Chinua Achebe 's No Longer At Ease

Obi threatens to close off traditional values and bring forth modern efforts. He was not fond of the older generation ways and tried to eradicate them completely. This is probably due to his background and how he was raised. For example, his first name is of European descent while his last name is of African origin. Also, Mr. Obi “had had sound secondary school education…....[that] set him apart from the other headmasters in the mission field” (309). This fact implied that Mr. Obi is definitely from a European aristocratic family because back then, only the rich ever get to attend colleges. There was no loan, financial aid, scholarships, and grants like today that could let the ambitious embark on their journey to a successful career. Therefore, by looking into how he was raised and who brought him up, these factors could have result in his lack of understanding of the African tribal

Traditions is a representation of the history, beliefs, and language of a group of people or country. Traditions usually have a symbolic meaning due to the origins in the past. Unfortunately, most traditions aren't as positive as they should be. There's really negative traditions that can sometimes effect the people and the way they think. The people can sometimes become very narrow-minded or depending on the customs and traditions, they'll become violent. In the book Things Fall Apart Umuofia's traditions have a negative effect on the people, specifically Okonkwo. Okonkwo happens to be a respected member of the Umuofia clan. Okonkwo's wealth and High-ranked position in the community makes him very powerful. On the other hand his extreme

Growing up in an environment where one’s parents and society restrict the behavior of that individual, can be a very challenging situation to be in. This was so for Nwoye. Raised in the Igbo culture, social order was said to demand conformity. It was a culture where he was forced to act a certain way, or be punished by his father Okonkwo, which wasn’t a type of lifestyle Nwoye would want to be living all his life. The book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe uses Nwoye to exemplify the outcomes in a relationship, of a father forcing masculine and cultural tradition values his son, Nwoye. Although, Nwoye’s curiosity on the Igbo culture and will to become the person that he wants to be, comes before him even if it calls for going against

In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo, the protagonist, experiences change from the cultural collision caused by the introduction of Western ideas into the Igbo culture. Okonkwo is the personification of the Igbo cultural values and morals, he is a true warrior, hard-working man that raises a surplus of staple foods, and a holder of many Igbo cultural titles showing proof of his dedication and work. Okonkwo is also one of the Egwugwu, an elder of the village that acts as a host for a god during the Igbo clan’s cultural and judicial meetings. However, no matter how great Okonkwo was, he fell victim to the changes of Western culture as it infiltrated and destroyed his people.

Have you ever worked so hard in your life, that you became successful after all the hard work was done, but during that successful time came the trials and tribulations. Trying to take care of different responsibilities. Well in Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo says” you stay at home and offer sacrifices to a reluctant soil, Go home and work like a man. Chinua achebe shows that you may have good times and being successful in life, but there was also hard work involved. Hard Work always pays off in the end no matter how it’s done. When it comes Okonkwo always wanted to be better than his dad Unoka. He will try and make it through the trials and tribulations.

In the book, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe presents the main character, Okonkwo, to us as a tragic hero. We watch Okonkwo progress through the book, and observe as his tragic flaw leads to his ultimate downfall. Obierika, Okonkwo’s best friend, always stands by Okonkwo and serves as Okonkwo’s voice of reason as they face the British colonization of their villages. The way Achebe presents these characters to helps shape the overall theme of the novel: the interpretations people have of one another’s culture can lead to their downfall when they clash. More specifically, the misinterpretations the Igbo tribe had of British intentions led to their downfall when the cultures clashed in Things Fall Apart.

The most traumatizing and destructive statement someone can say is to “Be a Man.” As Carlos Gomez once stated, “So many men in this world (are) living in this sort of quiet desperation, confined in this box of toxic masculinity.” In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, some characters are the epitome of this toxic masculinity. Things Fall Apart shows the dimension of both Igbo people and culture, while highlighting the tale of a tragic hero, Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s rise to glory was demonstrated by his humble beginnings and eye for prosperity. However, abundant cultural differences show how conflict emerges between individuals and what society expects of them. The novel also in part traces Okonkwo’s lack of emotional awareness as he murders his surrogate son while simultaneously criticizing his other biological son for being effeminate. Ultimately, Okonkwo’s obsession with masculinity sparked aggression between the white missionaries, and eventually he was driven to commit suicide. Chinua Achebe reveals that the overpowering theme of hyper masculinity portrays one as emotionally unacceptable, and although one ideal, the author demonstrates how heavy masculine qualities tear apart relationships and structure in life.

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the reader is taken on a journey to a Nigerian tribe, Umuofia, to experience first-hand the struggles of a warrior named Okonkwo. Okonkwo showed that he had so much to live for, but as seen through the story, that quickly changed. Okonkwo was not any old village boy, he didn’t inherit a farm, nor was he from a wealthy family. Okonkwo disliked his father because he never paid his debts and was always looking to borrow money from others in the village. This left Okonkwo in a tough situation. The clash of cultures is one of the most important themes seen in book. After the Christian missionaries arrived in Umuofia, they immediately begin to alter the locals, which was ultimately the

The story of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart takes place in Umuofia, a set of villages, where the Nigerian tribe and Ibo people settle. A tribesman and the protagonist named Okonkwo is the famous leader in Umuofia. Okonkwo is very brave, but he stands solo when it comes to deciding to fight. He is afraid of how people will view on him through his actions towards the society because men play big roles in their culture. With his victory against Amalinze the Cat, Okonkwo brought more fame towards his position in the Ibo society. Although his braveness and courageousness in fighting is strong, Okonkwo is afraid to be emotional and thought of weak like his father, Unoka. Unoka is a talented musician, yet he is lazy and irresponsible. He had

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the reader is taken on a literary journey to a Nigerian tribe, the Umuofia, to experience first-hand the struggles of a warrior named Okonkwo. At first glance, the novel appears to be written for a very specific audience: scholars familiar with Nigerian history, traditions, and culture. However, upon further examination the novel reveals itself to be a striking chronicle of human experiences, universal themes, and timeless struggles that appeal to every human, regardless of familiarity with Nigerian culture. Taken as a whole, the novel appears to be much more than the sum of its parts: syntax, diction, figurative language, imagery, repetition, and symbols. Things Fall Apart is a novel with literary merit—and lots of it.

Based on the precolonial era of Nigeria, Chinua Achebe 's fictional story Things Fall Apart, shares the story of the Igbo culture through the lens of Okonkwo, a hard-nosed tribesman living in the fictional village of Umuofia. Okonkwo is a man who epitomizes masculinity and inner strength, the core values of the Ibgo culture, and shows no mercy when faced with struggle. Although Okonkwo is faced with numerous conflicts, such as the killing of the young boy whom he raised as a son (Ikemefuna) and the seven year exile from his “fatherland” tribe, the intrusion of the British missionaries and colonial administrators who later colonize Africa is the ultimate conflict in this story as it leads to the downfall of Okonkwo, whom resists the idea

In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the Ibo culture is presented through the lives of the people and the circumstances in which the natives have to rely on their understanding of the world and life through the customary teachings and ways of their ancestors. Customs like polygamy and polytheism are deeply rooted in the Ibo culture. The communities carry out many exercises of punishment and actions to ratify any wrong done. No harm is done without retribution. As the book progresses, it becomes evident that the way of life carried out by the people has somewhat of an unmovable and unwavering presence. However, the strength of the traditions and beliefs is heavily dependent on people who haven’t seen a culture and society that is very different from theirs. This leads the people to questioning and abandonment of the ways of the people and the destruction of the fabric which makes up their culture and heritage. The European religion was first placed to control the Africans minds; making them question the Gods their people were brought up believing. After becoming followers of Christ, the Europeans were able to control the actions of the Africans by making them believe that not only was their religion right, but their way of conducting society was as well. Violence and physical force was used on those who choose to cling to their heritage and not convert to Christianity.

In the novel Things Fall Apart, written by Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, we are taken on a literary life expedition of a man, named Okonkwo who is a respected warrior in his tribe of Umuofia –a Igbo (formerly known as Ibo not Igbo) tribe of Nigeria-- a hard worker on his farm and any work to be done in general, a husband of three wives and father to many children. Being the son of a man who died, depicted as inwardly womanly, cowardly (fearing blood and fighting) known for loving music and idle talk, also widely in-debt to many, many people, as well as dying as an wretch from a sickness in the "evil forest" out casted with his musical instrument and disease. Okonkwo purposefully takes on opposite characteristics. We see that his mother died when he was very, very young, dying in her own homeland, not in Umuofia.

Both Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Obi in No Longer at Ease represent departures from two worlds, left in a kind of limbo which offers no way out and no salvation. Okonkwo rejects the new religion of the Christian missionaries, even though it is evident that the ancient customs which he wants to continue to practice are out of favor. Obi rejects both the ancient customs (one should not marry an osu) and the modern principles (one should not take bribes) in order to try to reconcile the varying aspects of his life which are in conflict with one another. Thus, the titles of both works reflect the condition of a decaying tribal African culture which suddenly collides with the decaying culture of a Western world. It is no accident that Achebe chose a phrase from the Irish poet W. B. Yeats' "The Second Coming" it is a poem which encapsulates everything the novel seems to say about the modern world, whether it is Western or African: something is lacking "the centre cannot hold." This paper will analyze the problem of center which could not hold in Achebe's Things Fall Apart and No Longer at Ease by putting two significant lines from the novels into context and explaining their importance.

I agree with the authors lessons and point of view. The author is portraying Obi as a normal young man until he receives the scholarship to get a western education. This education changes him and shows him that he is caught between his old European ideas and new western modernization idea. The Europeans have always been very against change and have always done their best to keep things nice and stable. Push the Pause Button. The book does a great job expressing the hatred toward change of the 19th century Europeans and the fast-paced modernization of the west. I don’t like the way the author describes the corruption in Nigeria. The author, in my opinion, struggles to capture the true nature of the corruption in the book to what is happening in Nigeria