Chinua Achebe 's Things Fall Apart

What effects can fear have on a person? And how can these effects influence that person? Fear is defined in the Oxford dictionary as ‘an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm’. The tragic novel “Things Fall Apart”, written by the renowned Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe, is an incredibly influential text. The novel is also an example of how fear can be utilised as an approach to characterisation. Achebe composed his novel in a manner, which portrays a complex and dynamic community to represent Nigerian cultures to a western audience. Achebe was able to attain this through the Ibo communities and the main character Okonkwo. In the beginning of the novel, Okonkwo is represented as a man of pride, success, and hard

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

Throughout the story Okonkwo refuses to show weakness to others. Okonkwo is greatly affected by this because “The Igbo people emphasized personal achievement”(Ohadike 240). This makes him very vulnerable when it comes to showing his strength to his village. So, when the elders of the village decide that his adopted son Ikemefuna must be killed, Okonkwo goes along with them to show that he is not weak. At first Okonkwo decides to back off from the group of people about to kill Ikemefuna but, decides to come back onces he hears Ikemfuna’s

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 the novel, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe demonstrates how the integration of two different cultures can result in the destruction of one entirely. The story is centered around Umuofia, one of the 9 Ibo villages in Nigeria, Africa. It is a confined, well-structured society that is commonly viewed as a Utopia, or an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. It is a tight-knit community with little to no conflict. All inhabitants share the same cultural beliefs, the village has a well-developed justice system to keep things in order, and they even have traditions that bring them all closer together. However, it doesn't take too long for things to completely fall apart. Sooner rather than later, the village

Many people look at unique social groups in their own way. In the novel, “Things Fall Apart,” by Chinua Achebe, the men are seen as superior and powerful than anyone else. In the novel, it states that men have to meet a certain expectation to be seen as worthy and to be respected. On the other hand, women are represented by being less than the men in any situation. They are seen as objects and trophies for the rich powerful men. The word “women” is used as an insult to men that hold no titles. The importance of women being seen less than a man is that many cultures see this as normal and natural, because in this case the Igbo culture wants men to be respected more than the women.

In novels, there is always a certain character or group of characters who are portrayed as bad or evil. In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, the group of characters representing bad or evil are the Christian missionaries. The villagers see the christian missionaries as intruders to their village, trying to bring a new religion into the village of Umuofia. The english settlers were introduced to have arrived in Umuofia in chapter seventeen, when Obierika, Okonkwo’s closest friend, visited Okonkwo, two years after he was given his exile. The Christian missionaries are represented as bad or evil in Things Fall Apart because they are trying to teach the people of the village a new religion.

All throughout history and even still today, inequality has been a huge problem for our society. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe conveys the idea of gender roles as wrong and extreme. Men and women have been driven to act differently and expected to be a certain way; affecting the society as a whole. Things Fall Apart unveils a theme of do not take anything for granted because one day it could all be gone. Women are treated differently because for as long as time has been recorded men have been superior.

Chinua Achebe’s portrayal of the role of women is significant because it disproves the stereotypes of non-western society. In Igbo society, women have many roles both in the household and in the village. “Igbo women [have] rights and freedoms”, such as “cook[ing] for themselves and rais[ing] their own children” (Ohadike xxxii). Because women are tasked with these important duties, women are very important. In Igbo society, sometimes women have more freedom than in other societies (such as western).

Throughout life many challenges come up that aren’t expected to arise. In some cases the best thing to do is help people that are hurting in tough situations. Instead of saying things about what people are doing wrong, boost them up. Everybody in life has good days and bad days. Many times you don’t understand what the other person is going through, so don’t say something that is going to hurt the other person. Everybody should watch what they say because the person you are talking to may see it in a completely different way. These tough situations could change history completely if each person took time to understand the other person that they are communicating with. In the book Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, many times the readers

Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” chronicles the life of Okonkwo, a strong man whose existence is dominated by fear and anger, and the Ibo tribe, a people deeply rooted in cultural belief and tradition. As events unfold, Okonkwo’s carefully constructed world and the Ibo way of life collapses. The story of Okonkwo’s fall from a respected and feared leader of the Ibo tribe to an outcast who dies in disgrace dramatizes his inability to evolve beyond his personal beliefs, affecting the entire Ibo tribe beyond measure. The “things” that fall apart in Achebe’s novel are Okonkwo’s life – his ambition, dreams, family unity and material wealth – and the Ibo way of life – their beliefs, culture and values.

Normally, a successful hero arises from a rough past. However, Chinua Achebe wrote a story that contrasts with the usual pattern of a hero’s life. The novel Things Fall Apart centers on a man named Okonkwo, a clan leader in the village of Umuofia. From Okonkwo’s tragic hero qualities and struggle with his son and culture, readers can learn several qualities to consider and to avoid. A tragic hero is defined as a person who experiences a disastrous fall after accumulating high titles.

Chinua Achebe’s first novel, “Things Fall Apart” takes place in Umuofia, Nigeria in the 19th century. Okonkwo, the protagonist, was a respected, strong leader of the Ibo clan providing for his three wives and their children. His father was a failure, making Okonkwo’s greatest fear being seen as a weak failure, but this also makes Okonkwo strive for success. “His whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness“ (2. 12). With his drive to succeed, Okonkwo managed to make many poor decisions resulting in unwanted consequences. Okonkwo is an exact representation of a western tragic hero in the novel, “Things Fall Apart.”

In the novel “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe teaches us that two cultures are unable to thrive together when they are forcing themselves onto the other through his use of the main protagonist, Okonkwo. This novel, “Things Fall Apart”, is about the African culture of the Ibo people being invaded by western influences in which Okonkwo is trapped within the feud. This book depicts differences between the two colliding cultures, Okonkwo’s culture, and his response to the newly changing environment to present Achebe’s theme.

Western views of African culture have often been those of disdain. Some books about Africa have set out to change the typical Western views of African culture, but others have upheld these negative views of African culture. Through each of their novels, Alan Paton, Chinua Achebe, and Joseph Conrad approach the topic of African culture and Western views on it differently.