Things Fall Apart

A detailed Summary of Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe wrote the novel, Things Fall Apart, which is a great piece of African literature that deals with the Ibo culture, society, and history. One place where the Ibo religion is practiced is in the village of Umuofia in Africa, where the story takes place. On the other hand, Christianity is a very common religion that is practiced all over the world. Although Christianity and Ibo are both types of religions, they have many differences. One way the religions are different is the Ibo practice polytheism and Christians practice monotheism. A second difference is the Ibo believe in animate Gods unlike Christians who believe in an inanimate God. Another contrast is the Ibo practice polygamy unlike the Christians who practice monogamy. A final contrast is the afterlives of the two religions.

First of all, the Ibo practice polytheism and Christians practice monotheism. Polytheism is the belief in more than one God, and monotheism is the belief in one God. Christians believe in one supreme creator of the heavens and the earth, who is called God. In contrast, the Ibo have various gods who they worship. The conversation between Mr. Brown, a Christian missionary in the village of Umuofia, and Akunna, a member of Umuofia, explains th

Another god, besides carved wood, that the Ibo worship is the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves. The Ibo believe they must do whatever the Oracle of the Hills and Caves says or they will be punished. An example of this is when the Oracle of the Hills and Caves pronounces that Ikemefuna, the boy living with Okonkwo, be killed. Since the Oracle of the Hills and Caves had said it must be done, the men of Umuofia took the boy outside the village and killed him. (57). Another god the Ibo worship is the snake, which is called the sacred python. When the Christian missionaries came to the village, the son of the snake-priest was said to have "killed and eaten the sacred python." (185). Enoch, the son of the snake-priest, ate the sacred python when he converted to Christianity. In addition, the Ibo believe each person has a chi, which is a personal god. When Okonkwo is exiled to his mother's homeland, he thought that his chi was not made for great things. The belief was that "a man co!

In conclusion, Things Fall Apart is a very good novel and portrays social, cultural, and religious aspects of Africa. Christianity and Ibo are both types of religions, but they are practiced in very different ways. One difference is the Ibo practice polytheism, or they believe in more than one god, and Christians practice monotheism, which is the belief in one God. A second difference is the Ibo worship animate gods, unlike Christians who worship one inanimate God. In addition, the Ibo practice polygamy, which is having more than o

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Approximate Word count = 1022
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous