Theme Of Colonization And Westernization In Things Fall Apart

Most people, if given a choice to do something, are more likely to do that task opposed to if they were originally forced to complete the task. This way of thought is abundant in stories of colonization and westernization. Some of these stories are Things Fall Apart, Dakota 38, and Rabbit Proof Fence. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, a man named Okonkwo’s life as a member in the Ibo tribe in Nigeria is described. Second, In Dakota 38, a tribe’s annual journey is followed and along the way the explain the history of the Dakota tribe. Lastly, In Rabbit Proof Fence, 3 young Native Australian children are taken from their tribe and eventually escape from where they are being held only to attempt to walk all the way back to their home. Whereas …show more content…
When the Americans started to explore west, they encountered many natives, they decided to mostly take over these tribes. After they conquered them, they outlawed many of their spiritual practices. They were not allowed to practice their religion until the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978 was put into effect (Dakota 38). By not allowing the Indian’s to practice their religion, they are effectively forcing them to stop practicing it and change into others. By changing they are losing their culture. Many Dakota people have revolted by continuing to practice their religion in secrecy. In Rabbit Proof Fence, the children were taken from their parents and tribe at a young age. They take these children to “school” and attempt to change them. They punish them for using their native language to speak to each other. Also, the people that took them away forced them to practice Christianity and nothing else. By forcing them to rapidly change, these children are more inclined to try to escape or revolt like when the children in the movie escape from the camp and try to go home. By not giving the Dakota or the Native Australians a choice, they are angering them and are making it more difficult for them to completely westernize a …show more content…
This can seen in many other times in history. It can be seen when a country takes over another one by diplomacy. By using diplomacy, they are preventing a war between the colonized and the colonizers. If they did not use diplomacy and instead used force to take over the country, many people would fight back and it would also make people feel like they need to protect themselves. People are not thinking about what is going to happen to their lives when diplomatic relations are set and because of this they have their culture taken and by the time they realize it, it is too late. With the increasing globalization of the world, people need to keep tight to them what makes them