At Ease

is “widely considered to be the father of modern African literature” (Achebe, 1959) he has multiple literatures describing the societal features in Africa, and is best known for his trilogy including Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God, and No Longer at Ease. Although Achebe adequately depicts the traditionally African society to the western world in these novels, he may not have depicted the entirety of the society accurately. Focusing on Things Fall Apart, this short review will focus on Achebe’s…

Hernán Cortés, a Spanish Conquistador, landed his name in history as the first explorer to encounter, what is now known as, the Aztec Empire. Cortés was born in 1485 in the town of Medellin, Spain. Growing up, he had little wealth, but had honor, which was said to be a rare trait during that time. Those around him respected his family for goodness and piety. The Cortés family took pride in being honorable in everything that they set out to do. However, as Cortés grew with age, “he was a source…

The book “Things Fall Apart” tells a story of a man, Okonkwo who was very well respected in his clan called the Umuofia clan from an Ibo village in Nigeria. Okonkwo comes from a father called Unoka who was a laughing stock throughout the entire village, and died leaving many debts unpaid. Becoming his father is something that Okonkwo never wants for himself or his twelve year old son. Okonkwo falls from a place of high respect in his village and this book follows his story. It also tells of how…

In “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is dominated by his fear of weakness and failure. In the tribe where Okonkwo and his family live, Umuofia, the amount of honor and respect depends on your strength. Since early childhood, Okonkwo’s embarrassment about his lazy, poor and neglectful father, Unoka, has led to his tragic flaw; being terrified of looking weak like his father. As a result, he behaves rashly, bringing a great deal of trouble and sorrow upon himself and his family.…

Chinua Achebe writes a fascinating novel, Things Fall Apart, in which he explores the struggle of a man, Okonkwo, and his conflict between the pride of his culture and the pride of his manhood. The novel was somewhat similar to what I had expected. From the obvious title, some type of community was going to fall apart but other than that, the other aspects of the novel such as Ikemefuma death, Okonkwo’s exile, and the white man’s church were completely unpredictable. One of the main things that…

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe follows the story of Okonkwo and the Ibo tribe in Nigeria as it experiences the beginning of European colonization and the spread of western influence. Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart in response to the savage and animalistic manner in which the Nigerian people are portrayed in western literature. Achebe counters the savage portrayal of Nigerian tribes in literature and reveals the complexity and beauty of the Ibo tribe through their customs and innerworkings.…

Uniform- The uniform his father wears for his job is a symbol of his father’s dignity, as well as Gregor’s changing feelings of pity and respect for him. Throughout the story, his father is shown primarily from Gregor’s point of view. We gain from him a picture of his father as a lazy and miserable man whom Gregor feels sorry for but not necessarily respects. But when Gregor runs out of his and sees his father for the first time in weeks, Gregor’s opinion of the father changes. This shift is…

Okonkwo, the protagonist, was a very successful man. The Coat of Arms I made symbolizes his life in summary; the colors, symbols, and objects all stand for his goals, personality, and lifestyle. To begin, the red in the background symbolizes Okonkwo’s desire to serve the clan of Umuofia. When the majority of his clan converted to the new religion, he decided it was time to stand up for his clan. Okonkwo didn’t give in to the new religion that Mr. Brown brought and he believed that the new…

A Tragic Hero, as defined by Aristotle, is a character with a flaw that will eventually lead to his or her destruction. In Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” the main character Okonkwo deals with white Christian men coming into his community and changing everything he knows about life, just when he thinks things are coming back to normal, things fall apart. Throughout the book Okonkwo is considered a Tragic hero because of his importance in the community and also his because of his errors in…

Characterization; The main character in the book, except the boy is the father of course. He does at all costs to protect the boy, even killing another human being, since he believes that he is chosen by God to protect the boy. He is deeply suspicious and paranoid by other individuals and their intentions, unlike his son. He grows sicker, his sickness is shown thru his persistent cough, and his bloody spit. He dies at the end of the novel, next to a stream in a clearing in the woods.…