At the conclusion of this unit of study, each
group of students was asked to hand in a packet containing position
papers based on the specific roles they had been assigned as readers
of Things Fall Apart. Each group was also asked to prepare an overall
summary paper. Here are two sample sets of student
responses.
Sample One
Sample
Two
Things Fall
Apart
Group Position Paper
Arianna
Eric
Goose
Kim
Matt
Our group, as a whole, has come to the conclusion that no colonial
crimes were committed. Native people were disturbed, yes, to say the
least, but this is not a crime. For over two millennia of recorded
history, and even more before that, nations have bettered themselves
at the expense of other nations. The Europeans did it amongst
themselves for centuries, as did the Africans, the Native Americans,
the Hawaiians, the Asians and countless other areas of the world. It
is not a crime; it is the nature of humans. While it is easy enough
now to point our fingers at Europe and say "shame on you", could we
honestly say that none of us would do the same? Europe had bigger
guns and saw a country chock full of the resources needed to fuel the
Industrial Revolution. Europe was overflowing with well intentioned,
if mistaken, missionaries who wanted to "civilize" Africa. Can we
honestly say that in their place, we wouldn't have done the same
thing? Yes, imperialism damaged the Ibo people. Yes, cultures
disappeared from the map. Yes, the Europeans were insensitive and
disrespectful, to say the least, to the native people. We're not
saying it's right, but we are saying that it is not a crime, it's the
way the world works. Welcome to reality can we take your coat? We
don't shake our finger at the Roman Empire, do we?
While it's been said that Things fall Apart finally gave us an
African viewpoint, we can't say we've never heard it before. Yes,
we've heard that the British are evil and destroyed Africa. We know.
It was a bad time for the Africans. We can't say we've never heard
the African side before, but we can say that the world is
overcompensating, and we seldom hear a British view. Our committee
was, once again, only provided with evidence for a single side of the
story. A novel is also hardly solid evidence of anything. Forget
colonial crimes. For the committee to render a decision more fairly,
equal representations must be presented for both parties.
Position Paper - Feminism
Kim
In 1842, Margaret Fuller claimed there was an effect called radical
dualism, the separation of masculine and feminine. Male and female
represent the two sides of the great radical dualism. However, in
fact, the masculine and feminine flow into each other. There exists
no wholly masculine man, nor completely feminine woman.
In Things Fall Apart, the Ibo people try to completely separate the
masculine and feminine. All things weak and emotional are associated
with the female. All things strong and stoic are the male. As a
result, we have Okonkwo's character. Okonkwo's father was a disgrace
and called womanly. Okonkwo resented his father and everything he
represented. So, in addition to the rejection of his feminine as is
the Ibo tendency, he also resents the femininity that his father
represented. In the Ibo culture, femininity is weakness, and weakness
is the greatest of all sins.
Gloria Steinem stated in the early sixties that the feminine mystique
is also the masculine mystique. Men need to be liberated from their
emotional oppression just as much as women need to be freed from
their physical. Almost all of Okonkwo's flaws seem to be a result of
the rejection of his femininity. The Ibo culture was wholly
polarized;the women to cook and care for children, the men to hunt
and wage war. while all roles in society were filled, they were
filled by either men or women. All the judge gods were men, and
spouse abuse was legal. This is no coincidence. Their entire
political system is controlled by men, and as a result, women suffer.
the only way for the two sexes to truly happily coexist, is to stop
separating them from each other. Both genders ust be able to fill all
roles in their society. Margaret Fuller said, "If you ask me what
office they may fill, I reply -- any." This goes not only for the
Ibo, but for the world as a whole. The world cannot be at a balance
until male, female, black, white ... all are equal participants in
all aspects of society.
Position Paper - Politics
Arianna
The political foundations of the Ibo culture is not a system
Americans or any western society can comprehend working. There is not
a set leader in the Ibo culture like a king or president. They're men
who have titles, you receive these titles through wealth and prosper
as well as achievements within the community in things such as
wrestling. With the more titles one has, comes larger amounts of
respect and voice he has within the clan. One can get up to four
different titles and each one comes in time. Therefore, generally the
older one is the more respect or say one has. Although that does not
always hold true. There seems to be an unwritten set of rules and
regulations that everyone follows. The titled men make sure they are
followed, and decide when punishments are necessary. However, because
everyone knows their place, majority are able to punish
themselves.
The Ibo's Gods take the top hand in deciding things for the clan.
There are the 9 spirits, known as the egwugwu who decide
justice for the clan. Although most clansmen and women do not know it
but, these nine spirits are actually the titled men dressed as the
gods. When there is a question or conflict, the people take it before
the Egwugwu. To an extent it is good that the Ibo do this
because, nobody wants to make the Gods upset, therefore they do not
question the justification that is made.
Everyone in the Ibo culture is aware of their role in society, if
they do not follow it then they are banished from the high society,
and made an outcast. Since everyone is aware of the "do's" and
"don'ts" most punishments, self-discipline, and work are carried out
by ones own self. Throughout the novel there is a constant pattern of
knowing of what one is suppose to do and when; although, there is
always a friend or neighbor keeping an eye on you to help keep one
straight with what it is that they need to do.
The Whites or missionaries in this novel have a ruler at "home" who
has essentially sent people out to spread their ways throughout the
world. The Queen is the official leader of the land and the people
under its' jurisdiction. Then there are people who help carry out the
rules of the Queen and when not followed there is a harsh punishment
in which is decided by a court of mortals (compared to the spiritual
Gods of the Ibo's) where the punishment can vary and each case has
it's own evaluation. In the "white peoples" court different rules
apply to different people.
In today's world there are many wars, some more justified than
others; each side has their views, and with majority of the wars both
sides have equal points. Each war is fought over land, government or
something else, but it seems that most have at least one conflict in
common, a conflicting difference within their religions. Different
cultures are going to clash and have their set of conflicts, but lack
of communication and understanding of others cultures can only lead
to a dead end.
Position Paper - Education/Literature
Eric
What may be the significance and relevance of Things Fall
Apart to the literary world, including structural and stylistic
considerations, as well as issues of identity?
The importance of "Things Fall Apart," as well as most books that are
written is to educate. TFA teaches its readers about the Ibo culture
and how it changed as Europeans invaded Africa and lived with them. I
believe that TFA gave the literary world a good non-biased point of
view from the author, since Chinua Achebe was of Nigerian blood, but
he was also raised a Christian and was schooled in English ways. His
stylistic and structural considerations show well, by his great
knowledge of the Ibo lifestyle and religion, and how it interacted
with the settlement of white men. His style contributes greatly with
being truly African.
Does the style of the book support the content of the book? How?
In what ways?
I definitely believe that Achebe's style does not only support the
content of the book, it also enhances the meaning and makes it more
understandable. The way he writes it does not sound like he
glorifying or condemning anything done in the book, he is just
telling about it. I feel he writes like this because of his very
non-biased point
of view, and how he makes a total different culture's lifestyle,
which should be
complex for someone like me who has never read it before, sound
normal. He shows
hard work in his writing, but makes it simple for the reader.
How does the novel affect our appreciation for an understanding of
literary excellence?
For my personal appreciation of the book, I know that I liked the
book and each page I read made me want to read more, so I definitely
would say that this book has literary excellence, but I do not know
of what caliber or what to compare it to, since I do very little
reading on my own. As for the appreciation for the understanding of
it, I would say it broadened my view of types of books that can have
literary excellence.
In what ways are identity issues connected to the structural style
and content?
I think that Achebe's own identity can be seen through his writing.
By his knowledge of the Ibo you can see his Ibo background. I find
that I, and probably others
like me, can relate the struggle of one part of you being one thing
such as a religion
and the other such as an opposing religion that you might not except,
but have to deal
with in your life. For me it is me being Jewish, and having to
encounter Christianity
in our culture.
How does this novel speak to issues of literary excellence and
world literature?
I think it just adds substance to each of these areas. It adds a
positive element of African culture to a wider audience, which is
important. And if I were to recommend someone a book to read,
especially one having to do about Africa, I would recommend this
book.
Bibliography
http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/landow/post/achebe/achebeov.html
http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/landow/post/achebe/things.html
http://www.webster.edu/~barrettb/achebe.htm
http://www.addison.lib.il.us/6achebe.asp
Position Paper: Psychology
Matt
In the book Things Fall Apart the main character, Okonkwo,
sees himself as a man of courage and honor, and a man who can make it
on his own. He doesn't show his emotions, he's quick to anger, and he
dislikes anything he sees as feminine. In a word, he's manly. He
keeps up his identity in his culture by never showing his weak side.
He's a good wrestler and a good provider, both signs that he is a
winner according to the Ibos. He tries to do everything that he can
differently from his father, so his own identity is shaped primarily
around that. He can do everything that his father never could, and he
is a high-class member of society. His culture sees him as a high
standing person and embraces him as a real man and a role model. As a
born and raised American, graduate from Berkley who specializes in
Interpersonal/Intergroup Relationships and African Customs, and a
male, I can tell you that your cultural identity means a lot, and
keeping up a good one is the highest of priorities. The link between
his personal identity and his cultural identity is that he tries to
make them the same, even though he is not a "real man" through and
through, because he has emotions that he never sets free. Inside he
is a different person than he lets out, but he shows himself as
insensitive. His personal identity, who he truly is inside, is
different from his cultural identity, the way other people see him,
because he would never admit, even to himself that he had a feminine
side, and that he had a little of his father inside him.
The essential relationship questions that were raised are much like
the Johari ~ Window: Who is Okonkwo? What does everyone know about
him? What does he know that others don't? What do others know that he
doesn't? And what does neither Okonkwo nor the others in his village
know? These questions are important because they deal with Okonkwo's
personal identity as well as the identity that he produces to the
community. From a psychological standpoint, your personal identity is
important in shaping who you are and who you want to be. From very
early on, he knew he wanted to be the opposite of his father,
probably stemming from a fear of his father not being able to protect
his family. He saw his father as feminine, so he does everything he
can to seem masculine, including losing his temper and hitting
people. That's who he is. The conflict in this, however is that
inside, he really does care about his family and the people around
him. There are several examples of this, like when he helps with
getting Ezinma back. There is a discrepancy between how he is and who
he tries to be. His children all think that he is big and mean and
tough, when really, he just wants them to succeed. His cultural
identity restricts the sensitivity that he could be showing to his
wives and children. It also restricts the options for action by other
characters because nobody sees him as a nice guy. His wives and
children have no choice but to listen to him because he has
power.
This book uses the themes of finding yourself and finding balance to
prove that things fall apart if you don't find those themes. It deals
with the age-old question of identity and learning who you truly are
through your relationships with others and with yourself. A person's
relationships can entirely change their self-identity, as was obvious
when the white missionaries came to the village and some of the Ibo
people switched religions, which was one of the most important parts
of everyday Ibo life. Changing identities means changing lives, and
that's exactly what the missionaries did, along with changing customs
and ways of life of the Ibo people.
Position Paper - Religion
Goose
In Things Fall Apart the lives of the characters appear to
revolve around their religion. Religion could very well be the most
central thing in these peoples' lives. Almost everything they do in a
given day can be traced back to something religious or having to do
with their religion. The religion that they are engrossed in is a
polytheistic religion that resembles many other African tribal
religions, because they have a god for many concepts or themes in
life. In many African tribal religions, they have a god for earth,
war, peace, food, rain, etc. The Ibo religion and culture is can
certainly be considered one of them. However, by simply reading the
book, one may be lead astray and consider the Ibo religion not
consistent with the other African religions, simply because the book
itself doesn't make many references to the actual gods themselves.
The gods are certainly talked about, but are not really descried in
great detail. It is important to understand that for the people in
this book, religion was a way of life not just a belief by
convenience as are some other world religion (only for some people
perhaps).
This importance can help us understand how the Ibo religion ties into
the Christian religion. Many Christians, myself included, are very
devout in their belief. For me, I may not go to church that often,
but I still am confident in saying that I have more faith than many
who do go to church. The point is that many followers of the
Christian faith have the same level of conviction and belief as the
Ibo people do with their religion. An example is the Southern
Baptists sect of Christianity. They are, in effect, just like the Ibo
people in terms of belief and practice. By this, I do not mean the
actual physical beliefs and practices of each religion, but rather
how they believe. The members of both of these religions or sects of
religions believe very strongly in their religion. They believe that
it is, in a sense, mandatory to follow their religion very strictly
They consider it "their" religion and they make sure that it is taken
care of and spread as much as possible. The Baptists effectively
surround themselves and their loved ones with the religion, just like
the Ibo do. Each group live and die by their beliefs and will
sometimes, if the situation arises, fight to defend that faith and
way of life. That is what is for these people-- a way of life. They
do not causally believe or just listen to the priest or pastor drone
on, thinking that the fact that they just believe is enough. They
take it upon themselves to incorporate their principles into their
lifestyles. They know that belief is proven through action, and in
doing so, strive to revolve their lives around those beliefs.
An obvious difference between the two religions is that the Ibo
religion is polytheistic, meaning having more than one God. The
Christian religion is very strict about having one god, and only one
god. There can be no idols or ideas of any other supreme being in the
Christian faith. There are many idols of many gods in the Ibo
culture, including ancestral spirits that occasionally pop up. Each
tribe member has their own personal god as well as the other gods and
spirits to deal with. According to the reactions of the tribe members
in the book, it became clear to me that the Ibo people were actually
very uncomfortable with the fact that the missionaries were trying to
spread a religion that had only one god. They were shocked, appalled
and surprised that a religion could only have one god. They wondered
about how only one god could take care of the earth, water, sky, etc.
all at the same time. The Ibo's couldn't conceive of a world ruled by
one god. It just wasn't possible to them. Was it because they were
primitive? Probably not. They just didn't have the understanding of
the outside world to have the ability to imagine something like that.
In most African religions, the people have a god for everything,
including things they can't explain. This is relates to the same way
the Christians felt about the Ibos. Christianity is so formed and
forged around the concept of monotheism that it is uncomfortable for
Christians to think of a religion that not only believes, but is
centered around more than one god. Both members of each religion
wouldn't feel comfortable with the other member's religion or belief
system. In fact, they would probably be repulsed. This is that
tension between the two religions in the book. The fact that they are
such extreme opposites makes it so that each side thinks as the other
side as inferior. That thought is what keeps the pressure between the
two religions intense. That is also a reflection of how Okonkwo felt
in this book. When the missionaries came to spread their religion,
Okonkwo realized that it was beyond the opposite of his religion and
immediately thought it as weak and inferior and something that could
never last in a clan such as his. However, he was more than dead
wrong. He was so wrong to the point that his own son joined the
"weak" religion a soon as he could get away form Okonkwo long enough.
The act of his son moving over signaled for Okonkwo that it was time
to get rid of this "infection" known as the missionaries and
Christianity. The point of all this is that neither side knew the
other side well enough to make educated decisions on how to go about
doing this with regards to the other side. They just went about it
blindly, while all the while thinking that there side was the best
without a doubt, and not having a care for the others. They knew who
they were and what they believed, and that's all that mattered to
them. The other thing that mattered to particularly the missionaries
was the spread of their religion without a struggle. They expected to
come in get many people to join up, and have little to no resistance.
Well, they were also very wrong. What they didn't expect was that the
supposed "primitives" wouldn't like the idea of strangers calling the
religion that guides their everyday life a bunch of hocus-pocus and
make believe. This is what the missionaries thought of the Ibos and
vice-versa. I believe that the fact that there was a constant thought
of superiority by both groups only contributed to the tension between
the two religions.
The positive attribute of each religion is that they are both
structured in a way that will appeal to the flowers. The beliefs of
the religion suit the followers. This causes the followers to be
happy because it seems that most of the time, their religion says
that as long as they are followers, good things will happen. The time
when bad things happen is when they start to stray from their
conviction. This is why religion can be the way of life for a
culture. The promise of good things to come is present as long as
there are followers. This positive concept is also a foundation for
the negative. Each peoples' religion teaches them to be devout
followers for to not be, means misfortune. Because every follower is
so deeply rooted into their religion, it is hard to accept other
religions because they believe that it would be disobeying their
religion. In this book, I believe that the thing that made each
religion very good also made it very bad. I think that because each
group could not accept the other, it created the hostile situation
that ended up killing people. It could have been avoided, if everyone
accepted everyone. Of course, this isn't a perfect world, so there
was no way that was possible. However, beside that point, I think
that it also wasn't possible because of how each religion shaped its
followers. It molded them into people who, again, couldn't accept
another religion because it wasn't like their own. In the present,
this has obviously changed, but back in those times, people were very
different, perhaps in a good way, or bad, I can't really say. The
bottom line is that their loyalty to themselves drove them away from
each other. That is the main negativity of the religions.
One of the main themes that I have tried to get across in this
statement is the fact that religion was really a way of life for each
group. In knowing that, the peoples' identity could be considered as
the belief in their religion and possibly the religion itself. One
must rehash the theme of religion being a way of life to truly
understand this. Because the people lived their religion everyday, it
is possible to say that part of them became their religion. It grew
into them and became part of their personality. Their religion
eventually becomes an outward expression of themselves as people. In
my opinion, this is a good thing, because it gives people with hardly
any identity something to work with. The exception is the osu
in the Ibo tribes. These people have been ousted by the entire clan,
so the religion hasn't had the ability to seep in deep, or if it has,
they personally reject it. Other than these outcasts, both groups
assimilate their beliefs into themselves, allowing them to become
visible on the outside. I have allowed this to happen to me, because
I am a firm believer in my faith. I am not sure that it has permeated
to the outside, but I have no doubt that it will happen someday. When
it does, I will allow it to happen, just as the people in this book
allowed it to happen to them.
I think that this book speaks to the world as an example of what
happens when a culture is interrupted by another culture trying to
spread itself that does not have an understanding for anything but
itself. As we can conclude from the book, the inclusion of the
missionaries into the Ibo culture was not a good thing. It disrupted
the way of life for the Ibos, and it altered the social fabric of the
clan, perhaps tearing it irreparably. The missionaries changed the
way people in the clan thought of the clan. They began to disagree
and peel away from the whole, which caused disorder with all the
traditionalists (practically everyone). It changed the way people
viewed their customs and traditions. It tore families apart and
contributed to public chaos. The missionaries
were selfish, and although they had good intentions, they went about
it all the wrong way.
Achebe carefully crafted this book to show a little of both groups
when it really needed to be shown. He wanted to give us a point of
view we perhaps had never thought of before or never seen. I think
that Achebe was writing this book to make the world aware of the
other side of the story that he had been a part of. . .the black
side.
Findings of the U.N.
Subcommittee
on Colonial Crimes On the Environment
and Effects of British Colonization on the Igbo
Abstract
The committee unanimously finds the British guilty of colonial crimes
in Igboland circa the turn of the twentieth century. The committee
neither passes judgment on the relative merits or demerits of either
culture nor roundly condemns the causes and effects of the
colonization, but finds that the British unjustly and wrongly
attacked some areas of Igbo culture and infringed upon the rights of
the colonized.
The feminist, educational, and psychological specialists on the panel
find no evidence of British transgressions in their respective areas
of inquiry. However, they agree with the religious and political
specialists that offenses were committed against the Ibo in the
religious and political spheres of their culture.
Psychological Response
Elise
From a psychological standpoint, the British DID commit colonial
crimes on the cultural identities of the Ibo people for a number of
reasons. For one, the Ibos had a working society, which was so
prosperous and satisfying for them that it had lasted centuries with
only minimal change. Although the British saw the Ibo's culture as
cruel and primitive, they stepped beyond their own rights when they
began to violently dictate the operations and even the individual
beliefs of the Ibo people. By doing this, the British destroyed the
senses of societal and personal pride and identity which the Ibo
people held important to them. This sense of identity was also
crucial in maintaining the cultural stability which had prospered for
numerous past generations. By mutilating this cultural pride and
unity, the British criminally disabled the structural security from
continuing to hold up the Ibo society, ruining a system which had
become nearly immortal over history.
In order for universal cooperation and stability to operate
productively, different cultures must not take their ethnocentric
tendencies to the extreme of enforcing their ways on culturally
diverse people around them. When this happens, as it did in Things
Fall Apart when the missionaries began to violently and intrusively
enforce their views on the the Ibo people, chaos and potential
downfalls arise within and between cultures.
What is the link between Okonkwo's personal identity and his
cultural identity as an Ibo?
Okonkwo's personal identity was composed of cultural identity woven
boldly throughout a frame of ambition, brutality, courage,
determination, and emphasis on the obvious signs of success in life.
Okonkwo's eternal objective was to attain the highest and most
honorable position possible in Ibo society. He defined himself as a
person willing to maintain the traditional customs and values which
he had grown up with at any cost. Okonkwo had become so intrenched in
his upholding of the old Ibo ways that without the Ibo culture, he
would have had no way in defining himself. The old codes of honor and
customary actions had been all he had ever known and he had grown so
attached to those ways that he would never have been able to re-adapt
to anything else. In this sense, Okonkwo had no alternative other
than to commit suicide when the system which he had come to stand for
crumbled from outside force.
If it is understood how the cultural ways of the Ibos were followed
so devoutly by the longtime-trusting people of Igboland and how these
ways were actually woven into the personalities of the people
themselves, it is clearly visible that the British were criminally
guilty of destroyed the psychological bases of the Ibo people. They
pointed out the faults of the trusted system which the Ibos had given
their lives to, and also used their own political, religious, and
social force to undermine the most stable aspects of the Ibo culture.
Not only did they mutilate the culture itself with these massacres of
societal structure, but they also destroyed the identities and
psychological order of the Ibos, who had grown to nurture their
culture as a central source of their own esteem and foundation
values. As their culture deteriorated, the Ibos were forced into
emotional havoc and corelessness of values.
What essential relationship questions are raised by the personal
and cultural identities explored in the novel? Why are these
"essential" questions?
The first question that comes to my mind is the fate of Nwoye. His
destiny is purposely left literally ambiguous to emphasize that
chance and uncertainty become factors when you step out of what is
expected of you, as Nwoye did. However, there is a key relationship
between Okonkwo and Nwoye, as there is a similar key relationship
between Okonkwo and Unoka. In both cases, there are the traditional
clashes between the outcast and the accepted, parent and child, the
rebel and the traditionalist, and the "failure" and the "wealthy". If
there was greater specificity as to Nwoye's fate, the author's
message in regard to the degree of moral and eventual prosperity
found in Okonkwo's traditional acceptance versus Nwoye's and Unoka's
characters of rebellious outcasts would have been more clearcut. As
it was, Achebe seemed reluctant to pass judgment over whether which
characteristics were more universally correct, since he did not
pinpoint the degree of prosperity Nwoye experienced. (If it had been
told that Nwoye prospered immensely, the author's message would have
obviously been that venturing out of the expected and challenging
what's done around you are honorable signs of a thoughtful and
potentially successful character. However, if Nwoye had failed, the
message would have been more to the tune of "go with the flow".)
The uncertainty of how fate will play itself out in cases like
Nwoye's and Okonkwo's, where Okonkwo was supposed to prosper and
Nwoye supposed to fail, adds to the theme of the novel, Things
Fall Apart. The expected fates of the characters, included in
"Things," are planned in one way and often play themselves out in an
entirely different manner. This seems to correlate with a message
that it is practical for people to keep their minds open to a number
of possibilities, since its possible for any of those possibilities
to become reality. Also, the fact that Unoka was Okonkwo's father and
Okonkwo was Nwoye's father, and the relaxed-rebellious characteristic
skipped a generation showed that human characteristics are sprinkled
through times and places and you generally cannot label whole
families, communities, or classes with certain prejudices. There was
an added degree of uncertainty in what lays around the corner, since
fierce Okonkwo, who was born to lazy Unoka, gave birth to another
lazy one, Nwoye (although his other children sported separate
traits).
I also see Ezinma's character as an important identity. She began her
life as an intolerable, outcasted, weak, struggling obanje and ended
up as one of the most desired young women in the community. This
twist in fate further emphasizes the possibility of the unexpected
fates to play themselves out and the need to keep your mind open to
various possible outcomes. A necessary question is how Ezinma will
hold herself, once she has become the beautiful, desired woman at the
end. Will she act superior to her uglier or less esteemed peers? Will
she carry herself with grace cud humility? Or will she become more of
an object than a person and actually lose the pride she had carried
earlier? All these are questions regarding the superficial transition
from beauty to ugliness. Achebe definitely posed Ezinma as an ideal
character in the story, as she was portrayed as a loving, caring
character with a struggle through personal hardships and an eventual
good fortune. She was meant to be an example of the typical, ideal
Ibo. The manner in which she held herself after her "ugly duckling"
transformation would show the reader how Achebe saw the Ibo people as
a whole and how the typical one may have reacted to such a change.
Since Achebe was, himself, an Ibo, this knowledge may have let us
know him and his self-image more closely.
Another wonder I have is the reaction of Okonkwo's other children if
Nwoye had ever come in an attempt to convert them. Will Nwoye's
siblings support their father and display loyalty to the old ways, or
will they take advantage of this newfound opportunity to exercise
their freedom of choice? A discovery to this question would show
whether the need for traditional loyalty was innate to the Ibo
people, or whether it was simply enforced by their static systems of
minimal change over many years.
Okonkwo's general charitability towards his children was also an
issue of importance. Nwoye was a special case in that he openly left
his father. But, how would Okonkwo have treated Nwoye if Nwoye had
not walked out and left, but rather stayed peaceably at home, simply
without great adherence to the qualities which Okonkwo admired? Would
Okonkwo have found a way to love Nwoye? Would he have inwardly
shunned him? Or would he have openly rejected him and have made his
filial disdain publicly displayed? An answer to such a question would
be able to pinpoint Okonkwo's values in regard to the consideration
of others and treatment of those he did not naturally admire. Such an
answer would let us know the charitability of the character which we
have already examined in great depth, by how he receives pain.
There's another dimension to this aspect of a person: how he gives
pain.
The final question I would like to pose is how Reverend James Smith
and Mr. Brown would have interacted in person. Mr. Brown believed in
tolerance and the possibility that there might be two separate sides
to an issue and that is crucial to consider both sides. Rev. Smith,
however, only thought about quickly and completely enforcing his own
view on all those who disagreed with him. It would have been
interesting to find out whether these two sides cooperated peacefully
or whether havoc was wrought between them. Sides barriers, like these
separate ideals of the two Englishmen, are present in all societies.
Their tolerance differences of each other would help us to predict
their tolerance variations of the Ibo people.
How are the cultural identities in conflict in Things Fall
Apart? How does this novel speak to global psychological
relationship issues? How do these identity formations constrict or
expand options for action by the characters in the novel?
In Achebe's novel, there are many paralleling and clashing
identities. As I mentioned above, both the relationships between
Nwoye and Okonkwo, and Okonkwo and Unoka represent the clashes
between parent and child, "failure" and "wealthy", outcast and
accepted, and the rebel and traditionalist. The character of Chielo
represents the conflict between mortal and immortal, god and human.
Ezinma's character represents the conflict between the beautiful and
the ugly, the desired and the disdained. Okonkwo and Ezeudu represent
the conflict between charity and brutality. Okonkwo and Obierika
represent the conflict between success and dangerous ambition.
Finally, Mr. Brown and Reverend Smith represent the conflict between
tolerance and impatience. These theme parallels in conflicts within
the novel Things Fall Apart can be applied with ease to universal
psychological and relationship issues throughout our actual global
society.
The conflicts between Nwoye and Okonkwo, and Okonkwo and Unoka seem
to be the most central of all the story's conflicts. Both touch on
the contrast between generations as times change. As the generations
go on, more opportunities at action become available. For example,
Unoka would not have had the option that Nwoye did to join the
missionaries. Here we see that age is an important factor to take
into account when analyzing certain characters, their ideals, and
their success. Nwoye may have possessed the same character as his
grandfather, but had more success simply because there were more
options available for his generation than his grandfather's.
It is indeed a trend that the "failures" and outcasts of society tend
to rebel in search of more than what they already have, while the
"wealthy" (with what a culture may consider wealth - not necessarily
money) accepted people tend to accept the cultures tradition. Of
course, there are exceptions to this general rule, since many
accepted people could be particularly curious and morally challenging
to the beliefs of those around them, while outcasts sometimes may not
have the emotional strength to rebel from the society. In Things Fall
Apart, the events emphasized the occurrences of uncorrelated,
unexpected events which highlighted the need to keep an open mind to
all possibilities. In some cases, the rebels turned out to be
prosperous, while the traditionalists profited in other cases. These
outcomes were all due to the availability of social opportunities at
given times for the rebels to adopt.
Chielo represented the conflict between the spiritual world and the
human world, since she had both identities within herself. The fact
that she was able to interchange freely between the human and spirit
world showed that the Ibo culture had fairly direct access to their
own spiritual selves and there was a fine line drawn between the real
world and the abstract world. There were even dancing "gods" which
gave the people a further sense of the actuality of the spirit world.
Such faith in the divine helped the Ibo people to have faith in harsh
situations. Although the unexplained spiritual occurrences could have
simply been chance, they boosted the people's morale when would have
floundered without it, such as when the white men began to challenge
their native religion.
I have already discussed Ezinma's character quite a bit, but I will
emphasize here that she was unique in that she was the "ideal Ibo"
who was successfully able to transform from the ugly duckling to the
graceful swan. To transform with the missionary influence as fluidly
as Ezinma with her own growth did would have been the eternal goal
for the Ibo people. However, these transformations are usually not
quick and easy, and Ezinma can be seen as a role model for the Ibo
people in the challenge of adjustment. Ezinma is also symbolic in
that she represents the conflict between the desired and the
disdained. The Ibos definitely had their ideas as to what was wanted
and what was not. The girl's tranquil transition from the disdained
to the desired demonstrates the temporariness and superficiality of
the labels many cultures give to people and qualities such as good
and bad or wanted and unwanted.
Okonkwo and Ezeudu, the old man who warned Okonkwo not to kill
Ikemefuna because the boy believed him to be his father, demonstrate
important conflicts in charitability and brutality. Although they got
along with each other, as charitability and brutality often operate
within the same society, they were so different from each other that
they could not operate with the same actions or even conceptual
beliefs. In the end, it was apparent that charitability won the
metaphorical battle, as Okonkwo's life ended up ruined by fatefully
brutally killing Ezeudu's son. (I saw this occurrence as revenge from
Ezeudu to get back at Okonkwo for killing his own "son", Ikemefuna.
Ezeudu sacrificed his son's life for the sake of teaching Okonkwo a
lesson in charity.) It's also true that charity wins the actual
battle as well, since it is the more productive treatment than
brutality in getting people to resolve conflicts and agree.
Okonkwo and Obierika serve to represent the contrasts between success
and dangerous ambition. Obierika is wealthy and prosperous, though
knows when to stop with something and keep it from reaching an
extreme. Okonkwo, on the other hand, recklessly swings at his goals
with full force, eventually bringing the momentum of his own swing
back down on himself to self-destruct. The two men are close friends,
though one is fated to a downfall while the other is not. This
parallels well, since success and dangerous ambition both supply the
fulfillment of goals. However, one is almost certain to reach an
eventual downfall, while the other provides life in semi-permanent
prosperity. This variation between success and dangerous ambition
demonstrates the importance of tackling goals and issues with balance
and moderation, since anything blown out of proportion can become
dangerous.
The final parallel I will draw is that of the conflict between
tolerance and iimpatience displayed in the characters of Mr. Brown
and Rev. Smith. Mr. Brown chooses to insightfully reason with the Ibo
people in regard to which religion is more likely. By doing this, he
attempts to get a clear picture of the issue from both sides of the
argument, sporting great tolerance for views which he was previously
unfamiliar with. Rev. Smith, however, is too impatient to learn about
the other side's perspective and just forces his own views over the
lbo people. Hence, he gains little insight or knowledge of cultural
interactions by working with the Ibo people. Experience in reality
shows, as the novel parallels, that efforts by open-minded people who
tolerate and take into account multiple views of a situation, are
more productive in dealing with others than are those who simply see
one side of the issue and aimlessly argue their view onto others who
feel no motivation or reasonable understanding as to why they should
consider the proposed viewpoint of the situation at hand.
The formations of identities, such as the ones which I have discussed
above, constrict the options for action of the individual. This is
not only because visible labels are added to the characters, but also
because the identities shape the personalities and ideals of the
characters, and the personalities will determine, or limit, the
possible actions which the characters will let themselves choose
from. Hence, it would be easier to predict the actions of people in a
culture when there are more known identities among the individuals,
since you would have a stronger foundation of character knowledge and
insight to base your predictions on. In this sense, diversity and
predictability ironically grow alongside each other.
Educational Response
Jamie
What is the significance of Things Fall Apart in the
literary world?
The book was written in English because Achebe wanted write in a
language that would reach a wider audience than using his native
language. He also wanted to communicate to the people that
misunderstood and/or misjudged the Ibo culture/society. His goal was
to use a foreign language, English, to accommodate African thought
patterns. The book educated fellow Nigerians and foreigners alike.
The book shows how things fell apart in Ibo society when the white
men came. It shows the before and after of what happened when the
white people came to Nigeria. The book was also written during the
time when the white men started to come to Africa and start
colonizing villages and countries. With the mastery of English, he
has conveyed his message to the foreigners.
How does the novel affect our appreciation for and understanding
of literary excellence ?
The book was written in a foreign language to the author. He used the
English to
create/control his fictive world, its people, their destinies and as
well as its events. His use of his mastery of English, learned art of
story-telling, and his understanding of his target audience has
created a masterpiece.
How does this novel speak to issues of literary excellence and
world literature?
This novel is a good example why literary excellence is important in
creating a masterpiece. The importance of world literature was also
big because it was written when the white men were colonizing Africa
and it was written about the Nigerian village before the white men
came and after the white men came. Things fell apart in the Ibo
society after the white men came. With the introduction of the church
to the village, the Ibo people started to wonder why.
Religious Response
Lauren
The most basic similarity between the Ibo religion and Christianity
is that they both observe an Almighty God or creator. The Ibo's name
for their creator is Chukwu. They believe He created the visible
world and lives above it. He is said to be "the one who is known but
never fully known."' The Ibo also worship various male and female
deities and ancestors that protect the living. This aspect of the Ibo
religion is part of why the Christians view it as less valid than
their own. They think the Ibo are ridiculous for worshiping " . . .
gods of deceit who tell you to kill your fellows and destroy innocent
children. . . They are pieces of wood and stone." (146)
Another problem the Christians have with the Ibo religion is their
tradition of sacrificing people and other traditions that result in
death or the segregation of tribe members. These different traditions
are how the Ibo people explain existence and the world around them.
The Christians have different answers to these questions and these
answers are why many Ibo join the new church. In Christianity, a
person's sense of safety and comfort lays with God who is always
there for that person and whom they can depend on no matter what. In
the Ibo society, a person must rely more on their family, the
community, and themselves for this sense of safety and comfort which
is not as strong as that created by the church.
The Ibo theory on destiny and fate is described in the belief of chi.
Someone's chi is their personal God who influences that person's life
greatly. All though the chi is a sort of God, a person can also
affect their chi. An Ibo proverb states, "when a man says yes his chi
says yes also." (27) This is very different from the Christian belief
of destiny, which is that God "has a plan for everyone," but also
that people do control their actions and this ties into how one's
proceedings during life translate into a final destiny in the
after-life of Heaven or Hell.
Christianity relies on its believers upholding a code of morals and
depending on and believing in God. The Ibo religion, however, relies
on its believers upholding defined rituals and traditions, which show
their dependence on various different spirits. The essential tension
between the two religions is that Christianity is based on morality
and values while the Ibo religion is based on traditions and
rituals.
In terms of a person's identity, Christianity is a large part of a
person's identity because of their connection to God. When a person
believes they are one of "God's children" it gives them a sense of
place and reason. In Things Fall Apart, the new identity the osu or
outsiders were given once they entered the church was the reason they
joined. The church gave everyone a sense of having a meaningful
identity, whether it was one that was truly theirs or not. In the Ibo
religion and society, people go through great suffering because of
their beliefs. This brings the community together and gives people a
sense of identity through their community. It was apparent in Things
Fall Apart that not all people could readily find anything to connect
to in the Ibo religion that would give them a positive sense of
identity, which is why they became part of the Church.
The conflict created in Umuofia when the missionaries settled and
founded a church was that of a conflict of identity inside each
person. The Ibo had never been exposed to any other religion or way
of seeing the world and were now forced to question their own beliefs
and ideals. Not only did the missionaries found a church and welcome
the Ibo into it, but also they made the converted Ibo see their new
religion as far superior to the traditional Ibo religion as did the
missionaries themselves. This has, as Obierika states of his Ibo
community, "put a knife on the things that held us together and we
have fallen apart."(176)
This novel shows the general conflict between two religions, each of
their followers believing their religion is the true, superior
religion. Because of this dynamic, they cannot peacefully co-exist.
In the history of Nigeria, most Ibo are converted to Christianity,
all though the traditional Ibo religion does still exist. The
self-sufficient ways of the Ibo ended as the missionaries brought a
new religion and made way for a new government. This new government
would be the true end to a peaceful and secluded Ibo society.
Feminist Response
Tasha
How does Things Fall Apart show the separation between male and
female?
In the case of things fall about, the reader has no problem seeing
the difficulty that women went through during this time when the men
were the "kings" . As readers, we were especially lucky, because
Okonkwo has a grudge against women, so the audience can see how truly
looked down women were in the novel. In the case of Okonkwo, his
father was supposedly a terrible father who was always in debt, and
not really respected. BUT Okonkwo did add in that his father was
considered a women. So that means the lowest man, is equal to the
highest women. In traditions on the Ibo tribe that we saw, the women
weren't really allowed to participate. In the households, the women
did the chores, and if they did one tiny thing wrong, her husband
could kill her. Whenever Okonkwo wanted to insult someone, he called
him a women.
When crimes are committed, does the punishment matter if you're a
boy or a girl?
The tribe may have taken crimes on women a little easier on them. In
the case of when Okonkwo accidentally killed Ezeudu's 16-year-old
son, it says in the book " The crime was of two kinds, male and
female. Okonkwo had committed the female, because it had been
inadvertent. He could return to the clan after seven years." I think
that they took it easy on women, because they thought that women were
not as responsible as men, not as respected as men, so it's not
really their faults.
What are the roles that women play in the novel?
I think that women were basically things, maybe even slave like in
the novel. They just got things done for the man. It was basically a
man's world. The whole book is basically a man's story, and if a
women came in the story line, she'd look bad because she's a women,
or in the case of Okonkwo's daughter's case, who is supposed to be
absolutely perfect, Okonkwo always says that he wishes she were a
boy. Then she would be the most perfect son in the world.
What do the men in this novel think of the women?
The men in this time had absolutely no respect for women. They just
bossed them around and thought of them as things. They treated them
unfairly, and looked down on them.
How do the relationships between male and females balance or
imbalance the novel.
Because the women basically excepted their fate, the relationships
were fine. I think that they wanted to have an easier life, and
wanted to have their husbands treat them with respect, a lot of
times. But they had absolutely no choice, because this is how it was
for years. I think in Okonkwo's case, his wives actually did love
him, because he was a hot shot with his big wrestling career. They
did love him, but I think they were a little at a disadvantage
because of his quick temper, and overpowering personality.
What does this novel say about feminist issues in the
world?
Well obviously if people (especially women) read this novel they
would get upset, because the women had no respect. But personally as
a women, I don't feel that upset, because that's the way their
culture was. Men, are just naturally bigger and more overpowering, in
a culture that's not advanced, you need a man to be in control. I'm
glad that now women also get a lot of rights though, and I feel sorry
for the women in the tribe because they basically didn't have a
life.
Were colonial crimes committed?
In the case of women, no, because the missionaries culture was
different in the fact that they respected women. The women in tribes
had better opportunities to live their lives to the fullest when the
missionaries came. I think that the missionaries saw a little of how
these women were treated with no respect and gave them a chance to
be
Political Response
Owen
What was the Igbo form of government?
Igbo politics were democratic, directly within individual villages
and representatively among groups of villages. This representative
democracy helped to insure a fair distribution of resources between
villages. Each village was mostly sovereign, its autonomy enshrined
in myth (Uchendu, 1965), but not isolated. Disputes between villages
were more often settled by diplomacy than by war (Bleeker, 1969). The
governmental system, a mix of the secular and the religious (the
goddess Ala kept watch over law, custom, and all pacts), was
humanistic and respected the individual ("Understanding Things Fall
Apart").
Although the Igbo were not usually ruled by chiefs and had no royalty
(Bleeker, 1969), some subgroups turned to priests chosen from outside
Igboland to settle disputes between villages ("The Igbo: A Stateless
Society?"). Village elders typically served as judges during market
day hearings at which anyone old enough to be married was allowed to
speak (Bleeker, 1969). Age played an important part in determining
social status, and people of the same age were supposed to maintain
"social control" amongst themselves ("Understanding Things Fall
Apart"). Priests and oracles generally held substantial influence in
the decisions of the village leaders ("The Igbo: A Stateless
Society?").
Within each village were compounds (obi) of economically independent
families, governed by a compound head. The compound head's status
gave him special privileges and duties. He reviewed all important
decisions made by the different families, judged in disputes, made
sacrifices for the people of the compound, named the children born in
the compound, and represented his compound in discussions and
meetings. One proverb says he is "the eyes of the compound members
(Uchendu, 1965)."
How was power distributed?
Land (which was mostly inherited) and wisdom (determined by age and
experience) conferred power and authority in the village ("The Igbo:
A Stateless Society?"). Impressive oratory skills were also conducive
to power (Bleeker, 1969). Taking a title was synonymous with entering
a society, and was both a result and a cause of a man's status and
prestige (Bleeker, 1969).
Who led?
A village's decisions were made by its most respected male citizens
with the guidance of custom, tradition, and religion.
Who followed?
All Igbo followed the decrees of the gods and the mandates of
tradition. The average villager followed the decisions of the village
leaders, the citizens who were acknowledged as being worthy and
capable of making those decisions. Compound members were expected to
be the "ears" of their head (Uchendu, 1965).
How did British colonization change government in
Igboland?
The British used military force to crush the power of the Igbo groups
that resisted colonization and filled the power vacuum with colonial
officials - satisfactory local rulers were lacking. The colonial
officials oppressed large numbers of the Igbo, who began to stress
their democratic way of government as a reason for resisting British
colonization ("The Igbo: A Stateless Society?"). The British
appointed chiefs to rule the Igbo. The chiefs answered to colonial
authorities and rankled with the villagers (Bleeker, 1969). By 1900,
most of Nigeria was under British control, either by treaty, trade,
or armed force. Punitive expeditions were launched against tribes who
resisted; the Aro used their religious authority as keepers of the
Aro Chukwu oracle to boycott trade with Europeans and were summarily
attacked with the justification that the Aro participated in the
slave trade ("Understanding Things Fall Apart").
What was the colonial form of government?
The government of the British colonizers was monarchial. Missionary
footholds in Igboland were governed along European lines
("Understanding Things Fall Apart"). Accordingly, a highly
systematized hierarchy of officials and its accompanying bureaucracy
was imposed on the Igbo.
How does Things Fall Apart relate to African political
issues?
The novel was published in 1958, appearing during a time when African
movements for independence were on the upswing. The book showed the
beginning of colonialism; its African readers were trying to bring
about its end ("Understanding Things Fall Apart"). In the book,
Okonkwo realizes his anger and aggression toward the Europeans has
torn the rest of his society away from him; in recent news, violence
against white farmers in Zimbabwe show that Okonkwo's mindset is
still alive and well in some people who have seen enough of European
presence in their land. Many of the squatters on white-owned
Zimbabwean farms in 2000 were veterans of the Zimbabwean war for
independence ("Killings deepen Zimbabwe crisis").
How does the novel relate to worldwide political issues?
Things Fall Apart demonstrates that the negative effects of
colonization are often apparent from the start, and do not take time
to occur. It shows that the colonized population cannot simply be
viewed as a single entity: the Igbo in the book are split into
violently opposed factions over the new religion introduced by the
missionaries, and over the steps that should be taken when tensions
come to the breaking point. Also, potentially momentous decisions can
turn on a very small pivot. The village of Umuofia is within a
hairsbreadth of rebellion against the British, but Okonkwo's killing
of the court messenger suddenly shifts the balance toward inaction.
Umuofia's collective decision to lie low could have greatly affected
the course of history in the region.
The governmental imperialism in the book was introduced by religious
imperialism. Governmental imperialism receives the most attention
because it is the most blatant, but it is often accomplished by
breaking ground with another form of imperialism. This first form of
imperialism can be more widely acceptable to the people who are about
to be colonized: few in a society supported by its people, like the
village in the book, will welcome oppressive foreign domination. More
people are likely to allow the entrance into their homes of something
they see as providing rather than something they see as subjecting. A
promise of hope, prosperity, and freedom is welcome, and that is what
the missionaries offer to the Igbo. The problem is that colonization
has historically not involved a notable increase in freedom for the
colonized. The ruler betrays his ambassador's smiles. Even those
exchanges between cultures that appear promising rarely transpire
without inflicting pain.
Bibliography:
Bleeker, Sonia. The Ibo of Biafra. New York: William Morrow and
Company, 1969.
"Killings Deepen Zimbabwe Crisis." BBC News. 16 April 2000. British
Broadcasting Corporation. 15 December 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/715001.stm
"The Igbo: A Stateless Society?" Nigeria - A Country Study. Chief of
Division Louis R. Mortimer. June 1991. Federal Research Division of
the Library of Congress. 15 December 2002.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ng0001)
Uchendu, Victor. The Igbo or Southeast Nigeria. New York. Holt,
Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1965.
"Understanding Things Fall Apart." Literature in Context. 15 December
2002.
http://www.litincontext.com/titles/things.htm