Who Is Bola Agbaje's Sense Of Belonging?

The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe discusses the rise of an Igbo chieftain who came from great poverty to power and the eventual loss of Igbo traditions, rites, and the influence of his clan through his eyes due to western imperialism and colonialism. The intended audience for this novel is very broad, but if we tried to define it would primarily be people who have not experienced the Igbo culture and westerners or people who speak English. In this essay I will be focusing on the last six chapters: chapters 20 to 25. These chapters highlight the loss of power and customs of the Igbo people who have succumb to colonial rule. I fell Achebe is rhetorically effective and

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

“I am Korean. South Korean to be exact.” These were the words I would always use to describe myself during new encounters. My race seemed to be what people noticed about me first. Whether I was at a leadership conference, church, or cross country event, there was always someone asking where I was from. For this reason, being an immigrant from Korea has been a big part of my identity as an individual and student.

Ever seen something that may look odd to you? Or someone that shows up and you seem to wonder why they’re doing what they’re doing? Do you feel a little unpleasant about their actions? That’s totally normal, because that’s what we call cultural collision. In the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, he shows how cultural collision affected the Ibo culture in Nigeria because of colonization and the arrival of Europeans who brought forth a new religion, a new lifestyle and ways that challenge the Ibo culture. The conflict in Things Fall Apart is the struggle between change and tradition. Chinua Achebe demonstrates Okonkwo’s daily life as a struggle to resist changing from

I had a nickname for my friends because my actual name was difficult to pronounce, I used the slang my friends used and spoke different, at times I would display interest in certain things that I wasn’t really interested in to feel as though I had things in common with them. In many case I was made fun of because my family was from African which made it more difficult for me to express my true identity to my peers. As I grew older I started to develop more pride and interest in my culture. During the last few years of high school I made friends with people who were from the same country, or other parts of western Africa who had similar experiences that I had growing up. Hanging around people that have a similar background made me feel more comfortable being myself, not only for me but also for other people who had similar experiences as

The focus of the individual is prominent in Things Fall Apart, a tale of an almost anti-social being in a world dominated by change.  Achebe's main character, Okonkwo, is the window to the dramatization of social, economic, and political change of the nation known as Nigeria.  The focus of the narrative is the struggle of a strong and well respected individual to maintain his own life course, and to differentiate this outcome from the end result of his lethargic father's life.  The story embodies the ideal of embracing the individual's goals and aspirations to yield an outcome

“I was born in Nigeria, I came to Maryland when i was still in diapers…” Omokore insures her cultural roots remain a part of her everyday life. Although she can’t speak her language, yoruba, she can understand it well. At age one Omokore and her mother moved from Nigeria to Maryland, where her grandmother was living, due

I grew up in a diverse community where not a lot of people were making smart choices and with people who had different appearances than others I went to school with. My family being the only Caucasian people in the neighborhood made us come off as if we were different type of white people.

Growing up, I was surrounded by a very homogeneous society. My small town was not diverse and I became one of few minorities of that population. I learned and accepted that I was one of the only Asians in my school.

In Nigeria, Aunty Uju is Ifemelu’s role model and influences her regard towards America. In this time period before America is involved in Ifemelu’s life in any capacity, Adichie’s characterization of Aunty Uju is indicative of life in Nigeria and how happy and hopeful it is for both women. There are issues, regarding Ifemelu’s family life and Uju’s financial security through The General, but ultimately they are happy with their lives and their relationship is

Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor and critic. He is mainly known for his trilogy that investigates, using fiction, the history of Nigeria. The trilogy begins with Things Fall Apart, followed by No Longer at Ease and ended with Arrow of God. Furthermore, in this critically analytical essay, through a feminist perspective, a chapter of his second novel, No Longer at Ease, published in 1960, will be discussed. The setting of the novel is Lagos, Nigeria and Umuofia, Nigeria during the 1950s, before Nigeria attained independence from Great Britain. The novel, No Longer at Ease begins with Obi Okonkwo on trial, charged for accepting a bribe. However, using flashback, the author takes us back to the point before Obi’s departure

Nwoye’s betrayal in the novel is the same level of betrayal that Achebe is condemned with in his lifetime. African literary theorists who vie for the purity of African literature for African languages defy Achebe as a European traitor, writing his stories with his back turned to his native homeland. Yet this thesis argues for a reevaluation of that criticism. Achebe does not in fact deny his beliefs, his country, or his heritage. He rather aligns himself in a tragically ironic way with the hero of Things Fall Apart. Achebe writes his own struggle with colonialism into the life and death of Okonkwo. It is interesting to note that Achebe’s father was in many ways very similar to Nwoye. His father, Isaiah Achebe, was orphaned early in life and spent most of his childhood with his uncle, Udoh. Udoh was a man of the land; he prided himself on tradition and leadership. Chinua writes in his essay, “My Dad and Me,” that the differences between Isaiah and Udoh were seen early through the eyes of Chinua, a questioning child who was placed in the middle

Achebe’s image of the African people is depicted extensively in his novel. Achebe gives us a look at life in an African village and what it was like during African colonialism. Tribal life in Nigeria is told from an inside perspective through the life story of a man, Okonkwo.

Because Ifemelu is not born in America, she discovers race and racial inequality when she moves there as a result of receiving a Princeton fellowship. In Nigeria, there is no talk about race. Everyone is seen as Nigerian because they are born there. Ifemelu explains that “[She] came from a country where race was not an issue; [she] did not think of [herself] as black and [she] only became black when [she] came to America” (359). Her expectations of America areis that there are great educational opportunities and plenty of jobs, but what she discovers is racial

I currently enjoy shocking people with my heritage because there is still a stigma about what a "Haitian" should look like, sound like, etc. I'd say that because I was such a scared little kid who didn't talk much, my family could do little to support me because they didn't know I was having issues (A. Benjamin, personal communication, Dec 1, 2009). This is saying that if you do not walk, talk, or think like them; then you are not considered to be of that ethnicity.