Colonialism In Rabbit Proof Fence And Things Fall Apart

Colonization was a huge part of our history and it has impacted many people, some of who choose to tell their story to better inform the rest of the world. Three literary works especially focus on colonization. The first of these is Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, which follows Okonkwo, who is a well respected Igbo man, as he and his clan deal with the impacts colonization has on them in Nigeria. Similar to this is Rabbit Proof Fence, which also follows people impacted by colonization. Although, this time, it is about three girls; Molly, Daisy, and Gracie, who are aboriginals in Australia. They live in Jigalong with their family until they are sent away to a camp, which they later run away from. The third one is a “Foreword” from Mni Sota Makoce, by Glenn Wasicuna, which includes thoughts on how colonization …show more content…
This can be seen in the repetition of the line “and we listened” (Wasicuna). The Dakota people were told to change many different aspects of their culture and they went along with it willingly. They had to change everything about themselves including their language. This may seem similar to the occurrences in Rabbit Proof Fence and Things Fall Apart, but they are actually quite different. The Dakota people accepted their colonizer’s culture willingly and without resistance. They did so due to the peaceful nature of their original culture. The Dakota had always been known to live in harmony with nature, so it would make sense that this same peacefulness is reflected in how they treated their colonizers. The Dakota “listened politely to these things” (Wasicuna) in an effort to maintain the basis of their own culture. Although, by doing so it eventually caused their culture to lessen and become a lot more like their colonizer’s culture. So, when they accepted the colonizers and their ideas willingly, it caused a demise in their own Dakota