IB English 15 December 2013 Perfection Destroys The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, originally written in his native language Ibo, tells the tragic tale of an African pre-Christian tribe seen through the eyes of Okonkwo. Okonkwo became a very successful clan leader in his village, by working hard and refusing to be lazy like his father Unoka. Achebe uses irony to encourage character development, drive the contrast between Okonkwo’s dreams and his reality as others see him, and explain the culture’s beliefs in the way they treat women vs. the way women are revered. Throughout the novel, irony is used to initiative character development, especially Okonkwo’s. Okonkwo grew up with an extremely lazy father that never went …show more content…
Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, made a trip to ask the Oracle why his crops kept failing, “’Every year,’ he [Unoka] said sadly, ‘before I put any crop in the earth, I sacrifice a cock to Ani, the owner of all land. It is the law of our fathers. I also kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku, the god of yams’” (Achebe 3.6). It is tradition to make animal sacrifices to the earth goddess during the time of harvest. The people of this tribe not only contact and put trust behind a woman to foresee their future and pacify conflicts, but they sacrifice to the earth goddess to communicate respect, in this case to the earth goddess who has control over the success of the yams, and therefore, their wellbeing. Okonkwo’s strong personality, knack for surviving through tough times, and ability to climb from nothing would not have the same effect if they were not coupled with irony. The theme of irony further pushes the idea of despair and loss throughout the book. The town of Umofia is a town constructed around irony. The tribe constantly contradicts itself with Okonkwo’s refusal to accept his father’s kind and gentle ways, Okonkwo’s self-image versus the way he is ultimately remembered, and the role of ordinary women as opposed to the role their Oracle and goddesses
The novel, Things Fall Apart, takes place in a Lower Nigerian village of Iguedo and Mbanta and is centered around a man by the name of Okonkwo. Okonkwo, the protagonist, is introduced as the most renowned warrior of all tribes who brought great honor to his tribe by becoming the top wrestler of the villages. Throughout the book, Chinua Achebe expresses Okonkwo as a man whose obsession with power is what ultimately leads him to failing in attempts to obtain that power through his role as a farmer, the actions towards his family, and his actions towards the new civilization of the village. When introducing the protagonist, Achebe makes Okonkwo’s thirst for power and status very apparent not just through his
In Things Fall Apart there are many cultural collisions created by the introduction of Western ideas into Ibo culture. Through careful examination about the character Okonkwo in the novel “Things Fall Apart”, by Chinua Achebe, we come to realize Okonkwo was in fact un-accepting of the cultural collision. Okonkwo was sadly unable to adapt to the new society that was set forth to him.
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.
Figurative language is used to comprehend Okonkwo’s success and respect in the clan which drives him to become prosperous from fear of failure but also makes him bad-tempered towards others. He becomes a fearless warrior and a popular wealthy man so that his clan won’t think of him as anything less and it earns him respect: “Okonkwo’s fame had grown like a bush fire in the harmattan” (3). Popularity helps Okonkwo achieve dignity and separates him from his past that is always haunting him. This fear of being an underachiever motivates him to be strong and wealthy but also leaves him with little to
Okonkwo fears for his disturbingly weak son, Nyowe, and teaches him with his stories- "masculine stories of violence and bloodshed." (p. 53) But Nyowe prefers the stories of his mother- stories which teach wisdom rather than action. Nyowe knows that it pleases his father to listen to his stories, but it is apparent that Nyowe is a thinking person. As Nyowe absorbs the shock of Ikemefuna's death, we feel the first break in the solidarity of the clan. ."Nyowe knew that Ikemefuna had been killed, and something seemed to give way inside him, like the snapping of a tightened bow." (p. 61) Nyowe is forming his own impressions of the rituals of his society.
Furthermore, Okonkwo’s fears cause him to act irrationally and behave in ways that are not acceptable. Moreover, he tries vigorously to do whatever Unoka did not and he avoids whatever Unoka did, which end up causing problems later in his family and town. Okonkwo goes out of his way to be the paradox of his father, often times putting him in situations that are hazardous to his heath and his family’s. The most notable example of Okonkwo’s attempts to be the antithesis of his father is in his harsh treatment of his children, which is all because he wishes to “stamp out” the “signs of laziness” that he connects with his father (33). Okonkwo flogs his children with the intention that it will eradicate the signs “incipient laziness”, and thus help them grow up to be successful men in the community.
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.
Gender roles played a crucial part to the understanding of the people of Umuofia; especially to Okonkwo. But just as in today’s world, one person of a group cannot define the entire group, it was the same back then, which further proves how the District Commissioner’s view of Umuofia would not represent the entire clan, let alone Africa as a whole. Okonkwo’s motivation behind his views of patriarchy stem from his father Unoka; he wanted to be such a great man of the tribe, unlike his “agbala” of a father. Okonkwo’s son “[n]woye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell, and which she no doubt still told to her younger children…but he now knew that they were for foolish women
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.
“In response to Conrad's stereotypical depiction of Africans, Chinua Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart through the point of view of the natives to show Africans, not as primitives, but as members of a thriving society. Things Fall Apart follows Okonkwo's life as he strives for prestige in his community. When European missionaries come to Umuofia, Okonkwo's clan, Okonkwo tries to protect the culture that the missionaries would destroy in the name of "civilizing" the natives. However his rigid mentality and violent behavior has the opposite of its intended effect, perpetuating the stereotype of the wild African in the eyes of the
Often times, authors use literary elements to convey important central ideas in a text. In the novel, “Things Fall Apart,” Chinua Achebe uses misogyny to enhance the central idea that men are held superior to women. Misogyny is simply defined as the hatred of women. Achebe uses symbolism and the cultural components of Igbo, an African culture, to enhance sexism as the reoccurring theme throughout this novel. Okonkwo is a man held with high respect in the book, and does everything in his power to be anything, without resembling his father.
Okonkwo wrestles with his fear that any sign of weakness will cause him to lose control of his family, position in the village, and even himself. Like many heroes of classical tragedy, Okonkwo’s tragic flaw, fear, also makes him excessively proud. Okonkwo’s downfall is a result of the changes created by the coming of the British Colonisers to Igbo. The introduction of the Colonisers into the novel causes Okonkwo’s tragic flaw to be exacerbated. Okonkwo construes change as weakness, and as a result of his interpretation, Okonkwo only knows how to react to change through anger and strength. He derives great satisfaction, “hubris” or proud arrogance, from the fact that he is a traditional, self made man and thinks that to change would mean submitting to an outside force (Christianity).
The novel, things fall apart was set in the late nineteenth century which was a period of conflict and drastic change in Africa, where indigenous societies clashed with imperialistic European powers. The author, Chinua Achebe adds this tension of the historic British colonial expansion to present another dimension to Okonkwo's tragedy. Achebe challenges ethnocentric views of Africa through his use of language throughout the novel. The author also includes themes of Cultural relativism by introducing the Ibo’s traditions and language.
Okonkwo is initially introduced as a proud, hardworking, successful warrior. He is described as "clearly cut out for great things" (6). But he is the son of a ne'er-do-well father; though genial and inoffensive, Unoka must certainly have been considered a failure. He is lazy and does not provide for his family. Not only is this disgraceful, but life-threatening as well. He is dependent on other members of the clan and must have been considered unsuccessful. Okonkwo chafes under such disgrace and his success is a consequence of his desire to be everything his father is not; society's vision of an exemplar citizen. The fact that Okonkwo is able to rise above his poverty and disgraceful paternity illustrates the Igbo's acceptance of individual free will. But Okonkwo's fate and his disharmony with his chi, family and clan are shown to cause his ultimate disgrace and death.
Chinua Achebe’s most well-known novel Things Fall Apart was defined by many as a modern piece of African literature that was truly African. It became a major contribution to literature around the world. The novel revolves around an Ibo village in Nigeria. The inclusion of African culture, such as the language, stories, and way of life, create depth and dimension and are essential to the telling of the Ibo story by Achebe.