The Dangers Of Change in Things Fall Apart
analytical Essay
1794 words
Turning and turning in the widening gyre.
The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things
fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy
is loosed upon the world
This is an excerpt from the Poem "The Second Coming", which is the basis for the novel "Things Fall Apart". This title is significant to the many themes that are explored throughout the story. I feel that the story is broken into three different themes in order to arrive at the main theme. The themes of tradition, social appearance and belonging, and fear and anger, are blended in such a way as to bring to light the main theme of the story. This idea is that though throughout life one can train themselves to think that they have absolute control over all things in their lives if they will it to be so, they really don't. The author shows the reality that through these ideas, we brainwash ourselves to believe that if we master these things and gain control over them, life as we know it will always be the same. The danger of thinking in this fashion is that in doing so you never prepare yourself for change, and if you are not prepared for change everything in your life can fall apart. The conflict among these issues shows that though we may have momentary control of ourselves and or family and even our culture, we do not have complete control over change, it is inevitable.
The story is set within the Ibo tribe of Umuofia, which is one of the nine villages that combine to make one large clan in Nigeria. These tribes are ones that hold courage, strength, tradition and customs extremely high. The theme of tradition is examined by
The Dangers 3
showing that they are a prideful people, who rely solely on the will of "their gods" to direct their paths in life, which in turn brings them great strength and prosperity. This is
evident through a dialogue that takes place in the text detailing what happens when a member of the tribe disobeys a law made by the gods, "You are not a stranger in Umuofia. You know as well as I do that our forefathers ordained that before we plant any crops in the earth we should observe a week in which a man does not say a harsh word to his neighbor.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the poem "the second coming" is the basis for the novel "things fall apart". the themes of tradition, social appearance and belonging, and fear and anger are blended to bring to light the main theme.
- Analyzes how the story is set within the ibo tribe of umuofia, which is one of the nine villages that combine to make one large clan in nigeria.
- Describes a true warrior who holds high levels of respect within his village.
- Analyzes how establishes the conflicting relationship between strength and prestige vs. fear and anger.
- Analyzes how intertwined the elements of social appearance, belonging, and fear and anger together to show how in the life of the main character one element cannot exist without the other.
- Opines that the reader must look deep within concerning one's beliefs, fears and need for accomplishment, and how they place on the spectrum of change. all of these factors create great weakness and defeat, if we allow it.
- Analyzes how the story is brought to life through the trials and tribulations of the main character, okonkwo.
- Compares "the yellow wallpaper" where the protagonist and the antagonist are in a constant battle to hold on to everything that he believes is controllable.
- Analyzes how chose colonialism and christianity as the vehicle for change because they were elements that swept african countries by storm without invitation. the coming of europeans and the west marked the beginning of the end for traditional african society.
- Opines that the things we desperately try to control and hold on to begin to consume us because we have not prepared ourselves for change. instead, we fight an unsuccessful battle until we are overwhelmed and succumb.
Related
- analytical
- Culture In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apartanalytical essayNigerian Ibo culture in the village of Umoufia. Like the Ibo, many other nations are strongly rooted to
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the role of men and women in achebe's novel, things fall apart, in the ibo village of umoufia.
- Explains that men's work took them away from the villages, and it was dangerous. they would travel hundreds of males following the buffalo to ensure they would collect enough food for their villages.
- Opines that plains indian women worked hard, but were held in high esteem for the elemental role they played.
- Analyzes how the umoufia believe in polytheism, the worship of many gods, and the importance of ritual and religion in the ibo society.
- Explains that religion in the ibo village has been passed down from generation to generation, which is probably why they are committed to their beliefs.
- Compares the ibo culture of umoufia and the north american first nations culture.
1337 wordsRead More - Igbo Culture In Achebe's Things Fall Apartanalytical essayThe constant change within the society is inevitable in every culture, ranging from traditional sense of social values to the law and condition of the land that people needs to obey by as time when on. And these changes within the culture can have significant impact on the perspective of the whole community and the mindset of an individual. We can see this in Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” as the old Igbo culture clashing with the Missionaries’s ideals from the western world that leads to the dividing of the two culture and create this social barrier between them as one culture would often contradict with the other. This changes unfold to the reader through the eyes of the main character of the story, Okonkwo.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how achebe's "things fall apart" shows how the old igbo culture clashes with the missionaries' ideals from the western world and creates a social barrier between them.
- Explains that igbo society is the same as any culture anywhere around the world. iglo traditions include their own gods and religion practices, marriage, and justice system.
- Analyzes how okonkwo's violence against his eldest son drove him away from the old iglo values and signified his acceptance to the new values when he joined the church.
791 wordsRead More - Umuofia Government In Chinua Achebe's Thing Fall Apartanalytical essayNigeria 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how chinua achebe's thing fall apart brings light on the great igbo people, a society nigeria hosted for centuries.
- Analyzes how the igbo was ruled by a few elite, all of which were male, while women were viewed as servants or commodities. the law in umuofia allows the brutal beating of women
- Analyzes umuofia's religious ties in thing fall apart, such as its famous oracle where village residents come to settle disputes and speak with departed spirits.
- Explains that umuofia's government is best shown through their celebrations and festivals, such as the week of peace, which is heavily based on the culture’s religious ties.
- Explains that igbo culture was the main factor that crafted umofia’s government in the tale. the ibgo villagers believed that their laws come directly from the gods.
1021 wordsRead More - Things Fall Apartanalytical essayThings Fall Apart Chinua Achebe?s Things Fall Apart is a narrative story that follows the life of an African man called Okonkwo. The setting of the book is in eastern Nigeria, on the eve of British colonialism in Africa. The novel illustrates Okonkwo?s struggles, triumphs, and his eventual downfall, all of which basically coincide with the Igbo?s society?s struggle with the Christian religion and British government.
In this essay, the author
- Introduces chinua achebe's things fall apart, a narrative story that follows the life of an african man called okonkwo.
- Analyzes how okonkwo became a well-respected member of the igbo society, but his wealth and prestige rested solely on his personal achievements.
- Analyzes how okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand, and his wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper. his violent temper was triggered in response to actions that he deemed to be weak.
- Narrates how okonkwo decides to go to the village where the accused lived and ask for one virgin and one young boy to make up for the murder.
- Explains that igbo society, as well as most other african societies, was polytheistic. every man had his own chi, or his won personal god to which he would pray for health and prosperity.
- Analyzes how okonkwo's gun misfires and he accidentally kills a young man in chapter thirteen. he was exiled to mbanta and his family were taken in by uchendu.
- Narrates how okonkwo heard of the first white man while in exile in mbanta, and his mother's clansmen learned of his religion. they gave him permission to build their church in the evil forest.
- Narrates how okonkwo and his family returned to umuofia after seven years. they were surprised to find that the white man had not been driven out of their villages.
- Analyzes how okonkwo's death symbolizes the end of patriarchy in umuofia. his struggles, triumphs, and defeats are all reduced to a paragraph.
1974 wordsRead More - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebeanalytical essayAchebe introduces the reader to the intricate culture of the Igbo people from the earliest chapters in the book. He describes rituals, laws, and religion of these people with great attention to detail allowing the reader to further understand and identify with the Igbo people on a personal level. An example of this is the tradition of kola nut and how it is shared when welcoming someone into a home. Achebe writes, “Unoka accepted the honor of breaking the kola. Okoye, meanwhile took the lump of chalk, drew some lines on the floor, and then painted his big toe” (Achebe, 1994, pg. 6). This is a great depiction of a common welcoming custom used by the Igbo people. Achebe continues this introduction in chapters two and three where he introduces the reader to the religious beliefs of the Igbo people and their earth goddess along with their laws when a wife is murdered in a neighboring village (Achebe, 1994). Raised in the steep traditions of his native Nigerian people, Achebe’s personal insight and familial history allows him to provide details in a manner that allow the reader to have an intimate understanding of the inner workings in the Igbo culture. This insight has the personal touch of Achebe’s familial history showing his personal ability to identify with the ways of the Igbo people allowing the reader to feel a bond with the Igbo people (University of North Carolina, 2014).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how achebe's book, "things fall apart", depicts the life of a nigerian man named okowkwo. the plight of his indigenous igbo people is the main theme.
- Analyzes how achebe introduces the reader to the intricate culture of the igbo people from the earliest chapters in the book.
- Analyzes how achebe uses foreshadowing to illustrate the problems that the igbo people will have leading to the cultural breakdown of their people.
- Analyzes how achebe describes the arrival of missionaries in mbanta to spread the message of their christianity, bringing along with them the english government system.
- Analyzes how the outcasts of the igbo people welcome the missionaries and their christian beliefs. achebe focuses on okonkwo's son to illustrate this paradigm shift.
- Analyzes how achebe introduces the white christians who live by the thought that we are all related as sons of god.
- Analyzes how okonkwo's disillusionment with his father caused him to question who was to blame. the deterioration of this relationship mirrors the larger image of the entire cultures undoing.
- Analyzes how achebe's story of the igbo people is filled with his deep respect for the ancestry of his own family.
- Cites achebe, c. (2012). how things fell apart.
1066 wordsRead More - Things Fall Apartanalytical essayIn Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart the life of a man named Okonkwo and the tribe of Umuofia is depicted in three chapters which each represent a significant era in the tribe. In the first chapter, Achebe describes the life of the native African tribe before the coming of the white man. This chapter enables the reader to understand and respect the life of the Igbo. The second chapter describes the beginnings of colonialism and introduction of the white man. Suddenly, the Igbo way is questioned. The natives lives are turned upside down as they search for a way to understand the new religion and laws of the Europeans. The third chapter describes the effect of colonialism on the Igbo tribe. This section explores the many ways which the Igbo people try to adapt to the new society. From the suicide of Okonkwo to the abandonment by other tribe members, it becomes apparent how difficult it was for the African’s to adjust to the change. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness tells of an English man named Marlow and his journey into the Congo and interest in a colonist named Kurtz. Marlow is the narrator of the novel. He describes the natives and the Europeans from a somewhat objective view. He finds colonialism questionable, but also cannot relate to the Africans. Kurtz is the antagonist who exploits the Africans to make money by selling ivory and subsequently goes insane. Both novels depict the colonization of Africa, but each has a markedly different perspective on the African’s lives which were irreparably altered when Europeans came to conquer their land and convert them to Christianity.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how chinua achebe's novel things fall apart depicts the life of a man named okonkwo and the tribe of umuofia.
- Analyzes how conrad's descriptions of the africans are inherently racist. the text is full of demeaning descriptions and negative thoughts about the blacks.
- Analyzes conrad's differences in the ability of the africans to communicate in a well thought out and complex language. in things fall apart, the igbo speak like imbeciles, but are cannibals.
- Analyzes how the african culture was alarming to the white man. okonkwo participates in the murder of a boy that lived in his house for several years.
- Compares the thoughts and writings of joseph conrad and chinua achebe based on the time in which they each wrote their perspective novels.
- Analyzes how conrad's racism exposes the discrepancies between the ideal of colonialism and the reality of violence, while achebe shows the humanity of the igbo
1115 wordsRead More - Things Fall Apartanalytical essayTruman Capote was first introduced to the story of the brutal killing of the Clutter family ??one morning in November of 1959, while flicking through The New York Times, I encountered on a deep inside page, this headline: Wealthy Farmer, 3 of Family Slain? (Capote, 3). He decided to write about the crime committed in Kansas, because ?murder was a theme not likely to darken and yellow with time? (Capote, 3). Capote promptly headed for Kansas, where he spent six years researching, solving, and writing about the unforgivable act. Truman Capote?s In Cold Blood, the final product of his years of research, is a masterfully written account of the cold-blooded murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959. In writing In Cold Blood, Capote presents the blood-curdling story of the brutal killing of the Clutter family in a journalistic style, and is able to exclude his point of view on all of the events; ?The most difficult thing in In Cold Blood is that I never appear in it, but I solved it?The whole thing was done from Al Dewey?s point of view? (Newsweek, 60). Because of Capote?s immeasurable talent for writing, he is able to present factual events, just as in a journalistic article, in a style that seems similar to a fiction novel. His focus in In Cold Blood is on the facts of the events which occur before, during, and after the murder of Mr. Clutter; Kenyon, his fifteen year old son; Nancy, his 16 year old daughter; and, Bonnie, his wife.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how truman capote's in cold blood is a masterfully written account of the cold-blooded murder in holcomb, kansas in 1959.
- Analyzes how capote's emphasis on facts can be seen through his thorough account of what the murderers, perry smith and dick hickock, took from the clutter?s house.
- Analyzes how capote's detective work and research on the clutter murders parallels al dewey?s work in the non-fiction novel. the combination of journalistic, documentary, and detective styles of writing makes in cold blood brilliant.
707 wordsRead More - Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebeanalytical essayWith a socially imposed and personal devotion to attain a highly regarded status in his clan, Okonkwo’s life was one that valued traditional authority, customs, and kinship. As a protagonist, Okonkwo’s story exemplifies the altering role of the state as the marching boots of colonialism enter his village, Iguedo. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, he illustrates the societal life of the Umuofia clan prior to the arrival of and the encounter with early colonizers - offering an Igbo account of the transformation of local institutions. Once wielded by elders and the spiritually divine, the power of control fell into the hands of foreigners. Worship of ancestors, the supreme deity Chikwu, and other Earth gods transferred to the God revealed in the Bible. The interactions between the institutions of rule, belief, environmental management, and trade are each delicately reliant on each other, so that in Iguedo the ability to rule fails to exist without belief, religious believes are derived from the environment, and the mercy of environmental conditions dictates agricultural trade. Through the life and death of Okonkwo, the novel presents how the experience of the Igbo and their interaction with the state witnessed unquestionable change.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how okonkwo's story exemplifies the altering role of the state as the marching boots of colonialism enter his village, iguedo.
- Explains that the village of iguedo, prior to the advent of christianity, was one whose system of governance operated with autonomy.
- Explains the foundation of rule by the elders, highly regarded clansmen, and the priestess enforced customary law.
- Analyzes how the success of missionaries in acquiring converts ignited the skirmish for power between the existing structure of rule and the new, monotheistic order.
- Analyzes how the colonizers, especially under the missionary work of mr. brown, became popular in their role as ity through the services and infrastructure they provided.
- Analyzes how okonkwo was misogynistic in his treatment of his wives and daughters, despite his favorite child being ezinma.
- Analyzes how chinua achebe's things fall apart illustrates the pre-colonial life of the igbo population and the alterations and institutional conflict that occurred as native traditions, values, and beliefs encountered christianity and europe.
1105 wordsRead More - Examples Of Cultural Change In Things Fall Apartanalytical essayAchebe in his writing “Things Fall Apart” about Nigerian villagers of Umuofia who held strong, “most of the time” too their views to keep the clan of their people strong and respected, “Umuofia was feared by all its neighbor’s, “its war-medicine was as old as the clan itself” (Damrosch, 2009), they had many gods. With time the rules
In this essay, the author
- Explains that chebe and mahfouz were twentieth-century writers of different lands that captured the religious views of their youth through the progression of change happening around them.
- Analyzes how achebe's "things fall apart" describes the nigerian villagers of umuofia who held strong to keep their clan strong and respected.
- Analyzes how mahfouz's "zaabalawi" marks a change of the fading arab belief and culture.
- Opines that mahfouz was more concerned with the progression of arab as a literary recognized people, that could rise above the holding back of the religious authority of egypt. achebe seemed to be more about expressing how its "well-intended" colonizers changed africa
- Opines that some cultures and rituals of a nation kept are not for the best, if they violate the very reason for existence.
724 wordsRead More - Things Fall Apartanalytical essayIn life people are very rarely, if ever, purely good or evil. In novels authors tend not to create characters with an obvious moral standing not only to make their novel more applicable to the reader, but also to make the characters more complex and dynamic. Chinua Achebe uses this technique to develop the characters in his novel, Things Fall Apart. The main character, and protagonist in the novel, Okonkwo, is very morally dynamic showing some sensitivity to his family and friends, but in an attempting to rebel against his father, Okonkwo also exhibits the tendency to lash out violently.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how chinua achebe uses this technique to develop the characters in his novel, things fall apart.
- Analyzes how okonkwo's moral ambiguity is developed by the situation he was presented with in life.
- Analyzes how okonkwo's blatant sexism and stubbornness are evident in the book. he is battling between his emotions and his desire to be unlike his father.
- Analyzes how okonkwo's moral standing comes into question through his relationship with his adopted son ikemefuna.
- Analyzes how okonkwo's moral conflict plays a very important role in the novel things fall apart.
- Analyzes how chinua achebe creates a dynamic and morally ambiguous protagonist while addressing the moral issue of christian evangelism in africa.
1211 wordsRead More