Africa Essay
Kelsey DeGreef - Editor
Cassidy Gallman- Evaluator
Katie Seidel - Knowledge
Stacie Ying-Application
Brandon Morris
Maxx Utter- Comprehension/Analysis
Topic Sentence:
Introduction:
During the late 1800’s many White missionaries voyaged into Africa in an effort to convert the native people to Christianity. In their attempt to enlighten the African people, these missionaries ended up completely disregarding the traditional African culture. They crippled the foundation of Africa’s tribal and cultural beliefs. Achebe demonstrates the results of these Western missionaries on a small village in Nigeria through his insightful novel, Things Fall Apart. Achebe presents Umofia, a traditional village in Western Africa, which falls victim to the influences of the Christian missionaries spreading the Gospel through their homeland. The challenges the village must face represent the struggles many other African people must endure as the White man invades his land in attempt to redeem the “broken” continent.
Thesis:
The native people must choose between remaining a member of their traditional culture or converting to the new Western individualist ideals. In the end, the importance of African communal values are understood, and it is realized that the only way to reconstruct Africa is by allowing them to regain their sense of community.
TS1:
Through Achebe’s novel, we are able to glimpse many of the central concepts and beliefs of the traditional African culture. * Communal values- Quote: "Each group there represents a debt to someone, and each stroke is one hundred cowries. You see, I owe that man a thousand cowries. But he has not come to wake me up in the morning for it" (7). Commentary: This quote from Unoka shows the traditional African culture of enjoying one’s life and the success of the community rather than working hard for individual success. Unoka’s character is as a person who knows himself and lives his life as he wants to live it. As a musician,
Cassidy Gallman- Evaluator
Katie Seidel - Knowledge
Stacie Ying-Application
Brandon Morris
Maxx Utter- Comprehension/Analysis
Topic Sentence:
Introduction:
During the late 1800’s many White missionaries voyaged into Africa in an effort to convert the native people to Christianity. In their attempt to enlighten the African people, these missionaries ended up completely disregarding the traditional African culture. They crippled the foundation of Africa’s tribal and cultural beliefs. Achebe demonstrates the results of these Western missionaries on a small village in Nigeria through his insightful novel, Things Fall Apart. Achebe presents Umofia, a traditional village in Western Africa, which falls victim to the influences of the Christian missionaries spreading the Gospel through their homeland. The challenges the village must face represent the struggles many other African people must endure as the White man invades his land in attempt to redeem the “broken” continent.
Thesis:
The native people must choose between remaining a member of their traditional culture or converting to the new Western individualist ideals. In the end, the importance of African communal values are understood, and it is realized that the only way to reconstruct Africa is by allowing them to regain their sense of community.
TS1:
Through Achebe’s novel, we are able to glimpse many of the central concepts and beliefs of the traditional African culture. * Communal values- Quote: "Each group there represents a debt to someone, and each stroke is one hundred cowries. You see, I owe that man a thousand cowries. But he has not come to wake me up in the morning for it" (7). Commentary: This quote from Unoka shows the traditional African culture of enjoying one’s life and the success of the community rather than working hard for individual success. Unoka’s character is as a person who knows himself and lives his life as he wants to live it. As a musician,