons. They stood beside each other quietly whispering unknown words into each others’ ears. “I do not have much time, big brother and you have been nothing but a reminder of my failure. Goodbye.” With a nod of Achike’s head, the unforgiving metal