Analysis Of Igbo Culture In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

“There is no future without a past, because what is to be cannot be imagined except as a form of repetition” (Hustvedt, 2011). Before the emergence of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Hugh Trevor-Roper had claimed that African history did not exist (Achebe, 1997). As such, Things Fall Apart was Achebe’s way of historicizing Africa, proving to Trevor that the history of Africa did exist even before the arrival of the Europeans. However, Joseph Conrad had already attempted to achieve the same feat in Heart of Darkness, which condemns the evils of imperial exploitation in Africa. That notwithstanding, Achebe in “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’” pinpointed how indiscriminately Conrad embedded his narrative in a yarn of racism that craftily reinforces a damaging ideology of Africa as “"the other world," the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization” (Achebe, 1997).

Achebe’s article professes that almost everything within Conrad’s novel is an act of pure racism. This, however, is not the case, as Conrad was just telling the truth of what occurred within Africa during the time of European colonization. Hugh Curtler refutes Achebe’s statements in his literary criticism “Political Correctness and the Attack on Great Literature”. This article takes a practical viewpoint about the book and stresses the point that Conrad was trying to explain the events that occurred during his time in Africa in a style of writing for the people at the time. Literary critics like Achebe label Conrad as complete racist, however, he is, in fact, the complete opposite as he utilizes this story as a way to paint a picture of the cruel actions that occurred at the time.

Things Falling Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel set in the 1800s reflecting the Igbo culture and how the African society used to be. This novel is based on the story of the character Okonkwo and how his actions represented the Nigerian society and its ethics. Achebe used the character of Obierika to demonstrate that rationality was not usually recognized by a society and the people in power were always the decision-makers. An Igbo society where irrationality, close-mindedness and one’s unwillingness to adapt, was a stark contrast created by the author when comparing Okonkwo to his best friend Obierika. This shows how we as humans never listen to the voice of reason and priority is always given to the ones holding a certain status in the society.

He claims that it is the desire “in Western psychology to set Africa up as a foil to Europe, as a place of negations at once remote and vaguely familiar, in comparison with Europe’s own state of spiritual grace will manifest (Achebe 1784).” Instead of viewing Africa as land with an equal value as Europe, many Western scholars including Conrad, especially in Heart of Darkness, either consciously or subconsciously project Africa to be some “other world” governed not by law and civilization but by barbarism, a world that needs guidance from the intelligent and refined Europeans. Conrad wrote, “going up that [Congo] river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world,”

S. Naipaul and J. M. Coetzee these Post-colonial writers have all dealt with Africa in their own individual and unique ways. Achebe does not treat the African culture and ways of life as something hybrid, complex, dependant for its significance on the Western style of perceiving things or neither has he shown Africa to be existing only in relation to its difference from or consonance with the Western form of religion, culture, identity, and discourse. The major theme of the novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ centers around the destruction of Africa’s intricate, almost incomprehensible but unique way of life and culture in the wake of British colonization and forced or maneuvered conversion to Christianity. The administrative as well as religious changes that the British tries to impose upon the native Africans has the disastrous effects of uprooting the indigenous people from their original root and tradition and can be seen as some instruments of subjugation, subordination and subservience which starts with creating distrust, doubts and insecurity in the minds of people for their Igbo tradition, and its cultural and religious practices and ends with making them internalize the Christian way of life and British administrative apparatuses. Another theme that is explored in this novel is the inherent fault of the central character Okonkwo, who is ambitious, industrious, honest, masculine but is rash, and unthinking and his sense of self and identity is wholly dependent on the approval of others in his community and he thinks of anything that intrudes into it as a threat and he tries hard to be a man though in a flawed manner.

Dubois had a complex political history that went through various mutations over his lifetime. Comparable to Williams, Dubois felt abolishing colonialism in all parts of the world was a movement towards democracy and towards the end of racism. However, Dubois’ views on Africa are paternalistic and elitist at best. For example, Brandon Kendhammer remarks Dubois is guilty of holding an essentialist view of the non-Western world. Dubois felt African development should solely rely on training African Americans in advisory positions to establish proper leadership.

Asagai is from the country of Nigeria and because of this he also has Nigerian culture. This very different black culture does not fit in with the black culture of south side Chicago and is even shamed by many such as George. Despite this Asagai confides in Beneatha about avoiding assimilation. Asagai represents the culture of blacks before their slavery in and oppression in America. Everything from his music and clothes that he gave to Beneatha to his attitude towards American black culture suggests that he disapproves of the new black culture he is engulfed in.

In which way these contrary aspects of Igbo culture have been presented by Achebe in his novel "Things Fall Apart?" Before, answering this, what are some essentials of Igbo culture which have been mentioned in this novel? Language Unlike English, lgbo language is based off of vocal pitches and inflections of sound. This means that the

We put pictures around Africa to show what it really looks like in real life, not the single story that a lot of people believe. You should look up what you have heard about something, someone, or some place and not assume that is true without knowing that it is. There shouldn’t be enough single stories to fill up the continent of Africa. Try not to believe a single story without attempting to prove it wrong. (Kaeli)

What is particularly interesting is that Conrad transformed a personal experience into a fiction of general historical and cultural significance. With little sense of strain, he moved from self to society; it was one of his eccentricities to mythologize an historical self, to place his own life at the heart of historical conflicts. (Ross) The ‘Heart of Darkness’ is representative of the African continent which is perceived to be at the centre of the Earth and that which was believed to be lagging in terms of progression and development. But by the end of the novella, readers question this notion: is it really Africa that is hidden away in darkness or the hearts of the brutal colonizers under whom the natives have suffered in their own land?

The beggar says that the Odysseus is the eagle that will come to kill all the “geese” or suitors and no one will “escape from death and doom” (193). Penelope still finds this hard to believe and decides to let Telemachus live a happy life with no worries by leaving him and marrying a suitor. She will hold a contest to and marry the suitor that will shoot an arrow through twelve iron axe heads. The beggar tells her that Odysseus “will be here before the suitors” and win the contest (193). Penelops is reluctant to believe this and cries herself to

Walker’s statement on the bottom of page 69 and the top of 70,”what now masquerades as World History is largely fictitious.” raises a serious topic that causes extremely heated debates. Agreeing with the statement, I understand that Walker wants the truth of Africa and its people to be heard and believed. European historians seized and intentionally manipulated history in order to create the idea of them being the founding fathers of the African civilization. When Europeans first began their journeys to Africa they were completely baffled in the discovering of something they were intimidated by. Africa was not a place that was meaningless and worthless, but instead to their surprise it was a place that was rich in culture.

The American and French Revolution were both inspired by a desire for democracy, yet each occurred under different historical circumstances. Both sides had different goals but they also had similar goals. The Americans had little say in the government and wanted that to change that. They also wanted to get rid of taxation without representation. The French also wanted the three classes to have more equality.