Amid life in Nigeria, “Every day is for the thief, but one day is for the owner”. The day to day life in Nigeria present grueling challenges, that hinges upon one 's safety. From the beginning of modern public administration in Nigeria, there have been numerous cases involving misuse of funding and resources. The government has many corrupt aspects, and stemming off of that is a community gone to the dogs. Throughout Teju Cole’s novel Every Day Is For The Thief, Humanities immoral acts stem from the needs of survival, exposed through characterization and irony. The author utilizes characterization to represent the people in the Nigerian society and what they experience in order to provide for their families. The theme is further developed …show more content…
Next, he finds the violence in Nigeria is a big problem. An 11 year old thief trying to take things in the marketplace is not shown mercy, for his punishment is death. "The splashing liquid is lighter than water... it drips off him... The whites of his eyes are as bright as lamps. The fire catches with a loud gust... The boy dances furiously but, hemmed down by the tire, quickly goes prone, and still... In a few days it will be as though nothing happened." Despite the fact that the boy was stealing, the punishment did not fit the crime. This characterizes the people in Lagos as cruel and unjust. Something that sticks out is when it says that it will be forgotten. The people show no mercy and do not think much of harm brought to others, causing a chain reaction within …show more content…
First, as he is returning to his homeland, after living in New York for 15 years. He was hoping to once again make a connection with his land and people. He soon finds out that America recreated him in many erratic ways. “I have, taken into myself some of the assumptions of life in a Western democracy — certain ideas about legality, for instance, certain expectations of due process — and in that sense I have returned a stranger”. He is appalled by the corruption that is around him from the start of his journey, such as getting his passport renewed at the Nigerian consulate in New York, and nervous of the threats of violence he is soon to encounter. This is ironic because he was once a man that lived within the corruption, and when he got reintroduced to it, he was shocked by how wrong it was. Secondly, The narrator realizes that even though the people are doing bad things to get what they want, it 's mainly because they have no opportunity to make real money due to the government. “The systems that could lift the majority out of poverty are undercut at every turn. Precisely because everyone takes a shortcut, nothing works and, for this reason, the only way to get anything done is to take another shortcut.” The higher up does what is easier for them to make money. This is ironic because they are doing what is best for their interesting,
As a victim of the violence, a young man who has lost his family he suffers more than simple physical pain, he feels the loss of home. The anguish of losing his family and home is compounded by the uncertainty each day brings. Although they attempt to find a safe haven, the boys know from bitter experience that no such place seems to exist in Sierra Leone.
In the essay, “A History of Violence”, the author Segun Akinsanya reveals information about his childhood explaining his troublesome life. He goes into detail on how he contributed to the downfall throughout his youth years. Segun was influenced by many factors that caused the negative outcome throughout his childhood, such as, the negative contributions from family, the instability of his child and teenage years, and his own struggle to find his identity of self-worth. Segun’s family played an immense part, they contributed to the negative actions throughout his life, he honestly didn’t have any family support or stability.
Jonathan Iwegbu, the main character in Chinua Achebe’s story “Civil Peace”, has his life destroyed by a civil war in his home country Nigeria. Despite this, he and his family work hard every day even though their life became difficult after the war. For example, one night while he and his family were sleeping, thieves showed up at his home demanding his money. Even after this, he and his family began working the next day as if nothing happened. According to the text, “At the first sign of light as neighbours and others assembled to commiserate with him he was already strapping his five-gallon demijohn to his bicycle carrier and his wife, sweating in the open fire, was turning over akara balls in a wide clay bowl of boiling oil.
“The bloom fell off the African rose fairly early.” This sentence, wounded my heart straightway, as I could not envision to see the kids suffering from the poverty. Many
This essay will evaluate the question `why did the differences between Northern and Southern Nigeria become so evident in the fifteen years following independence from British rule? ´. To answer to this question, this paper will investigate areas directly affected by both the coming of colonialism as well as its departure, such as politics and leadership, religious and ethnic differences as well as economic difference between these regions. Furthermore establishing a concrete overview as to how Nigeria was run under the British
The novel “things fall apart” is about the fatal demise of Okonkwo and the igbo culture of Umuofia. Okonkwo is well known and respected leader in his community, who is successful in everything he does, such as wrestling and farming. He is quick with his hands and takes pride in his accomplishments. Okonkwo’s family relationship makes him a sympathetic character because of his support and an unsympathetic character because of his cruelty. In many ways Okonkwo showed that he had no sympathy for others , However at times he could be sympathetic.
The novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, defines an important literary example of the historical conflict of European colonialism in Nigeria during the
MONEY AND SOCIAL POSITION DONT EQUAL HAPPINESS IN PURPLE HIBISCUS MAGAZINE ARTICLE I wrote this magazine article about the topic of money and happiness in the novel Purple Hibiscus for People´s Magazine in the states. It was written with a euphoric tone and hopes to address and adult audience interested in Nigerian literature. In my article I used direct language and formal expressions. I tried as well to use a sophisticated level of vocabulary with word choices like Nigerian words and names.
When it comes to traditions and customs people don’t question whether it’s morally correct or not, they just blindly follow it. Those who follow traditions survive and have comfortable lives but they lose their moral code. On the other hand, those who question it sacrifice themselves to maintain their pride and dignity. However both groups of people face positive or negative consequences. Two texts that convey this theme are The Crucible by Arthur Miller and “The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. LeGuin.
In Igbo and Hispanic culture there is a huge emphasis on family and community. In Hispanic culture family is incredibly important for example, Día de los Muertos is a cultural holiday in which families honor their relatives who have passed. This is comparable in Things Fall Apart by how there are large families through polyamory which is exemplified by Okonkwo having multiple wives, “…and had just married his third wife” (p 8). His family and many others in the Igbo culture is like Hispanic culture because it is a very family-oriented culture. Another similarity is that both cultures have rituals that are crucial to the community.
The tripartite novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, published in 1958 focuses on the changes taking place in Nigeria, as a result of colonization during the 20th century. Chinua Achebe’s pragmatics when writing the novel focused on changing the perspective of Western readers with regard to African society. He mainly wanted to falsify the assertions in books such as “Heart of Darkness” which he claimed gave people of African descent a dull personality. Social status is one of the novels’ main themes. Chinua Achebe successfully incorporates the importance of social status, giving readers the impression that for the Ibo society, social structure consists mainly of a hierarchy of both skill and strength.
The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe talks about the Igbo, an indigenous Nigerian people, and about a culture on the brink of change. Indeed, through the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo leader in the fictional Nigerian village of Umuofia, Achebe describes how the prospect and reality of change affect different characters. In the Igbo culture the family unit plays a fundamental role and the members of a family highly value the mutual respect for each other, a reverence for all past fathers, and unity. The father is considered not only as the head of the family and its provider, but the defender of its honor as well as the teacher of his sons.
Many foreigners want to come to America mostly in search of greener pastures and to further education. It was about seven-years ago when I stepped my feet on the soil of the United states of America, and I remembered vividly how it all started from a dream. I was born in the western part of Africa, in a country called Nigeria, the motherland with enormous beautiful colors and culture. I am from the hot and humid air of Benin, from dusty dirt roads and sweltering sun. I am from Nigeria, the giant of Africa, where I saw the monstrous faces of war.
The Dancer and The Thief by Antonio Skármeta is an attractive, energetic, and a genre-bending tale of crime and love. The book combined a series of crime melodrama, urban Western and social conscience drama. The story begins after General Augusta Pinochet was removed from the office. He was removed from his office for his evil acts to the people. Lots of people had arrested, died, and tortured during his regime.
The drama begins with the actor (Odarion also known as OD) giving an insight about his tragic death, preparing the audience for the devastation that lie ahead. It seems to be that gang relations are the only forms of social connectivity that we engage in. As a result, youth are the “hot topic”in headlines of the local newspaper – “ Nineteen Year Old Male Gun Down!”. No longer are we able to settle disputes as civilized individuals, but rather resort to violence. Violence and social decay have become realities on our Bahama island, where chaos and greed have consumed a generations people who have little hope left.