Response To Things Fall Apart
Sunny Merchant
11/24/14
Things Fall Apart Response
Watkins
To write this essay well, we must first understand what imperialism is and what mentality the Europeans had about Africa at the time. Imperialism is when a country wants to extend its power and influence. In the case of this book, European imperialism drove them to engage in what is commonly referred to as “the scramble for Africa”. In the minds of the Europeans, the Africans were nothing more than savages. Many times, the Europeans equated the Africans to cattle or horses, as wild animals to be kept in a pen. Because of this dehumanization mentality towards Africans, the Europeans were able to so easily and with such a lack of guilt, divide and conquer Africa. At the time this was happening, Achebe decided that something should be done about this, and thus wrote Things fall apart in order to influence change in the world. In this response to the book, we will see how this was accomplished. …show more content…
In the beginning of the book we are introduced to the complex laws and customs of Okonkwo’s clan and its commitment to harmonious relations.
For example, the practice of sharing palm-wine and kola nuts is repeated throughout the book to emphasize the peacefulness of the Igbo. When Unoka’s neighbor visits him to collect a debt, the neighbor doesn’t bring up the debt immedately. Instead, he and Unoka share a kola nut and pray to the ancestral spirits and then they converse about community affairs at great length. These customs emphasize the common interests and culture, diffusing possible tension. The neighbor further eases the situation by introducing the subject of debt through a series of Igbo proverbs, thus making use of a shared oral tradition, as Okonkwo does when he asks Nwakibie for some seed yams. Through his emphasis on the harmony and complexity of the Igbo, Achebe contradicts the stereotype set by the Europeans that Africans are
savages.
While the first few chapters highlight the complexity and originality of the Igbo language, in the chapters ahead, Achebe points out another aspect of Igbo culture that colonialists tended to ignore which is the existence of subcultures, such as each clan having its own stories.
The tension about whether change should be embraced over tradition often involves questions of personal status. For example, Okonkwo resists the new societal changes because he feels that they are not manly and that he himself will not be manly if he consents to join or even tolerate them. Okonkwo’s resistance of cultural change is due to his fear of losing his manly societal status. His sense of self-worth is dependent upon the traditional standards he was raised by. This system (of evaluating yourself) inspires many of the clan’s outcasts to convert to Christianity.The outcasts find, in the Christian value system, a safehaven from the Igbo cultural values that place them below everyone else. In their new community, these converts enjoy a more elevated and equal status.
The villagers in general are caught between resisting and embracing the change and they face the dilemma of trying to determine how best to adapt to the reality of change. Many of the villagers are excited about the new ideas that the missionaries bring to them. This does pose a threat to their culture and way of life, because it makes them not have to be great at things like farming and building. These traditional methods, once crucial for survival, are now not so much. Throughout the novel, Achebe shows how dependent such traditions are upon storytelling and language and thus how quickly the abandonment of the Igbo language for English could lead to the eradication of these traditions and the culture and stories. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and learning more about the African culture. The stories of Okonkwo are both really well told and contain very interesting information. In these ways, among many others, Achebe was able to show another paradigm of Africa that many Europeans did not recognize and while this was written in 1958, the implications of the book outlasted the time. It brought about some change in the world in relation to Africa and the African people. This book also reminded me of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Both of these book were able to create momentum to change the way that Europeans viewed Africa and the way that they handled the Africans.
11/24/14
Things Fall Apart Response
Watkins
To write this essay well, we must first understand what imperialism is and what mentality the Europeans had about Africa at the time. Imperialism is when a country wants to extend its power and influence. In the case of this book, European imperialism drove them to engage in what is commonly referred to as “the scramble for Africa”. In the minds of the Europeans, the Africans were nothing more than savages. Many times, the Europeans equated the Africans to cattle or horses, as wild animals to be kept in a pen. Because of this dehumanization mentality towards Africans, the Europeans were able to so easily and with such a lack of guilt, divide and conquer Africa. At the time this was happening, Achebe decided that something should be done about this, and thus wrote Things fall apart in order to influence change in the world. In this response to the book, we will see how this was accomplished. …show more content…
In the beginning of the book we are introduced to the complex laws and customs of Okonkwo’s clan and its commitment to harmonious relations.
For example, the practice of sharing palm-wine and kola nuts is repeated throughout the book to emphasize the peacefulness of the Igbo. When Unoka’s neighbor visits him to collect a debt, the neighbor doesn’t bring up the debt immedately. Instead, he and Unoka share a kola nut and pray to the ancestral spirits and then they converse about community affairs at great length. These customs emphasize the common interests and culture, diffusing possible tension. The neighbor further eases the situation by introducing the subject of debt through a series of Igbo proverbs, thus making use of a shared oral tradition, as Okonkwo does when he asks Nwakibie for some seed yams. Through his emphasis on the harmony and complexity of the Igbo, Achebe contradicts the stereotype set by the Europeans that Africans are
savages.
While the first few chapters highlight the complexity and originality of the Igbo language, in the chapters ahead, Achebe points out another aspect of Igbo culture that colonialists tended to ignore which is the existence of subcultures, such as each clan having its own stories.
The tension about whether change should be embraced over tradition often involves questions of personal status. For example, Okonkwo resists the new societal changes because he feels that they are not manly and that he himself will not be manly if he consents to join or even tolerate them. Okonkwo’s resistance of cultural change is due to his fear of losing his manly societal status. His sense of self-worth is dependent upon the traditional standards he was raised by. This system (of evaluating yourself) inspires many of the clan’s outcasts to convert to Christianity.The outcasts find, in the Christian value system, a safehaven from the Igbo cultural values that place them below everyone else. In their new community, these converts enjoy a more elevated and equal status.
The villagers in general are caught between resisting and embracing the change and they face the dilemma of trying to determine how best to adapt to the reality of change. Many of the villagers are excited about the new ideas that the missionaries bring to them. This does pose a threat to their culture and way of life, because it makes them not have to be great at things like farming and building. These traditional methods, once crucial for survival, are now not so much. Throughout the novel, Achebe shows how dependent such traditions are upon storytelling and language and thus how quickly the abandonment of the Igbo language for English could lead to the eradication of these traditions and the culture and stories. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and learning more about the African culture. The stories of Okonkwo are both really well told and contain very interesting information. In these ways, among many others, Achebe was able to show another paradigm of Africa that many Europeans did not recognize and while this was written in 1958, the implications of the book outlasted the time. It brought about some change in the world in relation to Africa and the African people. This book also reminded me of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Both of these book were able to create momentum to change the way that Europeans viewed Africa and the way that they handled the Africans.