Role Of Igbo Society By Chinua Achebe

The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe discusses the rise of an Igbo chieftain who came from great poverty to power and the eventual loss of Igbo traditions, rites, and the influence of his clan through his eyes due to western imperialism and colonialism. The intended audience for this novel is very broad, but if we tried to define it would primarily be people who have not experienced the Igbo culture and westerners or people who speak English. In this essay I will be focusing on the last six chapters: chapters 20 to 25. These chapters highlight the loss of power and customs of the Igbo people who have succumb to colonial rule. I fell Achebe is rhetorically effective and

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe describes the customs of the Igbo culture while telling the life story of a man named Okonkwo. Okonkwo is a man who dedicates his life towards being one of the clan’s elites. However, even though he is driven by this goal, he tends to do things which the clan does not accept. Through his actions, and the clan’s response, readers are able to see the pros and cons of the Igbo culture, and the differences between our moral ideologies. One issue presented in the book is the depiction of women. In the Igbo culture, women are shown as weak and inferior, however the author’s intention can be misleading. Although he is demeaning the value of women, he is showing readers how we as humans often contradict ourselves when trying to live by the rules society impedes on following.

Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, is a story of a traditional village in Nigeria from inside Umuofia around the late 1800s. This novel depicts late African history and shows how the British administrative structure, in the form of the European Anglican Church, imposed its religion and trappings on the cultures of Africa, which they believed was uncivilized. This missionary zeal subjugated large native populations. Consequently, the native traditions gradually disappeared and in time the whole local social structure within which the indigenous people had lived successfully for centuries was destroyed. Achebe spends the first half of the novel depicting the Ibo culture, by

Preconceived ideas about one’s culture often arises from stereotypes passed down from generation to generation. It is those stereotypes which shape one’s way of thinking, without being educated properly. In the novel Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, misunderstood culture is what drives the story of a small African clan called the Umuofia and the life story of Okonkwo, a fearless warrior and farmer. An in-depth look into pre-colonial African culture helps the reader discover and understand an unbiased point of view of a world one may not understand. In doing so, Achebe uses imagery as well as strong narration to describe the cultural norms and activities that the Nigerian tribe undergoes in everyday life. Through this he offers a nonbiased point of view, and communicates and accurate picture of pre-colonial African culture to a western reader.

The novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe, is a tale based on the traditional beliefs and customs of an Ibo village during late 1800’s Africa. Through the telling of this story, we witness the remarkable depth of Igbo culture through its functions of religion, politics, judiciary and entertainment.

Religion is what holds together the souls of the Igbo people. Even though there are various religions in the world, the Igbo clan chose to represent their religion of worshipping the Gods. This is an ancient religion which they have continued throughout the centuries. Achebe explains their belief system through an Igbo’s eye. He shows the variety of gods they have, as well as the special rituals celebrated for their spirits and ancestors, and he shows how religion can bring communities and families together to worship. Religion isn’t just about the books, it’s also a way to connect people with others and to pass the word because united, everyone is

Simplicity can be observed throughout daily life. While easier to see in some cultures, daily life in Igbo culture is more simple than other cultures. The Igbo culture shows simplicity through the many traditions and customs in their culture. In the novel Things Fall Apart and research on the modern-day Igbo people reveals similarities between how simple the culture was originally, and how the culture continues to show that today. First off, like other cultures, the culture is full of ideas and beliefs.

In the book Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe not only informs us a lot about the Igbo culture, but also teaches the readers moral lessons. Throughout the book, we learn about the traditions of a civilized male-dominated society called Igbo. From page to page, readers discover what these people fear and value. Achebe focuses a lot on a character named Okonkwo and his family. This man is the ideal type to represent this group.

In Chinua Achebe’s novel, “Things Fall Apart”, she reveals the struggle of finding oneself while rejecting cultural norms in order for an individual to grow. Throughout the novel, Achebe uses literary devices to elaborate on the challenges and traditions the Igbo people experience . These devices consist of analogies, parables, and word choice. Initially, Achebe describes the changes that the elders are noticing about the younger generation; they claim they don't value leadership and seniority.

‘’Things Fall Apart’’ novel tries to re-erect cultural, social as well as spiritual basics of traditional Igbo (Ibo) existence from the year 1850 and 1900. Conversely, the novel cannot be inferred like truthful societal and political olden times of Ibo society since it is a work of invented story. However, the novel describes disagreements and apprehensions in Igbo society. It also depicts changes initiated by colonial ruling and Christianity. The author asserts that European colonialism operates as a powerful as well as well-built mediator of the change within Ibo society (Achebe, 2000). Additionally, Christianity attracted the trivial associates of the Igbo society. Igbo and other societies were altered considerably due to this variety of deal with Europeans. A few societies expanded in dimension and authority as marketable centers, whereas others go through great losses in the course of slave invasion. Hostility get higher, and conflict tactics distorted due to the coming of weapons.

In the complex land of Nigeria, author Chinua Achebe tells the story of an ethnic group of Igbo people whose pre-colonial religious beliefs were very strong and spiritual. The Igbos religious beliefs greatly had to do with the representation of spirits through physical people of a certain type. These are like their goddesses such as Ani, the earth goddess and Ezeani her priest. Their beliefs and ways of doing things began to change after post-colonization. However, their beliefs before that represent the Igbo people in a unique way, showing interesting things that they felt strongly about. There are interesting views of medicine as well. The Igbo people ultimately consult with and base their actions upon Agbala; the Oracle.

The position and image of women in Things Fall Apart is an important topic. In the novel “things fall apart, by Chinua Achebe”, women in the Ibo tribe are terribly mistreated, and viewed as weak and receive little or no respect outside their role as a mother. The people in the Ibo tribe uses a description “Agbala”, which means that whenever a person is called Agbala, he is compared to a woman, who is weak, and pretty much worthless. Another example is when Okonkwo participates in the killing of Ikemefuna He participates in order to show the people that he is not weak and “Agbal” like his father, who is said to be useless and worthless like a woman. In the Ibo culture, women are only viewed to be gentle and caring.

Did women play a valuable role in the Igbo male dominated society? Or where they nothing more than second class villagers? In Things Fall Apart the author (Chinua Achebe) tackles these questions as he entrenches women as vital parts of the igbo culture. He establishes them as strong, wise, hard-working, courageous, and immensely creative characters; that are only limited by their gender. Whether it’s Okonkwo’s daughter Ezinma or the second wife Ekwefi, Achebe continuously shows the value of the women as members of society.

This paper reflects the novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe in 1958. Achebe gives an overview of pre-colonialism and post-colonialism on Igbo, detailing how local traditions and cultural practices can “fall apart” in some scenarios through some introduced, externally created hassles elevated because of colonization. The protagonist named Okonkwo mentioned in the story is a proof showing the lifestyle of the tribe. My main objective and focus is to lay emphasis on Africa specifically the Igbo society, before and after the arrival of the Europeans in Umuofia community; the results of their arrival concerning Igbo culture, thus leading to the clash of cultures between the two categories. I will also draw on post-colonialism with respect to globalization.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was wrote in 1958 as a response to European Literature viewing Africans as savages who were then enlightened and found peace and safety by the Europeans. Chinua describes the Igbo people and showed the culture and showing the way of life of the Igbo people. This book shows this powerful and eye opening look into the complex society of these tribes and villages and how law and order is run. The major theme that is I will focus is that traditional development of the Igbo tribe alone and with the influence of the Europeans.