The Role Of Women In Things Fall Apart

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Recommended: Discuss womanhood in the Igbo culture

In Utero
Beyonce once said that girls run the world, and Beyonce is never wrong. She means, generally, in many cultures, females play important roles in society, but their work is looked down upon or covered up by the patriarchy. In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, it seems that being a woman is not necessarily the optimal gender to be. Often times in Things Fall Apart, one sees that females and femininity, in general, are associated with weakness, and they are lesser than men. In, The Role of Women in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, it states that under the surface, women truly have a prominent stance in Igbo society. Females in Igbo culture have major roles in caretaking, religion, and education. Yet, they are not treated as important …show more content…

One of the main ways they teach is through “the ritual of story telling and showing good manner as well as behavior to their children” (The Role of Women 5). The stories they tell teach many important skills, like communication and lessons about human behavior. What their culture values depends on these key skills to help define their society. After all, in Igbo society, “the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten” (Achebe 16). This shows that women have an important role in the development of a successful child, but their teachings are belittled. Many see the very reasons they are accepted in society as “for foolish women and children” (Achebe 58). This casts their work for education away and in the shadows of the others. Clearly, women are the backbone of education in Igbo society, but they are constantly undermined in their importance because their lessons are seen as …show more content…

Nevertheless, if Igbo society did not have women, it’s functioning would be completely different because of the prominent role of women in society. Their duties in education, caretaking, and religion hold up their society and prepare children to succeed in their culture. So, in the words of Beyonce, who run the world?

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