The Importance Of African Culture In Chinua Achebe's 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.

The book “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe is a fictional look at the social and cultural life of an African tribe of the lower Niger River region. It depicts the every day life of the tribe and its members. It also shows the culture and customs of the tribe.

“We have albinos among us” (Achebe 141). The words vocalized by Uchendu, a wise African villager and Uncle of Okonkwo in the novel Things Fall Apart by author Chinua Achebe. Achebe does an excellent job at giving the reader an insight of life before and during the beginning of English imperialism over Africa in the 1800’s. This essay will identify and explain the effects imperialism had on the African villages.

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.

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.

The classic African literary tale Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, is a brilliant account of historical African culture and the destruction colonialism can cause upon such cultures. As the reader follows the narrative and complexity of the characters through the novel, a sense of pride, trust, and faith in history emerges. Yet, with the introduction of colonialism the characters must learn to embrace and adapt to a new culture and set of beliefs or face termination from society. The novel explores the troubles of African cultures and their adaptation to colonialism. As the novel progresses, one can also observe the influence of religion throughout history and how it has changed the face of many societies. Although many

The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a commanding account about the rise and fall of an African tribe. The powerful narrative depicts the life and customs of the people and how they change through the years. Theere are many different ideas and characters that are preseneted throughout the novel. The depiction of women is one aspect that is of extreme relevance. It can be shown through several passages in the novel that the women are actually the unseen power behind the mighty Umofian tribe.

The society that we live in today is known to be male-controlled and we give no intention of accepting women as the dominating species. In many African societies that exist today, the condition, the amount of pain they endure, and the amount of work they do and yet they receive to hospitality, no respect, and no status. The importance of women is a game changer, it is a scale which balances when women are in the picture and drops when they are not. Unfortunately, women are not appreciated as much as they should be It is a shame, where such a human being is not cared about in any regard even though they are the ones who do the most in day to day activities and work. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is an incredible tome of African composition at its finest that is beautifully describes the Ibo lands and culture in Africa being taken over by British establishment. It very well describes the harsh fragments of being a woman in the Ibo Society and the consequences that come with being a female. The men in Ibo society have been taught from their passed down culture and religion to treat women harshly.

Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian writer, poet, professor and critic born in Ogidi, Anambra a Igbo village in Nigeria. Achebe is the first author that illustrates the European colonization from the viewpoint of an African in his novel, Things fall Apart. The novels Achebe writes addresses the issues facing Nigeria in the 1890’s. The main issue in this novel is the clash between the traditions and culture of the native Umuofians and the forceful colonization of the missionaries. One of the main points in African Diaspora is to discuss the effects of European colonization around the world. Achebe’s work emblematizes the effects of European invasion in his community. The teachings of African Diaspora and the teachings in Achebe literary work coincide with one another. This novel is one of the most influential piece of literature for African Americans to learn about their history, Achebe uses characters, setting, writing style, and a dramatic plot to liberate minds from European claims of Africans uncivilization.

Things Fall Apart was written by Chinua Achebe in 1958. She wrote this novel to break the stereotypes of European portraits on native Africans. It is set in the 1890s and portrays the conflict between Nigeria’s white colonial government and the traditional established culture of the Igbo people. Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, breaks the stereotypes placed on African people in general, through the use of symbolism, theme, and by highlighting Okonkwo’s motivations throughout the novel.

More than those of any other African writer, Chinua Achebe’s writings have helped to develop what is known as African literature today. And the single book which has helped him to launch his "revolution" is the classic, Things Fall Apart.  The focus of this essay includes: 1) Achebe's portraiture of women in his fictional universe, the existing sociocultural situation of the period he is depicting, and the factors in it that condition male attitudes towards women; 2) the consequences of the absence of a moderating female principle in his fictions; 3) Achebe's progressively changing attitude towards women s roles; and 4) feminist prospects for African women. In the context of this study, the Igbo people whom Achebe describes will

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

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is often regarded as the epitome of African literature, as it covers topics never before seen within the genre and paints the Igbo people as much more complex than previously assumed. Achebe provides the reader with a look into West African Igbo culture with well rounded characters and complex themes, and immerses audiences in a world to which they were previously unaware of. The novel revolves around Igbo tradition, part one being so steeped with culture and tradition is what helps the reader realize the severity of the British colonization. Once the reader becomes accustomed to Igbo terms and and traditions everything shifts as the Christians move in.

Africa was always a savage place with no civilizations or so the white man thought. When the British first came to Africa to colonize it, the British writers wrote about how it was a savage land and had no makings of a civilization. That was completely wrong. A group of people cannot survive for thousands of years without some aspects of civilization. The novel Things Fall Apart (by Chinua Achebe) talks about and shows examples of all seven elements that make a civilization. Things Fall Apart shows some aspects of civilization such as religion, government, and social structure. In the novel, Achebe shows the Igbo culture is a fully functioning civilization.

Chinua Achebe published the fictional account Things Fall Apart in 1958. It was written to provide a new perspective on the African culture and the societies of the pre - colonial villages in Africa. He tried to dispel stereotypes and overshadow the writers who previously persuaded the world to shun Africa and its culture. Things Fall Apart told the story of the village of Umuofia over a period of many years and how they behaved and what happened with white foreign missionaries entered their lives and started the village of Umuofia on the path to falling apart.