Chinua Achebe Essay

Chinua Achebe 's "Things Fall Apart", focuses on a man 's challenges, while living in Nigeria during precolonial times. Okonkwo lives in Umuofia, a farming community. The community bears strict rules and carries on generations old The society imposes great gender roles on the villagers. The men were valued by how much land he owns and how many wives he 's married. The people abide by beliefs and laws, which affects their everyday choices. The actions that one take will either cause a positive or…

ancestors bequeathed the living their unique and uncanny traditions. Mr. Brown states, “You are afraid of Chukwu. In my religion Chukwu is a loving Father and need not be feared by those…”, which amplifies the contrasting viewpoints of these religions (Achebe 168). There are plenty of religions and they are all different. All religions do not have to be the same because that would be uncanny. Likewise you can not coerce someone into believing in one specific religion. Mr. Brown and Akunna were…

Chinua Achebe wrote an article titled “An Image of Africa,” in which he argues that Conrad was intentionally and unnecessarily racist in his work. This is a hard and extreme claim to make, but extensive study of this time period will confirm that he is absolutely…

though he constantly makes wrong decisions. His choices are led by the fear of being thought of as similar to his father and the fear of being known as weak. Okonkwo’s biggest fear was ending up like his father, Unoka. Unoka was described by Chinua Achebe as a “failure”. “He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat” (5). Okonkwo wanted to care for his family and make sure that they end up with everything they could need so that…

people and missionaries began to live side by side, it was not long before dissension arose. The English missionaries came off as short-sighted—and to the practicers of Odinani, Christian beliefs were flat out false and difficult to contend with. Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart, illustrates the hostile atmosphere between Christian Igbo and non-Christian Igbo through dialogue that displays the reactions of the non-converts towards those that joined the Church. One example being in an…

“Sacrifices have to be made” Acts Of Sacrifice By: Lars Jorgensen In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe our main character Okonkwo is constantly facing sacrifices that must be made to improve the lives of his people and himself. Taking a man's life in order to not look weak is not the true meaning of sacrifice, its giving apart of you to the world around you for a benefit for you or your peers. Everyone has responsibilities…

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.…

The actions of the protagonist in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, has sparked many debates on whether he is a hero or a coward. Okonkwo has several conflicting personality traits which contribute to the confusion in distinguishing hero from coward. Okonkwo is highly regarded in his home village of Umofia, however he makes many mistakes which hurt his reputation and contribute to his downfall. While Okonkwo has strengths which make him a respected member of his community, he also…

Have you ever met someone who’s the complete opposite of you? In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo and Unoka are completely different in strength and success with Okonkwo being strong and successful and Unoka being weak and a loafer. Though they may be very different they both share a common similarity, belief in cultural tradition. The differences and the similarity between them is what makes them unique characters. First of all, the characters Okonkwo and Unoka are…

Customs play a major part in all our lives. We as a society all are brought up on certain customs in our households and even within our generations. In the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe customs are yet again essential in their everyday lives. The novel takes place in the Umuofia and Mbanta villages of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, around the 1900's. Okonkwo, a well-respected warrior of the Umuofia clan, has a rising conflict within the novel between the traditional society of…