Essays on Okonkwo

Africa has traditionally been a continent of mixed fortunes, where real-life stories of hope and despair abound. African traditions, values and customs have been slowly influenced by colonization and eventual globalization that has turned the world into a global village. The novel, Things fall apart, is a reflection of the extent to which Africans were tied to their beliefs and customs, as a violation of those customs was regarded as being disrespectful to the gods. Resistance to the new values and beliefs as brought by the missionaries are resisted since the communities regard them as inclined on disrupting the ...

“A man's life was a series of transition rites which brought him nearer to his ancestors” (Achebe 122). – One of the impacts of colonization is the disappearance of cultural or traditional practices. This quote shows how a life of an individual is related to his or her culture or origin. “Behind them was the big and ancient silk-cotton tree which was sacred. Spirits of good children lived in that tree waiting to be born. On ordinary days young women who desired children came to sit under the shade” (Achebe 46). – This quote illustrates the richness of the culture of ...

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One of the cultural myths about the United States of America is that anyone can become filthy rich in the country and it is the land of opportunity. Popular culture and media does not leave any stone unturned in making people believe it is a fact, as several movies and television shows are made on the same theory that helps in solidifying the myth. The reality is far from this myth as there are many people to come to America dreaming of making it big, but fail and turn to ordinary life or return home. Though there are some ...

Marriage customs, like many other customs regarding social institutions have evolved over centuries. Every society has its own intricacies when it comes to joining of man and woman in matrimony. There are cultures that scholars and observers consider civilized and others that appear sophisticated. Over many years, religious and civil law practices influence changes in marriage traditions but there are customs that have largely remained rigid. For instance, marriage customs within African tribes are clan affairs and involve shared responsibilities among families and clan members. In Chinua Achebe’s Things fall apart, the Umuofia tribe within the Igbo community ...

Things Fall Apart is a book authored by Chinua Achebe whereas The Heart of Darkness is a novel written by Joseph Conrad. Chinua Achebe’s book is about the story of a man who was doing his best to prevent the white men from taking over his clan and traditions. On the other hand, Joseph Conrad’s book is about a white man’s trip to the Congo River or his journey to Africa. Even though the two books seem very different from each other, they are so parallel to each other from the setting, the characterization, the themes, ...

Dante’s Inferno presents the reader with a series of ‘circles’ that depict different layers of hell – each designed for a different sort of sinner. These circles are designed to hold and punish particular types of people for eternity. In this essay, I will choose three literary characters and discuss which circle of Dante’s hell is pertinent to them. The characters I have chosen are Okonkwo from Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, who I believe belongs in the first layer of Dante’s hell – ‘limbo’ – because he does not accept Christ as his personal saviour and, whilst he is ...