Imperialism In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Almost every civilizat in the world was at one time colonized by another civilization with differing cultural beliefs. this is just the case in the Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart. were the Umuofia tribe in niger has being colonized by the british empire. which leds to the members of their tribe to either decide to learn to give into the brits and leave there way of life and accept the new christian teachings or have to fight to uphold their way of life that has kept order and peace in the village. by the end of the book many of the natives start rethinking their culture and join the christian church but the main character named Okonkwo all he is know is to work hard and slowly work his way up the umuofia's social ladder but it is now threatened by the the new christians teachings. at the end of the book okonkwo instead of fighting and knowing he will be unsuccessful he decides to kill himself because no matter how strong he is he knows that his fate was either kill himself or have all of his hard work to be

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,

David Carroll writes, of the novel Things Fall Apart, "This incident is not only a comment on Okonkwo's heartlessness. It criticizes implicitly the laws he is too literally implementing..." (Carroll) The incident that David Carroll refers to is the death of Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna was a young boy who was handed over to the village of Umuofia as compensation for the murder of one of that village's citizens. He is handed over to Okonkwo, a great man in the village, to whom he gives every affection. The brief life with Okonkwo and death of this innocent young man, and the life of Okonkwo himself, is a microcosm of life in Umuofia. Inconsistencies, brutalities, and conflict abound in even the highest of Umuofian life. And as Ikemefuna is led off to be murdered by the man he calls father, "the whole tribe and its values is being judged and found wanting" (Carroll).

Stereotypes are things we deal with on a daily basis, we get categorized based on where we are from, what we look like, and what we do. A common stereotype is the concept that Africa is uncivilized. However, in the book Things Fall Apart, a story about a man named Okonkwo who lives in the Ibo tribe and his journey as the White man comes, by Chinua Achebe contradicts the imperialistic stereotypes of Africa as uncivilized by showing the Ibo tribe are civilized and sophisticated through their religion, culture, traditions, values, currency and their justice system.

When there is a great battle between two nations, one must always come on top. There must be one victor that takes all the treasures and asserts their dominance over those below them. This only makes sense in such a dog eat dog world. The winner will continue to grow and prosper into the race of who will become the most civilized and advanced, while the other stays to play with their sticks and stones. Mankind is constantly in some type of a power struggle. Someone always has to be on top when it comes to two. This in many ways applies to whether it is man versus woman, human versus God, or even one civilization versus another civilization. One of these two is always thought to be more important than the other. When it comes to Chinua Achebe’s

The book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe definitely has a fitting title. It explains how two cultures with different ideas and beliefs can clash and be intolerant towards one another. Most of the theme is developed through the plot of the story and through a man and his struggle against fear and anger (the main character, Okonkwo). Throughout the book he tries to resolve the problems that develop all around him and within himself. As the story progresses, conflict overwhelms him and leads to his downfall and the downfall of the Ibo culture.

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, is certainly the world’s most widely read African novel; it focuses on the life of Okonkwo a respected male in the early 1800’s in the Umuofia tribe of the Igbo people. Things Fall Apart, has gained much acknowledgment and recognition by virtue of its unique portrayal of life in the early 1800’s in colonial Africa. It has sparked controversy and debate between scholars; as a result of it being written by an African in 1958, this type of writing had never been seen before. This particular controversy was actually what Chinua Achebe, a celebrated 20th century Nigerian novelist was anticipating, when he composed Things Fall Apart, to describe Nigerian culture and the clash between indigenous African cultures with the traditional European culture.

In the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the setting sets forth in Umofia, a lower Nigerian Tribe and Mbanta, Okonkwo’s mother’s kinsmen. The novel begins with a man, whose name is Okonkwo, a noble warrior, resides in Umofia, with his three wives and nine children. Okonkwo is haunted by his father, Unoka’s disgraceful past. Okonkwo desires his son to be a tough, powerful warrior. Thus, this being said causes havoc upon Okonkwo’s families, tearing Nwoye and Okonkwo apart. Meanwhile, missionaries visit the nine villages convincing the villagers to believe their religion and abandon their own beliefs and traditions. After many events occurred, the novel comes to an abrupt end with tragedy and uncertainty. The marvelous author, Chinua Achebe was born in the Nigeria 1930, raised in the village of Ogidi. Achebe is a graduate of the University Ibadan. Achebe is a professor of English at University Of Amherst, Massachusetts. A brief period of time at the University Of Storrs, Connecticut. Which would indeed be one year. Chinua Achebe was one of the first centers of Anglican Missionary work in Eastern Nigeria. Chinua Achebe has written and published novels, essays, and Children’s stories. During, the Biafran War, Christmas in Biafran was written by Chinua Achebe. It was in fact, his written poetry, Christmas in Biafran, which won a Commonwealth Poetry Prize. This novel has brought me much thought, while leaving me in puzzlement throughout, giving me a full view of culture, traditions, and religion.

One of the flaws inside the Ibo culture that eventually leads to their downfall is the social system. The weaker people join the church as a way to gain acceptance. The osu, or outcasts who lived in the Ibo culture want to feel accepted and as a result, follow the Christians. “The two outcasts shaved off their hair, and soon they were the strongest adherents of the new faith” (157). These two outcasts never have the feeling of being a part of the clan. The church welcomes them. The osu cannot cut their hair, marry, or receive a title in the clan. They are “cast out like lepers” (157). The church welcomes the osu and treats them like human beings. This is where the Ibo social system is at fault. An ideal job is to be a farmer and since not everyone can afford seeds and a barn...

In her article, “Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart”, Diana Akers Rhoads positively criticizes Achebe’s work. She believes that Achebe does a great job of conveying the Ibo people as culturally bound and religious. Akers states, “Achebe’s aim is to present the peculiarities of the Igbo culture, especially the beauties and wisdom of its arts and institutions…” (Akers 1). It is agreeable that Achebe does present the beauties of the Umuofian culture which is later destroyed by the Europeans. Throughout Things Fall Apart, Achebe, “talking of the importance of ideals, refers to the example of village life based on a kind of equality” (2). Achebe demonstrates the importance of religion and culture in the novel by talking about the life of the native people. Akers also says which is true in the novel, that “Igbo are in some ways superior to those who comes to convert them” (4). It is true that the people of Umuofia especially Okonkwo, are superior in not following the religion and culture of the Europeans. For instance, Okonkwo tries to stop the missionaries by killing them in order to stop them from changing the religion of the Ibo people. Therefore, as Akers discusses in her article, religion and culture was worth a lot to the natives but, ironically many natives converts to Christianity due to the arrival of the

William James, a famous American philosopher, once stated, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives”. This quotation effectively illustrates how change in one’s attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs can alter the environment in which one lives. This concept is clearly demonstrated throughout the novel Things Fall Apart, authored by Chinua Achebe, by establishing a connection through the development of its characters and the change in traditional African tribal villages seen in the Nineteenth Century. It will be established how various characters demonstrated by the author throughout the novel exemplify how change in one’s attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs can alter the environment in which one lives addressed by William James’s quote above. First, by analyzing Achebe’s development of Okonkwo’s character through his initial character description and the emergence of outsiders, it is evident that he is portrayed as an old fashioned character that is less responsive to change. Secondly, through examining Nwoye’s character, Okonkwo’s son, it becomes apparent that the youth in the novel are more open-minded, easily persuadable and more adaptive to societal changes. Lastly, uncovering the meaning behind the arrival of European missionaries, it becomes apparent that Achebe defines this group as being a “disease”, poisoning the society in which Okonkwo lives. The author look’s at individuals as being critical and influential figures in shaping the environment to which they belong, beginning with Okonkwo.

Colonization in Nigeria affected the Igbo culture and its people in many different ways. In the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the author portrays events in the novel that reflect real experiences that he had. Many of the events in the novel deal with the act of colonization and how it affects different members in society, an idea that Achebe has experienced for himself. The author 's first hand experience with colonization allows the story to depict how colonization affected the Igbo people more accurately. Chinua Achebe creates an accurate representation of colonialism with his use of real events that occurred.

This essay is about the effect of Colonialism seen in the book Things Fall Apart. Through out the whole book you can see different impressions on the tribe, many other people, and the relationships between the white man and the black man.      "Does the white man understand our custom about land?" "How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart." (Achebe, 17)

The novel "Things Fall Apart", by Chinua Achebe, was an eye-opening account of the life and eventual extinction of an African tribe called the Ibo. It focuses on one character, Okonkwo, who at a very early age set out on a quest of self-perfection. Coming from a family ruled by a man who was lazy and inconsistent with everything he did, Okonkwo vowed to never accept the fate of his father. Okonkwo and his family suffered through many hard times in their lives, but usually managed to come out on top. Through terrible crop seasons and bad judgement calls, Okonkwo usually prevailed, until the day came when he was faced with a situation that could not be resolved by his strength and character alone.

Well-acclaimed author, Chinua Achebe from Wes Africa, is recognized worldwide for his exquisite and intelligent usage of literary devices to bring to the limelight pertinent issues facing the African continent, more specifically Nigeria. He introduces the world to his main character Obi Okonkwo whom; through his eyes, a glimpse is given into the world of a Nigerian .In Things Fall Apart, his first of three novels, Okonkwo, upon his arrival from England is completely detached from his African heritage. From the novel, it is noticed that Obi Okonkwo slowly becomes a part of a dominant class whose corruption he finds repugnant. In an effort to choose between the acceptance of traditional values and the pleasures of a fast changing world, Obi finds himself in a tight fix .He is faced with growing pressures from the expectations of his family, his community, and the larger society around him. With unprecedented lucidity and a growing passion, Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease remains till date a brilliant account of the challenges facing Nigeria today. This paper seeks to examine the representation of the colonial experiences of Obi Okonkwo in the fiction of Chinua Achebe.