Chinua Achebe, In His Novel “Things Fall Apart” Masterfully

Chinua Achebe, in his novel â€Å"Things Fall Apart† masterfully depicts the socials changes and conflicts that occurred due to the infiltration of colonialism in the Nigerian village of Umuofia. The Meriam Webster dictionary defines the term colonialism as â€Å"Control by one power over a dependent area or people† (Meriam Webster). Achebe successfully manages to show the readers of his novel how colonialism occurred within the village of Umuofia, and he does so by revealing downfalls within the beliefs of the Igbo clan that led to members of the Igbo joining the new colonists of Umuofia. The passage I chose to analyze is a conversation between two important characters, Okonkwo and Obierika and their frustrations about colonialism and the†¦show more content†¦Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son is deeply troubled by his father’s participation in the killing of Ikemefuna as the two were close for the time Ikemefuna lived in Umuofia. After the slaying of Ikemefun a, Okonkwo runs into some misfortune that leads to him being banished from his clan for seven years. It is during this time that the colonists arrive in Umuofia and things start to fall apart. I feel passionately about the quote I chose because it draws attention to the unity that the British colonists robbed Okonkwo’s and Obierika’s clan of. â€Å"It is already too late,† Said Obierika sadly. â€Å"Our own men and our sons have joined the ranks of the stranger (Achebe 176). The Igbo society did not dismiss the colonists as they came to the village, but instead just assumed they would come and go. When the missionaries asked the clan leaders for a plot of land to build their church the leaders of the clan had given them a plot of the â€Å"evil forest†. The evil forest was a representation of evil and darkness to the people of Umuofia. People who died of nasty diseases and powerful medicine men were buried in the evil forest. Uchendu the clan leader chos e the land selectively as he and the rest of the villagers believed the evil forest would rid the village of the colonists. â€Å"Everyone was puzzled. And then it became known that the white man’s fetish had unbelievable powers† (Achebe 149). To theShow MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart: The Relationship Between Cultural Relativity and Superiority1352 Words   |  6 PagesBy utilizing an unbiased stance in his novel, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe promotes cultural relativity without forcibly steering his audience to a particular mindset. He presents the flaws of the Ibo tribe the same way he presents the assets—without either condescension or pride; he presents the cruelties of the colonizers the same way he presents their open mindedness—without either resentment or sympathy. Because of this balance, readers are able to view the characters as multifaceted humanRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1015 Words   |  5 PagesIn his novel Things Fall A part, author Chinua Achebe utilizes his distinctive writing style in order to accurately capture the culture and customs of the Igbo people despite writing his story in a foreign language. Five aspects of Achebe’s style that make his writing unique is the straightforward diction present in dialogue, the inclusion of native parables convey Igbo life authentically, the inclusion of native Igbo words and phrases, detailed descriptions of nature and the usage of figurative languageRead MoreThe Destruction Of Igbo Culture : The African Perspective1367 Words   |  6 PagesEuropean culture. This narrow portrayal of African culture motivated Chinua Achebe, a man of the Igbo nation in Nigeria, to write his landmark novel Things Fall Apart (published in 1959), to not only tell the African perspective of their colonization, but also as a way of showing that his culture was not simple and straightforward to understand; it was intricate and dynamic. Forty-nine years after the publicatio n of Things Fall Apart, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie published her short story â€Å"The HeadstrongRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1005 Words   |  5 PagesApril 28, 2015 Unlike Father, Unlike Son There are many father and son relationships depicted in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart set in the post-colonial era of 1958. Unoka is the father of the protagonist of the novel, Okonkwa. Secondly, Okonkwa is the father of a young boy named Nwoye. Throughout his novel, Achebe has masterfully portrayed how father and son relationships lead to things falling apart because a father’s behavior has a profound impact on their son s upbringing and their behavior

Lord of the Flies, Coral Island and the Role of Adults -...

It is known that to fully appreciate the novel â€Å"Lord of the Flies† (1954) by William Golding (1911-1993) it is necessary to have read Robert Michael Ballantyne’s (1825-1894) â€Å"Coral Island† (1858), or at least to understand its theme and treatment. And so, since it was Golding’s intention to set himself to write an island story that deliberately challenged Ballantyne’s model in â€Å"Coral Island† -by inverting its assumptions and values- we can explore multiple angles from which the two novels can be compared and studied. An item which seems quite interesting when analysing both texts is that one related to civilization and its adult exponents. After a thorough reading and focusing on very clear and specific elements we happen to notice the†¦show more content†¦Or, How can an ambassador of an atomic war stand for the parental protection or even a mature model to be followed? The naval officer’s ignorance, his lack of understanding of what has been going on, is ironical.4 Furthermore, what Golding is trying to make clear at this instance is the decadent figure of the human adult, and by extension, of the whole human civilized world. Let us now turn to R.M. Ballantyne’s â€Å"Coral Island†. Here, the concern about civilization, seems to be very well defined as well as good and evil are so clearly separated that there cannot be any conflict between them.5 In spite of this, when we come to a closer look we find a special complexity within a number of characters. Everything about Ballantyne’s boys, who are older by some years than Golding’s boys, is confident and positive. The novel as a whole, pictures the assumptions and values of the Victorian period in affirming progress, imperialism, self-reliance, the Creator, the goodness of nature and of human nature- when Christianised at least 6 Actually, this is quite an interesting item to focus on. On the one hand there are the dark-skinned people referred to as â€Å"the savages†, who are in fact the native inhabitants from the neighbouring islands. They are a kind of primitive adults, constantly characterised as cruel, uncivilised inferior beings. Their rituals, their form of life, the whole of their culture is described as barbarian and demoniac and Ralph, our young narrator, isShow MoreRelatedLord Of The Flies Reflection Essay1793 Words   |  8 PagesLord of the Flies deals with plenty of ideas and lessons which amaze us. This state the human conditions, end of civilization, darkness of human mind, violence, destruction of human civilization and end of positive values among children. Through the British boys William Golding discussed the failed human culture created by man. They depended on bad rules and barbarism which lead them towards destruction. It signifies that in childhood any bad experience can directly change the mind and action ofRead More Comparing Nature of Man in Island of Dr. Moreau and Lord of the Flies4645 Words   |  19 PagesNature of Man Exposed in Island of Dr. Moreau and Lord of the Flies  Ã‚        Ã‚   Throughout the natural history of mankind, the human race has always held a notion of its predominance over all other creations of nature. Man has long believed that he is somehow morally superior to all other creatures, motivated by a higher source than basic instincts. Yet, the history of man is marked by an interminable string of events that would seem to contradict that theory: war, genocide, segregation, suppressionRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pageslife of the author. For this reason, I wish to express my appreciation and gratitude to all who have contributed to my intellectual growth and the undertaking of this project. First, I acknowledge those teachers who, over the years, have been my role models, mentors, and inspiration: Dulcie Roach from Hopewell Primary School, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica; Elaine Bortner and Philip Hirai from Jamaica Wesleyan Bible College, Savanna-la-mar, Jamaica; and Roger Ringerberg, Jamaica Theological SeminaryRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesPHILADELPHIA Temple University Press 1601 North Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright  © 2010 by Temple University All rights reserved Published 2010 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Essays on twentieth century history / edited by Michael Peter Adas for the American Historical Association. p. cm.—(Critical perspectives on the past) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-4399-0269-1 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4399-0270-7Read MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 Pagestechnological innovations in two other industries. More than any other manufacturing industry, aircraft construction benefited from advances in material applications and electronics. The development of metallic and nonmetallic composite materials played a key role in improving airframe and engine performance. On the one hand, composite materials that combined light weight and great strength were utilized by aircraft manufacturers; on the other, heat-resisting alloys that could tolerate temperatures of up toRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesArt: Getty Images, Inc. Cover Design: Suzanne Duda Lead Media Project Manager: Denise Vaughn Full-Service Project Management: Sharon Anderson/BookMasters, Inc. Composition: Integra Software Services Printer/Binder: Edwards Brothers Cover Printer: Coral Graphics Text Font: 1 0/12 Weidemann-Book Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on appropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2011, 2007, 2005, 2002, 1998 Pearson Education

Causes of Prejudice free essay sample

Prejudice is an opinion that is not based on actual evidence or experience. In â€Å"Causes of Prejudice,† Vincent Parillo describes the psychological and sociological reasons of prejudice. Among these causes, frustration is defined to produce a prejudicial attitude towards others. Parillo explains in his work that throughout history, minority groups have been used as scapegoats to take the blame for certain events. He clarifies that scapegoating is the act of blaming others for an incident that is not their fault. This idea is also visible in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, in the part where a lawyer named Atticus tries to prove an African American innocent who has been falsely charged with raping a white woman. Therefore, both Parillo’s â€Å"Causes of Prejudice† and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird support that frustration is a cause of prejudice because of an increase in aggression towards a scapegoat. We will write a custom essay sample on Causes of Prejudice or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page To begin with, frustration is caused by relative deprivation, which is the lack of resources in an individual’s environment when compared to others. This results in aggression towards a scapegoat in order to relieve this tension. â€Å"Frustrated people may easily strike out against the perceived cause of their frustration. However, this reaction may not be possible because the true source of the frustration is often too nebulous to be identified or too powerful to act against† (Parillo 583). His view is also seen in To Kill a Mockingbird, when Mayella Ewell claims Tom Robinson has raped her. Atticus tries to prove to the jury that Tom Robinson in fact did not rape Mayella and that she, a white woman, kissed Tom, a black man. Mayella is an Ewell; a very poor family in the town of Maycomb and therefore she has to live through tough conditions which include living behind the garbage dump, barely having any money to support her dad and seven siblings, as well as being beaten by her own father. Most importantly, she is frustrated that she always feels dissatisfied with her life since she was never able to experience any happiness by being isolated from the rest of the world. Therefore, she tries to at least kiss a black man to feel some sense of happiness. When she realizes it is condemned by society, her frustration increases partly because society is not allowing her to have a small amount of happiness, and so she shows her aggression by blaming Tom Robinson for raping her. In addition, aggression resulted from frustration is pinpointed towards scapegoats because they share similar characteristics of being vulnerable to blame. â€Å"The group must be (1) highly visible in physical appearance or observable customs and ac ¬tions; (2) not strong enough to strike back; (3) situated within easy access of the dominant group . . .† (Parillo 584). To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in southern Alabama in the 1930’s. This was the time period where prejudice against African Americans was present. Segregation was present because having white skin was seen to be better than having black skin. This simple difference in skin color resulted in an unfair treatment of African Americans. Separate bathrooms, drinking fountains, churches, and schools resulted for African Americans and whites. Also, since whites felt that the blacks were inferior to them, they tended to assume all blacks were unintelligent. When Mayella copes with her frustration of being isolated from the rest of the world by blaming Tom Robinson, the court looks at his skin color instead of the evidence given for this case. Even though Atticus provides plenty of evidence that proves that it was impossible for Tom to commit the rape of Mayella, Tom is still found guilty because even if Mayella is part of the lower class of Maycomb, she is still a white woman, making her superior to Tom Robinson. It is evident that frustration plays an important role in determining prejudicial attitudes. Both the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and â€Å"Causes of Prejudice† by Vincent Parillo, agree that frustration is caused by relative deprivation and when aggression forms, the blame is placed on scapegoats. These scapegoats share similar characteristics which allow them to be vulnerable to the blame that falls upon them.

The Great Depression Essays - U.S. Route 66, Dust Bowl, Great Plains

The Great Depression Though most Americans are aware of the Great Depression of 1929, which may well be "the most serious problem facing our free enterprise economic system", few know of the many Americans who lost their homes, life savings and jobs. This paper briefly states the causes of the depression and summarizes the vast problems Americans faced during the eleven years of its span. This paper primarily focuses on what life was like for farmers during the time of the Depression, as portrayed in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, and tells what the government did to end the Depression. In the 1920's, after World War 1, danger signals were apparent that a great Depression was coming. A major cause of the Depression was that the pay of workers did not increase at all. Because of this, they couldn't afford manufactured goods. While the factories were still manufacturing goods, Americans weren't able to afford them and the factories made no money (Drewry and O'connor 559). Another major cause related to farmers. Farmers weren't doing to well because they were producing more crops and farm products than could be sold at high prices. Therefore, they made a very small profit. This insufficient profit wouldn't allow the farmers to purchase new machinery and because of this they couldn't produce goods quick enough (Drewry and O'connor 559). A new plan was created called the installment plan. This plan was established because many Americans didn't have enough money to buy goods and services that were needed or wanted. The installment plan stated that people could buy products on credit and make monthly payments. The one major problem with this idea was that people soon found out that they couldn't afford to make the monthly payment(Drewry and O'connor 559). In 1929 the stock market crashed. Many Americans purchased stocks because they were certain of the economy. People started selling their stocks at a fast pace; over sixteen million stocks were sold! Numerous stock prices dropped to fraction of their value. Banks lost money from the stock market and from Americans who couldn't pay back loans. Many factories lost money and went out of business because of this great tragedy (Drewry and O'connor By the 1930's, thirteen million workers lost their jobs which is 25 percent of all workers. The blacks and unskilled workers were always the first to be fired. Farmers had no money and weren't capable of paying their mortgages. Americans traveled throughout the country looking for a place to work to support themselves and their family (Drewry and O'connor 560-561). John Steinbeck, born in 1902, grew up during the Depression near the fertile Salinas Valley and wrote many books of fiction based on his background and experiences during that time and area of the country. One of his great works would be the Grapes of Wrath In this book, Steinbeck describes the farmers plight during the Great Depression and drought. When the rains failed to come, the grass began to disappear. As the farmers watched their plants turn brown and the dirt slowly turn to dust they began to fear what was to come. In the water-cut gullies the earth dusted down in dry little streams. As the sharp sun struck day after day, the leaves of the young corn became less stiff and erect; then it was June and the sun shone more fiercely. The brown lines on the corn leaves widened and moved in on the central ribs. The weeds frayed and edged back toward their roots. The air was thin and the sky more pale; and every day the earth paled. (qtd. Steinbeck 2-3). The farmers worst fears were realized when their corn and other crops began to die. The dust became so bad they had to cover their mouths with handkerchiefs so they could breath (Steinbeck 3- When the drought hit the Great Plains and the soil turned to dust, many farmers moved to California because they could no longer farm their land(Drewry and O'Connor 561). The drought began to affect other parts of the country. In 1930, Virginia's belt of fertile land dried up. Ponds, streams, and springs all dried up and the great Mississippi River water level