The Paradox of African Womanhood in Relation to Colonization
“Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world” (Yeats). The poem “The Second Coming” by William Yeats, serves as inspiration for the title of Things Fall Apart, one of the two novels discussed in this essay. The poem cautions that societal disorder can be apocalyptic. In Europe, Christianity and western values represented order; consequently, European missionaries viewed colonization as a righteous effort in saving African people. However, this quote only represents a one-sided view of colonization. On the contrary, Africa’s relationship with colonization is intricate. For instance, Europeans propelled Africa into the industrial age, but their
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As an experienced warrior and respected leader in Umuofia, Okonkwo exemplifies his clan’s esteem for strength and virility. After accidently killing a clansman, Okonkwo, along with his three wives and eight children are temporarily banished to his mother’s native village, Mbanta. In Mbanta, Okonkwo and the other villagers are troubled by the arrival of European missionaries. The villagers allow the missionaries to build a church, which gains a considerable following of Ibo converts. Upon his return to Umuofia, Okonkwo discovers that Christianity has become prevalent in his homeland. Outraged by the Church’s disregard for their religion and customs, Okonkwo and other clan elders burn down the Church, and they are later arrested by the District Commissioner. Following the men’s release, the village holds a meeting, where Okonkwo kills a European messenger. Before the Europeans can arrest and execute him, Okonkwo hangs …show more content…
In contrast introducing to a one-sided conception of colonization by victimizing Africans, Achebe highlights problematic practices such as leaving newborn twins to die in the wilderness. The missionaries’ interpreter tells the people of Mbanta, “They [your gods] are gods of deceit who tell you to kill your fellows and destroy innocent children” (Achebe, 146). Although the Europeans invaded their land and disregarded their culture, there are some ways in which Africans benefited from their arrival. Along with religion, Europeans also brought education and several innovations that improved African’s quality of life. Moreover, women in Umuofia are revered for the same feminine qualities that deem them inferior. Similarly, colonization assumes a unique place in African societies; a position in which it is condemned because of its deviation from of African values, yet respected for its larger societal benefits. In the novel, colonization is negatively regarded as the spread of the white man’s religion and language, but it is also accredited for saving outcasts of the clan and educating generations of Africans. In a similar fashion, God’s Bit of Wood, authored by Senegalese author Sembene Ousmane, also illustrates a paradoxical conception of womanhood, thus symbolizing Africa’s complex relationship with
After Okonkwo gets banished from the tribe it undergoes a drastic cultural change. Okonkwo does not. Upon his return he discovers that his tribe has been partially converted by the Christian missionaries. He is appalled and rejects the idea.
Some people might say that Okonkwo was just trying to protect the tradition and cultural of his tribal village but in actuality this is far from the truth. When Okonkwo cut down the guard, he made the swift assumption that his clansmen were as passionate about fighting colonialism as him and would follow him into war. When he found otherwise, he could not understand what had happened to his village. The next place he was seen was hanging from a noose in a selfish show of hypocrisy. In the end, Okonkwo's status among his tribe counted for nothing because his own despair over the colonization of his village led him to kill himself. His whole life Okonkwo strived to not to look weak like his father, but in the end he took the cowards way out, suicide. Suicide was a great sin against the Earth. Because he took his own life, Okonkwo, a great leader of Umuofia, had to be buried by strangers. All of his work and perseverance amounted to nothing because of what he had done.
By utilizing an unbiased stance in his novel, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe promotes cultural relativity without forcibly steering his audience to a particular mindset. He presents the flaws of the Ibo tribe the same way he presents the assets—without either condescension or pride; he presents the cruelties of the colonizers the same way he presents their open mindedness—without either resentment or sympathy. Because of this balance, readers are able to view the characters as multifaceted human beings instead of simply heroes and victims. Achebe writes with such subtle impartiality that American audiences do not feel guilty for the cruel actions of the colonizers or disgusted by the shocking traditions of the tribesmen. The readers stop differentiating the characters as either “tribesmen” or “colonizers”. They see them simply as people, much like themselves. With this mindset, the audience starts to reflect upon their own cultural weaknesses. Conversely, the colonizers forcefully declare their religion onto the tribesmen instead of neutrally presenting their beliefs. Achebe prevails over his anger to present his opinion without forcefulness and with open-minded consideration. Yes, the colonizers succeed in converting many tribesmen into Christians; however, their success is subjective because they destroy African culture in the process. Ultimately, Achebe is successful in delivering his political views, but he does so by encouraging open-mindedness and cultural relativity instead of forcing his individual ideals upon his readers.
He was in great conflict with the ideas of the white men and the missionaries. Okonkwo saw that their beliefs had not only changed the daily life of the Ibo, but it also changed the people themselves: “He mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women” (Achebe 183). The author uses strong diction to compare the men before and after colonization. This quote also portrays Okonkwo’s opinion towards the cultural collision. He values strength and masculinity immensely because of his fear of appearing weak like his father Unoka. When he describes that the men of Umuofia changed to be soft like women, this shows how much he dishonors the Western ideas and how it has taken over the village. He made an attempt to get rid of the Western influence by urging the tribe to fight like men, but they refuse to. He was determined and still attempted to furthermore encourage the people of Umuofia to revolt against the new culture. He realizes that his attempts to return the village back to the way it was before were futile. He knew that Christianity was tearing his people apart, but knew he was incapable of making change to help his people. Okonkwo then starts to feel hopeless and abandoned by his clan, which causes him to commit suicide by hanging himself: “Obierika… turned suddenly to the District Commissioner and said ferociously: ‘That man was one of the greatest men
Okonkwo is often described as being similar to characters in Greek tragedies. Okonkwo knew that the end of his clan was coming, and that they would do nothing to prevent it from happening. He took his life out of desperation. He had struggled his whole life to become a respected member of his community, and suddenly his world is turned upside down and changed forever because of an accident. Okonkwo sees that he is fighting a losing battle, so he quits. Suicide was one of the biggest offenses that could be committed against the earth, and Okonkwo?s own clansmen could not bury him. Okonkwo?s death symbolizes the end of patriarchy in Umuofia. The last page of the book is from the point of view of the white Commissioner, who notes that he wants to include a paragraph on Okonkwo?s life in his book entitled The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of Lower Niger. Okonkwo?s struggles, triumphs and defeats are all reduced to a paragraph, much like his culture and society will be reduced.
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a powerful novel about the social changes that occurred when the white man first arrived on the African continent. The novel is based on a conception of humans as self-reflexive beings and a definition of culture as a set of control mechanisms. Things Fall Apart is the story of Okonkwo, an elder, in the Igbo tribe. He is a fairly successful man who earned the respect of the tribal elders. The story of Okonkwo’s fall from a respected member of the tribe to an outcast who dies in disgrace graphically dramatizes the struggle between the altruistic values of Christianity and the lust for power that motivated European colonialism in Africa and undermined the indigenous culture of a nation.
This crime from Okonkwo left him away from his homeland for seven years, and during his escape, his old culture would soon be evolved. This unintentional action also played a domino effect, first moving his family away and having his home destroyed, then having his son, Nwoye turn back on him and become a missionary in Umuofia joining the white culture. Achebe describes how Nwoye declines Okonkwo being his father towards Obierika who is doing favors for the family (144). Hearing this, his father seems to not be harmed and is disappointed in his son. These missionaries began assembling into Umuofia, convincing the clansmen that there is only one God, and He is the creator of everything unlike what the clansmen had believed. They had a god for everything, but they now were being persuaded. Hearing this, Okonkwo is in shock and believes that the only way to solve the issue is to chase the men out of the village some way (Achebe 146). Nwoye is attracted to the new religion but has yet to reveal it to his father for fear of him. When Okonkwo heard the news, he is infuriated with anger. “… sprang to his feet and gripped him by the neck”
The imposition of colonialism on Africa drastically reconstructed the continent. All over, European powers attempted to “assimilate” countries into their own, all the while exploiting and victimizing their people, culture, and resources. However, if there was one aspect of colonialism that provided a fertile ground for conflict, it was the unknowingly insidious method of introducing religion, specifically Christianity, into African families. This is particularly exemplified in the novels Things Fall Apart, Houseboy, and Weep Not, Child. Throughout these novels, the assimilation of Christianity within the protagonists’ not only results in a destruction of their sacred and traditional values, but also their well-being and those around them.
When people and scholars read “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats, many are shocked by the stunning and frightening description of what he perceives will happen during the “second coming”. He describes violent and terrifying images, describes the world he lives in, as well as the judgment it will receive. While the purpose and meaning of Yeats’ poem has never been fully understood, a connection can be made between “The Second Coming”, and a more recent novel, Chinchua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Things Fall Apart is a novel published in 1958 that describes the conflict between tribe of Nigerian people and white missionaries. While there is a distinct contrast in writing style and subject between these two pieces of literature, there is a discernible correlation between them. At the ending of Yeats’ poem, he presents a question: “…And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?”. Achebe’s novel in many different ways is a direct response to Yeats’ question.
Okonkwo’s determination to succeed in life and to not fail leads to his fatal downfall in the end of the novel. His inability to adapt to colonization and his failure to follow the morals of many of the morals of the Ibo culture also are an important key leading to his downfall. Okonkwo was willing to go to war against the missionaries, with or without the clan. He made it clear that he believed the missionaries were in the wrong for trying to change Umuofia. Since the clan wanted no part in the war with the missionaries, Okonkwo took action into his own hands and murdered the head messenger. During the killing of the messenger, Okonkwo had a moment of realization: “He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messengers escape. They had broken into tumult instead of action” (Achebe 205). Okonkwo finally understands that he doesn’t have support from his fellow clansmen anymore and he feels as if he loses his place in society. Instead of backing up Okonkwo and his decision to murder the messenger, the clan stood in both confusion and disorder and questioned, “ ‘Why did [Okonkwo] do it?’ ” (Achebe 205). Okonkwo’s impulsiveness causes the clansmen to question Okonkwo’s violent actions against the messenger. Throughout the entire novel, Okonkwo struggles to accept the missionaries and the changes that they
This essay is about the effect of Colonialism seen in the book Things Fall Apart. Through out the whole book you can see different impressions on the tribe, many other people, and the relationships between the white man and the black man. "Does the white man understand our custom about land?" "How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart." (Achebe, 17)
In Chinua Achebe 's classic novel "Things Fall Apart," the development of European colonization 's lead to extreme cultural changes, leaving a lasting impact on the Igbo village of Umofia in West Africa. In the novel, Achebe displays the impacts of European colonization in both critical and sympathetic terms to provide the reader with both positive and negative factors of Imperialism to develop an unbiased understanding of what the Igbo culture and society went through. While addressing the hardship 's of life by showing the deterioration of Okonkwo 's character, the cultural and traditional changes of society, and the positive and negative impacts of imperialism, Achebe keeps touch on the overall theme of the novel, once a dramatic event
History has been told through various forms for decades. In the past, history was more commonly expressed through word of mouth, but more recently in the past century, through written text. While textbooks and articles give formal information with little to no bias, novels give a completely new perspective from the people who experienced it themselves. The Novels, God’s Bits of Wood, written by Sembene Ousmane, and No Longer at Ease, by Chinua Achebe give a more personal account of the effects of colonization. These two novels tackle the British and French method of colonization. God’s Bits of Wood takes place in the late 1940s and sheds light on the story of the railroad strike in colonial Senegal. The book deals with different ways that the Senegalese and Malians respond to colonialism during that time. No Longer at Ease is set in the 1950s and tells the early story of British colonialism and how the Nigerians responded to colonization. Comparing the two novels, there are obvious similarities and differences in the British and French ways of rule. African authors are able to write these novels in a way that gives a voice to the people that are most commonly silenced during colonialism. This perspective allows readers to understand the negative ways that colonization affects the colonized. Historical fiction like God’s Bits of Wood and No Longer at Ease are good educational tools to shed light on the history and effects of colonization, but they do not provide a completely reliable source for completely factual information.
... only used by Achebe to further enrich the common theme of clash of opposing cultures, but they also are what make Things Fall Apart a universal human experience that is common to all people. Achebe uses these symbols because all cultures can relate to them: drums are seen as a celebration of culture, locusts are unwanted invaders, and fire is destructive. Things Fall Apart is written from the unique African point of view, and it shows how Europeans have destroyed important parts of African culture. Perhaps Achebe uses universal symbols not only to make it more relevant to all cultures, but also to seek increased humanitarian missions to Africa. Nevertheless, Achebe’s use of figurative language and common elements not only highlight the most profound changes that Umuofia experiences, but it also causes people to question their preconceived notions on society.
Okonkwo was not a bit pleased upon the coming of the missionaries. The missionaries changed Okonkwo’s train of thought and the way in which he presented himself. In reaction to Enoch’s crime of unmasking an egwugwu, Okonkwo and the other leader of Umofia make an attack by destroying the missionaries’ church. Okonkwo had other intentions and had advised multiple violent actions even to the extent of killing the missionaries. Although, the group had only ended up burning down their church. As Okonkwo had stated, “He knew that he was a fierce fighter, but that year he had been enough to break the heart of a lion.”(pg.20) Okonkwo was following his own advice because he was fighting for what he believed in and for what he knew was wrong. The missionaries had changed the outlook upon life for Okonkwo. He was no longer the sweet loving and caring individual in which he was upon returning. He n...