When England sent colonizers and missionaries to Africa, it had great affect on African tribal life, and on Chinua Achebe. Achebe became slightly interested in British culture, and began reading English writings; only to be disgusted with the message British authors were trying to get across. Achebe learned that English authors saw Africans as "inhumane savages" that needed to be saved (Carroll 68.) Angry with the English writings, Achebe decided to answer back by writing his first novel, Things Fall Apart, in 1958, to counteract the distortions of English literature about Africa. In Things Fall Apart, Ache

As British influence on Nigeria grew, Achebe noticed the persistence of political corruption. In the novel, A Man of the People, Achebe casts a critical eye on African politics. The narrator of the story is Odili, a schoolteacher; the object of his scrutiny is Chief the Honorable M.A. Nanga, a member of Parliament. Nanga is a popular politician who has risen to the post of Minister of Culture in his West African homeland. At first, Odili is charmed by Nanga, but he eventually recognizes the extent of Nanga's abuses and decides to oppose the minister in an election when Nanga seduces Odili's girlfriend. Odili is beaten, both physically and politically, his appeal to the people heard but ignored (Abraham 48.) Despite his victory, Nanga, along with the rest of the government, is ousted by a military coup. Strangely soon after the novel was published in 1966, Nigeria itself was racked by a military coup d' etat led by young Igbo officers, and within six months, a second coup led by non-Igbo officers took power. In A Man of the People, Chinua Achebe tried to display how corrupt politics could ruin the African society that has been invaded by a wide range of values. He felt that the "new" values have destroyed the traditional balance between the material and spiritual spheres of life (Abraham 48.) In the novel, he showed how these new values have corrupted the mind of Africans and tried to paint a picture to what was going to happen next to his homeland, if this way of life went on, for he felt his people's growing inferiority complex and the leaders' disregard for the truth, would ruin his society.

Overall the works of Chinua Achebe played an enormous role not only in the lives of Africans, but the lives of human beings worldwide. His inspirational messages were not only insightful to African society but to all other countries that faced colonialism. One person who benefited greatly from Chinua Achebe's messages was reggae musician Bob Marley. Marley wrote and sang many songs that dealt with colonialism in Jamaica, using Achebe as a guiding force. Songs such as "Get up, Stand up," and "Redemption Song" were a few of his songs that portrayed the changing Jamaican society due to outside British influences. Chinua Achebe's works gave people a different, yet more realistic view of life than what they read from European authors. Whether it was religion, politics, poverty, or even the role of women, Chinua Achebe pointed out the flaws in the world and wasn't afraid to write about them, which gave hope to oppressed people around the world.

When the military coup took power in Nigeria in 1966, Achebe feared the worst was ready to come to his homeland. Ethnic rivalries intensified and thousands of Igbos were killed or driven out of the north. In May 1967, the eastern region seceded as the new nation of Biafra. From then on, until the defeat of Biafra in January 1970, a bloo

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Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)