Things Fall Apart and European influence
Many times when reading a book one develops a one-sided view of the situation because of the way the characters are portrayed. Usually, the characters the author wants to portray as good are cast in a positive light, meaning that only the good things about them are included and, in most cases, the story is told from these characters' points of view. The characters the author wants to portray as bad are cast in a negative light meaning that only the bad things the characters do or participate in are included. It is on a rare occasion that an author manages to capture the many different aspects of their characters, allowing the reader to understand all sides of the story and to choose for themselves if they like or dislike the character(s). In the book Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe portrays both positive and negative aspects of Okonkwo and the Ibo culture to collectively form a neutral atmosphere, the reader does, however, develop sympathy and understanding for the Ibo culture because the book is written from their point of view; with the European culture, in spite of certain positive elements of their presence, one develops a very negative image of them as a result of their overall attitude towards and impact on the Ibo cul
Despite the book being from their point of view, the Ibo culture was portrayed neutrally, with both their negative and positive aspects revealed; however, the Europeans come across in a very negative way because of their attitude towards and actions against the Ibo. The Europeans established a place for themselves in the land where the Ibo lived and took over the Ibo. They forced the Ibo to adopt their government and introduced their own religious ways. Doing so took away the power and control the Ibo had and created a divide in what had been a strong community. They significantly altered a culture of people that had been surviving on its own, and didn't seem to care when they destroyed everything those people had faith in. They were on a mission to take control of the land these people inhabited and if it meant destroying those inhabitants, then so be it. In the eyes of the District Commissioner it made for an interesting book. One positive aspect of the Ibo culture is the strong community ties they share symbolized by the large village gatherings that are depicted from time to time in the book. In these gatherings everyone in the community is allowed to participate and anyone who wants to can share their views. The clan called a meeting after a woman from Umuofia was killed in a neighboring village, and when the leaders decided they should discuss the presence of the Europeans. They came together to make decisions on what the village's course of action should be. They also came together as a community to view wrestling matches and the trials of the egwugwu. These brought the people of the village together. In contrast, there are also many negative aspects of the Ibo culture and the main character Okonkwo. The traditions of the clan were often very brutal, such as the tradition of mutilating the fourth ogbanje (a child who repeatedly died and returned to its mother to be reborn) and casting the dead child into the evil forest, unburied. The Ibo also abandoned twins in the evil forest and left them to die, again unburied. Ibo warriors were expected to bring back the heads of men they'd killed, considered a sign of a brave man. The Ibo had designated outcasts in the society -osu- who were supposed to be dedicated to a god. They would not let an osu marry, and an osu had to live away from the village, and was not allowed to participate in any of the activities of the "free-born". The Oracle was
Some common words found in the essay are:
Yam Ibo, Okonkwo Ibo, Ekwefi Okonkwo, District Commissioner, Christianity Ibo, , Ibo Europeans, Brown Christian, James Smith, Christianity Okonkwo, ibo culture, positive elements, district commissioner, attitude towards, aspects ibo culture, christian missionaries, allowed participate, light meaning, wrestling matches, unburied ibo, mission control, mutilating fourth ogbanje, characters author portray,
Approximate Word count = 1639
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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