Okonkwo And The Igbo Culture Analysis

Upon an initial reading of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, it is easy to blame the demise of Okonkwo’s life and of the Umofia community on the imperialistic invasions of the white men. After all, Okonkwo seemed to be enjoying relative peace and happiness before then. He did have a few mishaps; one of them resulted in him being exiled for eight years. Nonetheless, he returned to his home town with high spirits and with prospects of increased success. However, everything has changed. The white men have brought with them a new religion and a new government. Okonkwo’s family falls apart. The men in his village lose their courage and valor; they do not offer any resistance to the white men. Consequently, Okonkwo kills

In the novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a sympathetic character and unsympathetic character in regards to his family relationships with his adopted son, Ikemefuna, his daughter, Ezima, and his father, Unoka, as a result of he appears to genuinely care about his family; but, the pride within himself prevents his expression of such pride and concern openly.

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.

The character of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was driven by fear, a fear of change and losing his self-worth. He needed the village of Umuofia, his home, to remain untouched by time and progress because its system and structure were the measures by which he assigned worth and meaning in his own life. Okonkwo required this external order because of his childhood and a strained relationship with his father, which was also the root of his fears and subsequent drive for success. When the structure of Umuofia changed, as happens in society, Okonkwo was unable to adapt his methods of self-evaluation and ways of functioning in the world; the life he was determined to live could not survive a new environment and collapsed around

This novel is the definitive tragic model about the dissolution of the African Ibo culture by Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo, a great and heroic leader, is doomed by his inflexibility and hubris. He is driven by fear of failure.

Now we must to discuss the main distinctions between the two events so we can understand them. 1st, they were in two different countries at two different times in history as well as commenced for different reasons. 2nd, they were for different country type reasons, as Hitler's demands could have been optically discerned as imperialism, while  Rwanda regimes approach was to climate anyone opposing them and the minority races.

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is known in his village for being a strong, ruthless man. He prides himself on his many achievements and titles and feels that a man is nothing without his pride and ego and is seen in the novel as the up keeper

The holocaust was a ethnic cleansing in Germany. The Germans were trying to get rid of Jews and many other types of people. The Rwanda genocide was the racial tension between the Hutus and the Tutsis. They were trying to purify there nation of the other group. The similarity here was the ethnic cleansing part of it all.

Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart, once said: “A man who makes trouble for others is also making troubles for himself”. This concept can be seen in the development of Okonkwo as a character throughout the book. Creating plenty of trouble for others, but ultimately creating the most trouble for himself is possibly the plot for the entire book. Generally, the creation of trouble is not a value that is appreciated in any culture, especially in Umuofia. Okonkwo breaks many of the boundaries and social norms within his culture; his tendency to be immature and unaccountable combined with being very self-concerned and the defiance of elders creates an interesting mix adjacent to the cultural standards.

The novel Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, utilizes Okonkwo to demonstrate how the people of Africa lived during the colonization . It is also about how they wanted more masculine sons to protect their village against the invaders similar to how Africans wanted to fight off the European missionaries . In order to fight off the Europeans they developed war tactics. In the book they would talk about how Okonkwo had the skulls of a lot of their enemies . In the book they are also known to have special clothing or armor that they wear when it comes time to defend the Nine Villages . They also have various weapons depending on what they need and the situation . Let's see the similarities and differences between the book and real life in West Africa and Nigeria during the eighteen hundreds to

The Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, they emphasize on personal achievements, and taking titles which means leadership and respect (Ohadike Don C., p. xxvi-xxvii). In the book Things Fall Apart, the main character, Okonkwo is affected by the influences of the Igbo society and vows to become a man of the highest title and to gain respect from all the lands. Okonkwo and his family live in male dominant society where men are superior to women, therefore, Okonkwo thinks he is the owner of his household, and constantly beats his three wives and children. Okonkwo develops arrogant characteristics and a fear of being weak from the traditions of the society, and throughout the book he puts up a hard exterior and beats

Okonkwo, as presented by Chinua Achebe in the novel Things Fall Apart, wished to be revered by all as a man of great wealth, power and control--the antithesis of his father. Okonkwo was driven by the need to exhibit utmost control over himself and others; he was an obsessive and insecure man.

In summary, Hotel Rwanda is about the mass genocide of the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda during the mid-90’s. It is estimated that nearly one million people were killed in the efforts of the Hutu people to completely eliminate the Tutsi population. The tension began because of the Belgium government colonizing Rwanda, and them putting the Tutsi people originally in charge. Later on the Hutu people took control of the government and were getting back at the Tutsis for the years of oppression. With rising tension, the Rwandan president, who was a Hutu, was going to sign a peace treaty to allow the two groups to live in harmony. However, he was assassinated by a “Tutsi rebel” which caused mass chaos, resulting in this mass genocide. A hotel, managed by Paul, who had great authority with the United Nations and the Rwandan Army, was able to protect 1,100 moderate Hutus and Tutsis from being killed by the Hutu rebels. Multiple times throughout the film the forces broken into the hotel complex and greatly threatened the life of the refugees. With the protection from the UN and bribery, Paul was able to protect the refugees and get the them to safely in Tanzania.

On the other hand, another characteristic of Okonkwo that causes him to be seen as a tragic hero is his struggle to deal with the crumbling Igbo culture around him. Upon his return to Umuofia from his motherland, everything has changed among the Igbo people. The white men had completely torn apart a culture which at one point seemed to be so strong. Some had even been converted into Christians and almost everyone was questioning their own beliefs. According to Stephen Criswell, when Okonkwo returned, he had a decision to make between standing up for what he believed in and against what he hated, or complying with the white man’s way and being like everyone else in the tribe(Criswell). Unlike the others, Okonkwo would not back down, and that is why he is a hero. The Igbo culture was slowly being destroyed by the

In Eloka Okanga’s book on Igbo people (a Nigerian tribe) who have migrated, he had the opportunity of interacting with ‘casual sex-workers’ in Antwerp, Belgium. To further their career and ensure protection and stability these women employ the help of gri-gris a native medicine (magic charm). These women use it on other sex workers or on clients. In his first case study, he surveyed the red-light district of Antwerp and stumbled upon a Nigerian prostitute, but she was not working, she was fast asleep. He inquired about it and found out that she could be under a charm from the other woman she was sharing the brothel with. The gri-gris is used to make competitors sleep or fall sick. In his second case study, he was at a casual sex girl’s joint when an older man walked in, demanding to see a black girl. This black girl had manipulated his son into withdrawing all of his money and she could not be found. He claimed his son was not aware of what had happened at this time (278-280). These women use these charms as love potions to lure their clients into marriages and to remain legally in the country (277). These women do not see themselves as prostitutes as they do not allow it to determine their self-identity. They recognize it as a means of earning a living and enhancing one’s life - just like any other job (281). These women are definitely not victims neither are they helpless; they are able to apply their skills for their personal benefits.