Things Fall Apart

Think of the heroes we see in movies, the ones that save the world, who do nothing but good and for all the right reasons. Now, compare that to a tragic hero, which is defined as someone who falls due to their inevitable destruction of themselves. The only difference is their demise. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the author writes of Okonkwo, a man not good nor bad, but one who carries himself with arrogance and is rewarded with honor. Okonkwo that is, the main character in the novel, came from nothing and built his envied life out of spite and resentment.

The reason Chinua Achebe chooses to allude to the plagues of Egypt in chapter seven is to not only foreshadow the arrival of the Missionaries being like a plague, but she also uses the allusion to tie Ikemefuna’s death to the tenth plague of Egypt, the death of the firstborn. After the Oracle has decided that it is time to sacrifice Ikemefuna, an elder from the village tells Okonkwo, “That boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death” (57). Ikemefuna, who was a sacrifice given to Umuofia by their neighbors to avoid war, plays a big role in Achebe’s usage of biblical allusions in chapter seven especially when it came to Okonkwo playing a role in the sacrifice. Ikemefuna was sent to live with Okonkwo and his family until it was his time to be sacrificed, which ended up being three years, and by the time the oracle decided it was Ikemefuna’s time, Okonkwo and Ikemefuna had developed a father-son relationship.

Things Fall Apart Everyone has its own unique perspective on certain things. In doing so, one must interact or collide with another throughout life. In Things Fall Apart, the author, Chinua Achebe, attempts to communicate the concept of cultural collision while depicting the life of the Igbo tribe. He creates two main characters with contradicting characteristics and responses to a cultural collision in order to strengthen the theme:

In chapter 11 of Things Fall Apart, the author used a lot of figurative language. At the start of chapter 11, Achebe uses a hyperbole to exaggerate a meaning. “One could not have known where one’s mouth was in the darkness of that night” (95). This quote shows the importance of the absolute darkness and how it exaggerates how someone won’t know where there mouth is because it is difficult to see in the dark. In the quote, “Her heart jumped painfully with her” (Achebe 100), this is a use of personification.

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.

Everyone as a human being has experienced some form of change in our life, big or small, and it has a lasting effect on who they are and how they act. In Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’, change is a forward facing theme of the whole story, we see change in all forms occur throughout the book; the arrival of the white men and their changing of the igbo culture, the tearing apart of Okonkwo’s family by religion and traditions, and the change that occurs within Okonkwo himself when he realizes he cannot prevent change from happening in the community and culture he loved. Change is destructive in ‘Things Fall Apart’, especially to such a magnitude as we see in the story, it is destructive to communities, to families, and especially to individuals.

China Achebe demonstrates the disrespect the Ibo men had for woman in Things Fall Apart by depicting verbal and physical abuse within the community. The men have control over a woman through power of authority. This physical and verbal abuse lets the men of the society feel empowerment over the woman. “ Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper” Achebe 12.

Tragedy is the most refined version of poetry as it deals with lofty matters. And it is the ultimate form of our innate delight in imitation. It is in the form of dramatic and tragedy is not to tell but to show or perform. According to Aristotle “Tragedy is an action that is serious attention, complete in itself, and of some magnitude; in language enriched by a variety of artistic devices appropriate to the several parts of the play; presented in the form of action, not narration; through pity and fear bringing about the catharsis of such emotions” (Poetics, chapter.6). The novel “Things Fall Apart” resembles Aristotle 's idea of a tragic hero because the main protagonist, Okonkwo, meets all of Aristotle’s criteria of a tragic hero by being a perfect man in his society until he makes a mistake and is exiled for it only to return seven years later to find his village completely changed and his life goal thus meaningless.

“Things Fall Apart”, a novel written by Chinua Achebe about Africa through the character Okonkwo, a man who Achebe uses to illustrate the complexity Igbo culture, contrary to what the Europeans portrayed Africa as. One main focus of the book is to counter the single story, which is the idea that an area is represented by one story, similar to a stereotype. However, differing from a stereotype a single story often completely misrepresents something, and in this case Africa. Europeans had been the only ones writing about Africa, describing all the culture as problematic for being different, rather than looking at what African culture really is. Achebe was one of the first to write about African culture for westerners to read about, making Things Fall Apart a true innovation in writing.

The theme of “Things Fall Apart” can be tied to our society by saying the we can 't let cultures from all around the world clash like we do. We need to respect all the other cultures and give them a chance. We can 't all be like the british and just force our beliefs onto others. People will believe what they want to, unless you are like most of the villages like Umuofia.

Clinging to tradition and religious faith comes to be nearly impossible for African clans. Throughout the novel, Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe the main character Okonkwo and his fatherland Umoufia strives to keep their clan as one. When Christian missionaries come to propose a takeover, the villagers of Umoufia dispute their capabilities to be able to stop the spread of Christianity. The villager 's actions begin to demonstrate that change is inevitable.

Things Fall Apart, a book written by the author Chinua Achebe is a story filled with amazing culture. It is about the rise and downfall of the main character, Okonkwo. The book had many different aspects of the African culture and the different time period. For example, characters and their importance throughout the story, and how women were treated in this culture and time period. Topics from religion, family, and the social complexity were very much involved throughout the entire book and portrayed by many of the characters.

The story “Things Fall Apart” tells about a young man named Okonkwo who had personal achievements. Okonkwo was a young man of his village and brought great honor to his village by throwing Amalize the great cat, which was a great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten , from Umuofia to Mbaino. Amalinze was called the “cat” because his back never touched the grown. Unoka which is Okonkwo’s father died ten years ago page 4 says that in his day he was lazy and improvident.

This written task encompasses the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I will use a dialogue to showcase the conversation between the characters Nwoye and Mr. Kiaga (translator of the white men). The dialogue takes place at the end of Chapter seventeen, where Nwoye tells Mr. Kiaga that he decides to join the Christian school. The dialogue is most appropriate to take place here because Nwoye is no longer afraid that his father will find out like before. Instead, he turns to Christianity as a way to rebel against his father.

Contrast Essay In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe there remains a central plot of son and father conflict. The son Nwoye is in deep conflict with his father. And he is dramatically changed by the influence of Western ideas.