Okonkwo Weak

604 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The negative impacts of colonialism

Strong Turns to Weak

Chinua Achebe’s main purpose in “Things Fall Apart” is to inform people of the negative effects of colonialism. During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Europeans came and colonized most of Africa. Because of this a lot of parts of Africa have not fully recovered from the effects. Overall, colonialism in this book had a negative effect because it forced the inhabitants to try and abide or adapt to rules that they never seen before while trying to keep their cultural values.In Things Fall Apart the character Okonkwo is impacted by colonialism in a negative way. Before colonialism Okonkwo was seen as a strong and confident man who was known as a fierce warrior whose barns were bursting with yams.“ His whole life was dominated by fear, the fear or failure and of weakness.”(pg 9) He had a fear of failure and being seen as weak which was mostly dominated by watching his father as a young boy who himself was a living embodiment of Okonkwo’s fear. Ultimately though Okonkwo suffered a fate very similar to that of his father.“Then everything had been broken” Okonkwo felt sorrow for his village after seeing what the white man did to it.Seeing his village fall under the control of the white man, his religion, and Government was one of the factors that caused Okonkwo to fall into a deep depression. Not only this but his son Nwoye betraying him and his cultural beliefs for the white man’s beliefs.Before
Nwoye betrayed their father’s religion for the white man religion he also changed his name to the white man Isaac. Okonkwo’s people abandon their gods and goddesses for the white man religion. “ Okonkwo head was bowed in sadness as Obierika told him these things.”(pg 129) Things have changed and Okonkwo was having a hard time understanding what was going

Show More
Related

  • The Stubborness of Okonkwo

    389 Words  | 1 Pages

    After Okonkwo gets banished from the tribe it undergoes a drastic cultural change. Okonkwo does not. Upon his return he discovers that his tribe has been partially converted by the Christian missionaries. He is appalled and rejects the idea.

    Read More

  • Nwoye Quotes From Things Fall Apart

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    His family was banished for their tribe and was sent way to Okonkwo’s mother lands tribe for a crime Okonkwo did not mean to commit but banished regardless. The missionaries show up and they begin to win some of the Ibo people with their new all-powerful God. Eventualy some missionaries show up to the tribe that they now reside in and tell the story of the father the son and the Holy Spirit. These stories did not captivate him but the hymns of peace and the acceptance of everyone into their church Is what amazed him. We see this at the end of chapter () that Nwoye has this idea “ “ pg.

    Read More

  • Cultural Differences In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    He was in great conflict with the ideas of the white men and the missionaries. Okonkwo saw that their beliefs had not only changed the daily life of the Ibo, but it also changed the people themselves: “He mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women” (Achebe 183). The author uses strong diction to compare the men before and after colonization. This quote also portrays Okonkwo’s opinion towards the cultural collision. He values strength and masculinity immensely because of his fear of appearing weak like his father Unoka. When he describes that the men of Umuofia changed to be soft like women, this shows how much he dishonors the Western ideas and how it has taken over the village. He made an attempt to get rid of the Western influence by urging the tribe to fight like men, but they refuse to. He was determined and still attempted to furthermore encourage the people of Umuofia to revolt against the new culture. He realizes that his attempts to return the village back to the way it was before were futile. He knew that Christianity was tearing his people apart, but knew he was incapable of making change to help his people. Okonkwo then starts to feel hopeless and abandoned by his clan, which causes him to commit suicide by hanging himself: “Obierika… turned suddenly to the District Commissioner and said ferociously: ‘That man was one of the greatest men

    Read More

  • Imperialism In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    357 Words  | 1 Pages

    The fictional novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is about Okonkwo and his Ibo tribe, Umuofia, known now as Nigeria. This novel describes the beginning of the colonial transformation of traditional society seen in a political, economical and in a socio-cultural form. Furthermore, in this fictional story, the colonization process can be represented as it was used during the scramble for Africa, which took place in the late 19th and early 20th century (Akram-Lodhi, Colonization); back in that time colonization was justified. However, modern analysis have had demonstrate that the scramble for Africa was a colonial and imperialistic practice, these views helped to facilitate the end of colonization that began around 1950 (Hobsbawm 217). Although,

    Read More

  • Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Irony in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    The above passages were taken from the end of chapter three, part one.  After finishing reading this book and then going back through it, I found these passages very ironic in regards to how the story eventually ended.  Okonkwo believed that because he was such a fierce fighter, he could conquer anything life threw at him.  However, it was his fierce, proud, fighting attitude that was his demise in the face of uncontrollable circumstances in the end.  Okonkwo believed that war and brute fighting would fix everything.  He was a proud and stubborn man constantly struggling to improve his standing in the tribal community.  Okonkwo also had intense pride for his tribe and way of life.  He believed it was the right way of life and not to be questioned.  Everyone was supposed to fear war with Umofia due to their fierce warriors and greatness in battle.  When the white men not only did not fear them, but openly threatened the tribal way of life, Okonkwo prepared to handle the situation the only way he knew how.  He wanted to got to war against the new white invaders, chasing them from tribal lands and ending the threat of different ways of life.

    Read More

  • Things Fall Apart

    1974 Words  | 4 Pages

    Chinua Achebe?s Things Fall Apart is a narrative story that follows the life of an African man called Okonkwo. The setting of the book is in eastern Nigeria, on the eve of British colonialism in Africa. The novel illustrates Okonkwo?s struggles, triumphs, and his eventual downfall, all of which basically coincide with the Igbo?s society?s struggle with the Christian religion and British government. In this essay I will give a biographical account of Okonwo, which will serve to help understand that social, political, and economic institutions of the Igbos.

    Read More

  • Cultural Change Explored in Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

    1874 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Influence Of Culture In Things Fall Apart

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    Overall, Okonkwo is a crucial part to the story Things Fall Apart, for he represents African culture, and helps demonstrate how colonization can change everything. Through this book we see how colonization changed history, and how it is important for groups, tribes, societies to stay together in times of invasion, in order to protect their own customs and traditions; and how crucial a sense of unity would've been for the Umuofian tribe. Okonkwo was the sense of unity of the tribe, doing everything he could could to protect it. His collection of honorable titles, his love for his tribes culture, his drive and passion, and even his booming pride all contribute to his district character, a true hero in my eyes.

    Read More

  • Okonkwo's Self-Destructive Masculinity in Things Fall Apart

    2752 Words  | 6 Pages

    The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a story that opens the reader's mind to an entirely different way of living in a Nigerian village. Achebe was born in Nigeria in 1930, perhaps this is why he writes a whole book on a Nigerian village and introduces to us the ways of life for the Nigerian people. From the first page of the book to the last, Achebe allows the reader to enter the mind of the main character Okonkwo. Okonkwo is the leader of his village and is very respected for his many achievements. Although Okonkwo means well for his village, the novel invites the reader to see him has a flawed character who eventually suffers from the consequences of bad "masculine" decisions he makes throughout the book.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Okonkwo

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although the reader feels remorseful for Okonkwo’s tragic childhood life. It is another reason to sympathize with a man who believes he is powerful and respected by many when in reality, he is feared by his own family and that is another reason that leads Okonkwo to his downfall. He started positive, motivated but down the line, Okonkwo treats his wife and children very harshly. When the author mentioned, “Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children” (pg.13).

    Read More

  • Notion of Balance in Things Fall Apart by Achebe

    1625 Words  | 4 Pages

    Unfortunately, everything is not perfect. His son, Nwoye, seems not to be showing the characteristics of a real man. He prefers to stay with his mother, listening to women's stories, than to listen to his father's tales of battle and victory. Later, when missionaries come to the tribe, Nwoye is attracted to their Christian religion because of its unqualified acceptance of everyone, much like a mother's unqualified love. Of this, Okonkwo r...

    Read More

  • How Does Things Fall Apart Change

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Obierika Okonkwo's best friend went to visit Okonkwo “wished not to speak about Nwoye” for he was ashamed of having him ever be his son. Okonkwo was shocked of how much the once warlike town of Umuofia has changed.. It was so humiliating for him that not only Umuofia is now weak but his own blood betrayed him and choose to join enemy forces he disowned Nwoye. Nwoye was always perceived as a failure in Okonkwo's eyes and when he chose to convert to Christian Okonkwo wished to never had

    Read More

  • Change And Tradition In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nwoye grows tired of his father and is called by the Christian faith and converts. Nwoye’s internal struggle with himself between change and tradition ultimately led him to convert against his father’s wishes. Okonkwo is extremely resistant to change, so he does everything in his power to prevent his family from converting; “‘If you turn against me when I am dead I will visit you and break your neck’” (Achebe 105). Okonkwo uses fear to keep his other children from the Igbo culture.

    Read More

  • Essay on the Downfall of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chinua Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, uses the changes in African tribal culture brought about by European colonization to illustrate the evolution of the character Okonkwo. As Okonkwo leads his life, his experiences, personality and thought are revealed to the reader. The obstacles he faces in life are made numerous as time progresses. Okonkwo's most significant challenge originates within himself. He also encounters problems not only when in opposition to the white culture, but in his own culture, as he becomes frustrated with tribal ideals that conflict with his own. The last adversary he encounters is of the physical world, brought upon himself by his emotional and cultural problems. The manner through which Okonkwo addresses his adversaries in Things Fall Apart creates the mechanism that leads to his eventual destruction.

    Read More

More about Okonkwo Weak

Open Document