Things Fall Apart Essay - 1042 Words

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 â€Å"Without looking at the man Okonkwo had said. â€Å"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 â€Å"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 â€Å"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. On e example of this is when Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, Obierika tells him â€Å"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 theShow MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart Essay2440 Words   |  10 PagesThings Fall Apart: A Critical Analysis Things Fall Apart (1958) is a fictional novel by Chinua Achebe that examines the life the Igbo tribe living in a rural village called Umuofia in Nigeria during the early 19th century. The central values of the novel revolve around status, virtues, power, and traditions that often determine the futures and present of the characters in the Achebe story. The novel shows the life of the protagonist Okonkwo and his family, village, and Igbo culture and theRead MoreThings Fall Apart Essay867 Words   |  4 PagesKandace Barzey Wake Forest Advanced World Literature Things Fall Apart Essay December 19, 2012 Believe, Achieve, Succeed What is the definition of a man to you? Chinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart takes place in a Nigerian village known as Umuofia. The main character, Okonkwo, is part of the Igbo clan in Umuofia. Okonkwo s success is driven by his desire not to be a failure like his father Unoka; he is so determined not to be like his father to the point where he is willing to kill and isRead More Things Fall Apart Essay714 Words   |  3 PagesThings Fall Apart Opposites do not Attract In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Mr. Brown, the first missionary in Umuofia, was a kind and respectful man. Not to say that Reverend James Smith was not, but his degree of kindness and respect were present in a whole different level. They both wanted to convert the lost, all those in Umuofia that were not in the church. Mr. Brown made friends with the clan and â€Å"trod softly on his faith,† (pg.178) while Mr. Smith told them how thingsRead More Things Fall Apart Essay763 Words   |  4 PagesChinua Achebes Things Fall Apart shows an odd similarity between the cultures of Ancient Greece and the Lower Niger. Despite the fact that two societies can exist during different periods of time and have conflicting cultural values, their stories and behavior can have surprising overlaps. Things Fall Apart is structured like a Greek Tragedy in its use of a chorus and in the presence of a tragic hero whose actions ultimately lead to his downfall. The Egwugwu from Things Fall Apart act like the chorusRead More Things Fall Apart Essay1582 Words   |  7 Pages 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,Read MoreThings fall apart essay1311 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿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 whiteRead MoreThings Fall Apart Essay1230 Words   |  5 Pagesbetween 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 childs personality from birth all throughout adulthood. This relationship although sustained has the potential to be either beneficial or untenable. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, we seeRead More Things Fall Apart Essay567 Words   |  3 PagesThings Fall Apart An African man, Chinua Achebe, wrote the novel, Things Fall Apart, at the age of 26. The story portrays his theme of life, when one thing stands another stands beside it. The main character, Okonkwo, lead a somewhat complicated life. As it began, it was ruled by courage and strength, but he chose to end it with a weak escape from every challenge he had ever been given, suicide. As his life began he was given nothing. His father, Unoka, was a disgrace to Umuofia. He was extremelyRead MoreThings Fall Apart Essay943 Words   |  4 PagesChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart portrays Africa, especially the Igbo society, during the pre- and post-European imperial era. This novel is about the tragic fall of Okonkwo, the protagonist, and the Igbo culture. Okonkwo is a strong and highly respected leader in the Igbo community of Umuofia. Things Fall Apart examines the demolition of African culture by the appearance of the white man in terms of the destruction of the connections between individuals and their society. Achebe also explainsRead MoreThings Fall Apart Essay1843 Words   |  8 Pages 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 â€Å"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