In every story, there is always an end. Sometimes the end means death but sometimes it is the start of something new. Achebe’s Things Fall Apart reflects not only the end of his hero, Okonkwo, but the end of the civilization of the African villages, where the story took place. Okonkwo, as the representation of the traditional way of life, doesn’t want to accept the new faith of the colonizers or bow down to their rules in acceptance. He decides to take his own life, seeing death as the only option to resist and escape the change. His life and death, exemplifies individualism and how one is responsible for his own fate. This greatly contrasts with the ending of Shakespeare’s Tempest, in which Prospero, the great magician, who is not only able to manipulate people, but nature and spirits as well, is unable to leave for his new life in Naples until the audience releases him, representing a world, where one’s existence and fate are closely related and often determined by others. These two characters, Okonkwo and Prospero, end their stories in opposite ways, representing two different kinds of outlooks and societies.
Throughout the story of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo has continuously appeared as an individual. While he was part of the Iguedo tribe, he always stood out in some way, whether because of his stubbornness or his impulsiveness. As a human being, he was not perfect; nevertheless, he was an asset to the village being a great warrior and strong worker, who proved himself over and over again by building himself a life after the disgrace of his father and after his exile. He hoped that on his return to Iguedo, he could continue to build an even greater life than before, where he could prove his greatness as a man once more. How...
... middle of paper ...
...acter, who is patriotic and stands by what he beliefs, attributes that are important even today. His final decisions exemplify his courage, his loyalty and his individualism, urging the reader to follow these traits of Okonkwo into the 21st century, but also see history from more than one point of view. On the other hand, the Tempest illustrates the world of Elizabethan England, with Prospero being Shakespeare, who had to cater to his rich and poor audiences, in order to make a living. His play might end as a light comedy but it shows the serious restraints of society, where no one is free to act according to his own thoughts and one’s fate rests in the hands of someone else. These two stories, while different in so many ways, challenge the audience to think about life today and see how much the aspects of conformity and individualism continue to battle to this day.
Set in Africa in the 1890s, Chinua Achebe's ‘Things Fall Apart’ is about the tragedy of Okonkwo during the time Christian missionaries arrived and polluted the culture and traditions of many African tribes. Okonkwo is a self-made man who values culture, tradition, and, above all else, masculinity. Okonkwo’s attachment to the Igbo culture and tradition, and his own extreme emphasis on manliness, is the cause of his fall from grace and eventual death.
On one hand, Okonkwo is seen as a powerful, respected man, who is well known throughout his home village of Umuofia and beyond. He is a brave fearless warrior, who as a young man had brought great honour to his village by beating Amalinze, and who for seven years had not been beaten "from Umuofia to Mbaino". He is not a man to shy away from conflict or confrontation. He is not a particularly intelligent man, but a man of action, who is more likely to settle an argument through violence than negotiation. He has an impulsive, explosive nature which can often land him in trouble. By nature, he is energetic and hardworking, and has no patience with men that are idle. He is a pillar of the community, and is looked up to by the majority of his clan members for his success and prosperity in life.
As a student, I am often troubled by the rigid routines of the school day, despite the fact that I am actually a very habitual person. The constant ringing of bells, lectures, bellwork, classwork, homework, each a daily practice throughout the school year. Although all of these components promote conformity, which will ultimately support the balance of school and societal norms, they also tend to threaten each student’s own unique characteristics. This then poses the question; to what degree should schools encourage conformity versus individuality? Certainly, a level of conformity is required to achieve a balanced society however, the overall structure of the school day and class, including the methods used to teach and mandatory classes, is depriving students of their sense of independence by not allowing them to think for themselves and destroying their natural curiosity; therefore I believe schools need to place more emphasis on the individuality of students.
However, Okonkwo’s honor was diminished at the funeral of Ezeudu, when his gun accidentally misfired and killed a clansman, and he had to flee the village to his mother’s land. He spends the rest of his life being discontent with the exile, even after he is accepted back into his village seven years later, because his goal in life was to be successful, influential, and honored. He is also angry that his clan has become “womanly” after they openly accepted the white missionaries into their village. His unhappiness leads him to
Okonkwo is a very powerful character in this story he really doesnt show emotion and He has the need to be stronger because his family is weak so okonkwo wants to be very stonf and powerful and he wants to be the leader so everyone looks up to him and he can lead everyone so be a stronger person and not weak at and he wants to show everyone that hes a strong person and some that doesnt have fear so everyone knows he can lead his team and his village
Okonkwo, a fierce warrior, remains unchanged in his unrelenting quest to solely sustain the culture of his tribe in the time of religious war in Achebe's book, Things Fall Apart. He endures traumatic experiences of conflict from other tribes, dramatic confrontations from within his own family, and betrayal by his own tribe.
Prospero’s epilogue at the conclusion of The Tempest provides interesting parallels to its author’s life. Written near the end of his career, numerous scholars suggest that it is Shakespeare’s written farewell. Just as Shakespeare sculpts a world from nothing, Prospero authors the events on the island. Prospero’s monologue flows naturally with they story and provides a natural ending to the work. He describes the loss of his magical power at the beginning of his monologue when he says, “My charms are all o’erthrown, and what strength I have’s mine own, which is most faint.”
Shakespeare's play, The Tempest tells the story of a father, Prospero, who must let go of his daughter; who brings his enemies under his power only to release them; and who in turn finally relinquishes his sway over his world - including his power over nature itself. The Tempest contains elements ripe for tragedy: Prospero is a controlling figure bent on taking revenge for the wrongs done to him, and in his fury he has the potential to destroy not only his enemies, but his own humanity and his daughter's future.
In the comedic, yet thrilling play, The Tempest, William Shakespeare uses characters such as Caliban, Alonso, and Ariel to show Prospero’s immense cruelness and pure monstrosity. Moreover, these Shakespearean characters are also used to highlight Prospero’s change in character into a kinder and more forgiving person. Prospero starts the play out as a vengeful monster, after an illuminating moment however, his persona transforms into his true identity of a compassionate man.
Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected individual in many ways. He was a well known person through out the 9 villages and beyond. His successes were based wholly on his personal achievements. For example, he was a warrior and wrestler who gained respect through his athletics. Manliness was a characteristic that was greatly valued by the people of the village. Since Okonkwo was a wrestler and a warrior this showed that he was a fierce fear-free individual. And because he hadn't lost one fight or any battles this was more reason for the people of the village to love him. He was also respected because of his wealth. Okonkwo had three wives and m...
The Colors of Our World German theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein once said, “It is important to foster individuality, for only the individual can produce the new ideas”. There’s two types of people in this world. You have one who conforms and follows others, and then you have one who strives for greatness, and embraces individuality. Conforming and blending in with others is more fatal than it seems. People who conform get lost in the roller coaster one calls life, and lose sight of who one truly is.
This essay will focus on the similarities and differences of the plays The Tempest and King Lear in general, as well as looking at comparisons of Prospero and Lear in somewhat more detail.
Individuality and conformity both play a major role in society. No matter what it may be individuals will need to choose appropriately between conforming and acting individualistically about their situation. Individuality allows individuals to freely express themselves while conformity offers safety under the protection of other conformers. Both of these aspects are beneficial to many individuals and is a key to maintaining societal order; however, it is disastrous to have too much of either side of the spectrum. Therefore, there should be a balance between individuality and conformity because having too much of either side morally and physically harms components of society, such that it pressures and forces individuals to do tasks against their will, and causes individuals to think selfishly and worry solely about themselves.
The play, The Tempest, by William Shakespeare is a very cleverly thought out piece of work. Shakespeare very deliberately inter-relates several different forms of power during the course of the play. There is political power, shown through the plethora of political characters and their schemes, while at the same time parodied by the comic characters. The power of magic and love, and its ability to reunite and absolve also plays a major role in the play. Throughout the play, Prospero, the main character, takes great advantage of his power and authority, both properly and improperly. The epiphany of this however, is realized at the end of the play.
The Tempest, like any text, is a product of its context. It is constructed in relation to moral or ethical concerns of 17th century European Jacobean society. The resolution of conflict appears 'natural' or an inevitable consequence if regarded in relation to the concerns of its context. The resolution of conflict in this play incorporates Prospero being returned to his 'rightful' or natural position as Duke of Milan, his daughter Miranda getting married to Ferdinand, and the party returning to Milan leaving the island to the 'monster', Caliban. The resolution is a consequence of the concerns of the time, including the idea of the divine right of kings, courtly love, and colonisation.