Guthrie 1 Language and Identity in Postcolonial African Literature: A Case Study of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart A Thesis Submitted to The Faculty of the School of Communication In Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts in English By Abigail K. Guthrie 1 April 2011 Guthrie 2 Liberty University School of Communication Master of Arts in English ____________________________________________________________ __________________ Dr. Jaeshil Kim‚ Thesis Chair Date ______
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Things Fall Apart Things Fall Apart‚ by Chinua Achebe. The main character to this book is Okonkwo. Okonkwo was a great man in his home of Umuofia. Umuofia was built of nine groups of Nigeria. Okonkwo really didn’t like his father because his father was basically a lazy piece of crap‚ and took any money he could grab to buy wine. Okonkwo despised his father and does everything he can to be nothing like him. Okonkwo was trying to build his talking life‚ so he started wrestling‚ and defeated a
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Masculinity in Umuofia The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe follows the character Okonkwo‚ an influential and powerful man in the village of Umuofia. Through the book he goes through the intense inner struggle of trying to be the man his father never was and also makes quite a few big mistakes along the way. Some mistakes include beating his wives and even killing a young man. He is exiled from his village for seven years and he seeks a place he can call home in the motherland. During his
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Trevor Mrs. Sleek 10th Lit/Comp. 17 November 2013 Chinua Achebe has been called the founding father of African literature for his sensitive and accurate portrayal of his native African tribe‚ the Igbo‚ in his landmark novel‚ Things Fall Apart (Bacon handout). Published in 1959‚ this novel has become a cherished classic that explores the controversial topic of European colonization and presents in “sad irony” the decline and destruction of the native tribe (Coeyman handout). Maintaining a neutral
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Ruiqi Wang Written Task Assignment Things Fall Apart Dear Father‚ I know I have failed you. While you are the “raging fire” of our people‚ I grew up as a pebble in the circle of rocks that surround your bright flame. You burn bright with courage and leadership‚ while I am just an average tribesman following your command. Being your oldest son‚ I have always known your expectations of me‚ but it has proven too much for me to live up to. Ever since I was younger‚ you have been tough on me
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Things Fall Apart’s Repudiation of Western Imperialist Views of Africa Africa is a continent that contains many individualistic‚ unique‚ and culturally independent countries‚ tribes‚ and people. However‚ Africa is conceptualized as a continent that is riddled with poverty and savagery. The misconception of Africa and its identity was induced by Western colonizers‚ that oppressed not only the colonized but also their culture and traditions. The colonizers gave inaccurate‚ ambiguous‚ and self glorifying
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Things Fall Apart (Chapters 1-4) Conflict between tradition and change “Okonkwo did not have the start in life in which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherit” (Achebe 16). Traditionally in Umuofia‚ when a man dies‚ his son inherits his assets. Okonkwo’s father‚ Unoka‚ was scared by the sight of blood‚ in an immense amount of debt and did not support his family. As a result of Okonkwo’s father having no title‚ Okonkwo was left
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“Tradition is the illusion of permanence”-Woody Allen. The quote by Allen is sometimes interpreted as that things change‚ and as humans we hate change‚ so we have tradition as a way to preserve it‚ even though eventually it will disappear eventually. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe‚ the main character Okonkwo faces a similar dilemma as foreigners bring new beliefs that entice his own clansmen and many of them abandon their old beliefs. Tradition has many benefits‚ such as having a cultural
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Weekly Journal on the reading of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe In the story we see many themes regarding the role of women‚ the Ibo belief system and values. Here women are seen not as partners to share what one has but as property and extra hands to farm. The more wife’s a man has the higher his status and respect; they have no say and should do as they are told. They work the farm with the kids and maintain the house. They have a complex belief system; they respect and honor their Gods
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Things Fall Apart Research Clash of Cultures Many times in the past when two relatively different cultures meet‚ there is often a clash of cultures. Sometimes these cultures are near each other‚ and sometimes one culture invades another. Either way‚ there are great consequences that come with both. Consequences usually involve one culture being taken advantage of by the opposing dominant one. In Chinua Achebe’s fictional novel‚ Things Fall Apart‚ this cultural invasion does take place‚ igniting
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