In Chinua Achebe’s 1958 English- language novel, Things Fall Apart, the
reader focuses on the morals and values of Okonkwo, a senior member of the Ibo
community who gets motivated by masculine power of his impoverished decisions
and obsessions, with a direct insight of the Ibo culture. Out of the nine connected
villages, the greatest influential village of the land, Umuofia, was known as the most
wealthy, powerful, and well-respected clan to lead the Ibo society. Okonkwo, was
famous throughout the nine villages for his solid personal achievements. He was best
known for his battle against Amalinze the Cat, an undefeated wrestler for seven years,
from Umuofia to Mbaino. Throughout the story, Okonkwo tries to prove that he is
nothing like his idle father, Unoka, and shows personal pride towards the nine villages
as one of the bravest in the tribe, successful member of Umuofia to earn many titles.
Achebe highlights Okonkwo’s problematic relationship with his chi or
personal god. When things are good, he praises his chi and when things are bad, he
questions and curses. “When a man says yes, his chi says yes also” (Chapter 4, 27).
This states how one is suppose to work cooperatively with his or her own chi. When a
man says yes, his personal spirit will also guide him by the work of his hands. It refers
to the speaking of one’s own actions and future success. Another example is “A man
could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi” (Chapter 14, 131). This depicts how the
chi holds true sometimes while at other times not made for great things such as,
his flight to Mbanta indicating ‘new life’ transforming into low self-esteem, and his
fame put to shame. Therefore, Okonkwo’s tragic fall determines in...
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... to the men of war, as revealed in oral tradition.
“The marketplace began to fill as soon as the sun rose. Obierika was waiting in his obi
when Okonkwo came along and called him.. Okika, one of the six who had been
imprisoned.. To salute Umuofia before Okika began to speak. Okika sprang to his feet
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and also saluted his clansmen four times” (Chapter 24, 202-203). Igbo proverb, “love
of superfluous words” then shows the main sources of white men misinterpretations.
“The Commissioner did not understand what Obierika meant when he said, “Perhaps
your men will not help us.” One of the most infuriating habits of these people was
their love of superfluous words, he thought” (Chapter 25, 206). Chinua Achebe makes
universal language of power, equal to both white men culture and its own people.
In conclusion,
Jeyifo, B. (1993). Okonkwo and his mother: ‘Things Fall Apart’ and issues of gender in the constitution of African postcolonial discourse. Callaloo, 16(4), 847-859 Retrieved from http://www.ucd.ie/english/articles/balzano1.htm
- - -. “Taoist Tai Chi Society .” ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. .
This is important, for humans are urged by Taoist thought to place themselves below all else, especially the world, but also other people. The wise person will put another person's needs before their own.
One thing that I do have to not that was very interesting to learn from this chapter is the meaning of the yin and the yang. I had been taught growing up that it stood for good and evil but it was nice to learn that it actually doesn’t stand for that and it stands for “complementary but opposing forces of the universe (208).”
Okonkwo has murdered, beaten, and cast off those he loved throughout his life. He remained stubborn and violent until his last days, and yet through his internal struggle, and sparse, yet endearing loves Okonkwo is still perceived to be morally indefinite. Okonkwo may not be considered by western culture to be a good person, but viewing his life in its entirety, it is almost impossible for one to attach a completely negative label to him. By telling the story of Okonkwo's life, Chinua Achebe, creates a dynamic and morally ambiguous protagonist while addressing the moral issue of Christian evangelism in Africa.
Okonkwo’s fear leads him to treat members of his family harshly, in particular his son, Nwoye. Okonkwo often wonders how he, a man of great strength and work ethic, could have had a son who was “degenerate and effeminate” (133). Okonkwo thought that, "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" (45).
Whether corporal punishment was accepted in the Ibo culture or not, Okonkwo’s verbal and physical
While livelihood is used as a sign of virility in both cultures, Igbo culture focuses on work ethic, whereas Western society tends to focus on field of work. The author exhibits Okonkwo's work ethic by saying that “during the planting season Okonkwo worked daily on his farms from cock-crow until the chickens went to roost” (11). This passage shows the importance of hard work in the Igbo culture. In contrast, Western media often displays a masculine man as having a high salary job, while mainly delegating work to lesser staff., because of their position in “power.” Media emphasizes this idea, with ...
occurrence is when Okonkwo’s second wife does not come home to cook him an afternoon meal.
Therefore, we see that Okonkwo is a person larger than life in the sense of physical strength. He is also of a high social standing since he is the most famous person in the whole nine villages of the Igbo civilization. Moreover, we see in him ordinary human qualities such as fondness, and caring, as well as toughness and violence. Furthermore, we find a huge tragic flaw in his character, which is his fear of weakness and failure and hating all that his father likes --being a failure himself. Seeing that Okonkwo has satisfied all the conditions Aristotle put forth for being a tragic hero, he is worthy to be considered one.
...ared to accept this and flow with it, then sorrow and joy cannot touch you”(24) “ The best thing to do is leave it all to fate, even if this is not easy to do”(32).
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.
Ogbuefi Ezeudu – He is the oldest man in the tribe. He was very successful and he had won three out of the four titles that you can take in the tribe. When his funeral came, they had a great warrior celebration in remembrance of him.
Okonkwo also deals the fatal blow to Ikemefuna because he does not want to seem weak. Tobalase,21