Jennifer Leung 10 English Literature April 7‚ 2014 Ms. Britte Is Okonkwo a tragic hero? Okonkwo is the protagonist in Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart. He was one of the Igbo people and he was also one of the most important men in his society. I would like to define the term tragic hero before I discuss whether Okonkwo is a tragic hero or not. A tragic hero is a literary character who had noble life at first but eventually died because of his own wrong judgment about something and his judgment
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the main character. Readers can feel sympathy or have a lack of sympathy for the protagonist in the novel. In the novel‚ The Catcher In the Rye by J. D. Salinger‚ Salinger creates an unsympathetic protagonist named Holden Caulfield. Readers are unsympathetic toward Holden because he grasped onto Allie’s death‚ frequently makes poor decisions and constantly criticizes minor characters without getting to know them. The trait of holding on to the past displays the unsympathetic character trait of
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Many people suffer tragedy at some point in their lives whether big or small‚ Okonkwo is no exception. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe‚ we follow the story of Okonkwo‚ a man who became known throughout his clan as a great man and had three wives and nine children. But one day his life started to fall apart when he was exiled to his mother’s homeland for seven years after accidentally killing a clansman. But soon after he was exiled‚ missionaries invaded Nigeria and with them brought
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two different sides- the public man and the private man. Though he may seem and portray a very masculine character‚ that is actually a facade. In reality‚ Okonkwo is a man loaded with insecurity. Due to his fear of being judged and failing‚ eventually‚ he resorted to hanging himself at the end of the novel. Personally‚ I feel that his death was not one expected. Throughout the book‚ Okonkwo shows his determination to succeed. He was driven by the fear of his father- to avoid being weak and feminine
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In the story things fall apart the main character is okonkwo. Okonkwo’s father was one of the characters that i picked. The reason why i picked him was because i could connect with his saying that he does not like his father. Okonkwo and his father really didn’t know each other okonkwo knew that his father was lazy and owed people so much money. I could connect with okonkwo and his father because i really didn’t know mine and neither does okonkwo. It says in the story that he doesn’t like him. I
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with his society‚ he must either accept these differences or be destroyed. This nightmare comes to life in Chinua Achebe ’s novel Things Fall Apart‚ when the main character‚ Okonkwo‚ clashes with his society ’s beliefs. The conflict that exists between Okonkwo and his society is what ultimately leads him to his downfall. Very early on‚ Okonkwo disagrees with many of his culture ’s most important values. These are held sacred in his clan‚ and have been practiced generations before him. The clan
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oppression‚ which is likely to influence most people that its main protagonist Okonkwo was a true tribesman with qualities that far surpassed many among his clan and a revered leader. However‚ the physical and psychological qualities of Oknokwos’ character reflected an individual who was nothing short of a “king like” ruler and conquer. “And such was the deep fear that their enemies had for Umuofia that they treated Okonkwo like a king”. (18) Oknokwo traits of being a self-seeking‚ abusive‚ and cold
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aspects of the main character‚ Okonkwo‚ however‚ these traits may sound like excellent traits to possess but because of the way he was raised‚ Okonkwo harbours many of his emotions under an outer shell of violence‚ strength and pride. His traits can be shown by looking at where he has come from in his life‚ for example‚ Okonkwo has acquired a large amount of wealth in his life because of his hard work and dedication which he also puts towards his family‚ unfortunately‚ his family also suffers greatly
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Umofia Many characters in literature have their own personal issues that make them more grounded and let them relate to the reader. Okonkwo‚ the main character of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe‚ is not an exception. Achebe uses Okonkwo to convey the fundamental similarities between all people. Although he is a ferocious‚respected warrior in the village of Umofia‚ much of his life is dictated by his fear of femininity and weakness. Because of this‚ Okonkwo commits various acts that make the reader
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Okonkwo was a tragic hero because he was a great warrior‚ great wrestler‚ and had multiple wives. Okonkwo’s flaw is that he has too much pride that led to his downfall. Throughout the course of senior year literature‚ we have read several stories that have tragic heroes as their main characters. In Things Fall Apart‚ Okonkwo is the tragic hero. Okonkwo relates to Willy in Death of a Salesman‚ by Arthur Miller‚ and Oedipus in Oedipus‚ by Sophocles Oedipus. Okonkwo is a tragic hero because he is
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