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Impact of decolonization in africa
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Things Falls Apart was published in 1958, two years after Nigeria achieved its independence. On October 1, 1960 Nigeria gained independence through constitutions that were legislated by the British government. This new constitution established a federal government system with an elected Prime Minister and a ceremonial head of staff. So, in Things Fall Apart, Achebe wanted to show outsiders how the life of a Nigerian. The story takes place in a tribal village of Umuofia, where those who practice Ibo. The Ibo, also known as Igbo, worshipped gods who they believe protected them, advised them, and chastised them. The Ibo were represented by priests and priestesses. The gods helped guide the community and individuals. Each villager had its own personal god, or chi, that influenced his/her actions. …show more content…
Their primary crop was yams. The yam is very important to the Igbo as it is their staple crop. Each new year was celebrated with the Feast of the New Yam, which was held for the harvesting of the yam. The Feast of the New Yam thanked Ani, the earth goddess and source off all fertility. The festival took two days to prepare for and lasted for two days. It is celebrated annually to secure a good harvesting of the yam. The yam also had another point to it. How many yams a man got determined his status in society, so the more yams you got the higher you were in society. In village people were grouped according to families. In the families, the eldest man had the most power. On issues to deal with the community, a group of adult men decided courses of actions, and men could influence these assemblies by buying “titles” from tribal leaders. This method inspired hard work and the spread of
Chinua Achebe's 1959 novel, Things fall Apart, takes place in the 1890s, just before British colonization. The novel focuses on the nine Ibo-speaking villages of Umuofia, which is Ibo for "People of the Forest." Umuofia is the village in which Okonkwo, Achebe's protagonist, prospers in everything and is able to secure his manly position in the tribe. Now known as Nigeria, this land was a primitive agricultural society completely run by men. Umuofia was known, and as Achebe says, ."..feared by all it's neighbors. It was powerful in war and in magic, and priests and medicine men were feared in all the surrounding country" (11). Perhaps, its most powerful and feared magic was called .".. agadi- nwayi, or old woman it had its shrine in the centre of Umuofia ... if anyone was so foolhardy as to pass by the shrine past dusk he was sure to see the old woman"(12). The people of Umuofia are very devoted to their religion and their magic. These ancient beliefs were believed to give the people some sort of power over their oppressors.
Umuofia’s New and “Improved” Government: A More Unfair and Brutal System Westerners tend to believe that colonial forms of government and the punishments they dish out are superior and civilized. We also tend to believe that the governments of “primitive” people are cruel, barbaric, and behind the times. However, in Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart, the new system of government that is imposed on Okonkwo, the main character’s, village demanded much harsher and more brutal punishments in an unfair manner.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe offers a detailed contrast between a society prior to the direct influence of colonial rule and a society coming to terms with a new reality of colonial leaders. The novel details the life of Okonkwo, a strong and respected man making a living in the Ibo village of Umuofia, located in present day Nigeria. Things Fall Apart details the clashes between traditional culture, tribal rule, and animism with a central government and Christianity. Nigerian born, Chinua Achebe published Things Fall Apart in 1958 and since this time he has won numerous awards for his writing depicting African societies.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe tells the story of how one unified Umuofian community falls due to its own inner conflicts, as well as to the arrival of Christian missionaries. Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart to change the brutish image of Africa, for the Western world. The use of changing perspectives greatly aided Achebe in accurately portraying Africa as colorful, diverse and complex. For Westerners, viewing Africans as more than tribal and barbaric was a new concept, of which Achebe helped usher in. The story is told through the eyes of many Umuofians, which gives the reader a personal sense for the individuals within the tribe. When all the individual pieces of the story are brought together, the sifting perspectives creates a vast overview of the community, while also deepening the readers since for the tribe by allowing personal details to show through. Achebe captures the complexity of the Umuofia community by changing the perspective from which the story is being told frequently.
Looking into different cultures makes us all believe that our own is the right one no matter what. I feel as if we think our own culture is the right one because of the fact that it’s how we grew up and what we became to know. In the book “Things Fall Apart” the writer wants everyone who reads the book to view a different culture or social group. Wanting everyone to look into a foreign society and increase in value for what it is without anyone judging their practices from a different social groups view. You have to really look into this book to find the ethnocentrism in it because it’s difficult for us to spot it out since it’s not the same as what we would normally see and pick out.
There were many changes that occurred when the white explores came to Niger. Umuofia Mbanta, and the other local clans have been living in a remote society and culture for generations giving them plenty of time to alter and live in their environment efficiently. They had developed many different religious beliefs that were different from the Christian culture that settled the area. "You say that there is one supreme God who made heaven and earth," said Akunna on one of Mr. Brown 's visits. " We also believe in Him and call Him Chukwu. He made all the world and the other gods." (Achebe, 179). Although the missionaries did not intentionally try to cause conflict, that is exactly what they ended up doing. The missionaries, in my opinion, took a wrong approach which ended up causing rebellion. Things Fall Apart shows that the power of religion can both guide a society and destroy it.
In Today’s modern world we have access to information on thousands of religions at the touch of our fingertips. This is why it is hard to imagine living in a world where there is only one religion. It is even more difficult to imagine the position Ibo people in the book Things Fall Apart when the white missionaries came. With them, these missionaries brought new religion, new government and new culture to the Ibo people. Though many of the white men were overly zealous about their traditions, these new traditions also brought changes that were beneficial to Umuofia. Mr. Brown for example, was a missionary who’s motives were sincere and he genuinely tried to help the Ibo people. However when Mr. Smith replaced him there was a noticeable tension between the clan and the church. Regardless, the presence of the missionaries was neither entirely negative or positive however, both of their presence brought an inevitable cultural change to the clan. Their presence in the novel and how the clan was affected depended on the missionaries themselves and the relationships they held with the clan.
The people of the Igbo also referred to as the Ibo, live in a southeastern area of Africa in Nigeria. The life of the Igbo social and economic structure is not all that different then that of the United States (US), as it was constructed around agriculture, local manufacturing and trade. The tribal families have their animals primarily for the prominent status that comes with ownership and for the need of sacrifices at the village center. In the book they celebrate with palm wine, but currently one of the principal exports is a palm oil and palm kernel. The main crops of the Igbo are yams, cassava, and taro, which are all under ground tuber root type vegetation. Cassava is a plant that is used to cassava flour, breads, tapioca, a laundry starch, and even an as an alcoholic beverage (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (Ed.), 2014). Taro is used...
The Igbo tribe has values beliefs and ideas that are strongly rooted in the gods. The way in which they communicate and interact shows a lack of respect towards woman and they are treated like slaves to men. Achebe?s novel ?Things Fall Apart? gives a good insight into the aspects a of a culture that before him had never need explored, and it gives the reader a good look at what the beliefs, values and the way the members of the community communicate and interact.
Things Fall Apart, Thematic Essay: Humans’ natural instincts are to deny a new aspect and stick to older ones. Nevertheless, old and new aspects are intertwined. Traditions and change are ever present in society, without them society would not prosper. Traditions are the foundations of society. However, just like any other foundation, sooner or later it must be altered or changed, even in the most miniscule way.
To conclude, the formation of the state in Things Fall Apart, can be attributed to the use of a ‘ democratic institution’, religious, cultural values, traditions and force or coercion. The white colonist use of force to implement religion and British rule, left little to no hope for the Igbo clan to survive. The politics behind the destruction of the Igbo state can be attributed to their lack of force, particularly when first confronted with the missionaries. Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe serves to show how persuasiveness and force can ultimately combine to defeat one of the most equipped and family oriented clans known as the Igbo tribe of Umuofia. However, it is also a reminder of the life of the Igbo people, and how their formation of the state resulted in a weak state that was demolished when confronted by a dominant threat.
For an abundance of authors, the driving force that aids them in creation of a novel is the theme or number of themes implemented throughout the novel. Often times the author doesn’t consciously identify the theme they’re trying to present. Usually a theme is a concept, principle or belief that is significant to an author. Not only does the theme create the backbone of the story, but it also guides the author by controlling the events that happen in a story, what emotions are dispersed, what are the actions of characters, and what emotions are presented within each environment to engage the readers in many
Things Fall Apart. Such an intriguing title, because everything will eventually fall apart. Chinua Achebe's choice of a title may lead some to confusion, because throughout his book many things fall apart, from Okonkwo's personal life achievements and emotions to the town of Umuofia as its people split, and perhaps the biggest thing to fall apart, the very culture of the Igbo people. One could focus on any one of these topics and trace the complexity of it's fall from previous glory to the eventual ruin at the end of Achebe's novel. Studying the overall book provides a much more interesting conclusion, however, than simply tracking the different ways people or the town change, as instead it is possible to gain insight into Achebe's goals in writing this complex, tragic story. Achebe uses the details of Okonkwo's personal life falling apart and of the town of Umuofia's struggles to maintain it's traditions as metaphors for the falling apart of Igbo culture as it was known before the Europeans came.
"Feast for New Yam in Igbo-Ukwu." Www.ic.galegroup.com. N.p., 20 Oct. 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Can the reader’s perspective of the text be changed, if read from a feminist perspective? According to the urban dictionary, a feminist “is a person who believes that men and women are equal, and should be entitled to equal rights, equal treatment, and equal opportunity.” In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe written in 1969, the author has established that the Igbo society has a patriarchal system. As a feminist, one can analyze how female characters in the novel are portrayed as insignificant, weak, and submissive due to the patriarchal system they live in.