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Analysis of things falling apart by chinua achebe
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Analysis of things falling apart by chinua achebe
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Things Fall Apart was a fantastic book. It was educational as well as entertaining. The author, Chinua Achebe did a great job of describing the complex society and culture of the Ibo tribe. Being that Achebe’s roots originate from the Ibo, he shares accurate history and traditions that help shape the book and its perspective on how the European invasions greatly affected pre-colonial Africa. Throughout the book, the reader will learn that the Ibo had important religious beliefs, an economic system, and social organization. This would lead one to believe that the Ibo were not as primitive as the Europeans thought they were. Religion seemed to already be important to the Ibo before the Europeans introduced Christianity. Their religious beliefs were basically involved in everything that sustained the society including how they governed, farming techniques, decision making regarding important issues such as war, and how they communicated with other people. Although the name of the religion the Ibo practiced was not mentioned, its beliefs seemed to be fairly similar to Christian belie...
The Ibo tribes are interesting and have had a good history outside the fact that they were taken over by the British. The Ibo people were very religious and believed in many gods. They also believed in a thing called chi. "At the most one could say that his chi or personal god was good."(29). The Ibo people believe your chi was like your spirit and could determine whether you had good or bad fortune. Some people may see chi as luck or karma. The Ibo people also viewed masculinity very highly. The men would wrestle each other for respect within the tribe and the males were considered superior to the females in the fact that the males were stronger and tougher. Males in the tribes may also take more than one wife. This is known as bigamy. "There is no civil ordinance law against anyone who takes more than one wife (bigamy) as long as the person can maintain them." This was looked down upon once Christianity came into their culture from the British missionaries. The Ibo have good hospitality and manners. When visitors arrive they present them with a Kola nut to eat and palm wine to drink. An overall view of these people would say that they are good natured people. They had their own language, religion, and ideas on how things worked in life.
One of the flaws inside the Ibo culture that eventually leads to their downfall is the social system. The weaker people join the church as a way to gain acceptance. The osu, or outcasts who lived in the Ibo culture want to feel accepted and as a result, follow the Christians. “The two outcasts shaved off their hair, and soon they were the strongest adherents of the new faith” (157). These two outcasts never have the feeling of being a part of the clan. The church welcomes them. The osu cannot cut their hair, marry, or receive a title in the clan. They are “cast out like lepers” (157). The church welcomes the osu and treats them like human beings. This is where the Ibo social system is at fault. An ideal job is to be a farmer and since not everyone can afford seeds and a barn...
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.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe tells the story of how one unified Umuofian community falls due to its own inner conflicts, as well as to the arrival of Christian missionaries. Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart to change the brutish image of Africa, for the Western world. The use of changing perspectives greatly aided Achebe in accurately portraying Africa as colorful, diverse and complex. For Westerners, viewing Africans as more than tribal and barbaric was a new concept, of which Achebe helped usher in. The story is told through the eyes of many Umuofians, which gives the reader a personal sense for the individuals within the tribe. When all the individual pieces of the story are brought together, the sifting perspectives creates a vast overview of the community, while also deepening the readers since for the tribe by allowing personal details to show through. Achebe captures the complexity of the Umuofia community by changing the perspective from which the story is being told frequently.
The Ibo questioned the white man, wondering “who will protect us from. our neglected gods and ancestors” and was curious about his teachings. In doing so, it becomes apparent that the white man had succeeded in planting doubt in their minds about their religion.... ... middle of paper ... ...
The Ibo’s government is administered by the nine egwugwu who are ancestral spirits that represent each village of the clan. As large crowds of the Ibo tribe would gather on the village
In many ways the changes that the missionaries brought upon the Ibo were unavoidable. The rituals and cyclic view the Ibo had of time held their culture together. The Ibo did not hold on to their ideas of interdepenence and community. Therefore, they were more suspetable to surcoming to the ways of the white man. The colonial infiltration caused the Ibo to not only loose their cultural identity, but their voice. The missionaries alterations brought silece among the native dialect of the Ibo. Achebe states at the end of the novel "even now they have not found the mouth with which to tell of their suffering." From this quote it is apparent that there is little left of the Ibo culture. The colonial infliltration caused the Ibo to fall apart, and break the vital cycle that once held their culture together.
In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe reveals both the tradition and it's challenges of the Igbo people. This excerpt especially shows how customary they are and how well the tribe's traditions are respected. She includes many details and dialogue that not only reveal their customs, but also their love and appreciation of them. Achebe uses repetition, detail, and parallel structure to reveal the work's meaning. First.
The Ibo culture is a culture of traditions and order. They stick to common religions, practices, and general ways of living. They have several traditions relating to the respect of ancestors, Gods, men, and several other external and spiritual beings. The people of Umuofia depend greatly on unity, several Gods, and opportunities of social ranking to control their land. Though, in the long term their traditional ways of living will not stand in a rapidly changing world. In order to stay connected and alive, I believe that the Ibo people have to learn to adapt while maintaining their individuality.
Tribal status is shown in the novel Things Fall Apart and helps the reader understand the status of different characters and how it impacts how they live their lives. In the Ibo culture, the men make all of the decisions and prosperous men had multiple wives. In this culture, there is not a single leader and the elders lead the tribe. In this culture, titles are not inherited but they are earned. For Okonkwo to be successful he wanted to be the opposite of what his father was like.
In the novel, religion played a major role in the Ibo community. The Ibo community believed strongly in oracles. For example, Chielo plays an important role representing the role of the priestess of the oracle of Agbala, “The oracle was called Agbala, and people
Things Fall Apart portrays the fall of a traditional Igbo society after colonization by the Europeans. With the arrival of the white men came the arrival of their traditions, which soon overshadowed ancient indigenous culture. Instead of respecting and embracing the Igbo traditions, the white men were intolerant of their customs, and they pressured the natives to adapt to Western Ways. Though this novel only illustrates one author’s portrayal of the outcome of the relationship between the native indigenous people and the white Europeans, I do not think it is reasonable to think things could have turned out differently. Because of Okonkwo’s tendency to overcompensate for his father, the divided nature of he people within their society, and the
The Growth When It Falls Before the Europeans conquered Nigeria, Igbo society was primitive. A big part of that was the lack of a structured community. Prior to the dispersion of Christianity, many Igbo people worshipped numerous gods for various commodities and activities. As of today, some Igbo people still worship multiple gods, while others practiced Christianity as it became for widespread throughout the 20th century. Religion played a pivotal role in Igbo society.
Things Fall Apart, a tragedy written by Chinua Achebe, is a very intriguing novel. While the actual story is fictional, the meaning behind it is true. Things Fall Apart is set during the turn of the 19th century in Nigeria.
Achebe writes Things Fall Apart to revise the history that has been misplaced. He writes to the European and Western culture. This fact is evident because the book is written in English and it shows us the side of the African culture we wouldn’t normally see. Achebe is constantly ...