Things Fall Apart Stereotypes

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Throughout time, major historical events have only been told from the perspective of white powers, such as the British. Because of this, stereotypes about other cultures are formed, which are often accurate, because these sources are biased. However, the novel Things Fall Apart destroys the stereotypes that have been set by British colonialists about the people of Nigeria. Chinua Achebe’s historical fiction novel fiction novel Things Fall Apart is set in the 1890’s and it portrays the clash between the Ibo and their culture and British colonialists.The novel offers historians a side of the story of British colonialism that is not often told, and therefore, is a valuable work of history. First, the novel accurately portrays the attitudes of …show more content…

In an interview with Jerome Brooks, Chinua Achebe stated: “Then I grew older and began to read about adventures in which I didn’t know that I was supposed to be on the side of those savages who were encountered by the good white man. I instinctively took sides with the white people. They were fine! They were excellent. They were intelligent. The others were not . . . they were stupid and ugly. That was the way I was introduced to the danger of not having your own stories.”(Achebe). This was one of the many reasons Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart. He wanted his culture to be displayed properly in works of literature. He didn’t like being depicted as “stupid and ugly”. In another work by Achebe, The Novelist as Teacher, Achebe writes “Today, things have changed a lot, but it would be foolish to pretend that we have fully recovered from the traumatic effects of our first confrontation with Europe.Three or four weeks ago my wife, who teaches english in a boys’ school, asked a pupil why he wrote about winter when he meant the harmattan. He said the other boys would call him a bushman if he did such a thing!”(Achebe 44). There is evidence of this appearing in Things Fall Apart. Slowly, the people of Umuofia learn to embrace the British colonialists, and some even leave their customs behind and join their religion. Of course, there was always some who would not even

Things Fall Apart: The Relationship Between Cultural Relativity and Superiority
1339 Words | 3 Pages
By utilizing an unbiased stance in his novel, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe promotes cultural relativity without forcibly steering his audience to a particular mindset. He presents the flaws of the Ibo tribe the same way he presents the assets—without either condescension or pride; he presents the cruelties of the colonizers the same way he presents their open mindedness—without either resentment or sympathy. Because of this balance, readers are able to view the characters as multifaceted human beings instead of simply heroes and victims. Achebe writes with such subtle impartiality that American audiences do not feel guilty for the cruel actions of the colonizers or disgusted by the shocking traditions of the tribesmen. The readers stop differentiating the characters as either “tribesmen” or “colonizers”. They see them simply as people, much like themselves. With this mindset, the audience starts to reflect upon their own cultural weaknesses. Conversely, the colonizers forcefully declare their religion onto the tribesmen instead of neutrally presenting their beliefs. Achebe prevails over his anger to present his opinion without forcefulness and with open-minded consideration. Yes, the colonizers succeed in converting many tribesmen into Christians; however, their success is subjective because they destroy African culture in the process. Ultimately, Achebe is successful in delivering his political views, but he does so by encouraging open-mindedness and cultural relativity instead of forcing his individual ideals upon his readers.
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Stereotypes
481 Words | 1 Pages
RaStereotyping is a way of thinking about groups of people. It ignores the differences of the group, while emphasizing its similarity. One belief, that is a stereotype, is that red-haired people are hot tempered. Another belief is that Scottish people are stingy. Such thinking ignores many even-tempered redheads and generous Scottish people. Stereotyping emphasizes many differences between groups while ignoring their similarities to other people. It ignores that many blond and brown-haired people also lose their tempers. Stereotyping overlooks the fact that many American, Brazilians and French people are stingy.
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Things Fall Apart
1974 Words | 4 Pages
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.
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The Power Struggle in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart
1198 Words | 3 Pages
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.
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Stereotypes
966 Words | 2 Pages
Pretend you are driving along on the highway. You see a person on the side of the road having car problems. This is person is wearing an Armani suit and driving a Porsche. The next day, you encounter the same incident but, this time, it is a man wearing baggy jeans with holes in them, a dirty shirt and he looks very unclean. Would you be more likely to stop for the man in the Armani suit, or the the second man? I know that I would stop for man #1. The reason I and most of our society would do so, is because we have a horrible habit. The habit is unintentional and we do it not meaning to hurt anybody This habit is stereotyping people by the way they look or talk based on what society considers normal. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout, Atticus and Tom Robinson are victims of being stereotyped by others. Each has to cope with being stereotyped. Scout and Atticus have the ability to change their ways in order for people to respect them, unlike Tom Robinson, who is stereotyped as a mutant to the town of Mayberry simply because he is black. For example people are preaching to Scout that she should act like a typical girl. Atticus is stereotyped as a traitor to his people, the white race, because he stands up for a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a young woman. Last but not least, Tom Robinson is stereotyped as being a flaw in the human race because he is black. When he is accused of committing a rape, he is not given a fair tr...
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How Does Chinua Achebe Depict Ibo Culture In Things Fall Apart?
1510 Words | 4 Pages
Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, is a story of a traditional village in Nigeria from inside Umuofia around the late 1800s. This novel depicts late African history and shows how the British administrative structure, in the form of the European Anglican Church, imposed its religion and trappings on the cultures of Africa, which they believed was uncivilized. This missionary zeal subjugated large native populations. Consequently, the native traditions gradually disappeared and in time the whole local social structure within which the indigenous people had lived successfully for centuries was destroyed. Achebe spends the first half of the novel depicting the Ibo culture, by itself, in both a sophisticated and primitive light describing and discussing its grandeur, showing its strengths and weaknesses, etiquettes and incivilities, and even the beginning of cultural breakdown before the introduction of the missionaries. The collapse of the old culture is evident soon after the missionaries arrived, and here Achebe utilises two of the primary missionary figures, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith, to once again depicts both sides of the Ibo culture between them, with Mr. Brown depicting the sophisticated and Mr. Smith depicting the primitive aspects.
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A Single Story Of African Culture In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe
1675 Words | 4 Pages
As wise John Berger once said,“Never again shall a single story be told as though it were the only one”. A “single story” is the story of a culture that we learn from stereotypes and conspiracies developed throughout time in our society. In “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe defies the single story of African culture while still tying their native language in to show the importance between a physical differentiation of culture, and the similarities with morals and values they have in common. Through gender roles and proverbs used in the language of this book, we have a cultural insight of Nigeria through a new set of eyes given to us by Achebe that detures us from the single stories that we were taught to by our society.
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Conflicts of Gender in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
459 Words | 1 Pages
There are constant struggles between gender, identity, commodification, and class. Among the men and women in many African tribes that still exist today, there are divergences, which will always remain intact because of the culture and the way in which they are taught to treat each other. Chinua Achebe wrote the novel, Things Fall Apart, which is a great piece of African literature that deals with the Igbo culture, history, and the taking over of African lands by British colonization. The ongoing gender conflict is a prominent theme in Things Fall Apart, presenting the clash between men and women of the African Igbo society. Throughout history, from the beginning of time to today, women have frequently been viewed as inferior, men’s possessions whose sole purpose was to satisfy the men’s needs.
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Discuss The Impact Of Imperialism In Things Fall Apart
948 Words | 2 Pages
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
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Colonialism In Things Fall Apart Essay
1166 Words | 3 Pages
Colonization in Nigeria affected the Igbo culture and its people in many different ways. In the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the author portrays events in the novel that reflect real experiences that he had. Many of the events in the novel deal with the act of colonization and how it affects different members in society, an idea that Achebe has experienced for himself. The author 's first hand experience with colonization allows the story to depict how colonization affected the Igbo people more accurately. Chinua Achebe creates an accurate representation of colonialism with his use of real events that occurred.
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Igbo Women
851 Words | 2 Pages
Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart focuses on a Nigerian tribe, the Igbo, during the post-colonial era of the 1890s. The novel centers around a certain family consisting of a dominant power, Okonkwo, and his three wives and several children. The role of women in pre-colonial Africa is stressed through the myths, proverbs, and interactions with other characters in Igbo society. Achebe intends to show us that although women in Igbo culture are perceived to be in a lower hierarchy than men, they still hold significant roles in the Igbo way of life.
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The Role of Women in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
3611 Words | 8 Pages
More than those of any other African writer, Chinua Achebe’s writings have helped to develop what is known as African literature today. And the single book which has helped him to launch his "revolution" is the classic, Things Fall Apart. The focus of this essay includes: 1) Achebe's portraiture of women in his fictional universe, the existing sociocultural situation of the period he is depicting, and the factors in it that condition male attitudes towards women; 2) the consequences of the absence of a moderating female principle in his fictions; 3) Achebe's progressively changing attitude towards women s roles; and 4) feminist prospects for African women. In the context of this study, the Igbo people whom Achebe describes will represent the rest of Nigeria -- and a great many of the nations of Africa. Sociocultural Background
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Things Fall Apart Research Paper
733 Words | 2 Pages
Traditional African Culture Falls Apart In the novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe explores the breakdown of traditional African culture in the 1800s. Achebe writes about the Igbo people of Nigeria and the influence of Christian missionaries on their culture and society. In this remarkably written story, Achebe utilizes a formal European writing style combined with traditional African storytelling to investigate the violent transition of the life and mindset of the Igbo people as a result of European influence. The European people and Christian missionaries attempt to instill new principles, ideas, governmental procedures, and cultural norms within the Igbo society.
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Things Fall Apart: Eurocentrism
1099 Words | 3 Pages
Achebe writes Things Fall Apart to revise the history that has been misplaced. He writes to the European and Western culture. This fact is evident because the book is written in English and it shows us the side of the African culture we wouldn’t normally see. Achebe is constantly ...
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Characteristics In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe
716 Words | 2 Pages
Chinua Achebe was a pioneer in African Literature. He saw a need to tell the stories of the Igbo people because the average European was very ignorant in the the subject of true African culture. In an article published in The Paris Review, Achebe says ¨ I grew older and began to read about adventures in which I didn’t know that I was supposed to be on the side of those savages who were encountered by the good white man. I instinctively took sides with the white people....They were intelligent. The others were not . . . they were stupid and ugly” (Brooks). Achebe grew up as a Christian but wasn't educated in his own heritage. He wanted to find out, and tell others. One of the more popular novels by Achebe, Things Fall Apart tells the story
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Things Fall Apart Stereotypes

Things Fall Apart: The Relationship Between Cultural Relativity and Superiority

Stereotypes