Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The effect of religion on society
The effect of religion on society
The effect of religion on society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The effect of religion on society
As a member outside of the Ibo tribe one may look at their culture in disorientation due to their own political views. Viewing the operations of citizens in distinctive governments demonstrates the immunity that individuals have towards their own cultural government. Individuals will begin to automatically presume that the alternative government is uncivilized. The process of civilization is when a society reaches social development. The Ibo culture best construes civilization through the book “ “ written by . “TITLE” informs readers about the justice system, gender roles and the establishment of relationships within the Ibo tribe.
In order to keep the culture civilized, the Ibos formulated a justice system. According to Things Fall Apart,
…show more content…
This meant that the whole tribe came to the funeral of where Ezeudu rested, this was a sign of respect the tribal members paid unto their leader. Another relationship based on respect is described in the scene where Ojiugo went to get her hair done and showed up late to prepare Okonkwo lunch. Nwoye’s mother made an excuse for her being late because she did not want Okonkwo to harm Ojiugo as much (Achebe, 1994, pg29). This scene proves that the wives respect one another and share sisterhood because they look out for each other when one messes up. The women in the Ibo culture give their share of respect to the first wives. “Anasi was the first wife and the others could not drink before her, and so they stood waiting...there was authority in her bearing and she looked every inch the ruler of the womenfolk” (Achebe, 1994, pg20). Therefore, this illustrates the level of respect for the first wife, the wives honor the first why by waiting in respect of the first wife to drink. On the contrary side, there are several aspects of the Ibo culture that are not …show more content…
One may believe that this is true due to the gun shot Okonkwo fired at one of his wives, “Unfortunately for her Okonkwo heard it and ran madly into his room for the loaded gun. Ran out and aimed at her… He pressed the trigger and there was a loud report accompanied by the wail of his wives and children” (Achebe, 1994, pg 39). The gun shot that Okonkwo fired at his wife portrays how Okonkwo has no respect towards her. If Okonkwo respected his wife or even ardored her, he would not even allow his anger escalate to the point where he points a gun at his own wife. However, in order for the Ibo society to maintain a civilized culture, relationships should not be abusive. When a problem erupted in Things Fall Apart between Uzowulu and his wife, Mgbafo, they went to the evil spirits for direction in search of a solution to why Uzowulu kept severally beating on Mgbafo (Achebe, 1994, pg 87-93). This section of the novel validates how the members of Ibo tribe take action when a serious problem occurs, just as Uzowulu and Mgbafo proceeded. If Okonkwo repetitively threatened his wife with a gun, the tribe would have been forced to take action and get the evil spirits involved, proving the civilization between the Ibo tribe members, they will get involved by any means
In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, women play the roles of oppressed homemakers that are perceived as weak and defenseless second-class citizens, as the educators of children, and as spiritual leaders in traditional Ibo culture. Through the life of Okonwo, the main character of Things Fall Apart, the roles of women in traditional Ibo culture are presented through various events that take place in the village of Umuofia. In traditional Ibo culture, women were to stay at home and tend to their husbands’ needs and satisfy them. The women were viewed as property of their fathers and were then sold to the suitor that was willing to pay her bride price. A woman had no identity of her own, the status and position of her husband defined her.
her heavily.” (p. 29). Despite the beatings, Achebe shows that the Ibo women have valuable parts in the
In Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, the Ibo culture revolves around structured gender roles, from the crops that the men and women grow, to the characterization of crimes,which creates tension between the sexes and will ultimately lead to detrimental consequences. Things Fall Apart represents the hardships and struggles between females and males. For example, Ekwefi, the wife of Okonkwo, she is often beat for the things she has genuinely forgotten about . Also, we have Enzima, Okonkwo's favorite daughter, but since she is a female, she must be treated like a women. Although females are considered the weaker gender, they possess many qualities that make them worthy, such as bearing children. Achebe explained the importance of both genders and how they contribute to the society.
In the beginning of the book, the Ibo shows their traditions and harmless ways. This peaceful tribe has many traditions. One of the main traditions is their type of respect. The first type of respect we see is the use of Kola nuts when visiting someone’s Obi(hut). Okoye comes to see Unoka. Unoka is Okonkwo’s father. Okonkwo is very ashamed of his father because Unoka is always borrowing money, doesn’t have a job and is weak. So Okoye comes to see Unoka one day and brings a Kola nut. “‘I have Kola,’ he announced when he sat down, and passed the disc over to his guest.”(1.6) To show respect, one brings a Kola nut to a person’s hut. This shows peace and hospitality. Another example of respect is communication. “Among the Ibos the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten. Okoye was a great talker and he spoke for a long time, skirting round the subject and then hitting it finally.” (1.14) The last example of their peaceful traditions are the stories they tell on rainy days.“At such times, in each of the countless thatched huts of Umuofia, children sat around their mother’s cooking fire telling stories, or with their father in his obi warming themselves from a log fire, roasting and eating maize. It was a brief resting ...
During post colonial times men and women in the Igbo society had several different roles in the household, the tribe, and in the fields. The male and female roles in the Igbo tribe are determined by many different things throughout the tribe. Genders help determine what that person will be doing. Men and women both have very important roles in the household, tribe, and fields. The women in the Igbo tribe are more in charge of the children, the cooking and the cleaning and the males are in charge of the fields and taking care of the family. The males are the more incharge gender within the tribe and the women must obey everything that the male wants.
“No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man.” (53) This quote demonstrates one of the traits of masculinity that Okonkwo values, which is the ability to control his family. Okonkwo is the man of the household. He provides them food from his crops and a roof over their heads, and by his beliefs of masculinity he therefore holds all the power in his family. He wants to maintain the role of the man or authority figure of the household and whenever any of his wives try to talk back to him or argue, he would beat them. There was an example of this control in the novel with Okonkwo’s wives, Ekwefi and Ojiugo. Ekwefi was Okonkwo’s second wife, and in the novel, he beaten her in a fit of anger because he thought she had killed a banana tree.
In the article “Individual Autonomy and Social Structure,” by Dorothy Lee, a comparative method is used to understand various cultures in order to resolve conflicts that we experience in our Western society. The key social problem Lee is addressing in this article is the conflict between personal autonomy and cultural framework. She believes that Western culture lacks integrity and human dignity and this can be amended by looking at practices in the Wintu Indians’ culture. This essay will show how social structure and personal autonomy can coexist by examining the Wintu Indians’ language structure.
William James, a famous American philosopher, once stated, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives”. This quotation effectively illustrates how change in one’s attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs can alter the environment in which one lives. This concept is clearly demonstrated throughout the novel Things Fall Apart, authored by Chinua Achebe, by establishing a connection through the development of its characters and the change in traditional African tribal villages seen in the Nineteenth Century. It will be established how various characters demonstrated by the author throughout the novel exemplify how change in one’s attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs can alter the environment in which one lives addressed by William James’s quote above. First, by analyzing Achebe’s development of Okonkwo’s character through his initial character description and the emergence of outsiders, it is evident that he is portrayed as an old fashioned character that is less responsive to change. Secondly, through examining Nwoye’s character, Okonkwo’s son, it becomes apparent that the youth in the novel are more open-minded, easily persuadable and more adaptive to societal changes. Lastly, uncovering the meaning behind the arrival of European missionaries, it becomes apparent that Achebe defines this group as being a “disease”, poisoning the society in which Okonkwo lives. The author look’s at individuals as being critical and influential figures in shaping the environment to which they belong, beginning with Okonkwo.
The Ibo culture is also depicted as primitive and unjust by Achebe. This is noted in the primitive aspects of the Ibo people’s system of belief, which appears uncivilised and unjust. These examples of the Ibo culture are then combined with and redisplayed by the other primary method that Achebe uses to depict the dual aspects of Ibo culture, the two missionaries figures. Firstly Mr. Brown is utilised in a way that acknowledges the sophisticated structure and beliefs of the Ibo culture and improvement brought to the Ibo people through the missionaries involvement in the village.
In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, women of the Ibo tribe are terribly mistreated, and viewed as weak and receive little or no respect outside of their role as a mother. Tradition dictates their role in life. These women are courageous and obedient. These women are nurturers above all and they are everything but weak.
Tao from the Incredible Journey and Jonas from The Giver both play very important parts in their stories. Tao is a Siamese cat who takes a long journey with two other animals to get back home to his owner. Jonas is a boy who lives in a community that is very restricted and has taken away most of life's experiences, but Jonas wants to change that. Tao from The Incredible Journey and Jonas from The Giver have a few similarities and differences.
In the book “Things Fall Apart”, evidence of a social structure was apparent within the Igbo community. This rigid social structure served as a purpose to balance the life of the people within the society, as well as promoting the downfall of the clan. The social structure was important in keeping a centralized society and preventing any sign of corruption within their clan. The social structure had advantages in keeping a balanced and equal society, supporting a division of labor, providing a surplus of food, individual huts, a communal society, and the development of some kind of government. In contrast, this social structure led others to reject to cooperate with the new religion and aided the lack of unity among the people. It also promoted a more patriarchal society, the inferior rank of women, and the lack of strong bonds between family members.
This novel also provided a very detailed, and seemingly accurate, account of the lives of the Ibo. The Ibo were an extremely spiritual people who answered to their gods daily. A hardworking people who based their personal worth on their community and crop achievements. Their yam crops were the backbone of the community and he who possessed the largest crops were usually respected by all in the community. The Ibo were a very gendered people. The men normally made all the rules and the woman were taught to respect their husbands decisions. In particular, Okonkwo ruled his household with an iron fist. He often beat his wives for small reasons and felt little to no remorse for doing so. While it was not uncommon for the men of the Ibo tribe to beat their wives if they disobeyed orders, Okonkwo was a character that oftentimes took it too far. In one point in the novel he badly beat one of his wives, Ojiugo, during the sacred week. During this time no one in the tribe is to commit such acts, as it is a time for peace. By beating his wife, he defied the gods and was forced to offer up animal sacrifices and payment to them. This one of Okonkwo's major character flaws, he is stubborn and self-righteous, and wishes to answer to nobody but himself. This even leads to eventual fate, when he refuses to join the Christians when most everyone else of the tribe gave in to their ideas.
Throughout the world there are many conflicts. It has been that way all throughout history. Since the dawn of man, there have been many conflicts. These conflicts led to wars and changed the lives of many forever. Almost all of the conflicts are due to discrimination by different groups of people. Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, provide examples of discrimination between groups of people. The story focuses on the life and suicide of Okonkwo, a well-respected clansman of Umuofia clan. He struggles between the traditional strong masculine culture in a Nigerian Village and the new customs brought by white missionaries. The book shows the disastrous effects of prejudice and intolerance leading readers to reflect on the similarities of present and history. Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, strongly represents the vast amount of bigotry between those of different genders, religious groups, and social statuses throughout history.
The author Chinua Achebe, in the novel, “Things Fall Apart,” shares the extreme diversity between the female and male characters residing in Umofia. Okonkwo, the male leader of the tribe, carries qualities such as power and manliness, as all men are expected to. As for the females they are commonly referred as being weaker for child bearing and more responsible because they are expected to cook, clean, and take care of their children. Although the traits of the Igbo culture vary in the determination of the sexes, both genders share both positive and negative aspects of their community.