Things Fall Apart Essays

Things Fall Apart Essay

Things Fall Apart

By Chinua Achebe

Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

New York, New York

Copyright 1959

Author Biography

Albert Chinualumogu Achebe, or Chinua Achebe, was born November 16, 1930, in Ogidi, Nigeria. His parents were Janet N. Achebe, and Isaiah Okafo, a teacher in a missionary school. Mr. Achebe was educated at the University College of Ibadan, but also attended Government College in 1944. He wrote his first novel, Things Fall Apart, in 1958. During the Biafran War, he was in the Biafran government service. After the war, Mr. Achebe taught at several universities, both in Nigeria and in the United States. In 1967 he cofounded a publishing company with a fellow author, Christopher Okigbo. Mr. Achebe's later...show more content...

Complication– The climax of the novel is when Okonkwo accidentally shoots a member of the clan and is banished for seven years. This is the climax because it signals the beginning of Okonkwo's fall from a distinguished member of the clan.

Climax– The complication in the novel is when the missionaries come to Umuofia and create tension among the clan and between the clan and the church.

Conclusion– The conclusion in Things Fall Apart is when Okonkwo hangs himself in a tree. This is the ultimate way for him to differentiate himself from his father.

Theme

The

theme of Things Fall Apart is that you can never be satisfied with yourself if you are constantly trying to show people that you are something that you are not. Okonkwo had a lazy father, a very embarrassing thing in his culture. He feels that somehow, he must show people that he is better than that, so he works very hard to make a name for himself. Once he has done that, he is afraid to let up and enjoy his success, because he thinks people will respect him less if he doesn't work as hard. Therefore, Okonkwo can never be satisfied with himself because he is constantly trying to show people that he is something that he is not. The only way that he thinks he can let up this façade is when he is dead, which is how he resolves his problem. Proof of this is

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Things fall apart

In Things Fall Apart there are many cultural collisions created by the introduction of Western ideas into Ibo culture. One example of a cultural collision caused by the introduction of Western ideas into Ibo culture is when Okonkwo's first son, Nwoye converts to Christianity. This causes a cultural collision between Okonkwo and Nwoye because Nwoye wants to become a Christian, but Okonkwo doesn't like the white men or Christianity. This cultural collision is caused by the white men bringing in western ideas to Ibo culture. This collision is very important to the book because it leads to the destruction of Okonkwo and fuels his anger. This collision shapes the meaning of the novel as a whole by symbolizing many things...show more content... His anger is anger is symbolized as the fire and therefore it helped to destroy Okonkwo by fueling his fire. "Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw. Okonkwo's fear was greater than these. It was not external, but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father. Even as a little boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness, and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala. That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman, it could also mean a man who had taken to title. And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion– to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness" (13). This quote describes Okonkwo's fear and how his life was dominated by fear, Okonkwo feared change, failure and weakness. So when the white men showed up and tried to convert people Okonkwo feared for the failure of his clan to stay together and fight as one. He also feared change, so he did not like the new religion or the fact that it said that all of his

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Characters are the heart of a book. They make the story interesting and help explain the theme and plot. Without a strong list of characters a book becomes dull. In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart the characters help explain the lost Ibo culture, from strong to lazy, to women and a sacrifice to prevent war. The main character sets up the plot of a book, through their life and point of view the story is told. The main character in Things Fall Apart is a strong and culture hearted man named Okonkwo. He can be described as a tragic hero from his journey and life told in the book. As a sacrifice to prevent war in Umuofia a boy named Ikemefuna is traded to the village he is given to Okonkwo's family and he becomes apart of their family. Mr....show more content...

He is the greatest wrestler in the land and has four wives and a large land size and farm all of this and no thanks to his father Unoka. Growing up his father was poor and gave him no land and no wife and Okonkwo was forced to start his adult life from scratch. Because of his father Okonkwo fears laziness and everything his father enjoyed. "Even as a little boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness,[...] a playmate had told him that his father was agbala. That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman, it could also mean a man who had taken to title" (Things Fall Apart 12). If he see a sign of laziness in his children a punishment is followed. Because of his father's laziness it motivates him to succeed. This flaw of the fear of weakness and being like his father is one characteristic that makes him a tragic hero. He is a dedicated to the tradition of the Ibo culture and follows the traditions of his culture(reword this). Okonkwo is also ill–tempered he tends to beat his wife's if they do something wrong, once he threaten to get his gun. This can be seen from a statement in the book "Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper" (12). Okonkwo can be described as a tragic

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Summary and Analysis of: Things Fall Apart      There are many lessons that we learn in life. Chinua Achebe?s Things Fall Apart teaches one of life?s greatest lesson. True, lasting happiness matters more than ones social rank or ones rank of wealth. Okonkwo, who is the main character in this book, is trying his best to be the man that is father was not. His father was a well known bum and a man who owed a lot of debts. Okonkwo felt that men are always suppose to be strong, leaders, and do what people perceive are typical male tasks. But his father, Unoka, did not fit his description of what he felt a real man should be. He was ashamed of his father.      Okonkwo had an obsession. His...show more content... He lost everything including his titles and his standing within the Ibo tribe. He had to live with his mother?s tribe, and eventually seven years later he went back to the Ibo tribe to start his life all over again, only to in find out that things had changed. The arrivals of missionaries in Africa started a new way of living. The people who the Africans believed were outcast were accepted by the missionaries. They felt that no one should be turned away. The Africans thought that the outcasts would bring the missionaries nothing but bad luck.      The missionaries were given the evil forest to build their churches. The missionaries and the outcast were able to live and function very well in the forest. And when the Africans saw this they began to convert to Christianity. They felt that the God of the missionaries was more powerful than their ancestors and their gods. Okonkwo developed as dislike for these missionaries. In his opinion he felt that they should be killed and driven out of Africa. But he was the only person in the Ibo tribe that felt that way. He tried his best to persuade other fellow tribesmen to follow his lead and stray away from the missionaries, but they would not. And this caused his to kill a clansman who was a guard and eventually he killed himself. Because Okonkwo could not accept the changes that the missionaries brought, his rage led to murder. The

In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo faces a lot of different challenges in his life. When he returned to his motherland after being exiled everything he knew was different. In the end he could no longer overcome the challenges and he chose to end his life. He rebelled against change in his religion, faced racism, and struggled with complications in his life style. This novel suggests that we see things fall apart when people choose to judge others based on their religion, race, and lifestyle.

One evidence that support this argumentative essay is race. One thing that happens is the abame clan. In the abame clan a lot of people died not just one person and also the abame clan has been wiped out . The missionaries request a piece

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The Relationship between Okonkwo and Nwoye falls apart.

A relationship between a father and son can have a decidedly profound impact on each other's lives. Whether this relationship is bifurcated, the psychological effects of having an intimate or inadequate parenting skills can have a nurturing or depriving effect on a child's personality from birth all throughout adulthood. This relationship although sustained has the potential to be either beneficial or untenable. InThings Fall Apartby Chinua Achebe, we see a breakdown between a father and son relationship which created a very detrimental effect. The carved figure of a son that Okonkwo had predicted was erased due to his egoistic character and his terrible parenting skills....show more content...

According to Achebe, the main character detested his father at a very young age, "Even as a little boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness, and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala."(28) The Igbo tribe in Things Fall Apart uses the term an "agbala" which is used to describe "woman". Okonkwo considered his father to be weak, effeminate, poor, disgraceful, and always in debt to his fellow tribes people. Okonkwo's life revolves around the deep fear of becoming a failure and adopting the image of his father. Due to this self rooted perception of failure there are indications that he tries to rise above his father's legacy.

The breakdown of Okonkwo's relationship with his son is evident throughout this novel. The reason for this tumultuous relationship is, Okonkwo is too engrossed in maintaining his status quo, and his relationship was governed by his own beliefs, principles and his own "right way to do right things". He treated his family very strictly as he believed that showing affection revealed a sign of social weakness; thus the disheartening lack of respect and love was a mal nourishing factor with in the family.

This story maintained a constant theme of conflict. Nwoye, lives in perpetual fear of his father. Okonkwo constantly chastises his son and finds a fault with everything he Get more content

Everybody will face conflict at some point in their life and most people face it daily. Conflict can make you stronger if you continue pushing forward through it. Most successful people have used their conflict to their benefit. There is also an obvious downside to conflict. If you don't know how to handle conflict it could push you past your breaking point or cause you to quit on something. This isn't how you should use conflict. Conflict is what you make it, so make it beneficial.

First let's look at how conflict can be negative. People reacting in the wrong way can easily make conflict be negative. In the book "Things Fall Apart" Okonkwo negatively reacts to conflict. He is told he has to kill Ikemefuna and he then has a persona conflict. He doesn't know if he should kill Ikemefuna to seem strong or save his life so he can keep, what he views as, a son. He eventually makes, in my opinion, the wrong decision. He kills Ikemefuna. Instead of standing up during conflict, Okonkwo gave in and did...show more content...

When Okonkwo was a boy his father was not a good one. He didn't help his family in many ways at all and definitely didn't contribute to the clan. Because of this Okonkwo had nothing to start with when he became a man. He was eventually able to get out of the conflict by working hard. He never gave up and didn't want to be like his father. When he first started growing yams he had to borrow seeds from another man. This shows he started with nothing to his name. He then planted his fields and started his work. Although it was an awful planting season and nobody was able to grow crops including Okonkwo he persevered. The next year was a better year and he was able to start his life. After years of planting he eventually made a life for himself. He eventually became very successful and has 3 wives and a barnful of yams. He is one of the most successful men in his clan and contributes to the

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In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo has no respect for others, therefore ruining his relationships and ruining things for himself. He does not respect his wife, so he beats her. He does not respect his children, so he doesn't let them get an education. He does not respect anyone, and it ends up hurting him in numerous different ways. Mr. Brown is too easy–going. He respects everyone, which makes some people respect him. Mostly, everyone walks all over him. This makesOkonkwo and Mr. Brown mirror opposites, both in opinion and in personality. Okonkwo has an edge in the race because people respect him, though he doesn't respect anyone or anything. Mr. Brown gets put down for being easy–going, while Okonkwo is a powerhouse with a prominent...show more content...

America and Europe tend to have better education statistics than in mostly poor countries. In Things Fall Apart, It is obvious that Okonkwo doesn't value education at the slightest. He doesn't support the school, or even support his son, Nwoye. Mr. Brown respects education very much. "..Mr. Brown's school produced quick results. A few months in it were enough to make one a court messenger or even a court clerk. Those who stayed longer became teachers... (181–182)" This is relevant because Mr. Brown values education more than the average person in this time period. He is teaching the future, and helping careers and the economic growth of the village. Yes, what he is doing is considered as colonialism, which is portrayed as a bad thing. The white men are settlers who want to colonize Umuofia, but Mr. Brown seems to actually care about the welfare and success of the community. When Okonkwo comes back from his seven year banishment, Mr. Brown goes over to his hut and tells him that Nwoye (now Isaac) is going to become a teacher, expecting that Okonkwo would be truly excited and proud. Okonkwo was not, stepping all over Mr. Brown to make himself feel better about his life choices. This shows how the townspeople aren't excited and super into the idea of education, and would much rather be planting yams than learning

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Conflict In Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart

Brandon Rogers

Chinua Achebe's (1958) novel Things Fall Apart focuses on pre and post–colonial life in modern day Nigeria during the late Nineteenth century. Things Fall Apart is seen today as the first globally accepted novel written by an African author. That being said, Achebe's novel is extremely popular in both African schools, and taught in English–speaking countries all around the world. This novel follows the life and misfortunes of the main protagonist, Okonkwo. Throughout the novel, Chinua Achebe(1958) does a great job of the rise and fall of Okonkwo and the Igbo culture. Throughout the novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (1958) discusses the pattern of conflict between traditional African values, as practiced by the Igbo society, and those of the...show more content...

In my opinion, both the Igbo society and Okonkwo fell apart. This has a great deal to do with the arrival of the Christian missionaries, whose goal was to get the Igbo people to abandon their traditional values and practices in order to convert to Christianity. I also believe that the sense of family in the Igbo society was destroyed due to the fact that some of the Igbo people actually did convert to Christianity. The actions of the missionaries destroyed the most valued aspect of the Igbo society, causing it to fall apart. In my opinion, I believe that things fell apart in this novel for the worse. I say this because the Igbo society was invaded, and controlled by a foreign power which condemned the traditional values of Igbo society. The ultimate example of how things fell apart throughout this novel explained by the suicide of the protagonist Okonkwo. Upon seeing Okonkwo's hanging body, Obierika stated ferociously "That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog..." (Achebe, 1958,

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Things Fall Apart Essay

The book "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe is a fictional look at the social and cultural life of an African tribe of the lower Niger River region. It depicts the every day life of the tribe and its members. It also shows the culture and customs of the tribe.      The book focuses on one of the tribe members, Okonkwo. He is a well respected member of the tribe. Okonkwo is a good example of a respected member of the tribe who also has great renown. He is known as a great wrestler and warrior of the nine villages of the tribe. He is a very powerful and influential member.      Throughout the story, certain unfortunate events occur, preventing Okonkwo's rise to the top. Those who knew his...show more content...

Eventually though, Okonkwo realizes that the boy must die. Though it is obvious that he is disturbed by this, he does not show it, and even slays the boy himself, lest he should be thought weak.      This is one example of Okonkwo's character. He is willing to put aside all feelings he has for the boy in order to do what he feels must be done to retain his sense of strength.      During a burial ceremony for one of the tribesmen, Okonkwo accidentally kills the dead man's son. The prescribed punishment for this is exile for seven years. Okonkwo and his family then move to his mother's old tribe to serve his exile.      This accidental death is just one of many crushing incidences Okonkwo has to deal with. He serves out his seven years as he is supposed to, with grand ideas of his return to his village. When the seven years are up Okonkwo does not necessarily return in triumph. Though his daughters are beautiful and worthy of marriage to a king, he is unable to immediately induct his sons into the group that he wishes.      When Okonkwo returns to the village, he finds that the white man has moved in, bringing Christianity with him. This is a struggle that shows Okonkwo's inflexibility and objection to change from tradition. Eventually, Okonkwo slay's a man working for the British and ends up hanging himself as a result of his actions. Suicide is forbidden by the clan,

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The book 'Things Fall Apart" highlights many different aspects of African culture and shows us how incredibly bright, beautiful, harsh, violent and mystical the lives of Nigerians were. In this text several concepts will be questioned and analyzed, such as the importance of the character's daily life and rituals, the language used throughout the writing, comparing how they deal with problems and solving them, determining whether or not the text contains a local or grand narrative, and if there are any references or correlations to essentialism, euro–centrism, the white man's burden and the silent native?

'Things Fall Apart" starts with a poem that describes what will eventually occur, a precursor of what is to come and befall the villagers ofNigeria.

"Turning and Turning in the widening gyre, The Falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things Fall Apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world" –W.B. Yeats, "The Second Coming" (Achebe, 2). The way the text is written one can compare it to how things are turning and falling apart, the story being told is not linear. It jumps from one moment to another in time while still moving forward.

In a sense, it feels like the story is moving in a circular motion.

Some important aspects of Nigerian life in "Things Fall Apart" appear to be based upon one's ability to provide, to be fearless, strong and to hold customs and rituals above everything else. The book states that Okonkwo father "had taken no

Things Fall Apart Essay

Achebe and Adichie teach us about the importance of notice other culture around us and that their is always more than one side of a story. As I listen to the Adichie and read Achebe, I began to notice how much I don't know. How important Things Fall Apart is not only to teach us about African culture, but to know there side of how colonization began. All in allThings Fall Apartteaching us different cultures in the world, people, and that we should know more about the world we live in. Achebe argues how we limited ourselves to only one point of view of the world. When we do that we don't see what else is out there, if people/culture are different it doesn't make them weird or that they are doing it wrong they just see the world in their eye different than we see it. Achebe wrote in Things Fall Apart, The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others." What I think when I heard that is one man gold is another man's treasure. That we all take different things and view from this world we live in. In things fall apart the tribe of Igbo believe that a man is rich and powerful when he has many wifes and can take of all of them and there...show more content...

I learn so much more about African history and culture Before I read this book I didn't realized what has happen in Africa, or that people were trying to tell their side of the story. I read history book and literature novel but I can honestly say that this is the first book I have read that truly taught me about Africans and their side of the story. For example I learn many things like the evil forest, how more wives are good, all the different foods, all the ceremonies and festival they have, and there religion. That I now know because of Things Fall Apart. Things Fall Apart made me open my eyes and that why it's important for more people like me to read this

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Tragic Hero or Coward? In Achebe's book Things Fall Apart Okonkwo is arguably made out to be a "coward" due to the killing of the messenger and to himself. Many reader's don't see that Okonkwo is no coward at all, but should be considered a "tragic hero". In the tribe of Umuofia, Okonkwo is considered to be the "greatest men of his time"(Achebe 8), his characteristics fit the definition of an everyday hero, which is a man of distinguished courage, ability, and thought highly of for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Okonkwo is a well respected man in the tribe and rises to the top very quickly "like a brush–fire in the harmattan"(Achebe 3) and at a young age; he is muscular, vigorous, well respected, and wealthy. Achebe describes...show more content... He has been fantasying his return from the start of his exile and is nonetheless starting to fill with more anxiety. Reader's are starting to see things falling apart in not only the tribe of Umuofia but also in Okonkwo himself. Okonkwo gets a little relief from the tension and anxiety going on in his mind and the reader actually see's a little happiness in him when they burn down the church. But when the District Commissioner comes to the village and takes Okonkwo and the leaders prisoner. This is were readers see Okonkwo's downfall unravel quickly. While being held prisoner of the missionary's "judicial system", Okonkwo loses it after being humiliated by the whitemen. He tells his other tribe members, " we should have killed the white man if you had listen to me"(Achebe 195). The reader can see that Okonkwo is filled with hate specially toward the white man and he is just a "ticking time bomb." Achebe's also mentions it in the book, "Okonkwo was choked with hate"(Achebe 195). This is a turning point in the story and for the missionaries. When Enoch is encouraged by Smith to insult the traditional Igbo culture by killing the "sacred python"and de–masking of the god, readers tend to believe that this is where things begin to change. According to spark notes the killing of the python, "emblematize the transition from the old order to the new."Showing the reader's the missionaries are trying to covert the Igbo and will do it no

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Three themes illustrated in Things Fall Apart are manliness, religious beliefs, and pride. These three themes are prevalent throughout the story, and slowly lead to the death of Okonkwo. He does not give up in his beliefs and will do anything to defend his honor; this creates many problems for Okonkwo. One of the themes shown in the novel, Things Fall Apart, is manliness. Okonkwo is driven by his fear of unmanliness, which causes him to act harshly toward his clan, his family and himself. He judges everyone by how manly they act. In Okonkwo's eyes a man is a tough, hardworking, prosperous person and anyone who does not meet these standards is considered weak. "Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest,...show more content...

When the missionaries make their way to Umuofia, the clan hardly understands the Christian faith and likewise the missionaries hardly understand the Ibo people's faith. One difference in the clan's beliefs and Christian's beliefs is illustrated in the discussion of `the one true god.' Chukwu is the "supreme" god worshiped by the Ibo people. "He appoints the smaller gods to help Him because His work is too great for one person" (Page 165). The missionaries also believe in one supreme God, but this God was the "Creator of all the world and all the men and women" (Page 134). They believed that when all men died they went before Him for judgment, and "Evil men and all the heathen who in their blindness bowed to wood and stone were thrown into a fire that burned like palm–oil" (Page 135). It's offensive that they are more than happy to say that the clan's beliefs are lies. They take it upon themselves to change the religion or "make it civilized", not regarding the fact that maybe the clan were already content with the religion they had. However, Nwoye sees the missionaries as more sympathetic when it comes to certain things like twins, so he finds understanding them easier. Since everyone is equal in the eyes of the Christian's God, most of the people who converted were Get more content

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was wrote in 1958 as a response to European Literature viewing Africans as savages who were then enlightened and found peace and safety by the Europeans. Chinua describes the Igbo people and showed the culture and showing the way of life of the Igbo people. This book shows this powerful and eye opening look into the complex society of these tribes and villages and how law and order is run. The major theme that is I will focus is that traditional development of the Igbo tribe alone and with the influence of the Europeans. The book takes place in the Umuofia and Mbanta villages around the 1900s. During the 1900s the rise of European Imperialism in Africa becomes very much prevalent between 1881 and 1914....show more content...

This ideal is a part of the village that women aren't of high value and important in the village of Umuofia. It states "Without looking at the man Okonkwo had said. "This meeting is for men." The man who had contradicted him had no titles. That was why he had called him a woman. Okonkwo knew how to kill a man's spirit." This shows that being a women or being called a woman is a very bad insult that can "Kill a man's spirit". Unoka is Okonkwo's father, who is much different from Okonkwo that he is a peaceful care–free soul and a musician but because of this care–free way of life, doesn't provide for the family and is lazy. Unoka is a caring man and cared for his son in the book when Okonkwo had a bad harvesting month. Unoka consoled Okonkwo by saying "Do not despair. I know you will not despair. You have a manly and a proud heart. A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and bitter when a man fails alone." Obierika is Okonkwo's best friend who is a compassionate friend that gives reasonable help to Okonkwo's decisions and actions. One example of this is when Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, Obierika tells him "And let me tell you one thing, my friend. If I were you I would have stayed home. What you have done will not please the

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When I read Things Fall Apart, I had a clear mind of what a life could be like Okonkwo's. For the rest of the reading, a question was contacting me in different places of the novel. Okonkwo was an angry man in front of his Nigerian tribe and changed when Christian missionaries came to the Ibo village; also, I responded to the book, and my personal applications to a different culture were related to a missionary trip that was a powerful one back in 1956 in Ecuador. As I kept on reading, there was a strong connection between the novel and the Operation Auca missionary trip in Ecuador in 1956. The life of a native like Oknokwo's and his tribe are rough and can be a problem with the more civilized people in a country. God needed some of...show more content...

Kiaga. 'You fear that you will die. Why should that be? How are you different from other men who shave their hair? The same God created you and them. But they have cast you out like lepers. It is against the will of God, who has promised everlasting life to all who believe in His holy name. The heathen say you will die if you do this or that, and you are afraid" (pg. 157). As the missionaries grew close with the clan members, the more people began to adapt Christian faith, despite of some aggression. The third location is on pages 160 to 161 where the Christian missionaries were part of killing the sacred python and Okoli killing it. " 'They say that Okoli killed the sacred python,' said one man. 'It is false,' said another. 'Okoli told me himself that it was false.' Okoli was not there to answer. He had fallen ill on the previous night. Before the day was over he was dead. His death showed that the gods [native Nigerian gods] were still able to fight their own battles. The clan saw no reason then for molesting the Christians" (pgs. 160–161). The final location is on page 190 where some people did not appreciate the Gospel and the missionaries' words. " 'You can stay with us if you like our ways. You can worship your own god. It is good that a man should worship the gods and the spirits of his fathers. Go back to your house so that you may not be hurt. Our anger is great but we have held it down so that we can talk to you' " (pg.

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Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart is an excellent piece of literary work that addresses the history of post–colonialism in Africa. The writer intentionally situates a colonized people as the cultural norm while portraying the colonizing people as outsiders, or as "the other". Achebe's work is meant to correct people's misconception that African culture and society is savage and primitive by narrating the story of the colonialization of the Igbo people from an African point of view. The novel depicts the tensions and conflicts within the Igbo society as well as being under colonial rule. The justice system of the Igbo people impacts the lives of everyone within the community. They have complex social institutions that delivers ...show more content...

As a result, he abides by the law and decides not only to participate in the deed, but is also the one that takes Ikemefuna's life. As Ikemefuna is yelling out, "My father, they have killed me!" (p.61), Okonkwo feels immense guilt but performs the deed of killing off the child that called him "Father", simply because the justice of his society claimed it. When his son Nwoye finds out about Okonkwo's involvement in the killing of Ikemefuna, he stops speaking to his father altogether and distances himself from him. In this case, the justice system that required Okonkwo to follow the rules in order to secure his reputation, ended up in him having to lose two sons; one being killed by the hands of the very person he considered his father, and one that lost all respect for him when he decided to ignore morals and choose justice instead. Okonkwo's sense of ethics is what shapes the plot in Things Fall Apart. His beliefs in how he carries himself and who he strives to be is mainly influenced by the failures of his father. He does not want to seem weak and pathetic in front of the society that once labeled his father as such. His violent and ambitious behavior is the outcome. Achebe writes, "Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of Get more

In the novel Things Fall Apart, a vast number of topics are covered, but none in such a detailed fashion as the collisions of cultures. In both the communal lifestyles of Okonkwo's tribe, or in the strict hierarchy of the white men, there is sense. Each holds a deep center of spirituality, be it pagan or Christian, and each adheres to a certain code of rules and traditions far different from the other. Most importantly, however, they both hold on tightly to their incredible stubbornness.

In the Umuofia tribe, tradition ran deeper than the roots of their palm trees. From the ways of greeting a visitor with a kola nut, to burial rites, every aspect of their lives was in some way centered on the gods of their ancestors. Each individual had a...show more content... Their laws were harsher, and focused on individuals rather than community. Murder warranted execution, as did many other crimes against established and strict rules. On top of this, the white men believed in One God, but this one God was also three gods, and had a son without having a wife. Not only was this "Christianity" rather odd and confusing, but they were also pressuring others to believe in it. The white men demonised all that the clans had ever known to be true, and it was not entirely out of malice. Rather, the white men saw the African natives as primitive men, in need of the aid of the "advanced" white men. As with countless people before them, the colonial men of the story had bought into the idea of non–white cultures being in desperate need of white saviours, a sentiment still rampant in society and fiction even today. In fact, the main flaw on the part of the white men and missionaries of Things Fall Apartwas neither their Christianity nor their whiteness, but rather that they refused to learn in full the customs of those they were evangelizing, because they saw native culture as something wild and entirely uncultured, rather than for what it was another

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In Things Fall Apart, there are conflicts between the white Christian missionaries and the African citizens of Umuofia, however I believe that the conflict is not a purely racial one, but one appertaining to the struggle between traditions and change. I do not believe that the conflict is primarily concerned with black versus white tensions because when the missionaries came to Umuofia, many of the Igbo people did decide to convert to Christianity because they either didn't agree with the Igbo culture or they were considered outcasts. In the Igbo culture, twins were one of the types of people who were in the group that they called the osu or the outcastes of the society. However, with the introduction of Christianity, people who used to be considered...show more content...

One story of this told in the book was when "Nneka had had four previous pregnancies and childbirths. But each time she had borne twins, and they had been immediately thrown away. Her husband and his family were becoming highly critical of such a woman and were not unduly perturbed when they found she had fled to join the Christians."(pg.113) Some of the Nigerian people were not happy with the Igbo culture and decided to join the Christian. This means that on the "white" side there is a large portion of African people.

A reason why I believe that the major conflict of this novel is due to the issues of the Christian missionaries coming toNigeria and changing their culture is that the introduction to Christianity in Umuofia is not beneficial for all of its citizens. While, some joined the Christians, Get more content

The novel Things Fall Apart took place in the Igbo Society–the part of the world that has very strict views on gender roles, but not just gender roles. It is likely that every individual in the Igbo society viewed or defined masculinity differently. To some, masculinity was expressed through anger and violence; to others, masculinity was expressed through a man's responsibility. These different views on masculinity can create conflicts and can therefore impact individual's life. In the novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo and Obierika different interpretations of masculinity led them to a different life and such intention was successfully introduced through Achebe's uses of foil characters.

Okonkwo on the one hand, shows an extreme interpretation of masculinity and it...show more content...

Okonkwo was known for his valor in war and his victory against Amalinze the Cat, Okonkwo believed that masculinity can only be shown through his violent action, in order to express his power, he often hit his wives and children, even during the Week of Peace. Nothing seemed to be able to stop him from being violent, because nice or caring personality is considered as weak or feminine. First case was when Ojiugo left without feeding her kid, and such action to Okonkwo was Ojiugo not doing her duty as stated "'Did she ask you to feed then before she went?' 'Yes,' lied Nwoye'smother, trying to minimize Ojiugo's thoughtlessness. Okonkwo knew she was not speaking the truth. He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo's return. And when she returned he beat her very heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace" (Achebe 29). The word "beat heavily" implies that Okonkwo did not just beat Ojiugo, instead, it is in the form of domestic violence, the

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