...Conflict Inevitably, every person will encounter conflict. How a person responds to conflict can determine their success or failure. In addition, A person’s response to conflict will have either a positive or negative impact on the person and the people around them. There are several types of conflict; a few of them are: man versus man, man versus self, and man versus society. One of the several types of conflict is man versus man, which is an external conflict. Man versus man is a conflict that involves two characters or people that have opposing viewpoints, desires, and interests. The two most common character archetypes that are involved in man versus man conflicts are the protagonist and the antagonist. A good example of man versus man conflict can be found in the novel Things Fall Apart, which was written by Chinua Achebe. At the beginning of the novel, it is shown that the protagonist, Okonkwo, defeated a man known as the cat. By reacting to the man versus man conflict and defeating the cat, Okonkwo was able to gain respect and influence within his tribe which was a positive impact on Okonkwo and his future family....
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...Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe gives a vivid portrayal of the African society before colonialism, during colonialism and after colonialism. It is centered on a tragic hero, Okonkwo, whose aim for success and fear of weakness drives his entire life and eventually leads to his fall. Achebe uses Umoufia, a land surrounded with strong traditions and culture as the case study to depict the effects of culture clash on a land where “Things Fall Apart; the center cannot hold” (Achebe, 2009). The title of this book is symbolic to the turnout of events in the story and foreshadows the inability of Umoufia to resist the pressures of change. In the novel, we see a clash between cultures and change that leads to the fall of the Igbo society, a clan that used to be strong and powerful before the white people came. The Igbo people face a dilemma on whether to accept the change, keep their way of life or better still balance both worlds in one. The way Achebe presents the arrival of the colonists and their imposition of change on the Igbo Society raises some thought to me on the true intention of colonialism i.e. did they come to spread Christianity or to acquire the land? The rapid unfold of events in the novel makes me harness the latter view; they took the stronghold of the Igbo society i.e. religion, turned it into a weakness, in the name of change, to enable them exploit the land. One thing that held the society together was their religion/tradition and once the colonists introduced...
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...Exchange of ideas, known as cultural diffusion; bring conflict to people who are not accustomed to change. Throughout the American history we can see that society, government and religion were all in contact with each other. In modern times, we do not see this; most of the world, have separated religion from state (government). However in, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, their world is lived by the same idea for many years, until their culture is threatened. The character Okonkwo, from Things Fall Apart, is a proud, fearful, ambitious, and ill-tempered man. He is the leader in his family, and he is a great one at that. His father left him with and at nothing; he is a terrible example for Okonkwo. Okonkwo, unconsciously, changes his fate, and nonetheless becomes the opposite of his father. All this was put to trial when he was exiled for seven years for committing a female murder. All that he was, his essence was put to trial; him being leader of his family, had to leave his family, everything. If this wasn’t bad enough, while he was gone, white men started migrating to his land, and that’s when everything started changing. As the white men settled in quietly with their religion, after some time, they stayed and governed harshly over Umuofia. What changed first was Umuofia’s traditional system, which was masculinity. Titles were no longer important. As tradition changed, a new belief system came into the picture, Christianity. The white men introduced the Christian church...
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...Louie Hamati Jensen H English 10 20 April 2015 Change in Society People around the world encounter unfamiliar cultures almost every day. My mother experienced a great example of this almost 20 years ago, when she immigrated to the United States. Having lived in the Middle East all her life, the USA introduced new customs to every aspect of her life, including the food she ate, her occupation, and even the way she dressed. A married woman in Jordan exclusively wore fancy dresses and classy attire when in public. My mother then saw how nearly every woman here wore more casual clothing, such as jeans and sweatpants, apparel my mother had never seen a married woman wear freely. My mother having to adjust to a completely different environment affected her in similar ways as other cultures affected civilization in certain pieces of fiction. In the novel Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and the film Chocolat, directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the influences of new culture on an existing society shows that actions carry consequences. In both pieces, each society experiences a similar influence caused by new cultures. When these new cultures present themselves, both stories include a sort of abandonment to old traditions in replacement for these new ones. In Things Fall Apart, many people living in Umuofia, including Okonkwo’s son, convert to Christianity when the missionaries introduce the new religion. Okonkwo feels a deep shame towards these converts for betraying their gods and...
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...Things Fall Apart “As a young man of eighteen he had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat.” (Page 3) From the very beginning of the novel the author sets the violent tone. In this brief paper I will bring an article and parts of the novel together to explain a common ground in colonization, which involves violets’. Using, Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” and Fanon’s ideas, The Wretched of the Earth I will bring two powerful pieces together to explain colonization. Many of the characters suffer from fear of some sort. Okonkwo who is the novel’s protagonist fears becoming like his lazy, shameful father. “He (Okonkwo) was not afraid of war. He was a man of action, a man of war. Unlike his father he could stand the look of blood. In Umuofia’s latest war he was the first to bring home a human head.”(Page 8) Also, Reputation is extremely important to the men in the novel as well. The ankle bracelets men wear that signify the number of titles they have earned publicly denote personal reputation. Reputation is based on merit; men gain reputation through bravery in battle, skill at wrestling, and hard work as seen through the size of their yam harvest. Reputation earns men positions of power and influence in the community as well as numerous wives. Okonkwo is extremely concerned with reputation because he grew up with a father who was shameful and lazy which I stated before. “For showing matchless courage and prowess on the battlefield, Ezeudu is revered...
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...gloomy phenomenon,a dark continent.Chinua Achebe, the major exponent of the modern African novel,is greatly concerned with the two realities of social man –his individual and group identity,the legacy of colonialism, and the shift in the system of values of life leading to rampant corruption- moral and monetary. He is also concerned with the use of English as the medium of expression of African experience defining the relevance of colonial and post-colonial experience to the present .Achebe’s novels are dialectic tranformation of experience, a new way of looking at tradition to create a different order of reality through universalizing imagination.Though he has followed the established tradition of novel writing in English, Achebe has put few things ‘African’ and has successfully employed certain narrative techniques of narration to give authenticity and African flavour to his novels in order to attract the native audience and overseas readers as well. Chinua Achebe , the doyen of African writing, the major exponent of modern African novel.His novels evolve through the fundamental theme with which he is concerned, the loss of dignity and the tragic disintegration of the Nigerian culture.Beginning with the advent of European power, his novels span a series of political crisis that beset Nigeria, the collapse of...
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...In the novel, “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe first shows us the structure of the Igbo society and importance of men’s role in the clan. Igbo people are very organized and have great mindset on the structure of things when it comes to Religion and order of the society. These little things set the scene and show a cohesive society but can also lead to things falling apart. Okonkwo, being a successful man with many titles thought little of his father, Unoka, who had claimed no titles and was thought to be an ‘agbala’ which meant woman or man with no titles. Throughout the novel, we constantly see that Okonkwo’s need to not resemble his father festers and he has a desire to instill it in his oldest son, Nwoye. However, this was to no avail as we see that later on in the novel, Nwoye is attracted to Christianity when the missionaries arrive because he never agreed with his father’s views as he always had views of his own and of the Igbo religion. Upon hearing the news of Nwoye’s conversion, Okonkwo felt disheartened and decided to threaten his other sons in hopes of them not being like Nwoye and his ‘failure father’ , Unoka, who have disregarded the aspect of manhood. Religion is an important part of the dark continent which was depicted throughout the novel in different aspects. The little things that held the society together, in this case religion, also contributed to the Igbo society’s downfall. For example, in the case of Ikemefuna’s death, the Oracle demanded that the...
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...Religion is a personal decision; people choose a faith that coincides with their beliefs, ideas, and faiths. Religion represents a commitment to a set of principles that are not moldable, adaptable, or flexible. The missionaries, which promotes Christianity, come into Umuofia to both of these actions: having strong beliefs and considering themselves like a family. This novel, Things Fall Apart by Achebe, demonstrates that Christianity destroys but also helps guide the Ibo culture in Umuofia. To put it another way, the advent of Christianity destroys families. Religion is not a personal belief in Umuofia, but it is their way of life. Although the missionaries come to Umuofia without any intention to cause conflict, that is exactly what they...
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...Interference: The Western Way Throughout History there has been a desire for main stream white culture to explore and expand to new areas with many different objectives in mind. Many were looking for new lands that had untold riches while others were spreading cultural or religious beliefs in an attempt to gain support for their beliefs. Sometimes this was a welcomed addition to foreign societies bringing them new technologies and ideas to improve their life, except it was just as likely that these new additions to their culture and society would have a negative effect causing many people's lives to be changed forever. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a perfect example of what the effect foreign interference and new ideas-technology can have on societies that have been isolated for generations and have created a unique culture. There were many changes that occurred when the white explorers came to Niger Area, now known as Nigeria. Umuofia Mbantu and the other local clans have been living in an isolated society and culture for generations giving them plenty of time to adapted and live in their environment efficiently. They had developed many different religious beliefs that were different from the white Christian culture that settled the area. "You say that there is one supreme God who made heaven and earth," said Akunna on one of Mr. Brown's visits. " We also believe in Him and call Him Chukwu. He made all the world and the other gods." (Achebe, 179). Even when trying...
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...Has your view on life or personality ever drastically changed after an influx of new ideas or knowledge? During Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, an exotic group of foreigners introduce their religious beliefs, and many of the Ibo clansmen are quick to desert their traditional faith in favor of the new and exciting alien religion. As a consequence, many of the new converts gain a new sense of identity within themselves. Due to the introduction of Western ideas and the cultural collision that follows, Nwoye becomes confident, extroverted, and overall, a more upbeat and optimistic young man. Before the arrival of the missionaries, Nwoye’s lives his life in a dreary and lackadaisical manner, similar of that to Unoka, his grandfather....
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...The introduction of the British missionaries to the Ibo people and to the book has an enormous effect on the characters and plot in the novel Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe. Along with the introduction of the British comes Christianity leading to some of the characters clashing with the new foreigners, and others to accepting the foreigners and their beliefs. The introduction of Christianity also leads to the book finally earning its title; when things literally start to fall apart for the main character, Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s response to this new foreign religion and his reasonings behind that response are quite prevalent in the text. However, Nwoye’s response to this new religion and his reasoning behind it is quite interesting, as there...
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...took up his machete to return to his obi. "You must watch the pot carefully," he said as he went…” They speak very little and only when it is needed, they do not argue, protest or reveal dissatisfaction. They are faithful, complaisant and brave; they sacrifice their own wishes and needs for the family needs. Women do their housework obligations: cook, bring up children and please their husband. One of the things they do in the book is...
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...complexities involved in the interaction between two cultures. The article, “A Battle of Cultures”, by K. Connie Kang, discusses the hostile relationship that formed between Korean-Americans and African-Americans due to their differing social customs. Another prominent text that covers the topic of cultural interaction is the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Achebe focuses the story on a protagonist named Okonkwo who lives in Umuofia, one of the nine Nigerian clans; Okonkwo resists the Christian religious practices that are rapidly replacing the original Nigerian traditions. Undesirably, cultural interaction can create hostility between peoples if one culture is deemed superior to the other. Still, cultural interaction can be positive in the sense that it promotes understanding and acceptance between the two cultures and encourages the development of constructive relationships between members of the two cultures. Thus, despite there being both benefits and detriments cultural interaction generally has a favorable effect. Opposition between peoples comes about when one culture is perceived to be better than the other. In Things Fall Apart by Achebe, he writes, “Three [Christian] converts had gone into the village and boasted openly that all the gods were dead and impotent…The [converts] were seized and beaten until they streamed with blood” (154). Previously, the Christians did not have much interaction with the Umuofians and as a result neither side attempted to...
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...research shows groups follow a set path of Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. The movie Apollo 13 gives several examples of Tuckman’s model. In this essay we will follow Jim Lovell and his steps in group dynamics through out the movie. When the movie begins you can see that there is a barbeque going on at Jim Lovell’s house. You could draw the conclusion that Jim has worked with the others before at some point. This is where the forming begins Jim invites other astronauts over to watch the first landing on the moon. All of these men have a common goal, which is going to the moon. This is also Jim’s interpersonal need to be around others who want to go to the moon as well. The next phase is the storming phase. We know that people don’t always get along in groups. One great example of this is when Jim, Fred and Ken are in the simulator running case scenarios. They are done with the last case scenario in the simulator Jim and Fred are ready to go home. Ken tells them that he wants to run it again. Jim and Fred think that they should go home and rest that they will have time another day to practice to get it perfect. Because of Jims individual goal, getting to the moon he gives into Ken’s request to do the simulations again. The storming phase is the most difficult phase because this is where groups usually fall apart. Instead of falling apart groups will enter the norming phase of the model. In the movie Fred and Jim agree to run the simulations again with Ken so...
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...The culture values changed as soon as the white Englanders moved into the native’s land. The changes appeared evident in all the aspects of the Igbo communities lives, in their religion, family life, children, and even the dead. Countless people apart of the Igbo society grew upset by the colonialism of their society, but overall they stayed incapable of taking any action to reverse the changes already placed into their society. The Igbo society took the changes and did not let them affect the society completely. A quote from the book Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe that shows the Igbo society taking a different approach to the changes states "A proud heart can survive general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride (pg. 24-25, ch.3).” Soon after, the English started to colonize the Igbo society. The English introduced a new religion that the Igbo society did not familiarize with called christianity, or in their words, “the white man’s religion’. Without delay, the christian people as they arrive negatively brought division to the Igbo society. Coincidentally, Okonkwo’s family fell as the first victims to the...
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