We donโt speak often enough about the extent to which African literature is often received as ethnographic evidence rather than as art. This anthropological mode of reading reduces complex works to cultural documents that obscure their formal invention, aesthetic intelligence, philosophical range, and literary ambition.
I remember taking a which "iliad character are you quiz" with my friends and I got Achilles THRICE and I was so sad because I want Patroclus then it clicked
To me "I said" is a direct quote as it was delivered in the moment and "I was like" is a general paraphrasing of what I said that may include my interior emotional response plus the general unspoken vibe of the interaction