Robbie Jones Ms. Cheney English 1 Honors Period 1 22 May 2012 Tragic Character and Plot in Things Fall Apart Despite being written in 1959 and set in Nigeria‚ Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe reads much like a Greek tragedy. AmidstPrinciples from Aristotle’s theory of tragedy in the Poetics are evident throughout the novel‚ and contribute to the development of the protagonist and the incidents of the plot. Amid the images of slaves‚ missionaries‚ and western colonialism‚ Achebe uses these
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Okonkwo as a sympathetic protagonist in Things Fall Apart "Okonkwo’s machete descended twice and the man’s head lay beside his uniformed body" (146). Okonkwo‚ the son of the effeminate and lazy Unoka‚ strives to make his way in a world that seems to value manliness. In so doing‚ he rejects everything for which he believes his father stood. Unoka was idle‚ poor‚ profligate‚ cowardly‚ gentle‚ and interested in music and conversation. Okonkwo consciously adopts opposite ideals and becomes productive
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There are numerous things that cause Okonkwo’s downfall‚ depending on one’s viewpoint and beliefs. Overall‚ Okonkwo’s fear of being weak‚ of being like his father or thought of this way‚ leads to his downfall. This causes him to constantly wish to project a strong solid image and never be weak. Okonkwo is rash‚ and intemperate‚ which may have caused him to offend the gods‚ who might have correspondingly punished him. On several occasions might Okonkwo have offended the gods: 1. Beating Ojiugo
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In Things Fall Apart‚ the lives of the tribal Umuofians seem distorted to European Christian missionaries. These missionaries came into the Umuofians lives‚ bringing the traditions and customs much different to their own; such as laws and religion. The missionaries planned to forcefully spread Christianity amongst the society‚ oblivious to the violence that would follow. The Christians also came into the Igbo culture‚ adding a hospital‚ school‚ and a new religion for some Umuofians. Although the
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responses of communities towards gender violence. Chinua Achebe explores many facets of Igbo culture through the life of Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s family life demonstrates the societal norms of gender roles and beliefs in their culture. In Achebe’s novel‚ Things Fall Apart‚ the Igbo socially degrade women by economically and culturally leaving them dependent on their husbands‚ while Indian culture regards domestic violence as an imbalance of the pure and impure specifically in relation to gender‚ revealing the
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Notion of Balance in Things Fall Apart The notion of balance in Achebe’s novel is an important theme throughout the book. Beginning with the excerpt from Yeats’s poem‚ "The Second Coming‚" the concept of balance is stressed as important‚ for without balance‚ order is lost. In the novel‚ there are many systems of balance which the Ibo culture seems to depend upon. It is when these systems are upset that "things fall apart." Okonkwo‚ the Ibo religion‚ and ultimately‚ the Ibos’ autonomy were brought
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pride is commonly used as an excuse for actions. Many people fear that relying on others makes them appear weak. Whereas a person’s pride can help them to achieve greater things‚ excessive pride leads to downfall and tragedy‚ since it can cloud their judgment. Chinua Achebe highlights this idea in his novel Things Fall Apart as he describes the death of two crucial characters caused by the pride of a single man. Achebe uses the death of Ikemefuna to illustrate how Okonkwo’s pride clouds his judgment
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Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart exemplifies two sharply contrasting sides of the impact that religion can have on a society‚ being its ability to unify and segregate the people of a community. In the book’s first part‚ religion acts as the glue holding together the structure of Ibo society: it is the basis that helps to found the society’s rituals‚ moral code‚ and gender roles. Religion’s position as the leading authority in the tribe also helps to communicate a major theme in the book: the idea
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Fate vs. Free will Do you believe in prophecies and omens? Do you believe they foreshadow and influence your fate and destiny? In William Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar" two important forces‚ fate and free will‚ compete to influence many of the main characters lives. In the play fate is shown by the prophecies and omens that take place‚ and free will is the characters attempts to overcome and rule their own fate and destiny. Although there are several characters that are in the hands of these
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belittling‚ and simply unjust. In Antigone and Things Fall Apart‚ a Greek play by Sophocles and a novel by Chinua Achebe‚ respectively‚ the discussion of women in their individual societies goes to show the fact that they have been and continue to be consistently oppressed‚ despite the significant time and culture difference. Little progression towards equality is made within or between the two. The role of women in both Antigone and Things Fall Apart are different‚ yet circle back to the overarching
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