Achebe Essay

Nelson Mandela once said, "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his
head. If you had to talk to him his language, that goes to his heart." Mandela was so right. When
someone makes the effort to speak someone else's language, even if it's just basic phrases, it will
make that person feel that people understand his culture, identity, and see him as a human being. The
conflict of suppression is a typical problem and most countries in the world can relate to.
Repeatedly, it has been chosen to be the subject of literatures and movies. In the fiction novel by
Julie Otsuka, When The Emperor was Divine, the Japanese Americans were mistaken as the enemies
because they came from Japan. Despite the fact that most of them are citizens of the nation, they
were still getting treated fallaciously. In the African novel,Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, the
Ibo were unfounded by the white men. With the confidence of higher progress in development, the
Europeans affirmed that the Africans were uncivilized and their job is to guide the Igbo to their
cultures, religions without interface with the village. These books demonstrate the importance of
communication because the missionaries in Things Fall Apart and Americans in When the Emperor
was Divine, both judge different culture background without communicating effectively. In the
fictional book by Chinua Achebe, the British shows intolerance to the Africans because they were
worse in their treatment for other.
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Achebe
Achebe's Defense of The Ibo People in Things Fall Apart
Option 1
The late Chinua Achebe is considered to be one of the most important voices in African literature.
Born in colonial Nigeria in the 1930's, Achebe joined the first wave of African writers who were
determined to represent their country in a way that would truthfully depict the past and present.
Before the arrival of the first wave writers, the history of pre–colonial Africa was portrayed as a
place of barbarous activity. European novelists such as Joseph Conrad only added to this impression
in his dehumanizing book, The Heart of Darkness. Conrad depicted Africa as the antithesis of
civilization. In 1958, Achebe published Things Fall Apart as a response to the negative...show more
content...
Each type of orature not only preserved the past for the Ibo people it was also their way of
educating the young. The belief that African's were uneducated before the entrance of the
Colonial era was another myth that needed to be resolved. Their way of education through the
use of orature was a practice that wholly fulfilled the needs of those who lived in the village. It
was the arrival of Colonial power that changed the definition of what "true" education really was.
Of course, Achebe saw the arrival of Western education as a positive thing. It would enable his
people to eventually take control of their country again. He echoed this thinking when the
missionary, Mr. Brown who came to live with the Ibo people, "begged and argued and
prophesized. He said that the leaders of the land in the future would be men and women who had
learned to read and write. If Umuofia failed to send her children to school, strangers would come
from other places to rule them"(Things Fall Apart 181). Achebe was one of those "future men"
which he wrote about. It was because of his Western education that he was able to write Things
Fall Apart, which was written to "to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the
complexes of the years of degradation and self–abasement"(Morning Yet On Creation Day 71).
The second topic that Achebe highlighted in Things Fall Apart was the Ibo's style of

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is an excellent example of postcolonial literature. Sharing the
story of European dominance over Africa in the twentieth century, it speaks volumes about their
intentions for the land they were taking. This gives us an insight into the downfalls of society and
what we can do to set things right. While Things Fall Apart is written on a past subject, it is still
relevant and important today. One of the things that makes Things Fall Apart stand out as a
postcolonial piece is the events that take place in the book, as they are a great example of colonialism
. This novel takes place during the time colonialism, aka exploiting African countries and taking
their land, grew among European countries. Using the excuse that African people were inferior and
lacked the skills needed to govern themselves, European countries raced to gain as much land as
humanly possible. This concept clearly fits into postcolonial literature, as the word "colonial", as in,
colonialism, it literally in the name. Postcolonial literature focuses on the struggle for colonized
people to resist against the people that took away their lives. This idea shines throughout the whole
novel, but this idea starts to become concentrated around "Part Two" as white men start to arrive at
Umuofia. "The missionaries had come to Umuofia. They had built their church there, won a handful
of converts and were already sending evangelists to the surrounding towns and villages" (pg.143).
This quote shows the initial struggle that the people of Umuofia had as they saw their culture
disintegrating around them at the hands of the white man. This is the point that European culture
started being spread through the area, slowly winning people over, at the frustration of loyal
Umuofians. Later in the novel, Okonkwo's friend, Obierika, says to him, "'Have you not heard how
the white man wiped out Abame?'" (pg.175). This demonstrates how common colonialism was
among African cultures at the time, as Umuofia was not the only place affected by the shameful
actions of Europeans. All of these examples of colonialism create a sense of urgency in the fact that
Europe is gaining more and more land, and this is an extremely important aspect of the

Literary Devices Used In Things Fall Apart
In these pages from Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, literary devices including details and
proverbs are used to reveal both the tradition and challenge of tradition to the Igbo people. The
most prominent device used by Achebe ae details which allow the reader to get a better
understanding of the Umuofia people's customs. For one, specifics of how Okonkwo's feast went
are given. It states, "Yam pottage was served first because if was lighter than foo–foo and because
yam always came first." From this, we learn that the Igbo's have a specific order that they follow
when serving food. Later, we are told that "every man rose in order of the years and took a share" of
the meal, making us aware of the value age has in the Igbo people's society.

Proverbs
A proverb is "a brief, memorable saying that expresses a truth or belief" (Proverb). "Proverbs are the
palm oil with which words are eaten" (Achebe 7), and they enhance the meaning of all the
conversations. "A proverb is [basically] a short sentence based on long experience" (.
In Things Fall Apart, proverbs are mainly used in the development of the important characters.
Through proverbs used in character development, Achebe shows the distinct similarities and
differences between the protagonist, Okonkwo, and two other important characters, Nwoye and
Obierika.
Achebe uses the proverb "When a man says yes his chi says yes also" in the character development
of Okonkwo. Okonkwo is a very successful man in his village of...show more content...
Another important character is Nwoye, who is Okonkwo's first son. Unlike Okonkwo, Nwoye has
no work ethic and is constantly "[causing] his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness"
(Achebe 13). Okonkwo tries to beat Nwoye into being more hardworking but it does nothing.
Nwoye is more womanly than Okonkwo's because "he [prefers] the stories that his mother [tells]"
(Achebe 53). "When a mother–cow is chewing grass its young watch its mouth" is used in the
development of the one characteristic both Nwoye and Okonkwo share. The proverb means
children learn from what their parents do. Okonkwo follows in his father's footsteps by not being
the father figure his son needs. Nwoye follows in his father's footsteps by forsaking Okonkwo.
Okonkwo forsakes his father, Unoka, because he is weak by showing affection and he "[is]... a
debtor" (Achebe 4). Nwoye forsakes his father because Okonkwo is too harsh. Both Okonkwo and
Nwoye try to lead very different lives than there fathers. Okonkwo lives the opposite of Unoka by
being "a wealthy farmer and [having] two barns full of yams" and being hardworking (Achebe 8),
while Unoka "was... a debtor" and "was lazy" (Achebe 4). Nwoye lives the opposite of his father by
being "among the missionaries" (Achebe 143), while Okonkwo strongly opposes the church.
One of the most important characters is Obierika, who is Okonkwo's closest friend.

Argument Essay: Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Arianna Rabago
Ms. Ramirez
English II– A1
29 April 2015 Argument Essay: Things Fall Apart In sections two and three of the short novel
Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, the reader is transported back in time and given the
opportunity to recount the establishment of Christian missionaries in Ibo society as well as view the
impact they had on Umuofia. Chinua Achebe's purpose of writing this novel is to portray the Ibo
community as vividly and honestly as possible while demonstrating the intricate customs, rituals,
and laws that were followed daily by citizens. With the acceptance of a new religion on the rise,
ancient tribal traditions begin to fade into a memory and the morality of the village becomes
jeopardized. Although...show more content...
Many situations given do not directly affect the story itself, but serve a purpose in providing
examples to enlighten the reader on the background of the heritage. An example pertaining to the
development of Ibo culture comes from its system of laws and justice. Achebe dedicates a chapter
of this novel to describing the rituals of the egwugwu (important clansmen who dress as village
ancestors), as they determine the verdict in a wife–beating case during Peace Week (87). The
villagers of Umuofia do not believe the costumed clansmen are the village ancestors, although,
"Okonkwo's wives...might have noticed that the second egwugwu had the springy walk of
Okonkwo. They noticed that Okonkwo was not among the titled men and elders who sat behind the
row of egwugwu." (90). Despite their theories, the villagers continue to remain silent out of respect
for the ancestors represented by the egwugwu. In addition to laws, Okonkwo opposes the laws
enforced by the Christians and is not willing to compromise his pride in return for the support of the
people closest to

Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Essay
Introduction Language is a very powerful tool for an author. He uses it to convey mood as well as
describe setting, thoughts and appearances of his characters. Inner feelings and actions are
expressed through a masterful use of language choice and styles are critical not only to the reader's
understanding of the text but to his appreciation as well. How language is effectively manipulated in
their writings enhances the reader's valuing of the works. The selected novel Things Fall Apart by
Chinua Achebe is a representation of Igbo culture and their language. It explores the life of an Igbo
tribe at the time of when colonization hit Africa. It could be considered as a post–colonial text, as
the protagonist of the story and the other people struggle with the changes the colonization brought
into their culture and beliefs. Basically, this kind of literature analyse the relationship between the
colonizer and the colonized on the bases of knowledge and power. Writers from the Third World
countries strongly believed they should write in their own native language rather than the language
brought in by the former colonizer. It was soon argued that their cultural importance and values
would be lost in the translation and that "foreign" language can never describe their native culture.
Achebe held different views and opposed the statement of using the native language in their works,
as he said in a 1966 essay, reprinted in his book Morning Yet on Creation Day, by using

Essay On Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe is one of the most influential writers in African Literature. He incorporated his
culture so others could have a better understanding. His Things fall apart, ended up being a great
success that it sold over 12 million copies and was sold in over 50 languages.
Albert Chinualumogu Achebe was born on November 16, 1930 in Ogidi, Nigeria. According to
(https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/things–fall–apart/chinua–achebe–biography), "He was the
fifth child of Isaiah Okafor Achebe and Janet Iloegbunam Achebe. His father was an instructor in
Christian catechism for the Church Missionary Society. Nigeria was a British colony during
Achebe's early years, and educated English–speaking families like the Achebes occupied a privileged
...show more content...
Achebe's position and contribution to Nigeria He wrote multiple books. "No Longer at Ease
(1960), Arrow of God(1964) and A Man of the People (1966)," all of these novels uplift the issue of
traditions vs. change and how the argument must reach a middle ground.
Prior to joining NBC, in 1958, Achebe published his first novel: Things Fall Apart. The
groundbreaking novel centers on the cultural clash between native African culture and the traditional
white culture of missionaries and the colonial government in place in Nigeria. Thoroughly explained
Igbo people/culture gave representation Achebe reflects on how western culture has impacted his
life as he personally experienced the clash of two cultures. He writes the Things fall apart, to not
only to show how uncompromising both sides were but to make sure Native African know their

The Bible discloses, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing
that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that
you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1: 2–4). Scripture informs that when
facing tribulations, faith can help to relieve strains and struggles as well as fueling those struggling
to push through them. These ideas are replicated in Chinua Achebes short story "Civil Peace", where
the concepts of Character Development, Diction, and Repetition all aid in proving that faith
conquers hardship.
The author's use of character development explores the positive effects conviction can have on
struggles as the narrator of the story...show more content...
Even though Jonathan's house is no more than mud and cardboard, is missing its roof, and bits of
its doors and windows, he still manages to view its state as (yet another) miracle. A miracle is
defined as the work of someone or something divine – and is often referred to in marveling
circumstances or situations. Where others would be completely distraught, Jonathan is filled with
peace, wonder, and gratefulness. Instead of being pessimistic about the condition of his house, made
of mud blocks, he thanks God for even having one, and even turns his wonderful phenomenon of still
having a home into a blessing for others – as he feeds his friends and acquaintances underneath his
roof, and even lets them take shelter with him and his loved ones. Jonathan's ability to remain
confident when facing tough circumstances easily inspires readers to look on the bright side of
challenging situations, and to always thank God for even the things that may not seem significant.
In addition to Diction, Repetition throughout "Civil Peace" exhibits the impact of beliefs on
endeavors when Jonathan responds to the taking of his ex gratia. After thieves have left his home,
Jonathan confides to his neighbors about how his ex gratia had no value, and ends his sermon with
the infamous phrase, "Nothing puzzles God," (Achebe 5). Multiple times in "Civil Peace" Jonathan
ends his thoughts and sentences with

Chinua Achebe Essay
Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe is said to be "one of the most influential writers" of the century not only in Nigeria,
his homeland but also throughout the world (Albany). Chinua Achebe was born in Ogidi, Nigeria
on November 16, 1930. He was born a son of a Chrisitan Churchman, Isaiah Okafo and Janet N.
Achebe. Achebe was raised an Ibo Christian, which made him stand out among his fellow peers.
Achebe's lifestyle was different than that of other people living in his village because of his religious
background and upbringing. When Achebe was fourteen he began schooling at Government Albany
College in Umuahia for three years. He then attended the University of Ibadan from 1948 through
1953. Following his education at the University of...show more content...
The main character is a man named Okonkwo. Okonkwo is a very strong and well known man.
Okonkwo is driven by his desire to be a better man than his father was. Okonkwo is ashamed of
his father because he was a weak man with no accomplishments. The book describes the village
and the traditions of the people of the village. It describes in detail their religious beliefs. All
aspects of Ibo life are based on their religion. The conflict in the story arises when Christian
missionaries force their way into the Umofia and began to tear apart the lives of the Ibos. The
missionaries try to convert the Ibos into Christians and a western way of living. When some of the
Ibos change their lives to be like the missionaries', civil disagreements and hostility begin to occur.
The story is essentially a fictional tale about an event that really did occur in Nigeria. In this story,
Achebe is describing the western movement that Nigeria went through and is still dealing with today
through fictional characters.
Achebe wrote a follow–up story to Things Fall Apart called No Longer at Ease. No Longer at Ease
is about Okonkwo's grandson, Obi who is part of the "corrupted" generation of the Ibo people. Obi
is an educated Christian, who also participates in the traditions of the Ibo people. This has caused
him to be torn between the old and new ways of Africa and Nigeria. The

Social Changes in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe In the book Things Fall Apart, by Chinua
Achebe, we are able to read about the social changes the white missionaries had on an African
tribe. Mr. Achebe describes the way of life before the missionaries arrived and then records some
of the changes, which occurred due to the changed belief system introduced by these missionaries.
Soon after the missionaries began to teach the tribal people about the Christian faith, their tribal
customs began to be questioned. This caused a sense of unrest in the village. The missionaries were
trying to bring with them new ways of life, and mostly better ways of life. Mr.Achebe tries to show
us that the missionaries showed people who were hurt by...show more content...
. For example, there was a girl named Nneka who had given birth to several sets of twins. She left
them in the forest as she had been taught to do. Mr. Achebe writes, ?Nneka had had four previous
pregnancies and child–births. But each time she had borne twins they had been immediately
thrown away. Her husband and his family were already becoming highly critical of such a
woman and were not unduly perturbed when they found out she had fled to join the Christians. It
was a good riddance (pg.151). This shows us how Mr. Achebe understood what was happening
and wasn?t surprised when the women fled to the Christians. We can also see his knowledge of
this belief transformation happening in his village when he writes, "?and were not unduly
perturbed when they found out she had fled to join the Christians". This tells us that he didn't
really care about the people who left the tribe. He understood why they left but as he said, ?it was
a "good riddance". From our point of view we can understand why the people who were being
hurt by the tribes belief system fled from the tribe in search of a better life. They really had no
choice if they didn?t want to live in fear and superstition. There are many examples of people
getting hurt in the Ibo tribe, like when Ikemefuna, the young boy, was sacrificed after a women
from the Ibo tribe was murdered. Mr. Achebe records the incident, ?As the man who had cleared his
throat drew

Conflict In Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart
Brandon Rogers
Chinua Achebe's (1958) novel Things Fall Apart focuses on pre and post–colonial life in modern day
Nigeria during the late Nineteenth century. Things Fall Apart is seen today as the first globally
accepted novel written by an African author. That being said, Achebe's novel is extremely popular in
both African schools, and taught in English–speaking countries all around the world. This novel
follows the life and misfortunes of the main protagonist, Okonkwo. Throughout the novel, Chinua
Achebe (1958) does a great job of the rise and fall of Okonkwo and the Igbo culture.
Throughout the novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (1958) discusses the pattern of conflict
between traditional African values, as practiced by the Igbo society, and those of the...show more
content...
In my opinion, both the Igbo society and Okonkwo fell apart. This has a great deal to do with the
arrival of the Christian missionaries, whose goal was to get the Igbo people to abandon their
traditional values and practices in order to convert to Christianity. I also believe that the sense of
family in the Igbo society was destroyed due to the fact that some of the Igbo people actually did
convert to Christianity. The actions of the missionaries destroyed the most valued aspect of the
Igbo society, causing it to fall apart. In my opinion, I believe that things fell apart in this novel for
the worse. I say this because the Igbo society was invaded, and controlled by a foreign power
which condemned the traditional values of Igbo society. The ultimate example of how things fell
apart throughout this novel explained by the suicide of the protagonist Okonkwo. Upon seeing
Okonkwo's hanging body, Obierika stated ferociously "That man was one of the greatest men in
Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog..." (Achebe, 1958,

In Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart,the audience is introduced to the Ibo people of Africa
with the goal of better understanding their culture, so that the audience is more likely to accept them
and their culture. One important factor in understanding this culture is how they defined femininity
and masculinity. Throughout the novel, Chinua Achebe uses characterization, symbolism, and a
character foil help demonstrate how Okonkwo and traditional Umuofian culture define masculinity
as being strong, showing no emotions, and being superior to women,and femininity as being weak,
inferior, and being histrionic.
Chinua Achebe uses direct and indirect characterization to demonstrate how Okonkwo and
Umuofian society define femininity and masculinity. When on the journey to kill Ikemefuna, the
group of men talks about the "effeminate" men who refused to come and take part in Ikemefuna's
death (Achebe 58). This shows that the men believe that to be masculine, a man should be willing to
kill and not sympathetic to...show more content...
Unoka is Okonkwo's father, who is described as "a failure" (Achebe 5), whereas Okonkwo is
described as "one of the greatest men in Umuofia" (Achebe 208). So what made one man a failure
and the other so great? It's simple– Okonkwo succeeded in everything Umuofian society saw as
"manly,": having multiple wives, many titles, earning a high social standing in Umuofia, and being
wealthy enough to avoid borrowing from his fellow clansmen. In contrast, Unoka found peace
within and created happiness for himself, but only had one wife, no title, and borrowed too much to
ever pay back. This conveys to the audience that men were considered more masculine that more
wives they had, the more titles they had, and the wealthier they were. This also conveys to the
audience that these things were not considered feminine and were prohibited to the

The following quote is taken from Chinua Achebe's essay on The African Writer and the English
Language. The claim that Achebe goes on to make is that a language of the coloniser when imposed
on the colonised leads to the language being subject to changes and twisted and turned to suit the
particular ethnic group, state or nation. We see this evidently in particular texts such as the Riders to
the Sea, A Small lace and You Can't Get Lost in Cape Town.
When one looks at the text, Riders to the Sea, we see that language be it in any form is essential for
an ethnic group or civilisation. Also, as mentioned above in the introduction, a society's culture
would lead to affecting the language and the dialect. This influence only seems to be greater...show
more content...
We can see that through continual direct as well as indirect references to Judas betraying Jesus.
An effective means of communication in the novel is the use of first person narrative because of
the effect it creates on the reader. Throughout the text, one observes that the narration has been
arousing be it the cardboard which lie in the narrator's handbag or when the suffering of abortion
is being portrayed or the women on the bus, all of it has been shown in a graphic and visual
manner. When we look at what a large part of the text entails, it is the conversation between the
two women on the bus and this has almost no comments from the narrator. What is different about
Zoe Wicomb when compared to the other authors is that she has used English in order to draw a
bridge between the external events and her internal symbolism thereby enabling the readers to
recognise her driving force. Despite Cape Town being a part of the title, we see that Cape Town
itself has a very role. We see that she has a highly detached tone throughout the text, but despite that
we see that as we progress, her tone only becomes

Notion of Balance in Things Fall Apart by Achebe
The notion of balance in Achebe's novel is an important theme throughout the book. Beginning with
the excerpt from Yeats's poem, "The Second Coming," the concept of balance is stressed as
important, for without balance, order is lost. In the novel, there are many systems of balance which
the Ibo culture seems to depend upon. It is when these systems are upset that "things fall apart."
Okonkwo, the Ibo religion, and ultimately, the Ibos' autonomy were brought to their demise by an
extreme imbalance between their male and female aspects. These male and female aspects can be
generally be described as the external, physical strength of the male; and the internal, passive, and
nurturing...show more content...
Okonkwo is eventually defeated when he finds that his physical strength is not powerful enough to
overcome the white men, and, unable to accept this, he hangs himself. The Ibo Religion's Demise
The Ibo religion falls in much the same way. This religion is centered about the worship of male
gods and ancestors. The female god among these may be the Earth goddess, but Okonkwo
offends this goddess twice in the story to save his masculine image: once when he beats his wife
during the week of peace; the other when he strikes down his adopted son. The gods' functions
are mainly to help in war, and to aid the yearly yam crop, which is considered a man's crop. The
highest members in the religious organization are the most respected men in the society; during
ceremonies, they don costumes and play the role of the deceased ancestors. The primary influence
women have in this religion is in the role of the oracle, who is a woman, although she embodies a
male god. It is the women, also, who practice witchcraft, which is greatly feared in the tribes, but it
should be noted that even this is a passive force with only intangible connections to any physical
effects.
When the Christian religion is introduced, preaching universal acceptance, many members of the
clan who are dissatisfied with the Ibo religion are drawn toward it. Some of the title–less men
described as 'women' in the tribe are immediately drawn to it. Nwoye, who dislikes the practice

Civil Peace By Achebe
"Civil Peace," by Achebe is an example of literary fiction because it is a story written about how
life was after the nigerian war. It shows how life was through the citizens eyes and how they went
day by day, based on the protagonist Jonathan's point of view. The ending to this story would be a
happy ending because he believes in God having a bigger plan or everything being part of God's
plan. Although having lost almost everything including Jonathan losing his youngest son, he
manages to try and see thing positively by constantly saying, "nothing puzzles God." This story has
a happy ending because, although he was robbed out of his 20 pounds he still continues to live his
life as usual the next day repeating the saying "Nothing puzzles

Dead Man's Path by Chinua Achebe Essay
Dead Man's Path by Chinua Achebe A story about the clash of two sets of values
============================================= This story by Chinua Achebe presents
the conflict between world–views and value systems. Dead Man's Path is set in Nigeria in 1949. It
is on the subject of a man named Michael Obi who is the new, enthusiastic and wholehearted
headmaster of an underprivileged and disadvantaged school. This story explores the effects of
European customs and beliefs on traditional African culture. Michael Obi is the new headmaster of
Ndume Central School. The Mission authorities selected him for the job as they wanted a "young
and energetic man" to administer it. Michael is a married...show more content...
He believed that this way, all the teachers would put all their time work and energy in to their job
and not be distracted my other commitments and people. His wife Nancy was against this idea as
she wanted the teachers to be married so that other wives could "envy her position" and "she would
set the fashion in everything." This is a key example of Michael's wife's self–centredness. Michael
managed to transform the school gardens into a place of beauty. One day while he was admiring
his work, he saw an old woman walking along a disused path that ran through the school
compound. This annoyed Michael and he inquired one member of his staff about it. He found out
that this path is apparently very important and blessed as it connects the village shrine to the
cemetery. Michael was very selfless at this moment and decided to close down the path, as in a
few days a "white inspector" would be coming to visit the school. Michael felt that the school
couldn't be used as a 'through fare.' Soon the path was closed, and blocked of with barbed wire. A
few days later the village priest called upon the headmaster. The priest talked with Michael for a
while. He wanted Michael to reopen the path. You get the impression from the priest that he is a
very frail and elderly man who doesn't wish to start argument, but merely get his opinion and
thoughts across to Michael. The priest believed that the

EA 3.2
Literary Analysis: character analysis
Culture collision is not something that you hear about everyday. Culture collision is the clash of
cultures or values. This can be triggered by many things and the way we react to it is due to our
personality. When this does occur it can impact our lives in such a great way. It can have an affect
on who we are and what we stand for. In the novel "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe we take a
look at the character Okonkwo and see how he is affect by his Culture collision and see that his
personality is the the factor in the way he reacts to it.
We take a look at his personality and see that he had a warrior complex and machismo. For
example in the novel on page 158 paragraph six it says "let us not reason like cowards." His
warrior complex turns everything he does like a battle plan. He wants there to be a fight or else
they are not doing it right. Okonkwo's machismo makes everyone else who is not like him not a
man. In the book we see this on page 26 paragraph two "this meeting is for men." He did not want
to listen to the man because he was not well known like him and he did not have as many titles as
okonkwo did. Both of these traits aided in the way he responded to the new culture.
These personality traits caused him to be angry and disgusted with the new culture. We can see in
the novel on page 152 paragraph two it says " a sudden fury rose within him and he felt a strong
desire to take up his machete and wipe out the

People Fall Apart in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Karl Marx believed that all of history could be reduced to two tiny words: class struggle. In any
period of time a dominant class exploits a weaker class. Marx defines a dominant class as one who
owns or controls the means of production. The weaker class consists of those who don't. In Marx's
day, the age of Almighty Industry, the means of production werefactories. But as a literary theory
Marxism needs no factories to act as means of production. All that are needed are words,
specifically chosen to justify an Official View of a dominating class, in our case, in a society
guided by capitalism. This Official View is sometimes disguised as what we might otherwise call
...show more content...
Not only did Okonkwo achieve greatness in wrestling, he also achieved greatness off the field. His
life was almost like a ?rags to riches? tale. As Achebe explains on page 18,
?With a father like Unoka, Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men had. He
neither inherited a barn nor a title, nor even a young wife. But in spite of these disadvantages, he
had begun even in his father?s lifetime to lay the foundations of a prosperous future.? Hard work,
determination, a sense of personal responsibility to his growing family, all these played a part in
Okonkwo?s financial success, much like these same values would help an American in our capitalist
society.
Marxism, as an economic theory, is also concerned with capital. In Igbo culture capital was not
measured in dollars but in yams and cowries. Material possessions aside from land were scarce,
but there were possessions of a different sort. And it was these possessions, such as wives,
children, and most importantly titles, that gave men status in society. Those unable or unwilling to
conform to society in gaining possessions were cast out, and seen as failures. One such man was
Okonkwo?s father, Unoka, who ?had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt? up until he
died (8). It was this sort of man who Okonkwo swore never to become. ?Okonkwo was ruled by one
passion –– to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentleness
and another was idleness?

The importance of literary devices in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Good afternoon Mr
Wilson and fellow classmates. Today I will be discussing the utilisation of various literary devices to
globalise themes within Things Fall Apart. Achebe employs various themes within Things Fall Apart
to describe Okonkwo flaws and his struggle in Umofia however, how does Achebe link these themes
universally? Ostensibly, the novel seems to target a very specific audience: researchers who have
studied Nigerian culture, traditions and history. On the other hand, scrutinising the novel asserts the
book to be a salient record of various universal themes, human experiences and numerous struggles
that are relevant and relatable to a contemporary audience, regardless of whether or not they are
acquainted with Nigerian culture. Achebe's writing style created a novel with rich literary
techniques that are employed to a succinct manner. Things Fall Apart affirms to be greater than the
product of its literary devices and techniques. Achebe successfully employs syntax, different types of
imagery, diction, figurative language, repetition, and symbols to both enhance the novel and its
themes. I believe the novel's success lie in the intriguing themes which are maintain throughout time
and link to the modern world. The clashing of cultures, the struggle against change, and the hamartia
of Okonkwo are the main themes of which Achebe employs. To create a literary masterpiece, Achebe
explores these

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