When People React To Conflict In Things Fall Apart

The protagonist, Okonkwo demonstrates his sympathetic character solely to himself, personally, and infrequently not in the eyes of others. During the plotting of Ilemefuna’s death, Okonkwo was hesitant to make the boy aware of his fate and also hesitant to take part in his death. “‘I cannot understand why you refused to come with us to kill that boy,’ he

His acceptance as a leader and influential man in Umuofia proved to be all the approval Okonkwo needed, literally. When the clansmen revealed to Okonkwo that the Oracle deemed it necessary that Ikemefuna be killed, they told Okonkwo not to participate in the task. However, “He was afraid of being thought weak” and disapproval (61). His demand for approval truly overshadowed all sense of value that he held, thus proving that these base factors surpass any pre-existing cultural beliefs. The leaders of Umuofia knew Okonkwo’s tendencies to be more aggressive, but they also knew that he fought for his place in society. Unfortunately, in the end, this authority did not sway the opinion of the people and Okonkwo hanged himself in defeat. Unlike Marjane, Okonkwo failed to realize that differences in appearance, culture, or opinions do not separate people. Despite his influence and level of respect, the people chose to trust the missionaries instead of Okonkwo, and this disapproval destroyed an essential part of him. Comparable to Marjane, both characters seek approval for their actions because they are controlled by the opinion of those

Okonkwo grows to love Ikemefuna like he is his own son and Okonkwo’s real son Nwoye admires and looks up to him as a real brother as well. Yet, Okonkwo does not show any affection of how he feels toward Ikemefuna and how he actually views him as if he is his own. Despite how he feels about Ikemefuna, Okonkwo will not let any type of weakness show, especially not in front of others. So, Okonkwo does not protect Ikemefuna but instead is a part of his murder by stabbing his un-biological son with a machete. Doing this brakes Okonkwo down inside and makes him very weak becoming saddened and depressed for a generous amount of time. This is probably one of the few moments in Okonkwo life that he let his guard down to show a different emotion besides anger, to him crying and mourning is a sign of weakness but after the foul actions he took a part of he can no help but show it. Along with anger comes violence, which Okonkwo often

Okonkwo showed great interest in Ikemefuna and treated him like his son. However, Ikemefuna was boy from another village sacrificed to keep peace, thus soon there came a time when Ikemefuna had to die. The narrator shows that Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, The pot fell and broke in the sand. He heard Ikemefuna cry, My father, they have killed me! as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak. (Chapter 7 Pg. 61) Although Okonkwo loved Ikemefuna and had much affection for him, Okonkwo was forced to leave all of his emotions behind in order to kill Ikemefuna and not be seen as a weak man who could not kill another man. Okonkwo showed no mercy as he was blinded by his fear of his fathers submissive attitude. Oknokwo had to protect his status as a true warrior in his clan and if he was not able to slay Ikemefuna, then Okonkwo fears that he might be called an agbala just like Unoka, Okonkwos father. This quote also shows that Oknokwo is willing to sacrifice virtually everything in order to keep his high rank among his tribe.

As many of us has stated, how we handle conflict determines whether the outcome is a negative or a positive one. Majority of us also stated that if conflict is

Two, it gives people a better and more happy outlook on the situation. And three, it gives people a better sense of options and possibilities during a conflict . But the best part of trying to have a positive attitude toward a conflict is that it is very easy to do. So if you're ever in a conflict that looks bad or doesn't look like it's going to get better just remember this: Be

For all of his desire to be strong, Okonkwo is caught up by the constant fear of being perceived as weak. He is afraid of failure and afraid of being considered weak. This fear drives him to do whatever he can to not become a failure like his father which ironically contributes to his death. While Okonkwo was a strong and important figure in his tribe, he had to keep his reputation that way by making some hard decisions. One of them was when he had to kill Ikemefuna, a young boy from the neighboring tribe. Okonkwo started accepting the decision to kill Ikemefuna because he started to call Okonkwo father. He had to keep his own valor intact and kill the boy to prevent himself from showing any weakness, but deep down, Okonkwo was really upset because of what he did which was ironic, “’When did you become a shivering old woman,' Okonkwo asked himself, 'you, who are known in all the nine villages for your valor in war? How can a man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number? Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed.'" (Achebe 65). He continued to roll downhill when the white man comes to try and convert Okonkwo’s tribe. Okonkwo responds by killing one of the messengers that were sent. This cause Okonkwo's own tribe to question his actions. “"Okonkwo stood looking at the dead man. He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messengers escape.

A conflict can start when a person or group feels hatred or jealousy against a family, race, or country. This is what usually drives a person to lash out and hurt others. When this happens, it can affect people in many ways. My question is, how does conflict affect us individually?

There is no general response for individuals when it comes to conflict. Everyone responds differently and therefore express different positive qualities or negative traits. When conflict arises there are individuals who reveal qualities previously unseen that benefit themselves and usually others. There are also those who reveal undesirable attributes that strain and disconnect relationships. Ultimately, we will never how an individual will respond to conflict until

Conflict has the power to change lives, this can happen through experiencing emotional and social conflict. They can have the effect of changing relationships and getting a better understanding of the person. The individuals thoughts and feelings can be affected by conflict and change the way in which they feel about certain things, it can help them find their inner self and build stronger relationships. Conflict can have a positive impact and make an individual stronger from their experience.

This scene solidifies the reality that Okonkwo’s fear overrides any other emotions, at least in that moment. However, Ikemefuna causes a bit of conflict within Okonkwo as he is uneasy with the idea of Ikemefuna’s death both before and after it is carried out. It could also be argued that Okonkwo reacted to the new or unusual emotions he felt for Ikemefuna and that he ridded himself of these emotions, as he is uneasy towards change, by killing Ikemefuna. Lastly, it is evident that Okonkwo does feel regret after murdering Ikemefuna, as he does not eat for two days

Such as when he took Ikemefuna out in the woods for a walk, and ends up killing him. At the moment, Okonkwo knows it’s wrong, but still commits the act because of his fear to be looked at as weak. But the killing haunts him and slowly the guilt feels worse. “He did not sleep at night. He tried not to think about Ikemefuna, but the more he tried the more he thought about him” (Achebe, p. 63).

The conflict of Ikemefuna death leads to severe consequences for Okonkwo and was the beginning of many unfortunate events to come. Ikemefuna was like a son to Okonkwo and was the one person he shown care for. Nonetheless, the oracle declared Ikemefuna must die after his three years of living at Umuofia. The author writes, “When they were out of earshot, he said to Okonkwo: ‘That boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death’” (Achebe 21). Okonkwo was forewarned not to get entangled with Ikemefuna death; however, Okonkwo personal fear of looking weak overcomes him. Thus, he decided to go on the journey of Ikemefuna death. Achebe continues to write, “He heard Ikemefuna cry, ‘My father, they have killed me!’ as he ran towards him. Dazed

A time comes where the Oracle of the village announces that the Ikemefuna must be killed and an elderly man in the village warns Okonkwo to not take matters into his own hands and kill Ikemefuna. However, Okonkwo does not listen to the wisdom that was given to him and kills his own “child” anyway. For many days Okonkwo is saddened by his actions, but he remembers that he is to not show any weakness to anyone. A few days later the elderly man who told Okonkwo not to kill his “child”. During the salute in the funeral Okonkwo’s gun explodes, killing the elderly man’s son. After a series of persecution, Okonkwo and his family were sent to exile for seven

In a time of need, Okonkwo decides to improve his exterior image, instead of being the true father that Ikemefuna thought he was. A true father would have put his son before anything else and would have tried to keep Ikemefuna out of such a fatal situation. Lastly, Achebe states, “Obierika, who had been gazing steadily at his friend’s dangling body, turned suddenly to the District Commisioner and said ferociously: ‘That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself’” (208). Okonkwo knows his clan won’t go to war and he does not want to continue to be a part of such a weak clan. Though his life’s purpose was to be nothing like his father, he is viewed as even weaker than Unoka. Since, suicide is “an abomination for a man to take his own life” (207). Through Okonkwo’s actions, the theme is clearly highlighted.