In the novel, "All Things Fall Apart" Achebe used siginifcant sayings in chapters 1-3 that were called proverbs. The proverb that stood out most to me is located in chapter 3. The wise saying was used while Okonkwo was asking Nwakibie for help with yams. He contines with saying that he knew how it is to trust young men these days with yams especially when they are afraid of work. Then he says that he is not afraid and brings the proverb in to make a point; "The lizard that jumped from high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did ". Meaning that when a person encounter accomplishments and no one appreciates it thst person appreciates their accomplishments and praise himself or herslef.Okonkwo is praising himself…
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is the story of an Ibo tribe before and during the arrival of white missionaries. The main character, Okonkwo, is a highly respected man within his society who slowly falls in esteem as the story goes on. He involves himself in more and more conflicts with the people around him, including an ongoing battle of impossibly high standards for his son Nwoye, who decides to leave his family in the end for the Anglican Church. The warrior archetype Okonkwo is too rooted in his ways to survive marginalization, but his son Nwoye understands his only choice and resolves the doomed father-son conflict by abandoning his own culture.…
One of the main reasons supporting this statement is because Okonkwo was always a coward. Everything he acted on was driven by a fear of appearing weak. What he did not understand was that this mindset automatically makes him weak. A stereotypical hero is brave and overcomes his fears. In the end of the novel, Okonkwo tries to run from his phobia one last time by killing himself and leaving his clan to the colonizing dogs. By doing so, he did not leave a significant impact on his people. Although he attempted to gather them together to fight back against the colonists, he failed and let his anger get the best of him. All he did was intensify the fight by killing the messenger, and killing himself when the white men demanded to see him. Before returning to Umuofia, Okonkwo also did not pay any respects to his people. He tried to keep his friends close but completely disregarded his family in light of his malevolence. Eventually, he killed his own “son” and his own clansman. Did he save anyone in the process? No, he did not; he lost the respect he gained from others towards the beginning of the book, and ultimately gave…
Okonkwo is in a clan called Umuofia. One night the town crier rung the gong to announce someone in the town of Mbaino murdered the wife of a Umuofia tribesman. Okonkwo travels to Mbaino to deliver the message that they must give Umuofia a woman and a young boy. In case they refuse to do so, Okonkwo is chosen to represent his clan, because he’s the fiercest warrior of them all. On this trip, you see a lot of the clan’s commitment to their culture which is known for its harmonious relations. For example, when Unoka’s neighbor went to collect debt, he before shared a cup of palm-wine and some kola nuts. This released any possible tension and put emphasis on the common interests and culture they split. This civilization would soon be divided by the white men that came to spread Christianity in the nigerian community. Okonkwo finds these men very shrewd and can’t believe his men did not drive them out yet. And many people like them, they’re setting up trading posts and money is flowing throughout their village. Okonkwo and his new friend Enoch, love their clan how it is now and want to respond to the Christians in a violent manner. Okonkwo sets out alone, to kill some of the Christians and didn’t get the response he was hoping for. The District Commissioner tries to find Okonkwo after that and he soon finds that he hung himself. The reason for Okonkwo killing himself is, he could not submit to a new life where he felt at odds. I assume he felt lonely and his suicide is how he is telling people they need to listen. This is the worst case scenario on how to deal with change, but it happens all around the…
Many theories and questions are raised from the problem of obedience to authority. What can make another person be obedient to another? Why do some people obey others when they know what they’re doing is wrong? This is a problem for the human population and it demands reasoning, explanation, and examination. We must reflect on what many experts have examined in the field, and draw some conclusions. There are many experts that have studied obedience to authority, and why people still obey even though it may be wrong. In the military following orders is the key to your survival. Even if your superior officers tell you to kill someone or shoot someone it may…
What characteristics describe heroes? How can one tell a hero apart from an ordinary person? My definition of a hero is a person who will achieve their goals, no matter how difficult their situations are. A hero also needs to be motivational, kind, courageous, and strong at heart. A hero will do everything possible to live up to their beliefs and do the moral thing. Now, a new question arises: Is Okonkwo, the main character in Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, a hero? Some might say that he’s a hero – after all, he is a powerful, prosperous, and well-respected man. Nevertheless, I believe that Okonkwo is not a hero; he doesn’t show the characteristics of being kind nor motivational. He doesn’t try his best to do the moral thing, and…
Things Fall Apart illustrates the beauty and fragile nature of the Igbo clan, and the tragic downfall of their entire culture. The title, Things Fall Apart, has a deep meaning that brings the unfortunate situation of Umuofia to light. The Second Coming, and Things Fall Apart, have striking similarities in their themes, and the ideas present in both of the pieces, making them seem as if they are written by the same person, or are somehow connected. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe chose the title of his book to illustrate the tragedy of losing a culture to the destruction of evil.…
Throughout the ages, people have always followed the orders of a person with a higher status: students have always listened to their teacher, Catholics have always listened to their priests, and soldiers have always listened to their commander. However this norm is not always acceptable, especially when the followers blindly obey the authority. Throughout this paper I will explore why people are so willing to accept orders particularly in dire situations and how this psychological phenomenon can be addressed in the modern day.…
The worst aspect of being banished from my homeland for seven years is not having the ability to practice your normal, daily life. It would be very hard to re- create my life in a different environment and society after already having done so. Everything has changed for Okonkwo. He no longer has his friends, his home, nor his yams. He has to re-create his life and develop new friends, customs, etc.…
Okwonko did not have a solid family conection. Infact he absolutly resented his dad, and his oldest child did not want anything to do with him. "Even as a little boy he had resented his father 's failure and weakness, and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala." ( Achebe 13) Okonkwo despised everything his dad was and did. His dad played the flute, so Okonkwo thought that music was for the weak. Okonkwos dad was afraid of blood, so Okonkwo strived to be a great warrior. All of these qualities that he thought was weak, he tried to make sure his children never got invlovled in them, and because of this his oldest chiled Nwoye hated him. "Okonkwo 's first son ,Nwoye, was then twelve years old but he was already causeing his father great anxiety... he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating."( Achebe 14) Okonkwo thought that Nwoye was becoming to much like his father, so he had to "correct" him and make sure that he wouldn 't become the very thing he hated most. In doing so he made his own son want nothing to do with him.…
Though Okonkwo was strong, he still had “the fear of failure” (p. 13). By Okonkwo being afraid of failing, he pushed himself and his family to be the best, which made them the model for their tribe. By Okonkwo and his family becoming the archetypal family in their community, they’re objectified by others as people aspire to be like them. Due to his insecurities, he also permits others determine his actions as “he was afraid of being thought weak” (p. 61). Due to Okonkwo becoming the archetype for his tribe, he limits his autonomy as he begins to make decisions based off of people’s opinions of him. Okonkwo’s action of making decisions based on other’s opinions resembles how Meursault based his actions on people’s expectations. Because Okonkwo constantly struggled to stay the best in others’ opinion, he relinquished his autonomy, therefore subliminally conforming to the goals others’ set for…
In Things Fall Apart, Achebe focuses on differences in culture and society. In the quote, "The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others." Uchendu is discussing with Okonkwo and Obierka the massacre in Abame. I agree with the quotation. Many people have their own ways of doing things and then their actions are criticized by others. A prime example of this is religious groups in the world and all are criticized by one another at some point. A good example of that fueding is the on-going criticisms between Protestants and Catholics. Being Catholic myself, I can relate to this first-hand. Our beliefs to other religious groups are wrong, an abomination of what is "supposed to be done." We also sometimes criticize our brethren in other faiths. The world is always in a constant fight. There is a deeper meaning in this quote and that meaning is that internally, the world will never end its constant criticism and bludgeoning of itself. It keeps going around in circles, and until one group decides to understand the other, the cycle will continue. Basically, the beliefs misunderstood by stubborn people who do not want to understand are picked on. The people whose beliefs are in question get angry and these differences are set in motion. And truly, until we all understand each other, universally, this cycle of craziness will certainly never end, making Uchendu's statement…
First, one of Okonkwo’s major weak points was his family. He tried not to let it show, but he cared deeply for his family. For example, when Ikemefuna was introduced into Okonkwo’s life, Okonkwo immediately grew a stronger bond with Ikemefuna than he had with his real children. After raising Ikemefuna for three years, Okonkwo was told Ikemefuna must be killed. Not only did he agree to it but he took part in the brutal murder. On page 61, Achebe writes, “Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak.” Although he loved Ikemefuna like his own son, he killed Ikemefuna to avoid being thought of as weak by his fellow clansmen. Another example of Okonkwo’s weakness when it came to his family was when he followed Ekwefi, Enzima and Chielo to the shrine. He wanted to ensure his daughter and wife’s safety. On page 112, Achebe says, “He allowed what he regarded as a reasonable and manly interval to pass and then gone with his machete to the shrine.”…
Obedience, as well as disobedience, has been ingrained in our culture since the beginning of time, so it is no surprise that so many people obeyed Hitler and killed millions of Jewish people. In the Christian religion disobedience is viewed as bad and obedience as good. In the story of Adam and Eve, they disobeyed God by eating from the tree of knowledge and were exiled from Eden. In the story of Noah, he obeyed God and Noah and his family were rewarded and lived through the great flood. These same stories are found in many cultures and religions throughout history. After hearing these stories your entire life, how can one be expected to disobey an authority without, at least, the subconscious fear of negative consequences? Our natural fear of disobeying authority can turn normal, mentally stable, everyday people into genocidal killers.…
Okonkwo never understood the concept of going with the flow or adjusting to circumstances. It started in his childhood. His father, Unoka, “had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt” (Achebe 8). He was a poor farmer and a coward in war. The people of Umuofia called him an agbala, which means woman. Okonkwo was immensely ashamed by him, and his life was definitely affected because of him. “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherit,” (Achebe 16). In a perfect world, his father would have been a bloodthirsty warrior, with many wives and children, and a number of cowries. Okonkwo was narrow-minded, and this quality backfired in the form of shame and discontent. “He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father,” (Achebe 2). Unoka never had the money to support his family, and this disgraced Okonkwo. Okonkwo was never able to understand his father and his different ways. Since Unoka was his father, he couldn’t say anything to him, but in his heart and mind, he meant nothing to Okonkwo.…