Things Fall Apart
Alasia Anderson
James Madison High School
Chinua Achebe's “Things fall apart “is a novel that tells two stories. In this novel, Achebe skillfully combines a story about pre-colonial Africa and its' struggles with an intrusive religious presence. In addition, it follows the life of Okonkwo a Nigerian man. Achebe brilliantly displays a clash of cultures, and the rise and fall of a respected leader by using literary devices. This Essay will show how he skillfully uses such literary devices as simile, metaphor, and symbolism to portray his overall theme. The novel's setting is the deep dark dense forest of Nigeria in the Umuofia and Mbanta villages, home of the Igbo tribe. The time is around the turn of the 19th century. Through the course of the story Achebe's tone changes, in the beginning, it is descriptive, ironic and objective and directed towards the audience. (Okonkwo's fame has grown) “Like a bushfire in the Harmattan.” is an example of the descriptive. It is ironic that the big strong Okonkwo makes a coward move and kill himself. He
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He called the “Roaring Flame”. “As he looked into the log fire he recalled the name. He was a flaming fire.” Okonkwo was very masculine, a powerful warrior with a fiery violent temper. His use of metaphors in the novel was few but they were powerful. Achebe has a clever way of comparing his characters and their actions with unusual aspects. One example of this is when he uses the simile, “Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water'', this relates to the match between Okonkwo and Amalinze. Okonkwo was hard to pin down. The author cleverly uses symbolism in the novel to display what the characters represent. Of course, fire represented Okonkwo. His use of yams as a symbol of masculinity is informative. In the Igbo culture, yams determined a man’s wealth and strength they called a “man's” crop in the
Okonkwo is not all that he may seem as there is more than what meets the eye. Okonkwo is the primary protagonist within the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo is a cruel yet kind man who has everything yet has nothing, which in turn creates a sympathetic character. A character such as Okonkwo has many facets or masks if you will. Then we have his many influences: the Ibo culture, his father Unoka and of course his own personality.
Our first novel, Things Fall Apart, is set in the late 1800s in Nigeria and portrays a clash between white Christian colonists and the traditional culture of the local Igbo people. As the novel progresses it becomes a clear example of demanding conformity through cultural adaptation. At the beginning of the novel it is apparent the Igbo people honor and revere acts of strength and violence. Achebe displays this early in the novel through the main character Okonkwo, “He was a man of action, a man of war … On great occasions such as the funeral of a village celebrity he drank palm-wine from his first human head” (12). This displays how, early in this culture, war and violence are not only honored, but celebrated amongst the people.
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
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...
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.
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a powerful novel about the social changes that occurred when the white man first arrived on the African continent. The novel is based on a conception of humans as self-reflexive beings and a definition of culture as a set of control mechanisms. Things Fall Apart is the story of Okonkwo, an elder, in the Igbo tribe. He is a fairly successful man who earned the respect of the tribal elders. The story of Okonkwo’s fall from a respected member of the tribe to an outcast who dies in disgrace graphically dramatizes the struggle between the altruistic values of Christianity and the lust for power that motivated European colonialism in Africa and undermined the indigenous culture of a nation.
Chinua Achebe has exposed the different structural makings of Things Fall Apart to highlight the demise of Ibo culture after the arrival of British colonials. This is a theme he constantly writes upon in his novels. The opening of the novel is metaphorically the tribe in its glory as it existed for many years. The second part of the text symbolises the speed with which a culture can be removed, and the final part of the novel is quickly paced and contrasts sharply with the focus in the first part; it symbolises the death of a culture and its
Throughout the novel, Okonkwo is often referred to as the “‘Roaring Flame’” (Achebe 153). This association with fire and burning alludes to his fervent and dangerous anger, which is the only emotion that he allows himself to show. Additionally, fire symbolizes Okonkwo’s driving force and his refusal to be seen as weak and feminine like his father. When Okonkwo compares himself to “a flaming fire” he says “Living fire begets cold, impotent ash” (Achebe 153). Okonkwo is questioning himself about Nwoye and realizes that since he is a fire, fires create ash. The impotent, worthless ash Okonkwo refers to is his son Nwoye. Fire destroys everything in its path, just as Okonkwo destroyed relationships, people, and ultimately, himself. Okonkwo’s fire-like self becomes so overwhelmed with his rage that he destroys himself, leaving him gray and lifeless much like the ashes of a
Okonkwo, the main character in Achebe’s novel, begins as an individual who holds great power in the Umuofi...
Okonkwo’s shame and fear of being seen as weak drove him to be a cruel leader in his tribe and a harsh ruler in his household. In describing this harshness, Achebe writes:
Throughout the novel, Oknonkwo does many things to prove his masculine quality. Many of these things are debatable as to whether they affirm Okonkwo's masculinity or if they bring out his true weakness and lead to his destruction. (Goldman 2)
It is important to note that Achebe was a product of both traditional Igbo society and the colonizing British culture. Therefore, the narrative is influenced by two strikingly opposed philosophies. The tragic hero, Okonkwo, may have been crafted to express, not only the Igbo philosophy of harmony, but the outsider interpretation of a seemingly paradoxical belief system. Achebe's representation of Okonkwo may symbolize the collision of these two conflicting philosophies.
In Chinua Achebe 's classic novel "Things Fall Apart," the development of European colonization 's lead to extreme cultural changes, leaving a lasting impact on the Igbo village of Umofia in West Africa. In the novel, Achebe displays the impacts of European colonization in both critical and sympathetic terms to provide the reader with both positive and negative factors of Imperialism to develop an unbiased understanding of what the Igbo culture and society went through. While addressing the hardship 's of life by showing the deterioration of Okonkwo 's character, the cultural and traditional changes of society, and the positive and negative impacts of imperialism, Achebe keeps touch on the overall theme of the novel, once a dramatic event
Iyasẹre, Solomon Ogbede. “Okonkwo's Participation in the Killing of His ‘Son’ in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: A Study of Ignoble Decisiveness.” Understanding Things Fall Apart: Selected Essays and Criticism. Troy, NY: Whitson, 1998. 129-40. Print.
In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the author poses many perspectives for literary criticism and review. This work emphasizes many different cultural aspects that were considered controversial at the time of publication in both African and American culture. This novel’s focus on feminine roles, religion, and cultural norms give readers a glimpse of life in the village of Umuofia while allowing them to think critically about the thematic topics posed.