Maintaining traditions is difficult because you have many other traditions that people might find it much better or fitting in the society they live in, but also keeping traditions is important too because your family might want to pass on old traditions too respect the family name or their ancestors and if changing old to new traditions that is when the old traditions don't really fall into society very much.
In things fall apart when Okonkwo was about to return home when a missionary went to visit and tell him about his son Nwoye who his name is now issac that he sent him to a collage for teachers but he wasn't very happy about it, "He had just sent okonkwos son, nwoye, who is now called Isaac to a new training college for teachers in Umuru. And he hoped that okonkwo would be happy to hear of it. But instead okonkwo had driven him away with a threat that if he came into his compound again, he would be carried out of it"(157 Achebe). Nwoye okonkwo son who has a very ibo name was changed to Isaac a very European name and okonkwo doesn't like that cause the English people come to their village and are changing everything they are making them more European.
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Umuofia did not appear to have taken any special notice of the warrior's return. the clan had undergone such profound change during his exile that it was barely recognizable. The new religion and government and the trading stores were very Much in the people eyes and mind"(157 Achebe). When okonkwo finally got back from exile he sees that the village had changed and the people no longer care about okonkwo's return they also bring their schools and government so they can teach them what they want to teach the children. Their culture is going to influence the ibo people's culture and make them more European which will weaken the
…the missionary had immediately paid him a visit. He had just sent Okonkwo's son, Nwoye, who was now called Isaac, to the new training college for teachers in Umuru. And he had hoped that Okonkwo would be happy to hear of it. But Okonkwo had driven him away with the threat that if he came into his compound again he would be carried out of it. (157)
He was in great conflict with the ideas of the white men and the missionaries. Okonkwo saw that their beliefs had not only changed the daily life of the Ibo, but it also changed the people themselves: “He mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women” (Achebe 183). The author uses strong diction to compare the men before and after colonization. This quote also portrays Okonkwo’s opinion towards the cultural collision. He values strength and masculinity immensely because of his fear of appearing weak like his father Unoka. When he describes that the men of Umuofia changed to be soft like women, this shows how much he dishonors the Western ideas and how it has taken over the village. He made an attempt to get rid of the Western influence by urging the tribe to fight like men, but they refuse to. He was determined and still attempted to furthermore encourage the people of Umuofia to revolt against the new culture. He realizes that his attempts to return the village back to the way it was before were futile. He knew that Christianity was tearing his people apart, but knew he was incapable of making change to help his people. Okonkwo then starts to feel hopeless and abandoned by his clan, which causes him to commit suicide by hanging himself: “Obierika… turned suddenly to the District Commissioner and said ferociously: ‘That man was one of the greatest men
Okonkwo realized that everything had changed after returning to Umuofia. The change in Umuofia had a negative impact on Okonkwo. "Okonkwo was deeply grieved....." (Achebe 183). Achebe foreshadows that with everything going on and the clan slowly falling apart, so will Okonkwo. Okonkwo's inability to accept the new changes in Umuofia eventually lead to his fall.
Okonkwo then later goes to live with his Mother’s family in Mbanta. Okonkwo felt that everything came to an end. He was saddened because he was stripped of his manhood and his goal: “a great passion—to become one of the lords of the clan” (121). He then later was presented with something to distract him from his loss, this was the arrival of the ‘White Men’. When Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son, converts to Christianity, it upsets Okonkwo at first, “but on further thought he told himself that Nwoye was not worth fighting for” (142).
...s return to Umuofia at the end of his exile when he returns home. The white men send their a messenger to the village. Okonkwo is still enraged about Nwoye's conversion. He sprang to his feet as soon as he saw who it was. He confronted the head messenger, trembling with hate, unable to utter a word. The man was fearless and stood his ground, his four men lined up behind him. “In a flash Okonkwo drew his machete. . . . Okonkwo’s machete descended twice and the man's head lay beside his uniformed body” (204).
Traditions are important in any family because they help to pass down knowledge, material objects,
Nwoye converting was the first cause of Okonkwo’s decline of pride in Umuofia. After the death of his foster brother Ikemefuna caused by Okonkwo, Nwoye started to resent his father. He starts to converse with the Christian missionaries and in anger Okonkwo beats him and threatens to kill him. Nwoye runs to the church for refuge and begins to study the Christian ways and follow their traditions (151-153). Okonkwo is very disappointed and sees his father Unoka coming out in Nwoye. Okonkwo has a deep hatred for his father and anyone or anything that is anything like him. So when Nwoye starts to act against how Okonkwo believes a man should act he does not take kindly to it. Later Mr.Brown goes to Okonkwo to inform him of his son’s accomplishments among the christian faith and how his son will soon become a teacher at a school (182-183). Okonkwo responds to this with violence and warns Mr.Brown that if he comes back he won’t be leaving on his feet . He is ultimately very disappointed in his son and starts to lose faith in both his son and his
Okonkwo was respected, greatly acknowledged, he was a wealthy farmer, he had 3 wives and many children. His oldest son, Nwoye was sadly different and not on the same track as Okonkwo, scaring him that he might own a son whose mentality is alike to Unoka. “Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating. And so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth” (Achebe 13). Okonkwo desperately attempted to not have any of Unoka in his son and create a better man instead. Not only did Okonkwo severe and sharp behavior further him from his son but when the chance for Nwoye to escape came, he took
When Okonkwo’s cousin Amikwu witnessed Nwoye at the Christian church, Okonkwo was enraged. Once Nwoye returned him Okonkwo grab his neck and began to choke him, demanding to know where he was. After he was finished beating his son, Nwoye decided to leave and never return. He confided in a missionary Mr. Kiaga telling him that he has not decided to return to Umuofia and attend the Christian school to learn to read and write. Okonkwo looked at his son as woman like, who resembled his grandfather greatly.
Okonkwo’s desire for respect motivates his quest to preserve the practices of Ibo culture, while Obierika preserves the practices of the Ibo culture with a more humanistic perspective. Achebe uses the differing approaches of Okonkwo and Obierika in maintaining the cultural doctrines of the Ibo people to reveal his sympathy for Obierika over Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s motives for maintaining the customs of the Ibo originate with fear. Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna while “dazed with fear,” drawing “his machete [to] cut him down” because, “he was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61). Though Okonkwo attempts to appear strong to the people of Umuofia, his fearful motivation speaks to a hidden internal weakness. Okonkwo’s focus on eradicating the taint of “his father’s weakness and failure” and his yearning for respect drive him to kill Ikemefuna instead of the more proper motive of simply effectuating what the Ibo conside...
When the structure of Umuofia began to change, Okonkwo found himself incapable of adapting like the rest of the villagers. He was determined to live a life that could not survive the changing world, and his dreams crumbled. Throughout the novel, Achebe demonstrates that the lack of being able to adapt to change will leave you lost in society. Since his childhood, Okonkwo has always been ashamed of his father, Unoka. Unoka was rarely able to feed his children, which made Okonkwo scared and embarrassed.
Okonkwo is the leader of Umuofia and he has the highest title in the clan people in
Nwoye, Okonkwo 's son, and hisconversion to Christianity shares many similarities with Chinua Achebe 's real transition from being a Christian, to being closer to his Igbo roots. Chinua Achebe was born with the name, Albert Chinualumogu Achebe, which he kept until university. He was born into a Christian family and was taught in a Christian school, even though his grandfather and other relatives stayed true to their Igbo roots. Despite cultural difference, his family still maintained a strong relationship with their relatives. While studying at university, Albert found himself wanting to connect to the Igbo way of life, so he rejected the English name
Nwoye grows tired of his father and is called by the Christian faith and converts. Nwoye’s internal struggle with himself between change and tradition ultimately led him to convert against his father’s wishes. Okonkwo is extremely resistant to change, so he does everything in his power to prevent his family from converting; “‘If you turn against me when I am dead I will visit you and break your neck’” (Achebe 105). Okonkwo uses fear to keep his other children from the Igbo culture.
One would be the source of finding your family identity. Family identity is very important to have. Everyone should have that sense of knowing who and where they came from. By doing so this allows you to share the history with your love ones and have that understanding of why your tradition is epic to your family. Tradition is like sharing that family bond. It brings people close together as a hold and as a family. In the article Creating a Positive Family Culture: The Importance of Establishing Family Traditions states “Traditions provide an all-too-rare chance for face-to-face interaction, help family members get to know and trust each other more intimately, and create a bond that comes from feeling that one is part of something unique and special”. (Mckay, 2013). Tradition has a lot of meaning behind it and families trust in that