Things Fall Apart Essay

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Things Fall Apart tells the story of an African tribe, specifically following the story of Okonkwo, a man that desperately tries to portray himself as masculine in order to become successful and not be compared to his allegedly effeminate father. Throughout the novel, many developments occur, one of them being the attempt at colonization by a group of Christians. Immediately, there is tension, since customs between the two groups of people greatly differ, in addition to the attempts of the Christians to have inhabitants of the tribe abandon their supposedly “primitive” lifestyle for a “better” one.
The aforementioned lack of understanding regarding culture likely leads to any accounts of it-- specifically those made by the Christians-- that …show more content…

The short story given greatly showcases a bias towards colonization, along with examples differences in culture and traditions. These differences result in a lack of acceptance and unknown need for them to be changed to better suit the man that holds more power, although this power is obtained through force. Specifically, there is an instance in which Sanders wants to meet with the king, to which his request is ignored. Sato-Koto, the king’s messenger, explains that this is due to the fact that “‘it is not fitting that a great king should so humble himself.’” In other words, since Sanders is a stranger, the king (with all his power) shouldn’t go out of his way to greet him, even if he may be different. But, Sanders sees this as an act of rebellion after demanding the messenger redeliver Sanders’ request, only to have it still be denied. From there, he goes to the king himself and decides to teach him obedience, ignoring any possibility of an explanation of the king’s actions. Similar conclusions are made by the District Commissioner in Things Fall Apart, although different in the sense that he understands there are customs but disregards any possible clarification. Instead, he sees them as necessary to complete to preserve his self-image, as seen when he notes that “a District Commissioner must never attend such undignified details as cutting a

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