Language is a powerful tool. It is the key to understanding an alien culture, and is thus, ultimately, the downfall of mutual ignorance. Mark Twain’s famous words, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness,” are therefore only half-true. Travel without an effort to understand local customs and beliefs, or to acquire a basic grasp of the local language, is in vain. Stubborn and willful ignorance is indeed hauntingly representive of many aspects of 19th century British colonialism, in particular the conquest of the lower Nigerian tribal territory. Widely superficial and ignorant accounts of travels throughout Africa led to its misperception as a “dark and primitive” continent. In an effort to combat this negative image, many …show more content…
The third person and omniscient narrator follows Okonkwo over the period of roughly fifteen years. Achebe occasionally darts back in time or switches the narrative’s attention to a certain character, in order to get a backstory across. On the whole, the book has a distinctive flow and is easily read. Things Fall Apart is set in the tribal villages of lower Nigeria, during the 1890s. This period is the height of British colonial power. Time passes quite irregularly in the novel. At certain points within the narrative the focus can be on a several day period for a few chapters. At other times, a year or two may be summarized in a single sentence. “When nearly two years later Obierika paid another visit to his friend in exile the circumstances were less happy.” (p. 143). An interesting aspect of how Achebe measures time is his use of utilizing the changing of seasons- linking the reader’s perception with the agricultural society of the Nigerian …show more content…
The advents of the locusts, for example, clearly represent the descent of the colonizers upon Nigeria. Mr. Brown’s very name is symbolic, representing the cooperation and mixture of the races. The starkly contrasting irony in the initial description of his successor, Rv. Smith, is masterful. “He saw things in black and white.” (p. 184). Rv. Smith and the District Commissioner are more typically portrayed as arrogantly cruel and ignorant colonizers. The novel’s tragic end is blatantly critical and laced with irony. The District Commissioner muses that Okonkwo’s life could make for a paragraph in his book on the African conquest: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger. This illustrates his incredible superficiality and ignorance, seeing as Achebe has just written an entire novel on Okonkwo’s life, and that the root of the entire Nigerian conflict was in fact the so called Christian
Things Fall Apart follows the events in the life of the main character, Okonkwo. Additionally, the book follows mini-storylines of other characters, such as Obierika. A family is very large in Ibo society because a man typically has more than one wife and children with each wife. Okonkwo has many children, but his oldest son, Nwoye, was crucial in the development of ideas in the novel. Nwoye did not conform to Okonkwo’s ideals, therefore, Nwoye felt out of place in his family. The missionaries aimed to convert people who were outcasts or out of place in the village, to give them a sense of belonging. When the Christian missionaries came to the Okonkwo’s village of Umuofia, the primary people converting were outcasts. This is explicitly said when the Achebe remarks, “None of his converts was a man whose word was heeded in the assembly of the people” (Achebe 143). The detrimental effects of Christian acculturation on the Ibo people are shown in both Achebe’s novel and Adichie’s story, but however, the contrasts are that Achebe concentrates on the methods used whilst Adichie directs attention to the lasting
Following Okonkwo’s seven year exile, the village Okonkwo once knew has changed due to the influence of Christianity and the influence of the British missionaries and officers. Okonkwo’s initial reaction is to arm the clan against the Colonisers and drive the British people out of Igbo.
Things Falls Apart tells of the tragedy that takes place when people are out of their place. The first half of the novel contains relatively routine events in the life of Okonkwo. It is not until the second half, when the Europeans arrive, that his life is significantly disrupted. Achebe says that, to Conrad, it is very
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a story about personal beliefs and customs, and also a story about conflict. There is struggle between family, culture, and the religion of the Ibo, which is all brought on by a difference in personal beliefs and customs of the Igbo and the British. There are also strong opinions of the main character, Okonkwo. We are then introduced to the views of his village, Umuofia. We see how things fall apart when these beliefs and customs are confronted by those of the white missionaries.
Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Chinua Achebe about the fictional people of the Ibo tribe in Umuofia. The practices of this African tribal society are depicted through the third person limited point of view that follows the main protagonist of the novel known as Okonkwo. The novel illustrates practices and values that are sanctioned by the society as they end up struggling to maintain their prevalence once colonists arrive. As a culture, the Ibo people of Things Fall Apart have practices that shape their society by showcasing what is seen as important. This includes their invaluable idea of masculinity in which they see to require strength and success. The patriarchal rule of Ibo society establishes the framework that leads to the perceived inadequacy of females and
Things Fall Apart is a story about personal beliefs and customs and also a story about conflict. There is struggle between family, culture, and religion of the Ibo people which is all brought on by a difference in personal beliefs and customs. There are the strong opinions of the main character, Okonkwo. We are also introduced to the views of his village, Umuofia. Finally, we see how things fall apart when these beliefs and customs are confronted by those of the white missionaries. Chinua Achebe is a product of both native and European cultures. This has a great effect on the telling of the story. When he tells the story with an understanding and personal experiences in both cultures. He does not portray the African culture and their
The focus of the individual is prominent in Things Fall Apart, a tale of an almost anti-social being in a world dominated by change. Achebe's main character, Okonkwo, is the window to the dramatization of social, economic, and political change of the nation known as Nigeria. The focus of the narrative is the struggle of a strong and well respected individual to maintain his own life course, and to differentiate this outcome from the end result of his lethargic father's life. The story embodies the ideal of embracing the individual's goals and aspirations to yield an outcome
Chinua Achebe was educated in the West, though he hails from an African tribe. His exposure to both African and Western thinking gives him a unique perspective on the colonization of Africa, which is argued to be barbaric by some, but beneficial and necessary by others. In “Things Fall Apart,” Achebe perspective comes through as he masterfully describes a pre-colonization African tribe, and how colonization percolated through it. His authentic accounts of the positives and negatives of both tribal society and colonization leave the reader to answer the question of whether imperialism was morally justifiable or not.
The novel “Things Fall Apart” by Achebe is about the downward spiral of the main character and protagonist, Okonkwo, and also the Igbo tribe. In the novel Okonkwo is a very respected warrior and leader in his village Umoufia. His popularity started when he defeated a former undefeated wrestler Amaline the cat. Thoughout the novel Okonkwo is determined to earn power and wealth in spite of his father, Unoko, who was lazy shameful man. He would often borrow money and lose it making his family go hungry. He ultimately died an abominable death, swelling in his stomach and limbs, and was laid in the evil forest to die. Okonkwo’s actions throughout the novel represent how, as a result of his father’s weakness, he results in acting the way he considers
Things Fall Apart takes place in a Nigerian tribe such as the one Okonkwo, the main protagonist, lives in. Okonkwo is a very independent, impatient African leader. Throughout the story the tribe Umofia demonstrates many of their religious beliefs, traditions and ways they go about their normal life. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo is affected by Christianity, impacting the way he is accepted back into Umofia or the way he lives.
The arrival of the Europeans reveals the internal societal flaws of vulnerability and weakness of the Africans. It is evident that the sense of unity within the Ibo people
The novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe centers around a man named Okonkwo, and it explores Igbo culture through two tribes that Okonkwo is a part of, the Umuofia and the Mbanta. The novel demonstrates a number of core aspects of the Igbo culture which include religion, tradition, discipline, and unity. After exploring these aspects of Igbo culture, the novel shows how they are affected and changed by European colonialism. Achebe specifically uses interactions between Okonkwo, his tribes, and European missionaries to portray what happened to Igbo culture once European colonialism was introduced.
Chinua Achebe, the author from “Things Fall Apart,” chose to end his novel in a poignant way of the people ’s -- Igbo and colonists -- pasts and their perspectives on significant events in the novel, to show that things fall apart for everyone. The colonists try to make up for their pasts; Achebe’s insight of both of the cultures, and the presentation of Okonkwo’s awareness, and how serious his death was. With a sudden realization of Okonkwo’s behavioral twin, the District Commissioner.
In the beginning, Achebe states that, “Fortunately among these people a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father” (Achebe 8). This quote is a solid structure in defining what this book is truly about. Okonkwo was not to be judged by his father's lack of integrity, and incoherent thinking abilities, but by whom he is. Reputation plays a key role as a theme in this novel, along with Okonkwo’s fear of following his father’s footsteps and the internal conflict that comes along with Okonkwo’s battle with himself and to keep the tribe united.
The novel, things fall apart was set in the late nineteenth century which was a period of conflict and drastic change in Africa, where indigenous societies clashed with imperialistic European powers. The author, Chinua Achebe adds this tension of the historic British colonial expansion to present another dimension to Okonkwo's tragedy. Achebe challenges ethnocentric views of Africa through his use of language throughout the novel. The author also includes themes of Cultural relativism by introducing the Ibo’s traditions and language.