Everything Falls Apart

In the tragic play Death and the King’s Horseman by the Nigerian author Wole Soyinka in 1975, the author provides more insight into the periods of history by making clear allusions to the era of colonialism in Africa, and to World War 2. He is able to provide insights about the periods of history through his retelling of past events from the perspective of Africans. Given that Soyinka wrote the tragic play in 1975, he has been able to learn from others about the past and also lived through some…

The "Heart of Darkness" focuses on a critique of colonialism in Africa shown through the eyes and the storytelling of a colonist himself. Throughout the use of this narration by the main character Marlow, a story develops that combines the events of his trip to the Congo along with a deep inner thinking of right and wrong in the world. Imagery and symbolism function as the main ideas that push the understanding of "Heart of Darkness" and Conrad's overall theme throughout the story that man is…

There are a various ways to consider the meaning of the title (Heart of Darkness) on its own or as it relates to the story. The title implies that Africa is the Heart of Darkness, where white people (Marlow and Kurtz) go there to save Africans. Black natives are depicted living in darkness, needing to be brought into the light of civilization and white people seemingly have this enlightening knowledge. In the time of colonialism, Africa was frequently referred to as the "Dark Continent.” The…

Portrayal of “Civilization” in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. To be civilized, according to the dictionary is to be, “educated in the usages of organized society”, but in Heart of Darkness Conrad compares an image of Africa with the view of Europeans in order to establish their superiority as a “civilized” nation. Conrad’s way of representing Africa and portraying natives as niggers and common savages shows how indigenous Africans are considered “uncivilized” through the use of harsh words…

In the play Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry the effects of colonialism is a theme that is irrevocably present throughout the plot. The play is set in a fictional country in Africa and it depicts in detail the results of European presence. Although the setting and characters were fictional the story line followed and contained various realistic situations and issues that existed and continues to exist in colonized countries. Some major issues that are presented in the play that transcends…

The novel Things Fall Apart, the author Chinua Achebe illustrates and portrays the idea of the Igbo society in Africa. The setting takes place in an African village of Umuofia, when the main protagonist, Okonkwo is the a well known Igbo man also a tragic hero. He wrestles Amalinze the Cat, and overall defeats him which leads him to be a successful man. He also is married to three wives which shows him that he is a great man in the village. However, he is also portrayed as a tragic hero, by…

In the story, Things Fall apart by Chinua Achebe, the protagonist, Okonkwo is a man that is loaded with pride. He is centrally regarded as a masculine, strict, and violent man. This allowed Achebe to exhibit Okonkwo’s determination and behavior throughout the novel. The reason for being is because having an exaggerated amount of self-esteem usually lead to insignificant decisions by selfish individuals that cause them to lose consciousness of the consequences their Chi (Gods) bring. Therefore,…

Within the story “Carnal Knowledge” by T. Coraghessan Boyle, ideological values create an inner conflict between Jim and himself. He has to figure out what is more important to him: giving up the values in which he has grown up with his entire life or Alena Jorgensen. While he may not notice it as dramatically as the readers do, he is giving up his entire self just so that he can be exactly what Alena wants him to be. Jim is giving up his identity for the one she created for him. While Alena’s…

William Butler Yeats provides the inspiration for the title of one of the most celebrated African novels, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, in the lines “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; /Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world”(2-4). Miscommunication and cultural ignorance have often been the basis of violence and conflict. This is certainly the case in Things Fall Apart, which explores the impact of European colonization of the Ibo people in modern day Nigeria. The novel revolves…

In many global cultures tribes still use ceremonies for boys to be promoted to men. Now the exact thing the boys must do varies between each tribe or culture. Sometimes it's tribe elders cutting the boys all over to leave scars, performing a circumcision, or even being as simple as walking across some hot coals while carrying someone. No matter what the boys have to do, these ceremonies are still a big deal and help set the boys up for success later. In the story The Beauty Treatment in a way…