Influence of Western Society in Thing Fall Apart by Achebe

Throughout the course of the book Achebe frequently uses African worlds and phrases to describe and show the different aspect of Igbo culture. The familiarity in, which the narrative focuses on the African language creates a sense of authenticity to the writing. What is unique about the narrative tone found within the book is that not only does the author frequently insert the african language within the diction, but the way he translates or explains the words in plain english so the readers who are unfamiliar with the language can still follow, for example: “ ‘Agbala do-o-o-o! Umuachi! Agbala ekene unuo-o-ol’ It was just as Ekwefi had thought. The

The main point of the article is that oftentimes, the benefits of progress can be harmful to tribal peoples since these tribal peoples cannot control their resources or create a distinct relationship with the market.

Chinua Achebe once said, "the world is like a mask dancing...if you want to see it well, you do not stand in one place," (Goodreads). Renowned for his novel Things Fall Apart, in which he responds to the stereotypes of the British who conquered the continent of Africa in the era of New Imperialism, Achebe explores Igbo culture through many aspects of daily village life. Contradicting the racism employed by whites in the 1890s in order to justify slavery in earlier history, Things Fall Apart offers a new fresh perspective into the lives of ordinary villagers of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, before they are taken over by the British. Just as the whites in Europe, the tribe applies their own religion, customs, beliefs, and language to their lives. Through this lens the reader is able to extract a deeper meaning of the powerful message Achebe communicates by penning the famous novel.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Europeans started to make their way to the new world, they discovered a society that was strikingly different to their own. In the late 1800’s, the rare Native Americans that were left in the United States were practically extinguished. Many diverse things contributed to their near-extinction, some were considered intentional and some unintentional. Some tribes made the decision to go willingly, and some decided to fight to their death but in the end, it was confirmed that Native Americans and settlers could not live together in amity, and the Native Americans were the ones at harm. The integration of European colonization ultimately led to the demise of the various Native American

through life in accordance with a tribe’s needs for cultural and economic well-being, in keeping

The first statement is to maintain, protect, and nurture our culture and spiritual and historic values. Traditions are the main thing that keep their culture alive. That is why the stories are encouraged to be passed on and the education of the tribe needs

The author begins the article by preparing the audience what is about to come. Telling the audience that cultures around the world have unusual customs and an anthropologist would even seek out a culture that has one when everyone seems to agree. He then talks about the Nacirema tribe and the extremities of their practices.

The representative ‘And at last the locusts did descend…Mighty tree braches broke away under them, and the whole country became the brown earth, colour of a cast, hungry swarm’ (Chapter 7, pages 39-40), highlighting to the audience how the influx of colonists is a natural occurrence, just like the appearance of locusts. The fracturing of the Ibo society along with their traditions by the new customs of the Europeans is also typified in this allegory. Similarly, the emphatic “The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion… He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” (Chapter 20, pages 124-125), conveys how the traditions of the Ibo people have been replaced by the values of the settlers; the society has been altered. The forces of change, especially colonization, disrupt and change the culture of the Ibo community through the introduction of religion, government and the ideals of colonialism. This is portrayed in the gradual decrease in proverbs as the novel progresses as well as the change in writing style; events occur chronologically in Part 3 of the novel whereas the first two sections skip back and forth between events of different timeframes. Hence, change is a natural process that signals the end of conventions in society that are replaced by new values.

Religious traditions are significant to all people of the earth whether they acknowledge it or not. Many people have many different beliefs and customs. Chaim Potok gives a clear example of how diverse these traditions are in his book The Chosen. There are three main characters in this book that demonstrate how different cultures can seem. Reuven, Danny, and Reb Saunders all show how determined they are to stick to their traditions. As individuals read this novel, they can quickly notice how strongly these characters feel about their customs.

There are many different types of cultures, languages, and religion out in this enormous planet we call earth. It was quite hard to decide on what cultural group to study, since there are a wide range of interesting cultures. The one group of individuals that has always interested me was the Native American culture. Though there is a wide range of Native American cultural groups as well. The one group that I wanted to pinpoint and what interested me the most was, the Cheyenne Native American Tribe. Not only were they so close to home but they were different from most of the other tribes.

There were the healing rituals which consisted of singing and dances and were held to help the tribe return to harmony. Another ceremony was the Pow-wow, the closest English translation is meeting. The pow-wow is an event for native and non-native American people to meet and honor the native American culture. One more ceremony that is important to the native people is the Green Corn Festival. The ceremony typically takes place late in the summer and is tied to the ripening of the corn. At this festival, there is dancing, feasting, fasting and religious observations. Most ceremonies in the Native American culture last several

Before investigating how Igbo culture was changed by the Europeans, the novel uses the Umuofia tribe to exemplify what the established Igbo

In Things Fall Apart, post-colonial author Chinua Achebe is effectively telling two distinct but related stories. The first establishes the traditions and customs of the Ibo people, particularly those living in the powerful village of Umuofia, while the second documents the culture clash between the old ways of the Ibo clan and the newly arrived white man, all of which is connected by the common thread of the fall of the tragic hero, disgraced warrior Okonkwo. Unsurprisingly, the demarcation between these two halves falls right at the point of the arrival of Christian missionaries in the region. Achebe’s episodic chapter style details a plethora of different reactions to this by the Ibo people, which can be broken up into three groups; acts of violence and rebellion, conversion and the embrace of Christianity, and relative inaction and indifference. All three reactions played roles in the downfall of the Ibo clan, but the most damaging in Achebe’s view is the actions of those who decided to ignore the new dynamic of the white man’s presence, and through their arrogance lead the African people as a whole to cultural eradication.

After living a certain lifestyle for an extended period of time, a sudden change in lifestyle abnormally envelops not only a society as a whole, but the individuals who live in that society. The psychological state of the indigenous people worsens due to the forced ideas of the colonizers mixing with their own, which can cause a rift in their thinking. A decision has to be made eventually; however, the colonizer typically tries his hardest to prevent them from making what he believes is the “wrong” decision. Although the colonizer appears to be helping the indigenous people, his true intentions are all but innocent. Due to their technological disadvantages, the colonizers have an advantage over the indigenous people, causing the previous existing people to feel undermined. Even after the colonizers leave, the colonized people continue to bear the scars left behind by the colonizers, as stated by Hayes who argues that, “Post Colonial Theory recognizes the trauma resulting from the alienation of indigenous people from their own land, even after achieving independence” (Hayes). Colonization leaves behind permanent psychological damage, even long after independence has been obtained.

Put yourself in this situation: It 's a particularly sunny day, and no cloud in the sky. It 's a normal day to you, and your going about your business. Carrying out your everyday deeds, believing in the most precious things that you hold to yourself, and then something strange occurs. A shadow of change swoops over your head. Your everyday priorities don’t matter anymore, and your greatest beliefs and goals become your greatest burden. But this imaginary situation is just a mere reality to those who have had their cultural values stripped from them. This situation meticulously depicts the the idea of Chinua Achebe, and the authenticity of the bearings that the Igbo culture had to go through in order to have a successful cultural syncamatic society. This includes religion, education, and economical ideas that are compelled on the culture. The idea enhances and expresses that the process of colonialistic movements can have a devastating outcome on the culture that is stripped from the civilization, thus invading influences on the culture such as missionaries or other colonialistic effect on native, indigenous cultures and traditional beliefs.