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Written Assignment "How does Ferdinand Oyono use symbolic devices to illustrate the character development of the main character, Toundi, in Houseboy?" With aspiration towards material and his fascination of the white man's world, during the French colonisation of Cameroon in the 1950's, Toundi Ondoua escapes his home and starts to reject native upbringing to be part of the white man's world. mad'. As Toundi, the protagonist of Ferdinand Oyono's novel Houseboy goes to discover his fascination of…

According to Aristotle, one must have a number of characteristics in order to identify as a tragic hero. These characteristics include having a noble stature, a tragic flaw, undeserved misfortune, a moment of self-discovery, and a similarity to the reader. In the book “The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby contains most of these characteristics and so is portrayed as a Tragic Hero. Gatsby was truly a noble character. What really gave him this title was his determination in life.…

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is about the unfortunate downfall of the protagonist, Okonkwo, and the Igbo culture. Okonkwo is an honored and effective leader within the Igbo community of Umuofia in eastern Nigeria. Things Fall Apart set about instituting the legitimacy of life in tribal Nigeria in the late 19th century, before the arrival of the "civilising" colonialism of Christian missionaries. There are many themes in Things Fall Apart but one theme that is very prominent is…

evident and the consequences of this decision was he was rejected now by his family because his willingness to change. Okonkwo’s cousin told him about Nwoye worshiping with the Christians. Okonkwo was so upset about his decision that he said, “He is no longer my son” (Achebe 172 ). Nwoye sense of identity was influenced by his father Okonkwo because he had such high expectations for Nwoye. Okonkwo expectations for Nwoye were high because he didn’t want him to turn out like Unoka, Okonkwo’s…

Humans are fundamentally savage at some point in their life. It is a natural and subconscious part of human life, as they themselves are animals after all. Humans can be savage towards other humans seen in domestic abuse, or towards animals also seen in animal abuse. Savagery is best depicted in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The main protagonist Okonkwo, is introduced as a man full of glory, who regards masculinity above all, despising his father who was lazy. His life is turned upside…

As a result, Okonkwo unsheathes a sharp blade infused with the built up tension that is no longer sustainable within a mask hidden from sight as his “true identity” has finally forced itself within its victim. “In a flash Okonkwo drew his machete … Okonkwo stood looking within at the dead man. He knew that Umoufia would not go to war. He knew…

During the final parts of book we see how the presence of the new religion,christianity, as well as the influence of the white men is affecting the different villages and tribes. This religion seems to go against all of Okonkwo’s ideals as a man and a warrior. The preachings of the new religion and the people that practice it are pacifistic and gentle whereas Okonkwo’s ideals are rather violent and self destructive. The contrast of the two demonstrates the affront Okonkwo feels towards the rapid…

The Tragic Hero The protagonist of things fall apart, Okonkwo is known as a tragic hero who holds a position of power and prestige choosing his course of action that possesses a tragic flaw, and gains, awareness of environment that lead to his fall. In his thirties, Okonkwo is a leader of the Igbo community of Umuofia. Achebe describe him as “tall and huge” with “bushy eyebrows” and a “wide nose that gives him a very server look”. When he walks, his heels barley touch the ground, like he was…

The Lgbo dependency on the ancestors and gods in their culture has now been questioned. It is their tradition, stories proverbs, from which they govern their lives. Uchendu, a village elder shows his acknowledgment of diversity by saying “The world has no end and what is good among one people is an abomination with others” (p. 141). In the end the decision is made by the elders that they do “not really want them in their clan” (p. 148) but remain well-mannered and offer them a piece of land in…

How does the author use diction to achieve this passage’s tone? This quote has significant meaning because of how Okonkwo’s life was “dominant by the fear of failure and weakness” (13). Dismay is able to solidify the tone of this quote due to his family's fear of Okonkwo and his fear of himself. The word “temper” is able to reveal an abstract side toward Okonkwo as throughout the book, Okonkwo had a whirlpool of emotions and his temper always got the better of him. Overall, this quote sounds…