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Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Peculiarities of African traditional religion
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
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The concept of civilization has been defined through the eyes of modern Western culture. We generalize civilizations as societies with a structured government such as America’s democratic government, or Cuba’s communist government. Often times if a government isn’t similar to Western civilizations, the people are seen as uncultured or barbaric. In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart European missionaries determined to introduce their civilization invade and annex a Nigerian tribe. Upon invading the Ibos these people attempt to govern them, however by discarding the civilization and culture already there they overturn the lives of the people of the tribe. Since the Ibo didn’t have the kind of government these missionaries were exposed to, they …show more content…
In the Christian culture, Palm Sunday is an annual holiday during which new palms are collected and distributed and the old ones are burned to ash to use for another holiday. The Ibo tribe has their annual Feast of the New Yam, which commemorates the new harvest. Both of these holidays are highly anticipated in the community. Palm Sunday is prepared weeks in advance, with flowers ordered, the altar set, and priest’s robes hanging up. Once it arrives it’s a celebration, and the The Feast is something that is highly anticipated in the community, “The New Yam Festival was...an occasion for joy throughout Umuofia” (Achebe, 37). In addition to the feast being a tradition in their community, it celebrates new life and prosperity. “The New Yam Festival...began the season of plenty...yams of the old year were all disposed of by those who still had them. The new year must begin with tasty, fresh yams and not the shriveled and fibrous crop of the previous year” (Achebe, 36). Both the Ibo and the Christians have similar traditions in that they value the new and don’t make haste in disposing of the old. Since the Ibos have a traditional holiday similar to a group we consider to be civilized, they are clearly
Yet, the Aztecs were. considered to be one of the most civilized groups of Indians in the western hemisphere. The hemisphere is a hemisphere. The Anasazi, commonly called cave-dwellers, from birth. used wood and bindings to elongate the head. Even today in Japan Tradition says that women are supposed to walk ten feet behind their husbands.
The first way the Ibo culture of Nigeria is civilized is through the government. The government takes care of issues in a fair way. After both sides were done speaking at the Egwugwu Ceremony, the Evil Forest said, “Our duty is not to blame this man or praise that, but to settle the dispute” (Chapter 10 pg.93) The Evil Spirits main goal was not trying to blame the person who did wrong, but to solve the problem in a fair manner to get it over with. Another example of how the Ibo culture is civilized through government is it is organized with rules. The government leaders made white men go back to their own land so they wouldn’t change the Ibo culture. As it says in the article Political Colonization, “They said the land had changed and that they were dying. And they demand that all white men go back to their own country so that the land might return to the way it was before the british came.” The government made that rule because it would help the Ibo culture stay alive and not transfer over to another culture. The last way the Ibo culture is civilized through government is
One such holiday is he the Week of Peace. THe holiday is described as being performed before the planting season, in order to please the earth goddess, Achebe noted “No work was done during the Week of Peace. People called on their neighbors and drank palm-wine.” (page 31) The holiday, like most modern day holidays, is heavily based on the culture’s religious ties. The government - or council - enforces the festivals with a passion as the celebration is not just any run of the mill event, it is their life. Another example of celebrated traditions is the annual wrestling competitions between Umuofia and it’s neighbors. Intended as a way for young men to demonstrate their strength, wrestling is very important to many Igbo citizens. All the clansmen gather in to witness the sport. The event is glamorous and heart pounding, described as “The drummers took up their sticks and the air shivered and grew tense like a tightened bow. The two teams were ranged facing each other across the clear space. A young man from one team danced across the center to the other side and pointed at whomever he wanted to fight. They danced back to the center together and then closed in.” (page 49) A day of dance, sports, and music that brings the communities closer together. A way for two separate lands to meet and compete for pride. The importance of this event for the Umuofia government cannot be
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 I will give a biographical account of Okonwo, which will serve to help understand that social, political, and economic institutions of the Igbos.
The fact that they never resorted to barbaric practices such as human sacrifice supports the assertion that they were in fact a
By describing such customs, Achebe demonstrates that the Ibo have a unique and structured society with civilized customs that make up every part of Ibo’s lives. The Ibo based almost everything they did on their strong religious beliefs. The Ibo had many gods whom they worshipped and respected deeply. The Ibo’s religion was involved in the way they governed, the way they interacted, the way they decided on war and other issues, and even the way they farmed.
In the beginning of the book, the Ibo shows their traditions and harmless ways. This peaceful tribe has many traditions. One of the main traditions is their type of respect. The first type of respect we see is the use of Kola nuts when visiting someone’s Obi(hut). Okoye comes to see Unoka. Unoka is Okonkwo’s father. Okonkwo is very ashamed of his father because Unoka is always borrowing money, doesn’t have a job and is weak. So Okoye comes to see Unoka one day and brings a Kola nut. “‘I have Kola,’ he announced when he sat down, and passed the disc over to his guest.”(1.6) To show respect, one brings a Kola nut to a person’s hut. This shows peace and hospitality. Another example of respect is communication. “Among the Ibos the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten. Okoye was a great talker and he spoke for a long time, skirting round the subject and then hitting it finally.” (1.14) The last example of their peaceful traditions are the stories they tell on rainy days.“At such times, in each of the countless thatched huts of Umuofia, children sat around their mother’s cooking fire telling stories, or with their father in his obi warming themselves from a log fire, roasting and eating maize. It was a brief resting ...
Nations people. In the Ibo society, men are considered the rulers and leaders of the
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...
Things Fall Apart, Thematic Essay: Humans’ natural instincts are to deny a new aspect and stick to older ones. Nevertheless, old and new aspects are intertwined. Traditions and change are ever present in society, without them society would not prosper. Traditions are the foundations of society. However, just like any other foundation, sooner or later it must be altered or changed, even in the most miniscule way.
For an abundance of authors, the driving force that aids them in creation of a novel is the theme or number of themes implemented throughout the novel. Often times the author doesn’t consciously identify the theme they’re trying to present. Usually a theme is a concept, principle or belief that is significant to an author. Not only does the theme create the backbone of the story, but it also guides the author by controlling the events that happen in a story, what emotions are dispersed, what are the actions of characters, and what emotions are presented within each environment to engage the readers in many
Alternatively, Mr. Smith is only utilised in a way that only notices the extreme uncivilised acts committed by the Ibo people, and escalating rift between them and the missionaries. Bibliography Achebe, C. et al. 1986. All Things Fall Apart. Heinemann Educational Publishers, Inc. Oxford.
The Ibo people had a very different religious lifestyle and culture. They believed in many gods; they were a polytheistic tribe. The Ibo supreme god was Chukwu, and the people believe "he made all the world and the other gods" (Achebe 179). They believed that everything has a spirit and that ancestral spirits called the "egwugwu" kept the law. The Ibo...
The agriculture of the Igbo society was different than other societies of today. Yams were the main nourishment through every meal and they called these yams "the king of crops." Furthermore, people used the yams for every traditional celebration and used kola nuts to offer their "chi" or personal god. These food, as Chinua Achebe had described, sometimes related to or involved with the religion or ancestrial spirits. Sometimes there were certain celebrations for each specific kind of food such as the New Yam Festival. Chinua Achebe used agriculture to express certain characteristics of each festival and celebration of the Igbo society.
& nbsp ; This novel also provides a very detailed, and seemingly accurate, account of the lives of the Ibo. The Ibo were an extremely spiritual people who answered to their gods daily. A hardworking people who base their personal worth on their community and crop achievements. Their yam crops were the backbone of the community and he who possessed the largest crops were usually respected by all in the community.