Things Fall Apart Essay

This man is a menace to his own family he is cruel and unfair to his son and daughters and actions like this make me want to believe that this man is a unsympathetic character in this story. Okonkwo went as far as to try and shoot one of his wives in the back, and he beats her for leaving his daughter with his other wife. Okonkwo believes that if you make the tiniest mistake that you should be beaten. As far as with his son the one he calls lazy and incompetent he would starve him for 3 weeks straight. For example “Okonkwo stood over him while he swallowed his yams trembling a few moments he went behind the hut and began to vomit painfully”.

(T.F.A Pg. 124). The way that the clan took about Okonkwo killing a clansman was different than how they took him beating his wife, Okonkwo didn’t get a big punishment for beating his wife like he did for killing a

Questions: 1.How does the British educational system impose white European values onto the Igbo people? In what ways, do the British seek to eradicate the indigenous cultural values of the Igbo tribe through education? 2.Why did the British government impose such absolute values in the quest to eradicate Igbo identity in the Nigerian colonies? 3.In what ways does the British government seek to sublimate Igbo identity by a focus on a “primitive state” in the Igbo tribe?

Achebe writes, “ Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 63). Many other members of the tribe would have let their son be killed because of the unwavering faith many have in their religion and the decisions of the elders. However, not many would do it themselves. This scene truly showcases Okonkwo’s fears.

Okonkwo’s values are restricted to physical strength, power, and prosperity, and when the Europeans suddenly arrive, the cultural convergence prompts Okonkwo to respond with even more violence. While the majority of his tribe, including his son Nwoye, is open to considering

Okonkwo knew that it was bad to kill someone from the village but he didn’t want to look weak. He knew that if he would of done it in front of his people they would of exiled him or killed him. Later on when he accidentally shot a guy and was exiled for seven years. Times were getting harder for him and his

Chapter 10: In chapter 10 of Things Fall Apart, the author had purpose in all text. The text supported the author’s purpose of being a female is difficult. Females had to deal with having their thoughts or opinions not important. “There were many women, but they looked on from the fringe like outsiders” (Achebe 87).

These people are the leaders of their country. On the map there are eight men and each of them represent their country, which is written next to them. They are all from Europe. During this time thirty percent of Africa’s population was being controlled by numerous countries (the ones on the map; France, Britain, Germany, etc…) Each Country had their own percentage of how much of Africa they owned.

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.

In the book “Things Fall Apart“ Okonkwo is a very strong man and from time to time he starts showing his true self. He has a lot of responsibilities and other things he has to do around the living environment and interact with lots of people. Okonkwo changes from being that strong man, to a man who feels like his tribe is not with him when he wants to go to war with the missionaries. For someone like Okonkwo a lot of people looks up to him and while in the tribe Okonkwo beats his wives and children. Not good behavior for someone who is supposedly looked at as strong.

After he decided to go out hunting, but before he stepped out he heard his second wife murmur something under her breath. This led Okonkwo's savageness to react in a way that almost killed her. He pointed a gun at her face, pulled the trigger but did hurt her. Days later when the wrestling matches were going on, Okonkwo's second wife has a conversation with Chielo, a woman that was sitting next to her watching the matches, about the incident that almost got her shot to death. This proves that it socially acceptable to physically abuse women with no

Should WCC students who are required to read Things Fall Apart for a course be alerted to potentially upsetting content, including racism, colonialism, religious persecution, violence, the killing of children, suicide, or something else not on this list? The purpose of this argumentative essay is to determine whether or not students should be warned when reading novels with graphic content such as stories by The Brothers Grimm and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I personally do not think it is a big issue because there are much more graphic events that occur in the world we live in. At the end of the day it is only a book I don’t believe that we should have to walk on eggshells to accommodate to people who may get triggered by a book. College is supposed to be an environment where people are faced with challenging topic that will better prepare then for the rest of their lives.

Okonkwo was a big supporter of physical and verbal abuse in his home, especially towards his wives and Nwoye. To Okonkwo, physical abuse was another language. This is how he spoke, and punished, on the occasion of the abuse, and how he had handled the situation. Women was treated poorly in Umuofia because men believe that they were weak and in inadequate. “ Even as a little boy Okonkwo had represented his father 's failure and weakness, and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was Agbala.

First, gender roles in a society have a huge cause and effect that affects the people in the society, in the novel things fall apart these roles greatly affect family life. An example of this is how Okonkwo, the main protagonist in things fall apart, leads his family. Okonkwo is very strict and expects his wives and children to obey his every command, this caused his young wives and children to be scared of him. “Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children”(13).

In the Ibo hierarchal society, women are the subject of unequal treatment and patronization. They are considered weak and are not given any power. As the novel, Things Fall Apart unravels, the author, Chinua Achebe reveals the distinct attributes of femininity. Feminine traits are also viewed with disdain in Umuofian society, especially by the protagonist of the novel, Okonkwo. His past experiences shape his disposition and give rise to his stereotypical mentality; however, several events contradict the prevalent perspective of women, leading to Okonkwo facing conflicts within himself.