Analytical Essay: Things Fall Apart

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Things Fall Apart Analytical Essay Religion demystifies the aspects of Igbo culture creating an inner war between families and their gods, as explained in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The implication of this novel is predominantly about the transitioning lifestyle of Okonkwo. Okonkwo was a tragic hero and eager man who grew from the base to the dominant person in his life vigorously. Okonkwo repudiates the European culture and experiences an adverse change in identity; his response shapes the overall meaning of the work. This Nigerian 1890s novel illustrates the discord between white immigrant government and traditional Igbo culture. Okonkwo held his family accountable for his lively decisions but doesn’t show it in view of leadership

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    When different cultures interact, a shock will always occur. Change because of clashing cultures is inevitable, but how a person responds to change varies on different levels. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, characters are introduced to an outside force of the Western world. Many of them, especially the main character, Okonkwo, attempt to remain with their original cultural beliefs, but some decide to listen to other stories. Among the changing characters is Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son. In Achebe’s novel, Nwoye’s positive change in understanding and motivation after the introduction of Western religion has the greatest impact on the book due to its effect on other characters in the book, especially Okonkwo.

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  • Cultural Differences In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

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    Culture makes us who we are. Each individual has their own culture from their experiences in life and is developed from societal influences. The various cultures around the world influence us in different ways which we experience at least once in our lifetime. There are occasions, especially in history, where cultures clash with one another. For instance, the English colonization in Africa changed their culture. Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, portrayed this change in the Igbo people’s society, especially through the character Okonkwo in the village of Umuofia; the introduction of Western ideas challenged him. In the novel Things Fall Apart, the author Chinua Achebe introduces to us Okonkwo whose character’s response to the

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  • Umuofia Government In Chinua Achebe's Thing Fall Apart

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    Nigeria has a rich culture stemming from the many civilizations that inhabited the land. In the novel Thing Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe brings light on to the great Igbo people, a society Nigeria hosted for centuries. The tale follows a man named Okonkwo as he tries to make amends for his father 's failures and a name for himself within his village. This path leads Okonkwo to become reckless and unreasonable. Through this, readers are exposed to the village’s judicial system, revealing that the clan’s laws based off sexism, superstitious nature, and deep religious ties.

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  • Cultural Collisions In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

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    “Then everything had been broken.”(Achebe, page 131). Things Fall Apart is a complex story with complex events. The white men were christians while the Igbo people had their own religion. When the white men came, problems arose between the two groups and between the clan itself. This cultural collision impacted many Igbo people but different characters reacted differently. Okonkwo, who recently returned from being exiled, tries to make up for his mistakes but falls into old habits. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe exhibits the ways that when met with a cultural collision narrow-minded individuals may respond with violence and fear through reactions of the protagonist.

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  • Symbolism In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

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    “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe is based on the post-colonial era of Africa, at the turn of the 19th century. The novel follows the life of an Ibo village in Nigeria, called Umuofia. In the beginning there is a sense of unity and togetherness. In the ending, there is a sense of defeat, anger and hate. Achebe explores the conflict between the arrival of the Europeans and the Umuofian natives. The novel describes the rise and fall of Ibo culture, customs and traditions due to the influence of white colonisation. The highest points of Umuofia come from their bravery and proverbs. The lowest points in their timeline come from the unmasking of the egwugwu and their weakened society.

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  • Things Fall Apart and its Representation: Chinua Achebe

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    The novel Things Fall Apart, displays Okonkwo, a local leader in the village of Nigeria. It describes how his family, comrades and the society and culture of lgbo inherit under the influence of British Colonialism and Christian missionaries during the late nineteen century. The protagonist Okonkwo is portrayed as a masculine and irritable solider who tries to prevent his villages from the invasion of Christianity, but eventually fails. He is a tragic hero who represents a culture that has been replaced by Christianity. On the other hand, Mr. Brown is a representation of Western culture that at first is a missionary but turns in to a colonizer. In the text, Okonkwo’s flaw characteristics result his own destruction, as the culture he represents is ultimately displaced by a more fully developed culture. We cannot argue which culture is more superior but a debate is raised, of who is responsible for the destruction of Lgbo culture. However, there are defects in Okonkwo’s culture and I believe that a weak and vacillating culture will not be respected and is determined to be replaced.

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  • Who Is Okonkwo A Hero In Things Fall Apart

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    A hero who has gained much respect from his clan members and has achieved many awards, but will soon lose it all. In the story Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe the main character Okonkwo shows many qualities of being a hero to his village and to the whole Igbo culture such as, becoming a successful farmer of jamons, becoming the best wrestler in the all the tribes, earning many high titles in the clan, and having many wives and kids. Later in the book many Europeans start coming to colonize the Igbo colonies and they gave the Igbo people a new cultural view rather than just Igbo views by offering them a new Religion, laws, and many new buildings like hospitals and schools. Okonkwo does not approve of what the new

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  • The Role Of Gender In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

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    The literary book “Things Fall Apart” is a well-written novel by Chinua Achebe about an ordinary Nigerian named Okonkwo and how the impact of European colonization in his village, significantly changed his life. Though this is the main idea, the novel also consists of many hidden messages which are shown through the interesting plot turns and literary devices. A theme that Achebe explores through the book is the role of men and women in the Igbo society, and he showcases how certain characters reached out of their gender stereotype. While Ezinma and Nwoye’s actions and mindsets make them different from other children of the same gender, Ekwefi’s interests and mentality set her apart from other women as well. Achebe proves through these characters that the roles of gender differentiation in the Igbo culture were antiquated and also impacted the lives of children by limiting the possibilities of their future.

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  • Characters And Emotions In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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    Never have I felt as much disappointment at the closing of a story as I have after Okonkwo’s death. The rising anger that swelled up inside of me after seeing how the Ibo culture fell apart has not been satiated. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart presents us with the very dynamic character of Okonkwo. As the novel progresses from start to finish we see many changes in his attitude and outlook on life. We see him change from a man who tries his best to hide his emotion but we see him slowly slip. We see him degrade from a strong man of action to a man who falls into despair and ultimately takes his own life. Okonkwo is a dynamic and complex character who evolves throughout the story and whose suicide lays the final touches in the destruction

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    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    Achbe, in the novel Things Fall Apart, conveys a flavor of traditional African culture in the 1800`s. But despite this, it seems the tragedy of okonkwo that embodies the theme of the novel. Many of Achebe`s themes are not limited to the events in his novel, but relate to SITUATIONS, in which traditional values are questioned and people from different cultures meet, the most profound impact being related to the themes of religion and justice.

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    Chinua Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, uses the changes in African tribal culture brought about by European colonization to illustrate the evolution of the character Okonkwo. As Okonkwo leads his life, his experiences, personality and thought are revealed to the reader. The obstacles he faces in life are made numerous as time progresses. Okonkwo's most significant challenge originates within himself. He also encounters problems not only when in opposition to the white culture, but in his own culture, as he becomes frustrated with tribal ideals that conflict with his own. The last adversary he encounters is of the physical world, brought upon himself by his emotional and cultural problems. The manner through which Okonkwo addresses his adversaries in Things Fall Apart creates the mechanism that leads to his eventual destruction.

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    The novel Things Fall Apart (1958) tells a story about a traditional African whose name is Okonkwo. By describe his tragic life the author Chinua Achebe reflects the conflicts between the traditional folklore and the colonial culture, barbarism and civilization, deity and humanity, tradition and modernity, foreign culture and native culture in Africa. The tragedy of Okonkwo is actually reflects the tragedy of its time, society, and state than the one of an individual. The death of Okonkwo symbolizes the end of the primitive folkloric culture, and imply the beginning of a whole new civilization.

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