Colonialism Of A Civilized Culture In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

Colonialism of a Civilized Culture
Ian Smith, a British politician, once said, “I would say colonialism is a wonderful thing. It spread civilization to Africa. Before it they had no written language, no wheel as we know it, no schools, no hospitals, not even normal clothing.” Although many people believed in the benefits of colonialism in the past, people now have changing opinions after learning the stories told by the Africans. Chinua Achebe wrote a novel, Things Fall Apart, in which Okonkwo, a Nigerian native, and his Igbo clan deals with white men trying to colonize, or pacify and control, the Igbo clan in the 1900’s. Due to the differences of religion and culture, the white men believes that the Igbos display barbarity and lack education,

For example, Ekwefi tells her daughter of how the Tortoise cracks his shell. First, the wily Tortoise tricks the birds by convincing the birds to aid him in reaching the sky and eat in a grand feast. Then, the Tortoise consumes all of the food at the feast, so the birds retaliate by leaving the Tortoise stranded in the sky. Through this story, the Igbos demonstrates that if a man makes trouble for others, he also makes trouble for himself. These stories instill a common code of conduct in children in the form of morals. Through a common way of courtesy, the culture establishes basic law and order which shows civility and prove colonization unnecessary. Furthermore, the birds left the Tortoise no choice but to jump down from the sky. Then, “like the sound of the cannon [the Tortoise] crashed on the compound,” and his “shell broke into pieces” (99). As in the story, negative consequences follow for misbehavior. Due to punishment of breaking morals, the villages enforces laws and includes a justice system; therefore, the Igbos exhibits themselves as organized and educated and does not require foreign conquerors. Clearly, the Igbos’ morals and punishment show their civility and prove colonialism