Igbo Customs In Things Fall Apart
‘All their customs are upside down. They do not decide bride-price as we do, with sticks. They haggle and bargain as if they were buying a goat or a cow in the market.’
‘That is very bad,’ said Obierika’s eldest brother. ‘But what is good in one place is bad in another place. In Umunso they do not bargain at all, not even with broomsticks. The suitor just goes on bringing bags of cowries until his in-laws tell him to stop. It is a bad custom because it always leads to a quarrel.’
’The world is large,’ said Okonkwo. ‘I have even heard that in some tribes a man’s children belong to his wife and her family.’ ’That cannot be,’ said Machi. ‘You might as well say that the woman lies of top of the man while they are making the children.’
’It …show more content…
This discussion presents a non-homogenised view of the Igbo tribes and whilst the voices in the passage consider their customs to be ludicrous, they also acknowledge and understand the differences between them. The dialogue concerning whiteness similarly presents cultural and racial differences as comical, yet somewhat mirrors and contrasts with discussions of race from the opposing colonial settlers found in both this novel and other works. This essay will look at the voices in Things Fall Apart of both the Igbo tribes and the colonial settlers, and how these voices intersect with extrinsic discussions of culture, colonialism and …show more content…
Ignorance might be a more likely reason; but here again I believe that something more wilful than a mere lack of information was at work. For did not that erudite British historian and Regius Professor at Oxford, Hugh Trevor-Roper, also pronounce that African history did not exist? (p.1613).
Again what is seen here elucidates the later effects of the erasure of African history and culture, with Achebe also noting that many younger POC were not aware of African cultural and historical heritage. Things Fall Apart presents this cultural erasure and ignorance not only as a result of European imperialism and colonisation, but also as a lack of unification seen in the Igbo tribes, particularly with the children of Umuofia. Okonkwo is shown to be disappointed in his children because of their perceived laziness and disinterest in the customs of the clan – Inwardly Okonkwo knew that the boys were still too young to understand fully the difficult art of preparing seed-yams. But he thought that one could not begin too early. Yam stood for manliness […] He would stamp out the disquieting signs of laziness which he thought he already saw’
‘That is very bad,’ said Obierika’s eldest brother. ‘But what is good in one place is bad in another place. In Umunso they do not bargain at all, not even with broomsticks. The suitor just goes on bringing bags of cowries until his in-laws tell him to stop. It is a bad custom because it always leads to a quarrel.’
’The world is large,’ said Okonkwo. ‘I have even heard that in some tribes a man’s children belong to his wife and her family.’ ’That cannot be,’ said Machi. ‘You might as well say that the woman lies of top of the man while they are making the children.’
’It …show more content…
This discussion presents a non-homogenised view of the Igbo tribes and whilst the voices in the passage consider their customs to be ludicrous, they also acknowledge and understand the differences between them. The dialogue concerning whiteness similarly presents cultural and racial differences as comical, yet somewhat mirrors and contrasts with discussions of race from the opposing colonial settlers found in both this novel and other works. This essay will look at the voices in Things Fall Apart of both the Igbo tribes and the colonial settlers, and how these voices intersect with extrinsic discussions of culture, colonialism and …show more content…
Ignorance might be a more likely reason; but here again I believe that something more wilful than a mere lack of information was at work. For did not that erudite British historian and Regius Professor at Oxford, Hugh Trevor-Roper, also pronounce that African history did not exist? (p.1613).
Again what is seen here elucidates the later effects of the erasure of African history and culture, with Achebe also noting that many younger POC were not aware of African cultural and historical heritage. Things Fall Apart presents this cultural erasure and ignorance not only as a result of European imperialism and colonisation, but also as a lack of unification seen in the Igbo tribes, particularly with the children of Umuofia. Okonkwo is shown to be disappointed in his children because of their perceived laziness and disinterest in the customs of the clan – Inwardly Okonkwo knew that the boys were still too young to understand fully the difficult art of preparing seed-yams. But he thought that one could not begin too early. Yam stood for manliness […] He would stamp out the disquieting signs of laziness which he thought he already saw’