Choices And Consequences In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
In the novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe has a prominent theme of choices and consequences. Throughout the novel, characters make choices that have consequence. The consequences could be the littlest thing or could change their entire life. Lawson Purdy once said “Men must try and try again. They must suffer the consequences of their own mistakes and learn by their own failures and their own successes.” Unoka, from the novel “Things Fall Apart”, was kind and loving. He loved to play music and sing and often brought joy into the village. Although he brought peace and beauty, He was lazy and a failure. Because of Unokas choice of laziness, he was very unsuccessful. Unoka was unable to obtain a successful harvest. Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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During this week, Okonkwos youngest wife went to get her hair braided. Unfortunately, she made the choice to get her hair braided without making dinner before. Stephen R. Covey once stated “While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” When Okonkwo realizes the dinners not ready and his youngest wife isn’t home, Okonkwo gets furious. When she got home, Okonkwo beat her very heavily (as her consequence), breaking the Week of Peace. The famous Confucius stated “When anger rises, think of the consequences.” Because of Okonkwos choice of beating his wife, the priest demands that he pays the consequences by sacrificing a nanny goat, a hen, and paying a fine. Reinhold Niebuhr once said “All human sin seems so much worse in its consequences than in its intentions.” In both the novel “Things Fall Apart” and real life we face choices and consequences. Sometimes we make choices that will benefit us and others around us but sometimes we make mistakes that can affect our whole entire life. Blaise Pascal says in “Pensées” “In each action we must look beyond the action at our past, present, and future state, and at others whom it affects, and see the relations of all those things. And then we shall be very cautious.” And maybe if we are very cautious, we will make the right choices and have fewer
During this week, Okonkwos youngest wife went to get her hair braided. Unfortunately, she made the choice to get her hair braided without making dinner before. Stephen R. Covey once stated “While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” When Okonkwo realizes the dinners not ready and his youngest wife isn’t home, Okonkwo gets furious. When she got home, Okonkwo beat her very heavily (as her consequence), breaking the Week of Peace. The famous Confucius stated “When anger rises, think of the consequences.” Because of Okonkwos choice of beating his wife, the priest demands that he pays the consequences by sacrificing a nanny goat, a hen, and paying a fine. Reinhold Niebuhr once said “All human sin seems so much worse in its consequences than in its intentions.” In both the novel “Things Fall Apart” and real life we face choices and consequences. Sometimes we make choices that will benefit us and others around us but sometimes we make mistakes that can affect our whole entire life. Blaise Pascal says in “Pensées” “In each action we must look beyond the action at our past, present, and future state, and at others whom it affects, and see the relations of all those things. And then we shall be very cautious.” And maybe if we are very cautious, we will make the right choices and have fewer