How Dead Men's Path and Snapshots of a Wedding Portray Different Cultures

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How Dead Men's Path and Snapshots of a Wedding Portray Different Cultures

For this essay I am going to discuss Dead Men’s Path, by Chinua

Achebe, and Snapshots Of A Wedding, by Bessie Head. These are both

short stories from the Opening Worlds book by Heinemann.

Written by the Nigerian son of devout Protestants, Dead Men’s Path is

a profound short story, which explores the modernisation of Africa

through beliefs and also the effects of Western customs and ideas on

traditional African society.

It tells the story of one man trying to modernise Ndume Central School

in Africa where he has recently been made Headmaster. Although only

26, Michael Obi has a very high opinion of himself, and a somewhat

over-inflated ego. He sees himself to be above others and superior to

them because he is educated: ‘He was outspoken in his condemnation of

the narrow views of these older and often less-educated ones.’

With his young wife Nancy supporting his radical ideas and views of a

modern school, not just in teaching method but also in appearance, Obi

tries to bring the ‘backwards...

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