Essay On Obi Okonkwo's Downfall
Chinua Achebe makes, the protagonist, Obi Okonkwo responsible for his own (financial and moral) downfall, while making his circumstances and other characters the catalysts. The ‘how we got here’ structure of the novel, with the protagonist's introduction happening at the trial (the end of the timeline), intrigues the reader how Obi Okonkwo arrived at this moment. The reader is first introduced to Obi during his trial, where he is charged with corruption. Obi Okonkwo’s first portrayal is as a disappointment through the judge's statement of her incapability ‘to comprehend how… [Obi] could have done this’. A judge would normally have dealt with a lot of cases involving abysmal people. For a person with that kind of vast exposure not to be able to ‘comprehend’ Obi’s actions speaks a lot to the reader about the despicability of his moral downfall. This in turn shows the reader that Obi is the principal reason for his downfall. Furthermore, the reader’s curiosity of the events that led to Obi’s downfall is intrigued by Achebe’s use of repetition and juxtaposition. The …show more content…
The Umuofian people ‘clapped and cheered and danced’ when Obi arrived in his ‘pleasure-car’. Achebe uses ‘and’ twice rather than listing the verbs to emphasise the intensity and length of their celebrations. The word “unison” is also used to convey this mutual feeling. This paints an image in both Obi’s and the reader’s mind that he far superior in everyone’s eyes. This in turn explains his arrogant actions towards the Umuofia Progressive Union President, drastically increasing the gradient of his downfall as the people of Umuofia fueled his arrogance and made him feel second-to-none in every aspect. This shows the significant (yet, minute when compared to his actions) role that his countrymen played in his
Okonkwo A Hero Analysis
1319 Words | 6 PagesThink of the heroes we see in movies, the ones that save the world, who do nothing but good and for all the right reasons. Now, compare that to a tragic hero, which is defined as someone who falls due to their inevitable destruction of themselves. The only difference is their demise. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the author writes of Okonkwo, a man not good nor bad, but one who carries himself with arrogance and is rewarded with honor. Okonkwo that is, the main character in the novel, came from nothing and built his envied life out of spite and resentment.
How Is Okonkwo A Sympathetic Character
623 Words | 3 PagesThe novel “things fall apart” is about the fatal demise of Okonkwo and the igbo culture of Umuofia. Okonkwo is well known and respected leader in his community, who is successful in everything he does, such as wrestling and farming. He is quick with his hands and takes pride in his accomplishments. Okonkwo’s family relationship makes him a sympathetic character because of his support and an unsympathetic character because of his cruelty. In many ways Okonkwo showed that he had no sympathy for others , However at times he could be sympathetic.
Cultural Collision In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
855 Words | 4 PagesAlthough the cultural collision challenges both Okonkwo’s and Nwoye’s identity, Nwoye’s outcome is an example of being successful in cultural collision is being flexible and able to adjust to the opponent’s culture while Okonkwo’s outcome, suicide, shows resiting to a different culture can bring a catastrophe. Achebe’s two main character’s responses enhance the overall message of the novel by displaying how these main characters changed when two cultures collide one another. It is crucial to be open-minded and adjustable in cultural collision in order to be
Things Fall Apart Cultural Analysis
3073 Words | 13 PagesOne of the more unusual cultural aspects that is discussed in Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart is the existence of an ogbanje. According to a study of Igbo culture conducted by researcher Bertram I. N. Osuagwu, an ogbanje is “an evil spirt causing people to die suddenly” (Osuagwu 36). Some believe that the ogbanje are deities that enter the world and become human beings, but because of a promise that they made to the spirit world, they die early in their lives (Osuagwu 36). In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s wife Ekwefi believes that she has been cursed by an ogbanje because of the abnormally high mortality rate of her children. Early in the novel, Achebe describes the hardship that Ekwefi has endured, stating “Ekwefi had suffered a good
Summary: Okonkwo Falls Apart
1027 Words | 5 PagesOkonkwo Falls Apart Chinua Achebe offers a rare look at the natives perspective during colonialism in his work Things Fall Apart. The central struggle in the main character Okonkwo is that he is beginning to lose his way of life, and he is not able to do anything about it. Conflicts in religious beliefs with the arrival of the missionaries heightens Okonkwo 's internal aggression, and his inability to adapt leads to his downfall.
Things Fall Apart Okonkwo Analysis
755 Words | 4 PagesChina Achebe demonstrates the disrespect the Ibo men had for woman in Things Fall Apart by depicting verbal and physical abuse within the community. The men have control over a woman through power of authority. This physical and verbal abuse lets the men of the society feel empowerment over the woman. “ Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper” Achebe 12.
Annotated Bibliography Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe
1600 Words | 7 PagesTimothy Odusote Ms.Calo English 12 , Period 8 January, 29 2016 Annotated Bibliography: Things Fall Apart "Albert Chinualumogu Achebe; 16 November 1930. " Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web.
Okonkwo Tragic Hero Analysis
881 Words | 4 PagesThe post colonial novel, "Things fall apart" by Chinua Achebe depicts its protagonist Okonkwo as great person who falls into the world of chaos to find his own place through his strength and achievements. Okonkwo in few parts of novel touches the traces of epic hero while in other parts touches the tragic hero characteristics. However Okonkwo 's suicide in the end turns the table to reader to view him through different lens than epic hero or tragic hero. According to Aristotle in his poetics, the tragic hero is an intermediate person who is filled with tragic flaw(hubris /hamartia)
Compare And Contrast Okonkwo And Nwoye
1890 Words | 8 PagesOkonkwo uses these traits to differentiate from Unoka and he even feels most like himself when he exhibits violent behavior in order to assert his power and authority over others. Literary critic Christopher Ouma affirmed Okonkwo’s genuine intention to change how he is regarded in society.
Igbo Traditions In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
784 Words | 4 PagesAchebe has written the novel in the hope of providing the reader a deeper understanding of Igbo customs and removing the stereotyped view of African tribes shaped by Europeans. Even though Igbo cultures and traditions are civilized, Westerners in the novel view the Igbo as savages who are violent and kill people for no particular reasons. However, practically, when there is a conflict between Mbaino and Umuofia in Chapter 2, the villagers in the novel “would not go to war against it without first trying a peaceful settlement. (Achebe, 12)” This clearly suggests that the Igbo do negotiate first when there is a conflict between two groups and start a war only if the former does not work.
Okonkwo's Effects Of Colonization In Things Fall Apart
888 Words | 4 PagesColonization has an impact on an individual’s life and can either be positive or negative. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe uses Okonkwo, a tragic hero, to show loss of power and respect due to colonization and to exemplify change can be hard for people. Okonkwo’s identity is dependent on the Igbo Culture. At the beginning of the book, Okonkwo is seen as very strong. Also, Okonkwo only shows the emotion anger because he thinks that is the only emotion that men should show and every other emotion is feminine according to his standards.
Analysis Of Igbo Culture In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe
837 Words | 4 PagesAchebe’s goals for Things Fall Apart is to counter the single story and portray a more cultured and complex of Africa opposing westerners ideals with the inclusion of Igbo folktales, Igbo proverbs, and 3rd person narration. Igbo folktales are an important piece of what makes Igbo culture complex, and unique. One Igbo folktale from Chapter 11 tells the story of a greedy tortoise who wants to join some birds in the sky for a feast. He tricks them and tells them his name is “All of you” then the birds say the meal is for all of you the tortoise takes all the food. The bird then punishes him by taking his feathers to fly away, the tortoise tells the birds to deliver a message to his wife.
Okonkwo And Ezinma, An Unxpressed Love In Things Fall Apart
1346 Words | 6 PagesThe novel narrates the life of Okonkwo. The latter was very successful in everything he undertook. The opening lines of the novel clearly demonstrate his success. He had three wives and eight children. His life, however, starts to shatter little by little through a series of events, leading him to being exiled for seven years from his village.
Essay On Okonkwo
769 Words | 4 PagesOkonkwo In literature, there are many characters that stand out and show that they have a variety of qualities about them. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is one character that presents character traits from both the negative and positive sides of him. Okonkwo is portrayed to be a warrior who wanted to become somebody strong and looked up to, but also possesses less favorable qualities. He, however, does not let any one trait dictate his whole personality; he is written to be a well-rounded character.
Masculinity In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
1794 Words | 8 PagesThis affects and can also be seen as a reflection of Okonkwo’s other relationships between male characters, namely Unoka, Nwoye, and Ikemefuna. This essay will discuss how Achebe portrays masculinity in Things Fall Apart (Achebe, 1958), how the hyper-masculinized character, Okonkwo, receives and interacts with certain characters. I will also discuss how Okonkwo’s ridged patriarchal ideals of virility are counterintuitive with his actions and intentions of ensuring a masculine household. Okonkwo is a titled and successful warrior in his village, Umuofia. A great amount of respect is received by Okonkwo because his youth did not promise such a prosperous life, he had to work hard for his wealth and success.
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