...Given all the different outlets Okonkwo could have chosen, why did he commit suicide? Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, narrates the struggles and changes due to the white colonials that Okonkwo faces in his village, Umuofia,. Okonkwo strives to be the opposite of his weak and selfish father. As Okonkwo’s values grow outdated due to the new generation of weak men who betray their ancestor’s, he battles to stop the change and return to the comfort of the old customs. The continual friction between Okonkwo and the new religion, people, and values adopted by his society contributes to his downward spiral. At the conclusion of the novel, Okonkwo hangs himself; the suicide of Okonkwo was the result of Okonkwo’s struggle with the changes taking place, the loss of his status in his culture, and the fears he possessed....
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...Things Fall Apart Important Quotations Explained Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. Explanation for Quotation 1 >> Achebe uses this opening stanza of William Butler Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming,” from which the title of the novel is taken, as an epigraph to the novel. In invoking these lines, Achebe hints at the chaos that arises when a system collapses. That “the center cannot hold” is an ironic reference to both the imminent collapse of the African tribal system, threatened by the rise of imperialist bureaucracies, and the imminent disintegration of the British Empire. Achebe, writing in 1959, had the benefit of retrospection in depicting Nigerian society and British colonialism in the 1890s. Yet Achebe’s allusion is not simply political, nor is it ironic on only one level. Yeats’s poem is about the Second Coming, a return and revelation of sorts. In Things Fall Apart, this revelation refers to the advent of the Christian missionaries (and the alleged revelation of their teachings), further satirizing their supposed benevolence in converting the Igbo. For an agricultural society accustomed to a series of cycles, including that of the locusts, the notion of return would be quite credible and familiar. The hyperbolic and even contradictory nature of the passage’s language suggests the inability of humankind to thwart...
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...About Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe's college work sharpened his interest in indigenous Nigerian cultures. He had grown up in Ogidi, a large village in Nigeria. His father taught at the missionary school, and Achebe witnessed firsthand the complex mix of benefit and catastrophe that the Christian religion had brought to the Igbo people. In the 1950s, an exciting new literary movement grew in strength. Drawing on indigenous Nigerian oral traditions, this movement enriched European literary forms in hopes of creating a new literature, in English but unmistakably African. Published in 1958, Things Fall Apart is one of the masterpieces of 20th century African fiction. Things Fall Apart is set in the 1890s, during the coming of the white man to Nigeria. In part, the novel is a response and antidote to a large tradition of European literature in which Africans are depicted as primitive and mindless savages. The attitudes present in colonial literature are so ingrained into our perception of Africa that the District Commissioner, who appears at the end of the novel, strikes a chord of familiarity with most readers. He is arrogant, dismissive of African "savages," and totally ignorant of the complexity and richness of Igbo life. Yet his attitude echoes so much of the depiction of Africa; this attitude, following Achebe's depiction of the Igbo, seems hollow and savage. Digression is one of Achebe's most important tools. Although the novel's central story is the tragedy of Okonkwo...
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...In the book “Things Fall Apart” we are thrown into the culture and customs of the Igbo/Ibo people. However, during the book Umuofia gets visited by a white man.The white man that visited them also brought with him a foreign religion that slowly tore apart their community. One of the characters that was impacted by this change was Okonkwo’s son Nwoye. In the beginning of the book Nwoye was deemed lazy and sulky by his father Okonkwo. Okonkwo is very harsh on Nwoye because he fears that his son will turn out like his father Unoka. In reality, Nwoye is a very thoughtful and sensitive. However, when the village brings in Ikemefuna, Nwoye quickly grows attached to him. Nwoye being attached to Ikemefuna, changes him into more of a “man” in his father’s eyes. This is because Nwoye starts to take on/act like Ikemefuna because Nwoye looks up to him....
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...The introduction of the British missionaries to the Ibo people and to the book has an enormous effect on the characters and plot in the novel Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe. Along with the introduction of the British comes Christianity leading to some of the characters clashing with the new foreigners, and others to accepting the foreigners and their beliefs. The introduction of Christianity also leads to the book finally earning its title; when things literally start to fall apart for the main character, Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s response to this new foreign religion and his reasonings behind that response are quite prevalent in the text. However, Nwoye’s response to this new religion and his reasoning behind it is quite interesting, as there...
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...English Dr. Swaralipi Nandi 18-09-2014 Theme of Colonialism in ‘Things Fall Apart’ Introduction : Poet and novelist Chinua Achebe was one of the most important Africanwriters. He was also considered by many to be one of the most original literary artists writing in English during his lifetime. He is best known for his novel Things Fall Apart (1958). Born Albert Chinualumogo Achebe, Chinua Achebe was raised by Christian evangelical parents in the large village Ogidi, in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria. He received an early education in English, but grew up surrounded by a complex fusion of Igbo traditions and colonial legacy. He studied literature and medicine at the University of Ibadan; after graduating, he went to work for the Nigerian Broadcasting Company in Lagos and later studied at the British Broadcasting Corporation staff school in London. During this time, Achebe was developing work as a writer. Starting in the 1950s, he was central to a new Nigerian literary movement that drew on the oral traditions of Nigeria's indigenous tribes. Although Achebe wrote in English, he attempted to incorporate Igbo vocabulary and narratives. Things Fall Apart (1958) was his first novel, and remains his best-known work. It has been translated into at least forty-five languages, and has sold eight million copies worldwide. Chinua Achebe’s “African Trilogy” : Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease, Arrow of God captures a society caught between...
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...------------------------------------------------- Things Fall Apart OLIDA – Book Report January 17, 2014 Anusha Bhushan, Maharshi Patel, Srihari Srivathsa, Sunil Rinald, V Sridhar January 17, 2014 Anusha Bhushan, Maharshi Patel, Srihari Srivathsa, Sunil Rinald, V Sridhar Introduction Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe presents a rather intriguing story set in a tribal village in Africa. The story follows the life of Okonkwo, a very strong individual who comes to be a leading individual within his village. Although the cultural backdrop is very unfamiliar, the character traits of Okonkwo that play an inevitable difference in his effectiveness as a leader are apparent even to the most unfamiliar with African tribal cultures. Okonkwo’s life begins with severe disappointment in his father and a determination to be everything that his father was not. This driving ambition invariably leads to adoption of an extremely harsh attitude towards most people, and results in the unfolding of the story, and invariably, to things falling apart in Okonkwo’s life. The following analysis encompasses the cultural backdrop against which Okonkwo’s story is set, and presents his key relationships with various characters that allows one to build a thorough analysis of his leadership and a fair picture of its failure. Furthermore, a critical analysis of the folkloric culture illustrated within the novel presents key leadership lessons that were ignored by Okonkwo in his daily life. Further...
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...)Instead of trying to understand the Africans and their culture, he showed his own image of them and what they sound like to him. Throughout the book Conrad showed examples of his simple mindedness towards the Africans. “Before it stopped running with a muffled rattle, a cry, a very loud cry, as of infinite desolation, soared slowly in the opaque air. It ceased. A complaining clamour, modulated in savage discords, filled our ears…” (2.13) Dudley 2 This showed Conrad’s inability to understand. The men that we around didn’t understand the cries of the natives. The misunderstanding clearly showed the huge disconnection between the Africans and the Europeans. Although Conrad seemed to have a huge disconnect with the African language, one thing he seemed to understand was emotion. “But what made the idea of attack inconceivable to me was the nature of the noise – the cries we had heard. They had not the fierce character boding immediate hostile...
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...African American History: Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is about the heartbreaking fall of the novel’s protagonist Okonkwo as well as the Igbo Culture. The protagonist is a respected and prominent leader in the Igbo community of Umuofia in Eastern Nigeria. His personal distinction and fame comes when he successfully beats Amalinze the Cat, in a wrestling duel. This earns him much honor. This novel is a demonstrative explanation of the culture of the Ibo clan as narrated from an insider's point of view while focusing on the life of Okonkwo. The customs and religion of the Ibo village comes out with simplicity and sympathy. This creates a sense of reminiscence for a way of life that is, no doubt, completely unusual to Western sensibilities and practices. This influences the reader to experience the strength and sense of a traditional culture as seen from within. The book is a vivid description of how rich African culture was before the invasion of the missionaries and colonialists rather than a bad portrayal of supposedly barbaric practices as has been claimed by some critics. For instance, Achebe describes a marriage ceremony of the Ibo community which paints a clear picture of their social and cultural aspect. There is so much socialism that an event such as marriage is a reserve and responsibility of the whole community. Achebe writes, “Women and children began to gather at Obierika’s compound to the bride’s mother in her difficult but happy task of...
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...Martin Owens Western Culture 103 Dr. Frye Essay #3 12/9/13 Accepting Differences Saves Lives Change can be hard to accept for many people. One’s who have been raised to think, act, and participate in life in a certain way tend to find it harder to accept change. However, as the old saying goes, things fall apart so that new things can take its form. In the book Things Fall apart by Chinua Achene, there was conflict between the traditional villagers and the European colonial establishment because the whites were blind to the insight of the African culture and the villagers where stirred the wrong way by a single man. Conflict rose due to stubbornness. Once both worlds are mixed together, the whites and the African clans are almost at agreed terms, and then Okonkwo returns trying hard to turn everyone back to their roots which would eventually end in tragedy. The White commissioners meant well; however, they were blind to the insight of the African tradition so they did not understand why Okonkwo reacted to certain situations in such way that he did. Beforehand, the white commissioner Mr. Brown went to the village trying to change the clan’s views. He sat down and talked with Akunna about religion and in return he learned something himself. While trying to explain Mr. Brown put emphasis on how “there are no other gods, Chukwu is the only God and all others are false” (180). After telling Akunna about the Christian way of thinking, Akunna responds by telling him they’re...
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...ALICE SEKYERE OBENG AUUG09120013 CLASSIFYING OKWONKWO IN “THINGS FALL APART” AND NANAYAA IN “ IN THE CHEST OF A WOMAN” AS TRAGIC HEROE AND HEROIN RESPECTIVELY, WITH REFERENCE TO THE BOOKS. In every story or novel, there is both a protagonist and antagonist ,the protagonist could either be a tragic hero, a hero, or a heroine among others .In things fall apart which was written by Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian, there is a tragic hero who is okwonkwo, the story weaves itself around him till the end and tells of how he and his people lived without the white man, when he came and after he came and also tells of how Okwonkwo forced to fight change which eventually lead to his death. With “in the chest of a woman” however, Efo Kodjo Mawugbe, a Ghanaian writer who unfortunately passed away recently tells his story in legs instead of acts and scenes which makes it unique, and also woven around Nanayaa who comes off as a strong, bold and daring character comparable to a heroine. In the play, she would stop at nothing to achieve her lifelong dream and selfish ambition of becoming a queen instead of her younger brother, and when that is not possible she resorts to disguising her daughter as a male, so she could be king. This plan backfires as the true identity is revealed at the end. Although these characteristics classify them both as a tragic hero and heroine, there are also some major characteristics that enforces that fact including that they were both noble persons, or usually of...
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...Latria Stridiron Dr. Hendricks HIST.350.020 September 27, 2012 Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe a Nigerian native wrote Things Fall Apart a groundbreaking novel as a response to European writings about Africa such as Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness and Joyce Cary Mister Johnson. Indignant at the way Africans were portrayed in those novels, Achebe looked for a way to show the world the richness of African culture, and in so doing, give his people a voice in the global society. Achebe announced that one of his purposes was to present a complex, dynamic society to a Western audience who perceived African society as primitive, simple, and backward. It was also a response to the Western beliefs that the Africans were uncivilized and barbaric. Achebe got most of his view from his own culture through the writing of Europeans. At first he related to the European writings, but as time went on, he felt they were poor caricatures and stereotypes of the actual people, and he tried to show this through his writing. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe illustrates this vision by showing us what happened in the Igbo society of Nigeria at the time of its colonization by the British. Because of internal weaknesses within the native structure and the divided nature of Igbo society, the community of Umuofia in this novel is unable to withstand the tidal wave of foreign religion, commerce, technology, and government. Unless Africans could tell their side of their story, Achebe...
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...In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe the protagonist’s world begins to crumble as an exponential growth of change occurs. I believe the character’s unfortunate unwillingness to change led to his untimely demise. However, I do understand that Okonkwo is product of his upbringing, which has been a common theme throughout the myths we have read. As there seems to be mythological components in this novel it seems appropriate to explore these elements. While Okonkwo’s character seems very simple at first, as the novel progressed, I realized his character is quite complex. Therefore, I intend to delve into his character to explore why the novel ended as it did. The novel begins with Okonkwo living in Umuofia a village where he and his family...
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...Every person has faced fear at least once in their life. Fear of death, rejection, and the worst, failure. This fear is plainly shown in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart through Okonkwo’s hamartia that moves him towards his eventual demise. Achebe proves that living solely by fear of failure will create the very thing one’s life is motivated to destroy. Okonkwo’s fear of failure manifests itself in five distinct ways: Fear of following in his father’s footsteps, fear of becoming feminine, fear of losing religion, fear of discrediting his family name, and fear of disgracing the Ibo gods. These fears accumulate under the fear of failure that acts as Okonkwo’s hamartia, motivating him to commit suicide at the conclusion of the book. Achebe begins Things Fall Apart with a lengthy description of Okonkwo’s past, including his lazy...
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...“Things Fall Apart,” by Chinua Achebe SUICIDE: Honor vs. Abomination Alecia Williams Critical Reading, Semester 2, Class RE 260 G Professor E. Singleton May 10th, 2012 Abstract Is it an abomination to God or is it an honorable sacrificial offering unto the Lord to commit suicide is any form or for any reason? Suicide has been a contradicting issue since the dawn of times. In many countries suicide can be viewed as an offering unto God. Many Middle Eastern countries view suicide as an honor. To them such an act requires bravery and courage, and in return they shall be rewarded with eternal life dispersed by the God that they serve. This research paper will access and outline whether or not suicide can be viewed an a honor or an abomination base on the famous novel “Things Fall Apart,” by Chinua Achebe, in relation to the protagonist of the story Oknonkwo. The Qur’an and the Bible But does suicide deem honor and compensation in any country or any religion; factually? Actually suicide is looked down upon in both the Christian and the Islamic/Muslim religions. The Qur’an clearly states that “O ye who believe! Do not kill yourselves, for truly Allah has been to you Most Merciful. If any do that in rancor and injustice, soon shall we cast him into the fire.” (Qur'an 4:29-30) The Bible also states that “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought...
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