Discourse On Colonialism
Discourse on Colonialism - Group Work
Connections with Things Fall Apart:
In “Discourse on Colonialism” mentioned on page two, paragraph three, the author makes a connection with the misinterpretation of how the Europeans thought that those who did not practice Christianity were savages. “...is Christian pedantry, which laid down the dishonest equations Christianity=civilization, paganism=savagery, from which there could not but ensue abominable colonialist and racist consequences, whose victims were to be the Indians, the yellow peoples, and the Negroes.” In Things Fall Apart, when the missionaries landed in Africa, they accused the Umuofians of ignorance for not knowing how to “properly” practice religion. At the time of Things Fall Apart, religion was associated with “living things” while the European missionaries said that “correct religion” came from worshipping gods that were not concrete objects. On page 146 the text said, “Your gods are not alive and cannot do you any harm,’ replied the white man. ‘They are pieces of wood and stone.” This shows that the Europeans established supremacy over the Africans by denouncing their religion, which ultimately aided their efforts to colonize the Blacks.
On the very first page of “Discourse on Colonialism”, it says “A civilization that proves incapable of solving the problems it creates is a decadent civilization. A civilization that chooses to close its eyes to its most crucial problems is a stricken civilization.” The same situation occurred in Things Fall Apart with the initial European contact because the Umuofians did not see them as a threat. This led to the decimation of their culture as the Umuofians allowed the Europeans to live amongst them and convert the outcasts. That was the Umuofians biggest mistake because when the Europeans had established a base of converts, it helped them to continue to convert the tribesmen and eventually take over the African tribe.
Connections with Kaffir Boy:
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Connections with Things Fall Apart:
In “Discourse on Colonialism” mentioned on page two, paragraph three, the author makes a connection with the misinterpretation of how the Europeans thought that those who did not practice Christianity were savages. “...is Christian pedantry, which laid down the dishonest equations Christianity=civilization, paganism=savagery, from which there could not but ensue abominable colonialist and racist consequences, whose victims were to be the Indians, the yellow peoples, and the Negroes.” In Things Fall Apart, when the missionaries landed in Africa, they accused the Umuofians of ignorance for not knowing how to “properly” practice religion. At the time of Things Fall Apart, religion was associated with “living things” while the European missionaries said that “correct religion” came from worshipping gods that were not concrete objects. On page 146 the text said, “Your gods are not alive and cannot do you any harm,’ replied the white man. ‘They are pieces of wood and stone.” This shows that the Europeans established supremacy over the Africans by denouncing their religion, which ultimately aided their efforts to colonize the Blacks.
On the very first page of “Discourse on Colonialism”, it says “A civilization that proves incapable of solving the problems it creates is a decadent civilization. A civilization that chooses to close its eyes to its most crucial problems is a stricken civilization.” The same situation occurred in Things Fall Apart with the initial European contact because the Umuofians did not see them as a threat. This led to the decimation of their culture as the Umuofians allowed the Europeans to live amongst them and convert the outcasts. That was the Umuofians biggest mistake because when the Europeans had established a base of converts, it helped them to continue to convert the tribesmen and eventually take over the African tribe.
Connections with Kaffir Boy:
In