Things Fall Apart Uncivilized

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“A civilized society: the culture has a social order characterized by a government, a system of justice, a social structure, and some kind of spiritual belief system.” In the novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, the Igbo villages are uncivilized. The system of justice is ruled by men with titles and elders. The male society in Igbo is very dominate and aggressive towards women. Some may argue that, in their culture it is civilized because the men only beat their wives for either disobeying them or making mistakes. The villages of Igbo our uncivilized because of the justice system and how men are dominant and aggressive towards women. The Igbo justice system is uncivilized because the higher ups (elders) are the judge and jury. Achebe According to Achebe, “Okonkwo bent down and looked into her hut. Ojiugo’s children were eating with the children of his first wife. Did she ask you to feed them before she went? Yes, lied Nwoye’s mother, trying to minimize Ojiugo thoughtlessness. Okonkwo knew she was not speaking the truth. He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo return. And when she returned he beat her very heavily” (Achebe, 1994, p. 29). Okonkwo beat his wife in anger for forgetting to feed her children. In Igbo, the husband has a write to beat his wife when she does something bad. That is uncivilized because the men can beat their wife out of anger rather than discipline. According to Achebe, “Okonkwo, had been walking about aimlessly in his compound in suppressed anger, suddenly found an outlet. Who killed this banana tree? He asked. A hush fell on the compound immediately. Who killed this tree? Or are you all deaf and dumb? As a matter of fact the tree was very much alive. Okonkwo’s second wife had merely cut a few leaves off it to wrap some food, and she said so.Without further argument Okonkwo gave her a sound beating and left her and her only daughter weeping” (Achebe, 1994, p. 38). Okonkwo frustrated and angry, looked for someone to release his anger on. He took it out on his wife for “killing” the banana tree that was still alive. Overall, the men in this Igbo society are

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