At Ease

“Fortunately, among these people a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father.” (Achebe 9) This quote is significant to the novel because it tells the reader Okonkwo's motives for all his actions during the course of the story. Okonkwo wanted to be the complete opposite of his father and everything his father represented. He wanted to be judged by his own accomplishments and not the lack of his father's. In Igbo culture, since you are valued by your own…

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…

Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” is a novel with a plot immersed in social and political themes, allusions, and messages. Most notably, the novel can be interpreted as an exposition on British imperialism in Africa. At the time of its original publication, “Heart of Darkness” exposed a Western audience to African communities that, while fictitious, were quite representative. Most Western accounts of Africans in the late 19th century and early 20th century characterized Africans as being…

Malcolm Gladwell told the story of David the poor little shepherd boy who battle with Goliath the giant that everyone fear but it took the courage of a poor shepherd to bring him down. Just like David we all have to over come fear. Fear come in many forms, fear is a part of our lives,fear is a part of who we are.my fear came to me in many forms, fear to fail never wanting to be less than anyone, my fear of not being able to care for my family, these are fears that we all share,the fear that I…

On the surface, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is a classic tale that demonstrates the prominence of traditional gender roles. Within these confines Peter Pan comes across as a fearless leader and father figure to his lost boys. Even though he is objectively brave and presents as a strong male lead, Peter Pan is actually a very vulnerable character who is oblivious to his situation, and constantly sweeps the tough issue of growing up under the rug. Throughout the story, Peter uses various coping…

Cultural collisions between different groups of people that are forced to live together are bound to happen, especially if those two groups have completely different ways of life. Chinua Achebe depicts what cultural collision can do to two different groups of people in his novel Things Fall Apart between the main character Okonkwo and the colonizers that come to his village, Umuofia. Okonkwo, an aggressively over-masculine, hot-tempered, traditional man, comes to face his old traditions and ways…

Ezeulo had a half brother by name Okeke Onenyi who had a grudge against Ezeulu becoming the Chief Priest of Umuaro. Ezeulu did not invite him for the ritual of the Covering-Up sacrifice for Obeka’s wife and allowed a worthless medicine man to perform the ritual. This itself proves that Ezeulu did certain acts of rituals because of social obligation and concern for his clan. It is because in the Ibo community parenthood is not a private concern and that is why he does not allow his half…

Things fall apart written by Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian depicts a story of pre and post-colonial life of the Igbo society in Umuofia. The story begins with vivid descriptions of Okonkwo, the main character of this novel and how he defies odds to claim the status he has in his society. Even with a bad role model father, he copes to succeed in his life through his accomplishments as a fighter for his village, marrying three wives and managing his farm. One day, he was exiled to Mbanta as a…

Often times in life men feel like they need to provide for their family and fulfill the roles of their society. Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Chinua Achebe, which takes place in 1890’s Nigeria. The Ibo civilisation is falling apart and Okonkwo takes the damage. Krik? Krak! is a series of short stories written by Edwidge Danticat that takes place in modern day Haiti. Guy is a family man who is struggling to provide for them but gives up and has a downfall. Although both Okonkwo and Guy…

In this book, they talk about Okonkwo’s father, wives, children, and religion. Okonkwo is violent, wealthy, and a worrier of his village, Umuofia. Okonkwo’s biggest fear is to do not be weak or coward like his father, Unoka who left the village unsalted, so he tries to avoid being like his father by being violent and beating his wife. Okonkwo has a twelve-year-old son that Okonkwo is afraid that he will end up like his father, Unoka. Umuofia wins a fifteen year- old kid, so Okonkwo decides to…