Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

Every person has faced some type of conflict in his life. Each person responds in their own way to the problems he is faced with. Depending on how the person reacts can either make or break him. A positive reaction to conflict, will in turn, result in a positive outcome, while a negative reaction will give a negative outcome. The main character in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo, is one of many examples of a positive outlook on a negative situation. During the funeral of Ezeudu, Okonkwo’s gun accidentally fired and killed a boy. Okonkwo was forced to be exiled to his to his mother’s homeland. By fleeing his home, Okonkwo and his family had no choice but to leave behind their homes and the majority of their possession, including all of the produce they had grown and harvested. When arriving in his motherland, Okonkwo and his family had to start from scratch. Homes were to be built, and crops to be grown. Instead of sulking and feeling sorry for himself, Okonkwo set to work and built a new farm. Because of
his determined mindset and hard work ethics, Okonkwo’s crops prospered and brought large sums of money unto his family. Okonkwo did not let the conflict of having to basically start his life over stop him from getting things done. He stepped up to the plate and stopped for nothing until his work was done. You are only able to see improvement in a person after they have put time and effort into something, and school is a great example.
So many children in today’s society have the potential to be something great, but they lack the self motivation to get themselves where they need to be. One bad grade never hurt anyone. Besides, you do not learn from your success, you learn from your failures. After being in school for eleven years, you see many people destroy their potential by letting a few bad grades get to them or not wanting to put forth the effort needed. By letting a few bad grades get to a person and deciding not to care about his education, he is setting himself up for failure for the rest of life. Colleges will not want to accept a student who does not care about his education. Without a college degree, your options in the workforce are very limited. In school, you must always put forth a good attitude and not let the little things get to
you. How a person responds to the hardships he's faced with will determine the outcome he receives. With a positive look at things, it will allow you to get an outcome in your favor. On the other hand, a negative outlook will only allow you to get a negative outcome. In life, what you put in is what you get out. Why not choose to always have a positive outlook?