Things Fall Apart – Finding Unoka in the Mirror
I wish I could say that the character Okonkwo, in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, is very similar to myself, but I would be lying. Okonkwo is filled with many admirable traits: drive, ambition, goals, and his ability to overcome through his constant productivity. Okonkwo had the determination to become a great man, and even with the odds against him, he succeeded.
“With a father like Unoka, Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men had. He neither inherited a barn nor a title, or even a young wife. But in spite of these disadvantages, he had begun even in his father’s lifetime to lay the foundations of a prosperous future” (18). Most of his accomplishments were despite his father, whom Okonkwo loathed, but with whom I connected. In the novel, I relate more to Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, a much more laid back character. Like Unoka, I am in love with life, lazy, not worried about tomorrow, and deeply in debt.
Unoka had a great appreciation for the moment. For instance, “he loved this season of the year, when the rains had stopped and the sun rose every morning with dazzling beauty. And it was not too hot either…” (5). Such a description makes me want to lay down drowsy in the grass and enjoy the beauty of the day, for as Unoka “loved it all” (5), I too love it all (5)! What I would give for another summer day to simply nap, sprawled on my stomach in the grass of my back yard, feeling the warmth of the sun and security of a newborn napping in its mother’s arms. How deeply do I love these moments of drowsiness and warmth nature supplies her children. I imagine Unoka had similar experiences through playing the flute. “He was very good on his flute, and his happiest moments were the two or three moons after the harvest when the village musicians brought down their instruments, hung above the fireplace. Unoka would play with them, his face beaming with blessedness and peace” (4). Unoka and I enjoy the simple things life has to offer. Perhaps this appreciation is rooted in our struggle against society, one which demands the focus of our lives to lie beyond the setting sun. However, there must come a day when you ask yourself, will I even be alive tomorrow?
Almost every single nation in our world today, the United States included, is extremely reliant on oil and how much of it we can obtain. Wars have been started between countries vying for control of this valuable natural resource. The United States as a whole has been trying to reduce its reliance on foreign oil and has had some success, especially with the discovery of the Bakken formation and projects like the Keystone Pipeline.
Okonkwo is “a man of action, a man of war” (7) and a member of high status in the Igbo village. He holds the prominent position of village clansman due to the fact that he had “shown incredible prowess in two intertribal wars” (5). Okonkwo’s hard work had made him a “wealthy farmer” (5) and a recognized individual amongst the nine villages of Umuofia and beyond. Okonkwo’s tragic flaw isn’t that he was afraid of work, but rather his fear of weakness and failure which stems from his father’s, Unoka, unproductive life and disgraceful death. “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness….It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.” Okonkwo’s father was a lazy, carefree man whom had a reputation of being “poor and his wife and children had just barely enough to eat... they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back.” (5) Unoka had never taught Okonkwo what was right and wrong, and as a result Okonkwo had to interpret how to be a “good man”. Okonkwo’s self-interpretation leads him to conclude that a “good man” was someone who was the exact opposite of his father and therefore anything that his father did was weak and unnecessary.
Early Feudalism started after the fall of the Roman Empire, which led to no law being in place protecting the poor people who then turned to the lord of the manor for protection which saw the beginning of Feudalism.
Okonkwo wanted to become one of the greatest men in the Ibo tribe, but three unfortunate events occur bringing him closer to his end. Okonkwo was a proud, industrious figure who through hard work was able to elevate himself to a stature of respect and prominence in his community. The one major character flaw was that he was a man driven by his fear to extreme reactions. Okonkwo was petrified of inadequacy namely because his father was a complete and utter failure. This fear of shortcoming made him hate everything his father loved and represented: weakness, gentleness, and idleness. Who was Okonkwo, well Okonkwo was a hero and also he...
Feudalism is a system depending on loyalty and obligations of all the levels, meeting the needs of its people because everyone would benefit in some way. The Hundred Years war was the start of the decline of feudalism through its military by changing what the Lord’s needed the military to have and as a result, making the lower class wealthier and more powerful. Every class had an important role that needed to be filled for feudalism to meet all of the people’s needs. King Edward the third died without a direct heir, leaving the lands of France unclaimed. The King of England tried to claim the land and as a result, started a 116 year long war that went on for many lifetimes. Proving your worth will get you to be well known, for instance, Edward the black prince said "My father is right. I need no aid. My men will hold their post as long as they have strength to stand." And then he rode where the battle was still furiously raging, and encouraged his men. The king of France led his force a number of times against the prince's line, but could not break it and was at last compelled to retire (Richardson)
The idea of retrofitting suds into existing developments was introduced to tackle the problems assiocated with traditional drainage systems which were designed to convey stormwater from the devlopents to receiving enviorments as quickily as possible to minimize flooding at the development. These however cause enviormental problems in receiving enviorments
As it stands, oil companies have a firm grasp of the American economy. As the price of oil increases, the price of living also increases. Not only that, but they are getting away with paying dues they owe. "Oil companies have escaped more than 60 billion dollars in royalties because of a loophole to get access to more leases. The United States is the third largest producer of oil in the world, and 31 percent of that production comes from land owned by the federal government" (Offshore Drilling Will Enrich Big Oil Companies 2). America maintains this title even though "America's crude oil productivity has decreased since 1985" (Crude Oil Production 1). Currently, oil is becoming more expensive and damaging the economy while America is becoming more dependent on foreign oil; decreasing productivity and narrowing offshore drilling.
Okonkwo is the son of a man named Unoka, who was known as somewhat of a failure and was not able to repay debt. Unoka preferred music and friendly gatherings to working in the field and was therefore more focused on things as seen as unimportant to the Ibo culture such as playing his flute and drinking palm-wine rather than earning titles and growing yams as an Ibo man should. Okonkwo developed a deep shame and hatred for his father and worked tirelessly to erase him from his memory by attempting to become his opposite by earning
From an early age, Okonkwo was ashamed of his father, Unoka, who was unable even to feed his family. The unpredictability of receiving enough food at a young age was enough to inspire fear and embarrassment in Okonkwo who associated this embarrassment with his father and was given further justification for these feelings when he went out into Umuofia, discovering that the other villagers held similar opinions of Unoka. When he was old enough, Okonkwo began farming his own yams because “he had to support his mother and two sisters […] And supporting his mother also meant supporting his father” (25). Okonkwo’s self-reliance was admired, valued in the community where “age was respected […] but achievement was revered” (12); this admiration gave him feelings of security, and the respect of his peers pushed him towards greater self-respect, distancing him from his father. The security and respect became related in his mind as he viewed his acceptance in the community as his life’s goal and Okonk...
2.) Design engineers proposed a plan to dam the natural stream Old River and build two control structures, one to operate at all times and stages, and the other to operate only during floods. A lock to preserve navigation between the Mississippi River and the Atchafalaya-Red River system was also included.
Okonkwo grew up from poverty to wealthy enough to support three wives, and many children. He was well respected by his clansmen from his village. Although, Okonkwo has many great aspects in his life, his tragic flaw is the fear of becoming like his father. While everyone was working on their farm, Unoka did nothing but drink, dance, and just plainly pray to the gods.
The novel "Things Fall Apart", by Chinua Achebe, was an eye-opening account of the life and eventual extinction of an African tribe called the Ibo. It focuses on one character, Okonkwo, who at a very early age set out on a quest of self-perfection. Coming from a family ruled by a man who was lazy and inconsistent with everything he did, Okonkwo vowed to never accept the fate of his father. Okonkwo and his family suffered through many hard times in their lives, but usually managed to come out on top. Through terrible crop seasons and bad judgement calls, Okonkwo usually prevailed, until the day came when he was faced with a situation that could not be resolved by his strength and character alone.
Feudalism was a set of political and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries (“Feudalism”). “The feudal system was not planned but, rather grew and developed in response to the social chaos that followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It provided order where there no longer was any, and it created new chains of command to replace those that were gone” ( James 58). Feudalism was introduced by King William I to England; this system organized power, land, and divided people into classes. The king, who owned all the land, gave some land to the church and to the barons in return for large blocks of land, the barons promised to fight for the king. Lent land to the knights and also common people (Susie 5). Feudalism test was also to defend against invaders (John 32). In the absence of centralized government authority, people look to personal relationships to bind society together. An individual with military power to offer gave his services to a feudal lord (Hay 170). Feudalism was created to put society, land, and power into order. In the economic system, landlords would force laborers to work on the lord’s manor to the lord’s profit (Medieval 65).
In the country of England feudalism was introduced to the country by William I after he had defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings. After being introduced to England, feudalism became a way of life in Medieval England and stayed that way for many centuries. William I known better as William the Conqueror had defeated the English army lead by Harold but in order to truly be called king of England he had to gain control of the country as well. William I had to use force in order to get and maintain his control of England since he was not very popular among the people of England. The defeat of Harold at the Battle of Hastings by William I occurred in 1066 which meant that feudalism began in England in or close to the year 1066.
Okonkwo is a self-made man. He achieves greatness through his own hard work and determination. Okonkwo started his life without the benefits that other young men had. His father, Unoka, was a lazy man. He had acquired no honorary titles. When Unoka died, Okonkwo did not inherit any barn, title, or young wife. He merely acquired his father’s debts. Therefore, Okonkwo sets about to make a name for himself and to achieve greatness in his community. He diligently plants and harvests his yams, building a farm from scratch. He builds a large commune for his family. He marries three wives; one of them was the village beauty. He acquires two titles. Okonkwo is not a failure, like is father was. In Umuofia, “achievement was revered”, and Okonkwo’s achievement was immense (8). He was “clearly cut out for great things” (8). To the Igbo people, Okonkwo epitomizes greatness and success.