Things Fall Apart: Idea of Strong

In order to not become like his father, Okonkwo consciously strives to be prosperous, violent, resourceful, unable to show “soft” emotion, and denies music orientation. “And no Okonkwo was ruled by one passion—to hate everything that his

In Judy Brady’s essay, “I Want a Wife,” she examines why she would like to have a wife. Brady believes that a wife performs all house chores and the husband does nothing, but to expect the wife to do everything for him. Brady tries to persuade the reader to look at a husband viewpoint of what a wife should be. The essay was written during the early 1960’s, during the second wave of the feminist movement in America. Brady is pushed by certain reasons to write, “I Want a Wife” to show the humanist humor.

He realized that revenge is the wrong path to go down, and uses his newfound wealth and power for good. “How did I escape? With difficulty. How did I plan this moment? With pleasure.”

He claims that the nation’s teachings of religion and industry encourage American women to rank business over pleasure. The women associate domestic duties with tranquility, honor, and societal acceptance. In general, reason, habit, and education influence the American wife’s commitment to her marriage and family. The writer argues that democratic wives also only marry once their reason has been exercised and matured, unlike aristocratic women (566). Aristocratic law, birth and fortune prevent husbands and wives from forming strong, permanent connections. Yet, the “equality of conditions” that exists in democratic societies reduces marital disorder and encourages women to believe that they are worthy enough to marry their desired partners (568). Moreover, the democratic public more openly accepts the imperfections of the women because they have been thoroughly educated to make choices that benefit the family and state. Democracy teaches and emphasizes the role of both women and men within a democratic marriage prior to the marriage. Aristocratic marriages seek to combine material interests instead of individuals. However, the desire for material goods fails to permanently unite the hearts of the aristocratic husband and wife. In contrast, the democratic husband and wife remain permanently united through mutual tastes and ideas (569). The free will that democratic

Okonkwo is displayed as a strong, leader-type character who goes from being worth less than the dirt which grows their yams to being one of

The society that Chinua Achebe described in his book, Things Fall Apart, is also based on agriculture. The major crop the Ibo tribe grew was the yam, which was said to be the symbol of virility. The coco-yam, which was a smaller size and had a lesser value than other yams, was regarded as female. The "yam also stood for manliness, and he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another is a very great man indeed" (33). To produce a great harvest, the Ibo farmer would have needed a lot of help. The women ran most of the workforce by farming, tending animals, and raising the children so that they could help out on the farms.

Okonkwo has become determined to climb his way back up the social ranks after have been knocked to the bottom. “He was determined that his return should be marked by his people. He would return with a flourish, and regain the seven wasted years. Although this determination took his mind off of things, he still remembered the tragedy of Nwoye. “At first it appeared as if it might prove too great for his spirit. But it was a resilient spirit, and in the end Okonkwo overcame his sorrow. He had five other sons and he would bring them up in the way of the clan (172).” Okonkwo goes as far as to say “Now he is no longer my son or you brother (172).”

Throughout this article Brady uses ethos, logos, and pathos to illustrate her opinion that the wife does too much in a family. Brady connects with her audience by relating to what was expected of them back in the 1970’s. She states reasons to why she wants a wife and lists what she says a wife would do for her. Lastly, Brady connects emotionally to her audience by

It had now been three hundred years since the day of the Awakening ceremony, he, Balthazar, Sara nor anyone in his inner circle had aged a day. He had spent his time during those years training, building his wealth and power, making secret treaties and alliances, building his army, and turning his city into a fortress without equal. Having sent for Balthazar earlier, was not surprised by the knock at his door. “Come in, Balthazar.”

A man is respected on the tittle he has as well as the wealth he gains. This causes the men in the Igbo society to be challenged to work hard in order to get the tittle and money they deserve. Okonkwo was one of these men that were challenged to prove his abilities to work hard, gain a title and be a respected man in his society. Okonkwo is a hardworking man that does not fear working for long times, but instead he enjoys it. In order for Okonkwo to build his name he asked a well known man to give him yams and to trust him with them:

Even the crops were gendered (Okhamafe 127). Coco-yams, beans, and cassava were “women’s crops” (Achebe 23). Yam, the “king of crops”, was “a man’s crop” (Achebe 23). In Umofia, all that is desirable and admired is associated with manliness. Anything that is demeaning or scornful is considered to be womanly.

From the beginning of his life as a warrior to the end as a king, he gains and develops glory, responsibility and courage, all vital to his reign as a successful king.

already achieve his goal to be a king, he begins to be greedier to not

Okonkwo's early success is recognized as the result of hard work, "That was not luck. At the most one could say that his chi or personal god was good" (19). But Okonkwo goes too far. He is harsh and unkind to his family and less successful clansmen, thus undermining his self-made fortune.

Emphasized throughout the novel, we see the chi of a person determining whether they will receive a good yam harvest for the year or not. Thus, in order to maintain a good chi, men within Ibo pay respects to the earth goddess –Ani, through the Feast of the New Yam. Spiritually, the earth goddess overlooks and distributes successful harvests to men in Ibo. Physically, men are in charge of harvesting their own crops to ensure a successful harvest. Hence, throughout Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe utilizes symbolism through yams and motifs through the earth goddess and the chi of a person to emphasize one of the overarching themes of the novel: wealth, respect, and power.