The short story “Dead Men’s Path” was written by Chinua Achebe. In writing that is usually relaxed and stated, Chinua Achebe combines gullibility with a more evidence based attitude by using allusions and implying instead of just giving the read an explanation of what his message was in his writing. The use of irony and paradox to portray the conflict that comes from traditional views versus more modern outlooks. This story shows the difference between thinking styles. More modern versus traditional thinking styles is what makes up the message of the story. But what Achebe does is he shows that if the two thinking styles could work together, they could be better off.
The brief appearance of the old priest and his style represents the power …show more content…
They question the normal actions of what the traditional thinkers do. Obi offered the more logical issue but that was dismissed because the priest thought he knew better. Obi even ask the other teachers at the school why the path goes through the school and even the teachers that have been there longer don’t know why the path goes through the school. “It amazes me,” said Obi to one of his teachers who had been three years in the school, “that you people allowed the villagers to make use of this footpath. It is simply incredible.” He shook his head.” (Achebe, 12) This shows that the school is full of modern thinkers that have been putdown by the villagers until Obi came along to start the …show more content…
The traditional view that is patience and full of wisdom that comes with age are pitted against the more modern thinking view with restless energy and arrogance of youth. With Obi’s enlighten thinking and deliberate constant mocking, he seeks to change the culture that the priests embodies. “…is to eradicate just such beliefs as that” (Achebe,12). Obi does not just want to get rid of path he wants to change the traditional thinking ways of the village. While the barbed wire fence was not enough of an insult, Obi’s attitude pushes him to cross lines that made people in the town uncomfortable and when he offers the idea to the priest of constructing a path that will move the path, it was almost like Obi was taking on the village’s ancestors
The brief appearance of the old priest and his style represents the power …show more content…
They question the normal actions of what the traditional thinkers do. Obi offered the more logical issue but that was dismissed because the priest thought he knew better. Obi even ask the other teachers at the school why the path goes through the school and even the teachers that have been there longer don’t know why the path goes through the school. “It amazes me,” said Obi to one of his teachers who had been three years in the school, “that you people allowed the villagers to make use of this footpath. It is simply incredible.” He shook his head.” (Achebe, 12) This shows that the school is full of modern thinkers that have been putdown by the villagers until Obi came along to start the …show more content…
The traditional view that is patience and full of wisdom that comes with age are pitted against the more modern thinking view with restless energy and arrogance of youth. With Obi’s enlighten thinking and deliberate constant mocking, he seeks to change the culture that the priests embodies. “…is to eradicate just such beliefs as that” (Achebe,12). Obi does not just want to get rid of path he wants to change the traditional thinking ways of the village. While the barbed wire fence was not enough of an insult, Obi’s attitude pushes him to cross lines that made people in the town uncomfortable and when he offers the idea to the priest of constructing a path that will move the path, it was almost like Obi was taking on the village’s ancestors