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Problems of inter cultural communication and the possible solutions
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Intercultural communication problems and solutions
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Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, a novel that explores the fraternization of African culture with foreign ones, states that “No other continent has endured such an unspeakably bizarre combination of foreign thievery and foreign goodwill [as Africa].” Similarly, Nigerian-born Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart examines the “foreign thievery” of the well-developed village, Umuofia, by the European Christians as they gradually colonize on the African continent and “steal” Umuofia by replacing its culture with their own. By defamiliarizing Christianity and the Western perspective, Achebe asserts that African culture is not primitive. Achebe, vigilant and aware of the Western influence of his audience, ensures that readers first see …show more content…
The first half of the novel develops customs, religious beliefs, and governmental systems of a functional society and presents the Umuofians’ open-minded views to readers. Obierika’s brother reveals an enlightened, nonpartisan view of a neighboring village’s disparate customs when he says that “what is good in one place is bad in another place” (Achebe 74). Despite lack of exposure to Western culture, the Umuofians already exhibit nondiscriminatory beliefs and a level of tolerance that Europeans historically struggled to achieve. Umuofians also do not engage in war unless they have valid reasons to do so, which is evident in the beginning of the novel when “[Ikemefuna] was sacrificed to the village of Umuofia… to avoid war and bloodshed” and continues through the end when one of the Umuofian leaders declares that “it is not [their] custom to fight for [their] gods” (Achebe 8, 158). In this way, the Western perspective is culpable of hypocrisy since it debases the African culture that avoids war, calling it “primitive,” but they themselves have historically engaged in unjust wars. Additionally, Umuofian religion stems from logic since it is based off …show more content…
Although religion is not monolithic, Achebe focuses on certain aspects of each religion and expurgates others to convey the similarities between the cultures and that African religion measures closely to Western religion, so it therefore cannot be called primitive. When a Christian man, Mr. Brown, meets with the Umuofian leader Akunna to discuss their respective religions, they surprisingly have a productive and civil discussion. As Mr. Brown, the only compromising Christian, talks to Akunna about each religion’s supreme God, he says that “Chukwu (God) is a loving Father and needs not be feared by those who do his will,” while Akunna responds that “[they] must fear Him when [they] are not doing His will” (Achebe 181). Ironically, Mr. Brown’s description of a loving God excludes the aspect of fear that Akunna mentioned, which conservative Christianity emphasizes in its teachings. Each culture’s religion differs in belief due to the different environments surrounding each culture, which in turn affects what they do not know and what they fear. Mr. Brown’s focus on the love of God emphasizes that for European Christians, religion is more of an addition to their lives rather than essential because they have a larger understanding of science and technology and greater access to the necessary resources for physical survival. However, Europe’s
Inquiry Contract Research Essay The Poisonwood Bible took place in the Congo during the 1960’s, which was a time of political unrest for the Congolese. The Congo gained their independence from the Belgians in 1960, and elected their first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba. Lumumba wanted complete control of the country, including it’s natural resources, of which the United States had “gained strategic stake in” (Nzongola-Ntalaja) because it included uranium mines. At this time, America was in the midst of the Cold War with the USSR, so the control of these mines for America was critical, especially because they believed Lumumba was siding with the Soviets.
Although I appreciate and enjoyed reading about a world in which I have no experience, the imagery in the book was more than enough to show me that I would not survive a day living in Africa. Kingsolver’s vivid imagery and attention to detail hooked me the first few pages. (Like how the family wanted to bring the Better Crocker cake mix). The different detail from each of the Price sisters presents Africa and allowed me to piece it together. I was also able to identify myself with each of the sisters. I see myself as Rachel, Adah, Leah, and Ruth May.
The events of Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart and the film Sugar Cane Alley detail the lives of a fictionalized Nigerian village and sugar cane harvesters in remote Martinique, respectively, during similar time periods of the 1900s. Both works contain explicit references to Christianity, and how the imposition of religion and white culture have negatively affected the African characters. European religious practice was used as a means of pacifying as well as terrifying the Umuofian people and the inhabitants of Sugar Cane Valley.
Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Poisonwood Bible, wrote the work from different perspectives throughout the book. Orleanna Price, the mother, relates stories of America and their significance to the Congo. From the selfish intentions of Rachel Price, the oldest daughter, to the loving, kind, and sincere Ruth May, the youngest daughter, The Poisonwood Bible gives character to each of the narrators within the story. Between Rachel and Ruth are a set of twins named Adah and Leigh. Leigh is the most obedient to Pastor Price, the father, even though their father doesn’t care to show love or respect to the rest of the family. Adah and Leigh are both said to be very intelligent, but Adah and Leigh differ greatly in one aspect: Adah was born with a rare disease called Hemiplegia. This disability affects an entire half of Adah’s body and so she sees the world differently than the rest of the family. Because of the difference in perspective, Adah’s narration in the novel creates a better perspective of life, judgments, and feelings in relation to how societies should be.
Some common themes of 17th-19th century African social and political history span these three stories despite their distinct historical contexts and characteristics. In each society, warlords vied for control without being able to unify small disintegrating states, and political strife led to social mobility and fed the slave trade with war captives (Lovejoy, 68-70). The struggle between competing definitions of orthodoxy and orthopraxy became crucially important when religious causes were allied with political causes, especially seen in the cases of Beatriz and Uthman. Another common feature, best illustrated in Guimba’s story, is the tradition African belief that spiritual power, whatever its source, is good when used in the interests of the community, but bad when used for personal gain (Thornton, 43-44).
In the Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver takes the reader into the lives of the Price family consisting of the four daughters Leah, Adah, Ruth, Rachel, the mother Orleanna, and the father Nathan as they uproot from their cozy life in Georgia to head into the Congo. The Price family witnessed first hand the atrocities that the African people had to endure under colonial rule, while at the same time trying to survive the harsh rule of their own father to the point where they don’t even feel safe in their own home anymore. The quote, “And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces. This has truth to it for everybody in life is shaped
The book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe details the account of an African tribal named Okonkwo as his life goes from great to horrible. While this book has many lessons that can be learned, I will be primarily focusing on the effect that Christianity had on the population of the African tribe. While Christianity is a religion of peace, its followers often do not follow this basic tenant. The first missionary, Mr. Brown, practiced compromise and tolerance. His replacement, Mr. Smith, was much more aggressive in his tactics. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe shows through the characterization of Mr. Smith a shameful and harmful look at the spread of Christianity during the British empirical period.
Imagine a group of foreign people invading your home, disavowing all your beliefs, and attempting to convert you to a religion you have never heard of. This was the reality for thousands and thousands of African people when many Europeans commenced the Scramble for Africa during the period of New Imperialism. A great fiction novel written by Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, highlights the responses to missionaries by African people. The African natives responded to the presence of white missionaries with submission to their desires, strategic responses to counteract them, and with the most disruptive response of violence.
There are different cultures around the world. In the book,The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, the Price family moved to Congo, for the first time leaving their family, and friends in Georgia behind to start their new life for a year.
The men that come to Umuofia destroy the cultural balance of faith and religion that encompasses the native people in Africa. People in Umuofia depend strongly on the ancestors and gods in their culture. It is their tradition and their beginning, from which they govern their lives. Even the priestess that serves the god Agbala, "...was full of the power of her god, and she was greatly feared" (16). Without the stronghold of customs and traditions, only chaos exists. Peace, trust, and knowledge are thrown off when the new religion of Christianity is introduced. When the missionary explains that:
In his work Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe tells a story describing the decay and destruction of ancient African tradition caused by the invasion of white culture. His tone in the book seems to side with and sympathize with the Africans and their religion. Interestingly enough, though, he uses biblical allusion, as well as onomatopoeia and symbolism to bring the book to life and captivate the reader. The following will describe how he uses these. Even though it appears that he sides with Africans and their cultural beliefs, Achebe uses things from outside their religion, such as biblical allusions.
A major aspect of one’s society is religion. Without it, the way people hold themselves accountable would be nonexistent. In addition, many moral standards that exist today are values taken directly from religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Currently, there exists a feud between people who believe in a god, and of those who do not. Eventually those who believe in a higher power will fight against each other. In “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe brings to light the differences and similarities of Christianity and Animism in order to demonstrate the effects of religion upon one’s society, which is exemplified by Okonkwo and his people. This is noticed in the lives of the Ibo, the missionaries, and Okonkwo himself.
The imposition of colonialism on Africa drastically reconstructed the continent. All over, European powers attempted to “assimilate” countries into their own, all the while exploiting and victimizing their people, culture, and resources. However, if there was one aspect of colonialism that provided a fertile ground for conflict, it was the unknowingly insidious method of introducing religion, specifically Christianity, into African families. This is particularly exemplified in the novels Things Fall Apart, Houseboy, and Weep Not, Child. Throughout these novels, the assimilation of Christianity within the protagonists’ not only results in a destruction of their sacred and traditional values, but also their well-being and those around them.
Shawn Mark. The Kingdom of God in Africa:: A Short History of Africa Christianity,(Grand Rapids: Baker
Although establishing schools appears to be a good influence, Achebe shows how schools strip a society of its culture. Mr. Brown, the first white missionary in Umuofia, builds a school for the children. He convinces parents to send their children to school by arguing, “If Umuofia failed to send her children to the school, strangers would come from other places to rule them” (156). Mr. Brown’s ironic reasoning displays the negative result of religion. If the Christian missionaries did not intrude in the first place, there would be no need to protect Ibo people from more intruders trying to interfere with their culture. A similar type of irony is mentioned when Mr. Brown’s school start to become popular. The people begin to think, “Mr. Brown’s school produced quick results. A few months in it were enough to make one a court messenger or even a court clerk” (156). Prior to the missionaries’ arrival, Ibo society had no need for schools to give better jobs. When the missionaries bring their government to Umuofia, schools trick people into falling for the new system and forgetting about their old social structure and culture. Achebe uses these ironic occurrences to display how religion may seemingly positively influence a society, but in reality pillages the Ibo people’s original culture.