Comparing Invictus And Things Fall Apart

Change is a reoccurring theme throughout history. It destroys and creates. It displaces and introduces. It can cause death and life. The movement of imperialism in Africa brought great change to the native tribal life. Forcing the indigenous people to turn away from their century-old traditions caused violent rifts between the European settlers and the tribes, as well as internal problems between once amiable members of the Ibo culture. With the introduction of the foreign Western Society in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the tribe’s life and ideals are drastically altered as the new ethics and principles collide with the old traditions and laws, causing the members of the society to either adapt or be crushed underneath the foot of colonialism. Achebe’s character, Okonkwo, was impacted immensely by the cultural collision, as his previous way of life was pulverized before his eyes, and he found no reason to live any longer.

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.

There are many recurring themes in the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe; however, for the purpose of this paper a detailed analysis from a specific quote would be conducted. “The story of Okonkwo is in a way the story of our culture; he pays a price because he places too much emphasis on strength and manliness.” Strength and manliness can promote an array of translations in order to justify actions within the novel and within today’s American society. If it’s comparing an egotistical mindset of a character of this novel or certain beings that tend to portray these features, there are always certain characteristics that are consistent. It isn’t coincidental that strength is in association with manliness, however asserting these words in extreme forms of actions is far from powerful.

Of the many themes that appear in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, individuality versus nationality becomes a central topic as the story progresses and develops. With the invasion and colonization of the European missionaries, Okonkwo’s nationality and contributions to society are called into question. Achebe explains the idea of nationality over individuality by showing that society is the precursor to individuality. Examining the life of the protagonist, Okonkwo, before and after his resistance exemplifies this key idea in Things Fall Apart.

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.

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Nwoye, Okonkwo’s eldest son, faces an internal conflict throughout the story as a result of the pressure of forced gender roles and his father’s expectations which then motivates him to abandon his family. In Igbo culture, people are taught to act a certain way based on their gender from the beginning of their childhood. For instance, girls are taught how to cook and do domestic work while boys are taught to be violent and aggressive. Nwoye’s personality do not match with the gender roles that were assigned to him, therefore, he faces an internal conflict. “Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent,” Achebe writes, “but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell” (Achebe 53). Nwoye’s desire to listen to his mother’s stories indicates that there is a part of his character that is thought to be sensitive and “womanly” in their society.

The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, originally written in his native language Ibo, tells the tragic tale of an African pre-Christian tribe seen through the eyes of Okonkwo. Okonkwo became a very successful clan leader in his village, by working hard and refusing to be lazy like his father Unoka. Achebe uses irony to encourage character development, drive the contrast between Okonkwo’s dreams and his reality as others see him, and explain the culture’s beliefs in the way they treat women vs. the way women are revered.

Ernest Gaines once said, “I write to try to find out who I am. One of my main themes is manliness. I think I'm trying to figure out what manliness really is.” Indeed, every society or culture has its own understanding of an ideal man. Even though these characteristics are different in various parts of the world, the significance of masculinity can never be overestimated. “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe is considered as one of the best examples of a rise and fall of a man who strives to meet all requirements of an ideal masculinity. This paper will prove the manliness of the main character of the novel, and analyze the reasons of his downfall despite the fact that he lives in a society where masculinity is worshiped.

William Ernest Henley faced a challenging life growing up due to being constantly ill and caught in an endless battle with diseases. At the young age of 17 a disease forced the amputation of one foot and radical surgery on the other leg. While recovering at an infirmary after the amputation and surgery, he began to write the poem “Invictus”. “Invictus” is written in Henleys point of view as encouragement to the readers that they are strong enough to overcome any hardship in life. The first clue in understanding the message from Henley is through the poem’s name itself, “Invictus” is Latin for unconquerable, invincible and undefeated. Henley refused to be defeated and he wrote to inspire his readers to have this mindset as well and as encouragement.

In “Things Fall Apart,” CHinua Achebe describes the life of Okonkwo, a village leader, and displays how the altering world around him affects his decisions. In order to do this, he first had to establish the things that were tradition so that he could show was being altered. Achebe’s use of literary items assists in revealing their traditions and it challenges.

In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, rising modern ideals challenge the traditional values in Ibo culture. These confronting principles influence changes formed through chaos and disarray. While some Ibo people are more welcoming to the newer concepts, Okonkwo, a strong warrior, famous wrestler and well known leader in the Umuofia clan stays true to his traditional ways. The devout man assures himself to not stray from the traditional path due to haunting memories of his lazy father Unoka. At a young age Okonkwo concluded to vigorously work on not become his disgraceful father. In the end, Okonkwo’s life becomes dictated by his conscious will to oppose to his father, contributing to several problems with his family, friends and

The seventh chapter of Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” presents a father murdering his own son due to his fear of losing his masculine reputation. Although it was necessary for Ikemefuna, the son, to be killed, Okonkwo, the father, was strongly advised to abstain from being part of the murder for obvious reasons. The situation in chapter seven causes readers to feel abhorrent. At the same time, Achebe’s tactful use of literary devices creates an atmosphere of suspense in this scene that captivates readers.

Achebe named his book “Things Fall Apart” after a line from the poem “The Second Coming” by William Butler. The reason he did this is because this line embodies the entire concept of the book. The Second Coming describes a chaotic world that can’t hold it’s own because of it’s own inner conflict. In addition to this coincidence from the book and poem, both show a shift between eras, old to new. Yeats writes “Turning and turning in the widening gyre the falcon cannot hear the falconer”. This refers to the idea that change is essential and people cannot go back in time. In Things Fall Apart, Umuofia has many major changes throughout the story.

The only thing he (Okonkwo) fears most is not ending up like his father, Unoka. However, Achebe ‘‘makes an insightful comment on the nature of masculinity through his representation of the tribal leaders. Achebe basically, was conducive in creating four alter egos of Okonkwo: one of which were the masculinity; next of his fatherly abilities; and the last of his family progress and four of his likelihood of success’’ (Achebe.179). My paper will explain how Okonkwo’s Masculinity from Achebe’s Things Fall Apart will be characterized by his fears, beliefs, and emotions for several reasons.

Everyone knows and learns about the winners in a situation and their story but one never cares to learn the other side, the losing side. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart cultural differences are the core of why things were destined to fall apart in Nigeria. Okonkwo, the main character of the novel has impacted the results negatively of the colonization of Nigeria’s territory. Umuofia is the home to many Igbo people but later would be overcome by the Europeans. Okonkwo with his very violent tendencies never wanted to appear as a weak person. Okonkwo denied failure because his father was a failure and he was determined to be the opposite. Never would he realize his stubbornness would cause failure for him and his community. Achebe has used the novel Things Fall Apart to demonstrate how colonization affected Nigeria and how conflicts and misunderstandings resulted from two cultures colliding.