Things Fall Apart Principle

897 Words2 Pages

In David Hoegberg’s “Principle and Practice: The Logic of Cultural Violence in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart” he shows how there is inconsistency in the Igbo culture and the principles that they uphold daily aren’t shown in the what they do day to day. To convey this, Hoegberg gives examples of different situations of the incongruity of principle and practice that happened during the book. Although principles result in traditions, in Things Fall Apart these principles that the people tried to uphold were only shown when convenient.

Principles arising when convenient caused Ikemefuna to come to Umuofia as a sacrifice. The village claims that “fortunately among these people a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth …show more content…

In fact they stated that “if a child washed his hands, he could eat with the kings” (Achebe 12). Ikemefuna, coming from another village, was already looked down on because of his father’s previous crimes. This principle was not in effect with Ikemefuna, it was only relevant when Okonkwo was growing up. At first nervous and scared, Ikemefuna soon assimilates to the Igbo culture and becomes well liked within his family. Okonkwo even saw him as his own son which was special to him, especially because he did not appreciate Nyowe considering his said weakness and feminity. As an outcome of Ikemefuna feeling comfortable in the house he “expresses his affection by calling Okonkwo “father” (Achebe 30). This along with the observation that Ikemefuna was finally adjusting was the final straw when the oracle decided to kill Ikemefuna. The villagers did not want Ikemefuna to adjust but instead wanted him to keep his culture separate. Conformity is a reason why the Igbo people were unaccepting when the Christians came over to their village. Christians had their minds already had their mind already made up about the views therefore they did not want to listen to the Igbo villagers rationales for anything. Ikemefuna even though he was reluctant tried to appreciate the culture which he was reprimanded

Assimilation inThings Fall Apart and Fathers and Children
1183 Words | 3 Pages
Our first novel, Things Fall Apart, is set in the late 1800s in Nigeria and portrays a clash between white Christian colonists and the traditional culture of the local Igbo people. As the novel progresses it becomes a clear example of demanding conformity through cultural adaptation. At the beginning of the novel it is apparent the Igbo people honor and revere acts of strength and violence. Achebe displays this early in the novel through the main character Okonkwo, “He was a man of action, a man of war … On great occasions such as the funeral of a village celebrity he drank palm-wine from his first human head” (12). This displays how, early in this culture, war and violence are not only honored, but celebrated amongst the people.
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Nwoye Identity
668 Words | 2 Pages
‘’Nothing pleased Nwoye now more than to be sent for by his mother or another of his father's wives to do one of those difficult and masculine tasks in the home, like splitting wood, or pounding food. On receiving such a message through a younger brother or sister, Nwoye would feign annoyance and grumble aloud about women and their troubles. Okonkwo was inwardly pleased at his son's development, and he knew it was due to Ikemefuna.’’(38) Nwoye wasn’t like the other ibo boys. He didn’t like to do manly things. He was more interested in how things work, the logic behind everything. Okonkwo didn’t like that. He wanted a son that could eventually take on his lead and provide for his family. That is why he liked Ikemefuna better because he showed all the characteristics he wanted in a
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Ikemefuna
736 Words | 2 Pages
Ikemefuna, is one of two of Okonkwo’s son, and Nwoye’s brother, he does not have a biological relationship with Okonkwo or Nwoye. Ikemefuna was an offering by the people of Mbaino to Umofia for the killing of Ogbuefi Udo’s wife. The elders did not know what to do with Ikemefuna, so they gave him in the meantime to Okonkwo.
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Things Fall Apart
1974 Words | 4 Pages
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.
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Okonkwo A Sympathetic Character
563 Words | 2 Pages
This quote shows that Okonkwo is really sympathetic and how he has a liking ness to some children for different reasons. This also shows how Okonkwo is not a heartless man and actually cares for his children. “He therefore treated Ikemefuna as he treated everybody else - with a heavy hand. But there was no doubt that he liked the boy.” (Achebe Ch 4) This shows that Okonkwo even shows sympathy to those that are not related to him. Ikemefuna came in as a prisoner but later ended up becoming apart of Okonkwo's family.
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Cultural Collisions In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe
747 Words | 2 Pages
“Then everything had been broken.”(Achebe, page 131). Things Fall Apart is a complex story with complex events. The white men were christians while the Igbo people had their own religion. When the white men came, problems arose between the two groups and between the clan itself. This cultural collision impacted many Igbo people but different characters reacted differently. Okonkwo, who recently returned from being exiled, tries to make up for his mistakes but falls into old habits. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe exhibits the ways that when met with a cultural collision narrow-minded individuals may respond with violence and fear through reactions of the protagonist.
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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
741 Words | 2 Pages
... a rat when it was caught by the tail and dashed against the floor”(Achebe, 63). He refused to eat for two days straight and only drank palm wine. This shows that he felt he did something horrific and knew it was wrong, but only because society and culture dictated that he had to kill Ikemefuna. Thus, Okonkwo evokes sympathy within the reader because he is not only a product of society.
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Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
865 Words | 2 Pages
Okonkwo’s desire for respect motivates his quest to preserve the practices of Ibo culture, while Obierika preserves the practices of the Ibo culture with a more humanistic perspective. Achebe uses the differing approaches of Okonkwo and Obierika in maintaining the cultural doctrines of the Ibo people to reveal his sympathy for Obierika over Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s motives for maintaining the customs of the Ibo originate with fear. Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna while “dazed with fear,” drawing “his machete [to] cut him down” because, “he was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61). Though Okonkwo attempts to appear strong to the people of Umuofia, his fearful motivation speaks to a hidden internal weakness. Okonkwo’s focus on eradicating the taint of “his father’s weakness and failure” and his yearning for respect drive him to kill Ikemefuna instead of the more proper motive of simply effectuating what the Ibo conside...
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Sympathetic and Unsympathetic Characters in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
625 Words | 2 Pages
The protagonist, Okonkwo demonstrates his sympathetic character solely to himself, personally, and infrequently not in the eyes of others. During the plotting of Ilemefuna’s death, Okonkwo was hesitant to make the boy aware of his fate and also hesitant to take part in his death. “‘I cannot understand why you refused to come with us to kill that boy,’ he asked Obierika” Okonkwo was aware that the adopted boy from an opposing tribe thought of Okonkwo, not only as an authority figure and high-ranking tribal member/warrior, but also as a father—his father. Until the death of Ikemefuna, Okonkwo continued to show Ikemefuna kindness due to feeling that “his son’s development was due to Ikemefuna.” (Achebe 3...
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Nwoye
653 Words | 2 Pages
Nwoye is the frequent subject of his father’s criticism and remains emotionally unfulfilled. Ikemefuna comes to fill that void and Nwoye, in his adoration of his adoptive brother, begins to mirror him. Ikemefuna helps Nwoye grow and find his masculinity, which, in turn, helps Okonkwo shift to a gratitude toward his once rejected son. “Okonkwo was inwardly pleased at his son’s development, and he knew it was due to Ikemefuna.” , through this quote we are able to distinguish Okonkwo's feelings toward his son that were once belligerent, now exhibiting acceptance.
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Depiction of Masculinity in the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
962 Words | 2 Pages
Okonkwo associates many of his tribal influences with masculinity. Right away in the book, Achebe affiliates strength with manliness. “As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalizine the Cat” (3). He is honored because he had enough strength and agility to overthrow the cat. Okonkwo feels to be successful and manly, one also must show no emotion. He thinks emotion is for the weak and for woman, and he does not want to be either of those. “Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness,-the only thing worth demonstrating was strength” (28). Okonkwo treats Ikemefuna with this idea. He becomes very fond of the child, but never outwardly shows his affection. If he showed his affection he was afraid he would be looked down upon in his tribe. Although his father enjoyed little things like music and dancing, Okonkwo had no desire to share his father’s enjoyment. He desired power and wealth. He wants to construct and maintain a big house for his many wives and even more children. “Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He was still young but he had won fame as the greatest wrestler in the nine villages. He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of ...
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Reoccurring Themes Of Colonization
894 Words | 2 Pages
Okonkwo takes in Ikemefuna when he has nobody else to go to, this builds on both of them as they become closer. Talking about Ikemefuna, “Ikemefuna had begun to feel like a member of Okonkwo’s family. He still thought about his mother and his three-year-old sister, and he had moments of sadness and depression” (Achebe 34). Ikemefuna had nobody to turn to and was kind of stuck, when Okonkwo took him in almost as his own son it strengthened both of them. They both bonded with one another and became more and more like family as Ikemefuna learned customs of Okonkwo and they grew closer together, showing that colonization helps deepen a relationship between people.
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Things Fall Apart Theme Essay
1621 Words | 4 Pages
Before the arrival of the Europeans, Achebe did a excellent job portraying how the life of Igbo was before they were forced to oppose their own culture. To support this theme, Achebe included detailed descriptions of social rituals within each family, the justice system, religious practices and consequences, preparation and indulgence of food, the marriage process and the distributing of power within the men. Achebe shows how every man has an opportunity to prove himself worthy to achieve a title on the highest level, based merely on his own efforts. One may argue that the novel was written with the main focus on the study of Okonkwo’s character and how he deteriorates, but without the theme that define the Igbo culture itself, we would never know the universe qualities of the society that shaped Okonkwo’s life. The lives of the Igbo people was no different to the actual lives of the Ibos people back in the early days of Africa. Just like in Things Fall Apart, in actual African tribes there was never a ruler. “Very interesting thing about these villages is that there is no single ruler or king that controls the population. Decisions are made by including almost everyone in the village” (AfricaGuide). Using the theme, Achebe educated readers on by mirroring real African life in her
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Things Fall Apart Okonkwo Analysis
733 Words | 2 Pages
This is an unwise act on behalf of Okonkwo, and as a result, he suffers emotionally in the next few days. He enters a stage of depression and cannot eat or sleep as all he can think about is what he has done to Ikemefuna. It is at this point that things start to fall apart for Okonkwo.... ... middle of paper ... ...
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Change And Tradition In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
723 Words | 2 Pages
Throughout Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, struggle between change and tradition is one of the most relevant issues. The Igbo villagers, Okonkwo, and his son Nwoye all experience this problem in many different ways. The villagers have their religion defied, Okonkwo reaches his breaking point and Nwoye finally finds what he believes in. People have struggled to identify and cope with change and tradition throughout history, and will continue to struggle with this issue in the
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Things Fall Apart Principle

Assimilation inThings Fall Apart and Fathers and Children

Nwoye Identity

Ikemefuna