Essay On Okonkwo
Okonkwo 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. Okonkwo has traits that present him as both a strong character and a weak one, and they all play a part in defining who Okonkwo really is. The first example of Okonkwo’s character traits is one of his strengths. Okonkwo is a man who is looked up to by a large amount of other warriors. Although he …show more content…
He shows that he was extremely pleased with his daughter, Ezinma, several times throughout the novel. He thinks a lot of the young lady… much more than he does his sons, which he labels as disappointments. Sometimes a rare, affectionate side of him even shines through when he is addressing Ezinma. Okonkwo is proud of his daughter and who she is becoming, for he even says, “If Ezinma had been a boy I would have been happier. She has the right spirit”(50). Out of all of his children, at least he takes much pride in one of them; that’s something that he never gets himself from his father while he grows up. In contrast to this softer behavior, Okonkwo is also a strong man. He is one of the greatest wrestlers in all of the villages when it comes to his physical strength. Not only that, he is mentally strong as well. He is able to do things that most men believe to be unthinkable; he displays all of the characteristics needed in an ideal warrior. Okonkwo can have pride in the important aspects of his life, such as Ezinma, and also be strong and prepared to fight when
Pride In Things Fall Apart
1119 Words | 5 PagesOkonkwo is the protagonist, so it makes sense for him to demonstrate a lot of pride which he undeniably does. Okonkwo is constantly bragging and boastful talking about how many men he or Umuofia has killed and is constantly scared to be perceived as weak. An early example of this is in chapter 7 when Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna. He is advised by his elders not to go and just stay at home. But Okonkwo goes anyway, which leads to him killing Ikemefuna because "He was afraid of being thought weak.
Okonkwo Dialectical Journal
387 Words | 2 PagesPrompt 2 Okonkwo is driven by his hatred of his father and the fear he will become like him. Okonkwo saw his father, Unoka, as a coward and is ashamed to be his son. Everything that Okonkwo does is meant to set him apart from the legacy of his father. First, this is evident in his beating of his wives and even his aggression with his children. He is trying to show his strength and ensure he is not portrayed to be like his father: powerless and incapable.
Gender Roles In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
715 Words | 3 PagesOkonkwo was specially fond of Ezinma” (44). Ezinma is told by her father to leave the hard work for the boys even though she wants to do it. Ezinma wants Okonkwo to like her and she wants to impress him by being manly because Okonkwo values manliness. Okonkwo believes that Ezinma’s willingness to do so much for her father is very admirable and he likes Ezinma the most out of all of his children. When Okonkwo is talking about how much he likes Ezinma he says,”He never stopped regretting that Ezinma was a girl.
Cultural Collision In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
855 Words | 4 PagesAmong those of the same culture, individuals who are adaptive and open-minded can be successful when there is cultural collision. When the Igbo and European cultures collide, Okonkwo gradually spirals out of control, losing everything he values and his own sense of self. From the beginning of the novel, Achebe depicts Okonkwo as a virile warrior and a successful farmer within the Igbo tribe. Reacting with violence to anything he considers “womanly” or “weak”, “He was a man of action and man of war” (10). Because of his reputation as a warrior he is highly respected by his community.
Okonkwo's Conflict In Things Fall Apart
1359 Words | 6 PagesWhen Okonkwo was “angry and could not get his words quickly out enough, he would use his fists” (Achebe 2). Okonkwo’s violent personality traits cause him to make very irrational decisions that would later have future consequences. Despite that, his less than perfect tendencies did help him to achieve many goals throughout his life. However, the instances where they worked against him outweigh all other factors. Okonkwo is seen as a very painfully structured man and when something doesn't go according to his structure, it causes him to make irrational decisions.
Okonkwo And Nwoye Quotes
802 Words | 4 PagesHowever, Okonkwo made a name for himself because his was to not follow in his father’s footsteps. In a paragraph describing Okonkwo’s character it says, “He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience
Okonkwo And Macbeth Comparison
574 Words | 3 PagesOne characteristic that Okwonkwo has is that he was very brave. In the beginning of the story, Achebe says that, “He brought honor to his village by throwing Amal Inze the cat.” (Achebe 3) which shows that he is brave by overthrowing an individual that many people thought could never be beat; he is not troubled by a
How Okonkwo's Change In 'Things Fall Apart'
965 Words | 4 PagesIn the book “Things Fall Apart“ Okonkwo is a very strong man and from time to time he starts showing his true self. He has a lot of responsibilities and other things he has to do around the living environment and interact with lots of people. Okonkwo changes from being that strong man, to a man who feels like his tribe is not with him when he wants to go to war with the missionaries. For someone like Okonkwo a lot of people looks up to him and while in the tribe Okonkwo beats his wives and children. Not good behavior for someone who is supposedly looked at as strong.
Okonkwo's Hatred In Things Fall Apart
1774 Words | 8 PagesOkonkwo strives to be everything but his father. This is clear from the very beginning when it says, “He had no
Things Fall Apart Quote Analysis
790 Words | 4 PagesThis idea that he feels that he has become a woman for feeling emotions and not covering them up with strength but also the stubbornness he has adopted throughout the years. With Okonkwo being in exile for a significant amount of time he has grown to become weak not physically but mentally as the book moved forward he could be related to a flame burning out and turning into a pile of ashes (Achebe 153). How it shows he is burning out and this gift of strength he had is now dying out due to him being sent to exile, also having no titles to his name. He had nothing to live for nor feel confident in, especially with part of his family now
How Did Unoka Influence Okonkwo's Life
2007 Words | 9 PagesQ1: Explain how Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, influenced his life. A1: Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, influenced Okonkwo’s life because he had been a failure in life. Unoka was a lazy and improvident debtor. In his youth he lived a carefree life and would visit different villages and market to play on his flute and feast.
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.
Okonkwo's Fear In Things Fall Apart
780 Words | 4 PagesOkonkwo in “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, is thought of as a strong, great man. Yes, he is a fierce warrior and a very strong man. Another reason to respect him is that he is a very wealthy and successful yam farmer in his clan. Okonkwo also is married to three wives. All of this is just the beginning, okonkwo is not all that great of a man deep down as is shown in the story.
Okonkwo In Things Fall Apart
850 Words | 4 PagesIn Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the main protagonist Okonkwo follows the classic tragic hero’s definition very closely. Okonkwo is the leader of the Igno community located in Umuofia. Okonkwo is described as a tall, well built, manly man. He has bushy eyebrows and a wide nose that gives him a tough look. Okonkwo has 3 wives, and lots of children who all live in his compound.
Theme Of Masculinity In Things Fall Apart
702 Words | 3 PagesHe was a caring man down in his heart but “his whole life was dominated by the fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (Achebe 13), and his mission to become one of the greatest men of his clan. Okonkwo was devoted to masculinity, he put it above anything else preventing anyone from questioning his masculinity. When he felt a slight sign of weakness it reminded him of his fathers failure to being a true man not providing for his family or ruling women and his children, therefore “he was not really a man” (Achebe 53).There were many traits to being a masculine man but to Okonkwo the main one was ruling his wife and children, if any of them had disobeyed him he would beat them without hesitation or regret. Although Okonkwo is influenced by masculinity it is because the Ibo culture believes in men dominating women which leads their society to fall
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