Preview

Kinship In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
288 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Kinship In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe in his fiction novel, Things Fall Apart, highlights the importance of kinship and respect as he details Ibo festivities. To highlight these important factors that hold the Ibo people together, Achebe provides details and proverbs that are communication through the main character, Okonkwo.
As Okonkwo holds a feast and invites his fellow kinsmen to celebrate with him, Achebe explains the reason why kinship is necessary. When Okonkwo states that “[He] cannot continue to live on the bank of a river and wash [his] hands with spittle,” he explains the important of festivities. Which are meant to bring people together. The purpose of the celebration was to bring the entire village together; thus promoting unity and peace amongst the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the novel, "All Things Fall Apart" Achebe used siginifcant sayings in chapters 1-3 that were called proverbs. The proverb that stood out most to me is located in chapter 3. The wise saying was used while Okonkwo was asking Nwakibie for help with yams. He contines with saying that he knew how it is to trust young men these days with yams especially when they are afraid of work. Then he says that he is not afraid and brings the proverb in to make a point; "The lizard that jumped from high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did ". Meaning that when a person encounter accomplishments and no one appreciates it thst person appreciates their accomplishments and praise himself or herslef.Okonkwo is praising himself…

    • 265 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is the story of an Ibo tribe before and during the arrival of white missionaries. The main character, Okonkwo, is a highly respected man within his society who slowly falls in esteem as the story goes on. He involves himself in more and more conflicts with the people around him, including an ongoing battle of impossibly high standards for his son Nwoye, who decides to leave his family in the end for the Anglican Church. The warrior archetype Okonkwo is too rooted in his ways to survive marginalization, but his son Nwoye understands his only choice and resolves the doomed father-son conflict by abandoning his own culture.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When he came back from his exile, he noticed that his own brothers already had different thoughts about their customs and said they must fight for their land and for their religion. Okonkwo refuses any changes, and began to speak out to defend his motherland. He said, “Until the abominable gang was chased out of the village with whips there would be no peace (158),” the division was so marked that many others did not agree with his point of view, but he remarked, “ 'If a man comes into my hut and defecates on the floor, what do I do? Do I shut my eyes? No! (158).' ” Okonkwo was trying to convince the clans to fight, fight and fight for their customs. Obierika told him, “our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad, (176)” that white man was very intelligent, because he came peacefully and quietly, but then, “he has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” (176) White man had achieved his gold by dividing Igbo society. They knew that by doing so the Igbo could not stand together to fight and defend their way of…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Okonkwo is in a clan called Umuofia. One night the town crier rung the gong to announce someone in the town of Mbaino murdered the wife of a Umuofia tribesman. Okonkwo travels to Mbaino to deliver the message that they must give Umuofia a woman and a young boy. In case they refuse to do so, Okonkwo is chosen to represent his clan, because he’s the fiercest warrior of them all. On this trip, you see a lot of the clan’s commitment to their culture which is known for its harmonious relations. For example, when Unoka’s neighbor went to collect debt, he before shared a cup of palm-wine and some kola nuts. This released any possible tension and put emphasis on the common interests and culture they split. This civilization would soon be divided by the white men that came to spread Christianity in the nigerian community. Okonkwo finds these men very shrewd and can’t believe his men did not drive them out yet. And many people like them, they’re setting up trading posts and money is flowing throughout their village. Okonkwo and his new friend Enoch, love their clan how it is now and want to respond to the Christians in a violent manner. Okonkwo sets out alone, to kill some of the Christians and didn’t get the response he was hoping for. The District Commissioner tries to find Okonkwo after that and he soon finds that he hung himself. The reason for Okonkwo killing himself is, he could not submit to a new life where he felt at odds. I assume he felt lonely and his suicide is how he is telling people they need to listen. This is the worst case scenario on how to deal with change, but it happens all around the…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Things Fall Apart illustrates the beauty and fragile nature of the Igbo clan, and the tragic downfall of their entire culture. The title, Things Fall Apart, has a deep meaning that brings the unfortunate situation of Umuofia to light. The Second Coming, and Things Fall Apart, have striking similarities in their themes, and the ideas present in both of the pieces, making them seem as if they are written by the same person, or are somehow connected. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe chose the title of his book to illustrate the tragedy of losing a culture to the destruction of evil.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the Ibo culture is depicted as a civilized society…

    • 859 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Religion is threatened, Umuofia loses its self-determination, and the very centers of tribal life are threatened. These events are all the more painful for the reader because so much time has been spent in sympathetic description of Igbo life; the reader realizes that he has been learning about a way of life that no longer exists. Greatness and ambition Okonkwo is determined to be a lord of his clan. He rises from humble beginnings to a position of leadership, and he is a wealthy man.…

    • 3934 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Okonkwo's Obstacles

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The theme is developed by highlighting the main reason of Okonkwo’s downfall. Achebe acknowledges, “And indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death” (Achebe 18). This displays and explains how Okonkwo tried to change who he was to never be like his father but it ended up tearing him apart. Ultimately his obstacles resulted in his destruction rather than making him stronger.…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Research Paper

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel about the colonization of an African culture. Also, the novel is about a tribesman named Okonkwo who lives in an African village called Umuofia which undergoes the drastic changes of colonization. In Things Fall Apart there is an overwhelming amount of masculinity in the culture of Umuofia and clan life in general. However, there is also a balance between masculinity and femininity in certain aspects of their culture and life. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe the careful balance of masculine roles and feminine roles in society are shown by the point of view in the novel.…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Chinua Achebe. This novel explains how imperialism affects a country. It also helps the reader visualize the drastic changes the Igbo culture had to experience when another country decided to expand their reign into Umuofia and the surroundings clans. Characteristics such as Okonkwo, who was the fearless leader of Umuofia, were immensely afflicted. After all, Things Fall Apart is a work about loss of culture and tradition.…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This is especially evident during the incident when he tried to shoot Ekwefi and misses. Okonkwo is cowardly in the fact that he killed Ikemefuna primarily because of his fear of reputation and weak appearances. His actions damage his relationship with Nwoye, who prefers women’s stories to his father’s violent war stories, and he also damages Nwoye’s faith to Igbo society. The early chapters also foreshadow Ikemefuna’s death and the destruction European colonialism will bring to the Igbo. The “distant beating of drums” continues to beat in the heat of the festival and the people’s excitement.…

    • 1253 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Okonkwo Exile

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel about the life of the Ibo tribe in Nigeria during the 19th century. In the passage, the protagonist, Okonkwo, is afraid to be seen as weak and attends the funeral of Ezeudu, an aged man who achieved three titles. Unfortunately, Okonkwo is exiled from the city of Umuofia for inadvertently shooting Ezeudu’s son at the funeral. Achebe uses the banishment of Okonkwo to show the Ibo tribe’s compliance to the Earth goddess and Obierika’s perspective of Earth goddess to carefully reveal Ibo tribes are conforming to their unjust Earth goddess because they believe she will give calamity to the entire Ibo tribes when one denies her will.…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe discusses the rise of an Igbo chieftain who came from great poverty to power and the eventual loss of Igbo traditions, rites, and the influence of his clan through his eyes due to western imperialism and colonialism. The intended audience for this novel is very broad, but if we tried to define it would primarily be people who have not experienced the Igbo culture and westerners or people who speak English. In this essay I will be focusing on the last six chapters: chapters 20 to 25. These chapters highlight the loss of power and customs of the Igbo people who have succumb to colonial rule. I fell Achebe is rhetorically effective and uses all three rhetorical skills (Ethos, Pathos and Logos) because he uses credibility of himself being an Igbo and the character of Okonkwo, as well as emotion by using through fictional characters as a medium, and Logic/facts by describing people’s decisions and the facts behind them.…

    • 1425 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Change can be looked on in different ways. It can be seen as undermining to what is already established. However, it can also be seen as progressive or the path of the future. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe these views are shown. The negative view is seen by characters like Okonkwo, where the establishments being undermined are the huts or the overall way of life. The positive view is seen by characters like Nwoye, where he is drawn by the acceptance of Christianity. Either way change is definite due to the Europeans’ forcefulness and will affect the Ibo’s structure immensely. Achebe develops the Ibo’s depth to prove that change within a culture can be a necessity, while not always a desire.…

    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” is the story of the Igbo culture on the verge of a revolution; it shows the collision of the Igbo people’s traditional way of life and the “winds of change” that are introduced by British colonials who have recently moved to their region. Within all of the confusion and discomfort throughout the Igbo people who are unsure of how to react to these new cultural practices and beliefs, is one of the main characters, Okonknwo, whose soul possesses so much discontent with this idea of change, that he reacts in a harsh and violent manner in order to resist the conversion of culture, and to further prove that the traditional ways of the Igbo people were what has since established him as being a “real man”, and also because he is afraid of losing his supreme status within society. Okonkwo’s refusal to accept the colonial’s new way of life reflects upon the idea that internally Okonkwo is afraid of losing the power in which he had once possessed, and deals with the fact that his personal ego acts as a deterrent for the “winds of change” upon the Igbo’s cultural life throughout the novel.…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays