Things Fall Apart Essay

Men have a dominant power over women in the Ibo society. For instant, “At the end they decided, as everybody knew they would, that the girl should go to Ogbuefi Udo to replace his murdered wife”(Achebe 10). If a man killed the wife of another man in a different clan then a virgin, a women whose life

In Ibo culture women are seen as weak, yet they are deemed as crucial to the community. Towards

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

This perception leads the characters to decisions and changes in their lifestyle in order to avoid others to believe that they had “become a woman indeed” (Achebe 65). This is based on the belief passed down from one generation to another of men that once they were old enough they should demonstrate masculinity because “his father wanted him to become a man” and in order to do this he must forget all attitudes that “were for foolish women” (Achebe 54). One of the reasons why men would be shamed and called a woman would be because they possessed no titles, land or wives. Men who own a vast amount of land and many wives and are able to pay their bride-price are considered successful. The marriages in the ibo culture are negotiations, in which like in other circumstances the compensation is a woman. During these agreements between men, the women’s opinions are not taken into consideration. These customs build up on the main character’s frustration after being exiled from his fatherland to his motherland, and the fear of being considered by others less of a man. This same fear is the one which previously leads Okonkwo to kill a young boy who was sent to give with him and whom he came to care for in his “show of manliness” (Achebe 66). The culture and traditions in the ibo society perpetuate the image of women as

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 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

In Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the characters Ikemefuna and Obierika are used as “foil characters,” and reveal pertinent traits of Okonkwo’s true nature. The traits of Ikemefuna and Obierika contrast the traits Okonkwo, and allow the reader greater insight into Okonkwo’s fear of emasculation and his trepidation for the transformation of Igbo culture. Both Obierika and Ikemefuna accentuate the abhorrence Okonkwo has for becoming epicene and opprobrious like his father. Obierika also is skeptical of the Igbo culture in that he questions aspects of Igbo traditions and rituals, for he feels a certain degree of change may benefit their society. Furthermore, Ikemefuna’s character also reveals not only Okonkwo’s fear of emasculation, but

Are men always supposed to be represented as superior and tough? The novel, “Things Fall Apart” is about the tragic fall of the Ibo culture and main character Okonkwo. Reason why things fall apart is due to the men within the Ibo culture converting to a new religion. Chinua Achebe shows that men in the Ibo culture are expected to be superior, successful, and strong. Okonkwo is one man who embodies all the traits of a successful man. Achebe also shows how unsuccessful men of the Ibo culture led to things falling apart.The novel shows this with multiple events that happened in the the book for example when Okonkwo the main character becomes successful by beating Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling match and much more. In the novel men are represented

Which would you consider more justified: locking up a criminal in cage with minimal living conditions, or exiling him from city? In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, the level of civilization depicted by Igbo society may vary among the readers due to disparities in judgement and opinion. Throughout the book, the Igbo civilization is portrayed as civil through their established social system and enforced legislative laws; however, one may perceive Igbo culture as primitive, especially when compared to that of their own. The establishment of social positions within Umuofian society convey a rather high-level of civilization.

Have you ever wondered why African cultures don’t affiliate with other cultures? This is because they don’t handle new cultural customs in the best way possible. The mixture of different cultures colliding in Africa causes a bowl full of drama and problems that rise because of it. The way they simply react doesn’t help either them or the other culture. In the book Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a masculine, abusive leader put down and went silent full of fear when missionaries of a different culture came, which tell us he was not able to adapt to the change in an efficient way.

“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. His first two wives ran out in great alarm pleading with him that it was the holy week. But Okonkwo was not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through, not even for fear of a goddess.” While Okonkwo may commit a great sin by beating his wife during the sacred week of peace, this gave a greater understanding of the Igbo culture. In the western culture we may find that it is bad to beat your wife, but apparently, even if it is the week of peace or not beating your wife is acceptable.

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe analyzes African American culture by the appearance of the white man in terms of the destruction of the bonds between individuals and society. Written in the 1950’s, In Africa it revolved around the Ibo culture, in which there were masses of beliefs and many things men had to do to demonstrate to others that they were self-worth of being called a “ successful man”. Women have many responsibilities in the Ibo society such as children, cooking, cleaning, and farming. These are an important functions for women, yet they aren’t given much credit or meaning for their existence in the roles they fill. Through their labor, they were a significant pillar of the society.

Things Fall Apart is much-admired as the finest novel written concerning life in Nigeria at the end of the nineteenth century. The novel tells overlapping and intertwining stories, both of which center on Okonkwo, a "strong man" of an Igbo village in Nigeria. The story traces Okonkwo’s fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives and provides readers with a powerful tale about the immemorial conflict between the individual societies. It also concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo’s world through the arrival of European missionaries who are generally perceived as aggressive and proselytizing.

Chinua Achebe published the fictional account Things Fall Apart in 1958. It was written to provide a new perspective on the African culture and the societies of the pre - colonial villages in Africa. He tried to dispel stereotypes and overshadow the writers who previously persuaded the world to shun Africa and its culture. Things Fall Apart told the story of the village of Umuofia over a period of many years and how they behaved and what happened with white foreign missionaries entered their lives and started the village of Umuofia on the path to falling apart.