Dead Men's Path By Michael Obi

“Dead Men’s Path “
In today's generation, it's common for individuals to take in rich culture and traditions. Most of the time, individuals do not have the proper knowledge and consider major aspects, like historical events, as "the past". In Michael Obi's case, he does not take in consideration the value, traditions or beliefs when it comes to the historical pathway on the school campus. The short story is about a young man named Michael Obi who is viewed as a modern and determined individual. He becomes headmaster of a missionary school, Ndume Central, which is known for being an unprogressive school. One evening, Obi sees an old woman hobbling straight across the dead men's path, through a marigold flower-bed and hedges. Afterwards, he speaks with a teacher and learns that the path is very important to the villagers. He's told that the path is a barrier between life and …show more content…
He immediately demanded that the footpath be closed off by blocking the path with heavy logs. A priest was sent by the community of angry villagers to try reasoning with Obi. The priest tries to explain that the path was more than just a path. The whole village depends on the path it's their whole life. Obi ignores the priest’s words and choses to do things the modern way. After days have past, a village woman passes away during childbirth. All the villagers took this news terribly and blamed Obi. The villagers realize that if they wanted to live in peace they would have to unblock the path or else they would all suffer from a great misfortune. The villagers were outraged and tore down the school. When the supervisors arrive, he gives Obi a nasty review causing him to get fired. In the story, "Dead Men's Path" Chinua Achebe uses the truth behind change of historical area as a great debate and individuals do not understand the true meaning behind them. Their ignorance of traditional beliefs, concerns with the higher up and disrespect to old traditions makes it simple for