Things Fall Apart Quote Analysis

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.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe features the character Nwoye, the son of one of the strongest and most powerful men in the village, Okonkwo. Okonkwo is scared of failure because that is what his father became, so he is incredibly harsh on Nwoye. When the western men invade, Nwoye is torn between two worlds: converting to Christianity where he can start a new life, orstaying loyal to his family and village. Nwyoe ultimately makes the choice to go against his father. Due to the arrival of western culture, Nwoye leaves his family, converts to Christianity, and changes his name.

Once the egwugwu went to confront Mr. Smith for the killing of one of their members, Mr. Brown’s ignorance and rudeness were revealed even greater than before when he refused to leave the grounds when asked. Because of the reputation and the friendships that were built by Mr. Brown, Mr. Smith was treated with the same respect when confronted by the spirits. Unfortunately, Mr. Smith still would not go and respect the wishes of “the spirits and leaders of Umuofia” despite their kindness regarding the situation at hand. Although “Mr. Smith stood his ground… he could not save his church” (pg. 191) and the hands of the egwugwu tore apart the hard work Mr. Brown put into the church in Umuofia before having to leave both physically and

Soon after the missionaries began to teach the tribal people about the Christian faith, their tribal customs began to be questioned. This caused a sense of unrest in the village. The missionaries were trying to bring with them new ways of life, and mostly better ways of life. Mr.Achebe tries to show us that the missionaries showed people who were hurt by

The Effect of White Missionaries on an African Tribe in Things Fall Apart by Achebe

In Chapter 22 and 23 of Things Fall Apart, conflict arises concerning Okonkwo, the village, and district commissioner. Enoch, a convert commits a crime. During the annual worship of the earth goddess, he said that an egwugwu would not dare to touch a Christian. In response, one of them hits him with a cane and Enoch publicly unmasks the egwugwu. All the egwugwu, on the next day gather and storm the village as they destroy Enoch’s compound. They go to the church and surround Mr. Smith and Okeke, who then tells them to leave the “house of God.” They refuse and burn the church to the ground. Okonkwo along with the other leaders are invited to speak with the District Commissioner to discuss what had happened, but they get imprisoned instead as

According to Valerie Tarico many sacred texts, including the Bible, “protect” parts of the Iron Age — when people, especially priests, used God’s name and the scripture as a way to endorse their impulses, temper, and sense of superiority. Brown, a perfect example to what Tarico was saying, was using the Bible as a way to fuel his aggression so that he would be able to show the town of Hillsboro that his way of thinking is exactly the same as their God’s way of thinking. Reverend Brown seems to want his town to stay in this state of ignorance and when people get out of line and try to change the perfect little bubble he had created for himself he exploded. His agitation increased as ideas that were different and unknown to Brown began to enter his town and when he exploded the agitation that was building inside of his is filtered through the religion he is a part

Mr. Brown restrains over-eager members of his church from provoking clan members. He befriends many great men of the clan who begin to listen to and understand his message. He also discusses religious beliefs with Akunna, a clan leader of Umuofia. Neither of these men give up their belief, but they learn about each other's faith and gain respect

Brown worked to keep Enoch in check, Mr. Smith's attitude leads to confrontation. Achebe writes, "There was a saying in Umuofia that as a man danced so the drums were beaten for him. Mr. Smith danced a furious step and so the drums went mad. The over-zealous converts who had smarted under Mr. Brown's restraining hand now flourished in full favor." And once the church is burned, Smith is committed to having the perpetrators fiercely punished. The two men represent two different styles of colonization. However, there is another sense in which the differences between Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith do not particularly matter. After all, the actions of each lead to major changes in Igbo culture. Each man is part of a cause that is taking over the Igbo land, imposing their own values on Igbo life.In the end, how much does being kind and understanding matter compared to those

Of Imperialism, English writer and composer Anthony Burgess once said, “Colonialism. The enforced spread of the rule of reason. But who is going to spread it among the colonizers?”. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe chronicles the life of underdog turned successful clansman Okonkwo, as well as the complexity of the Ibo culture in pre-colonial Africa. With the arrival of British missionaries, Okonkwo’s world crumbles as their cultures clash, and more African people begin to join the church. The Ibo people at first greatly underestimate the power of the colonizers, yet they make a deep and lasting impact on their culture. These missionaries completely change the lives of the Ibo people. Achebe’s main message is to communicate this clash of

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel about a man in West Africa. It tells about his triumphs and trial ultimately leading to his demise. It explains how the “white man” came into his country and took over. It show you how the “white man” mad things fall apart.

The accumulation of a congregation was a slow process.  Mr. Kiaga, the interpreter in charge of the congregation, was "firm" and it was this trait that "saved the young church" (157, Ach).  His strong faith and new beliefs were inspirational to those clansmen that had ever questioned the Ibo practices.  Mr. Brown, a white missionary, was characterized as "respected even by the clan" (178, Ach).  Mr. Brown was even offered a gift by one of the neighboring villages, "which was a sign of his dignity and rank" (179, Ach).  He did not simply preach his ideas, but educated himself in the tribe's culture through conversations with the clansmen.  Mr. Brown opened a school and hospital in Umofia.  "And it was not long before the people began to say that the white man's medicine was quick in working.  Mr. Brown's school produced quick results" (181, Ach).  Achebe chooses to characterize a missionary such as Mr. Brown favorably to create for the reader a respectable and exemplary view of the missionary.  This benevolent perception of missionaries is neutralized with Mr. Browns contrast: Reverend James Smith.

Some said Enoch was more into the new religion than Mr. Brown one of the missionaries that came to the tribe, Enoch even was so devoted to the new that the tribe people started to call him the outside who wept louder than the bereaved, “Enoch’s devotion to the new faith had seemed so much greater then Mr.Brown that the villagers called him the outsider who wept louder then the bereaved” (Achebe 185). This shows that Enoch was so devoted to his new faith that he got called names for it by the other people and he would still go to the church even if people were calling him names or rude things. Also Enoch would go to the church sermons and he would pretend that the words being preached would be for the better of his enemies. He would even sit by or next to his enemies and lean in at times during the sermon as if to tell the person I told you so, ”He would occasionally turn to give him a meaningful look,as if to say, ’I told you so’”

The second part of the passage shows the change in the entire village and their reaction, or lack of reaction, to Okonkwo's return. Okonkwo's initial plan was to make his return to Umuofia attract the attention of the entire village with two beautiful daughters, a larger house with room for two more wives, and the initiation of his sons into the ozo society. The "ozo" society, a use of African English to add culture to the novel, is made up of powerful and titled men in the village. To Okonkwo's dismay, he attracts little attention (it was "not as memorable as he had wished") because the village is occupied with the new culture and religion growing in the village. "The clan had undergone such profound change during his exile

Okonkwo is a strong and confident man who has vowed to never be like his father Unoka. His father was lazy, unsuccessful and carried no titles. The relationship between Okonkwo and his father motivated Okonkwo to gain titles and become successful inside the clan. In this sense, Okonkwo has gained many titles, has three wives, and respected by the clan. Okonkwo chose to feel that identity in the clan was most important, and through this he had become a presence in the clan, noticed by the elders. However after the arrival of missionaries, who had come to convert the clans to Christianity, Okonkwo’s view is completely contradicted by the missionaries. Okonkwo had grown accustomed to members of the clan being ranked by certain tiers, while the