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Characteristics of the tragic hero
Characteristics of modern tragic hero
Characteristics of modern tragic hero
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Okonkwo as a Tragic Dero
Is Okonkwo a tragic hero? To answer that question one must start by defining the term 'tragic hero' first introduced by Aristotle. Aristotle defined a tragic hero simply as being a character fulfilling three different requirements. The character must be larger than life, and must have a high social standing. The character must also have ordinary human qualities, and must have a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, all these characteristics are found in Okonkwo of Umuofia.
The first characteristic of a tragic hero according to Aristotle's definition is that the character must be larger than life. The character must be better or greater than his fellows in the sense that he is of a higher than ordinary social significance. In that sense we find that Okonkwo was a very strong wrestler and that his strength had brought fame to him along with his town,
"Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat. He was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth. It was this man that Okonkwo threw in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights … That was many years ago, twenty years or more, and during this time Okonkwo's fame had grown like a bush-fire in the harmattan" ( Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, page 3)
From this text we can see how Okonkwo was a larger than life character in the terms of his physical strength and wrestling abilities. Also it is obvious that his victory o...
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...d weakness along with his experience of his father's failure that is considered his flaw. It is his dislike for whatever his father likes and how this reflects on his personal character and the way he treats others that will lead to his downfall.
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.
Okonkwo is on two ends of a stick. Sometimes he can be shown to be a caring, sympathetic character, but others he is shown as a ruthless person that is very unsympathetic person. Okonkwo is a man of action that would rather solve things with his fists rather than talking it out. He is a great wrestler hailing from the Umuofia clan that has thrown Amalinze the Cat. Okonkwo is also a very good farmer, where he has been able to grow two barns worth of yams. He is someone that doesn’t know how to control themselves when they get angry as he will then resort to violence. Okonkwo’s family relationships make him a sympathetic character because of his caregiving nature and hospitality and he is shown to be an unsympathetic character because of his
"Man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but, when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all." (Aristotle). In Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is living proof of Aristotle's statement. Although he is arguably the most powerful man in Umuofia, His personal flaws of fear of failure and uncontrollable anger do not allow him true greatness as a human being.
Okonkwo, a fierce warrior, remains unchanged in his unrelenting quest to solely sustain the culture of his tribe in the time of religious war in Achebe's book, Things Fall Apart. He endures traumatic experiences of conflict from other tribes, dramatic confrontations from within his own family, and betrayal by his own tribe.
Okonkwo was a man that was held high in his village, he was a wrestler that, in his early days had taken down one of the toughest opponents. On page one, "Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and beyond." Like Kurtz, Okonkwo had flaws that affected him greatly in the end. Okonkwo lived in fear of being like his father, of being weak. One consequence that Okonkwo's fear led him to, was the killing of someone which he cared deeply for, whom he loved like his own son. On page sixty-one, "Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak." Okonkwo's fear of being weak, was a flaw that people reading the story can relate to. Okonkwo is a highly respected man, a man with multiple wives, good crops, and children. To the reader, these parts of Okonkwo's life may not make sense. A lot of Okonkwo's life and culture might not make sense to the reader, but looking at Okonkwo's fears and flaws, gives you something to relate
In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is a tragic hero. Aristotle’s Poetics defines a Tragic Hero as a good man of high status who displays a tragic flaw (“hamartia”) and experiences a dramatic reversal (“peripeteia”), as well as an intense moment of recognition (“anagnorisis”). Okonkwo is a leader and hardworking member of the Igbo community of Umuofia whose tragic flaw is his great fear of weakness and failure. Okonkwo’s fall from grace in the Igbo community and eventual suicide, makes Okonkwo a tragic hero by Aristotle’s definition.
Okonkwo wanted to become one of the greatest men in the Ibo tribe, but three unfortunate events occur bringing him closer to his end. Okonkwo was a proud, industrious figure who through hard work was able to elevate himself to a stature of respect and prominence in his community. The one major character flaw was that he was a man driven by his fear to extreme reactions. Okonkwo was petrified of inadequacy namely because his father was a complete and utter failure. This fear of shortcoming made him hate everything his father loved and represented: weakness, gentleness, and idleness. Who was Okonkwo, well Okonkwo was a hero and also he...
Okonkwo's life was driven by his strong desire for status. In Okonkwo’s eyes, status was defined in two parts. The first part being how much respect and how many titles one has. Okonkwo goes to extreme odds to gain respect in his village, Umuofia. Okonkwo’s opinions on success relating to titles is displayed very early on. An example of this
In the novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected and determined individual whose fatal flaw eventually works against him. Throughout the novel the readers are shown that Okonkwo has many of these Characteristics because he is obsessed with the idea of becoming just like his father. This becomes his flaw in the novel that puts him into exile and makes it hard for him to adjust to the changes that were made with in his village.
In accordance to defining a tragic hero, the protagonist is conflicted with opposing forces. In the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the main character Okonkwo, is the depiction of a tragic hero. Okonkwo is a man who accomplished his success through hard work and the motivation to be stronger. In the beginnings, Okonkwo created his own farm by borrowing yam from the rich village man named Nwakibie. His strong will and the dedication to never end up being like his father, made Okonkwo strong and powerful.
In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo is an example of a tragic hero. Okonkwo accomplishes and succeeds in many noble and brave tasks but also has some flaws that lead to his downfall. The definition of a tragic hero according to dictionary.com is:
Okonkwo was one of the leaders in Umuofia; he was also one of the egwugwu. He was young but still respected among his people because of his achievements. He was already one of the greatest men of his time,’Okonkwo clearly washed his hands and so he ate with the kings and elders.’(Chinua Achebe, Things fall apart, 1958, chpt 1).He was the son of the lazy Unoka; he strived to his way in the world that seems to value manliness. He brought honour in the village by beating Amalinze the cat in a wrestling contest, the cat that have never been beaten for seven years. ’Not only he had known for his qualities as a wrestler, he has also taken two titles and has shown incredible prowess in two intertribal wars.’(Chinua Achebe, Things fall apart, 1958, chpt 1). He had no patience with unsuccessful men like his father. In so doing he rejected everything for which he believes his father stood. Unoka was idle, poor, debtor, and coward, gentle, interested in his flute and con...
Okonkwo is a tragic hero because he is superior to the regular people of the
This shows Okonkwo is a tragic hero because the first step to being a tragic hero is “through the tragic hero is a character of noble stature and has greatness.” (Aristotle and the tragic hero). This shows that he’s a tragic hero because he is well respected and is of a noble stature. Also “Okonkwo was the war emissary and was treated with great honor and respect.” (Things Fall Apart, Page 12).
He is initially known as one of the strongest, most honorable tribesmen, but as the white man begins coming in and other tribal members begin to change as a result, particularly his own son, Okonkwo cannot handle the changes. “Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo's body was dangling and they stopped dead.” (Achebe). By novel's end, Okonkwo has tried to remain strong against the tide of change, but he appears to be the only one.
Okonkwo is actually very similar to Western heroes, particularly the Greek tragic heroes. Okonkwo acquires the status and prestige similar to the Greek tragic heroes.