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The Role Of Women In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

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Role of Women in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
It is always interesting to me to see what types of roles women play in popular books or novels of western history. Most novels and books focus on men as the main characters. The role of women in Things fall apart is more of a background story but their significance is deeply rooted in this book. Women play pivotal roles in society, education, and religion according to Achebe.
In Things fall apart, women are featured as the main teachers of children. They tell them stories, teach them how to behave with other people and especially the girls are taught a higher level of manners rather than the boys, " children sat around their mother's cooking fire telling stories," (Achebe 25). The children are taught good morals and traditional values by their parents and in this case, their mothers, who teach them social values and good interpersonal skills. Women have been regarded as inferior objects in societies but this does not turn them down from performing their societal roles especially that of being the educator of the children at home.
The nurture of a child is what governs what the child will be like when he/she gets older. In the Ibo community, the development of a child was solely the role of the woman who was supposed to make sure that the child was aware with the customs and rules of their society. The knowledge of the societal norms was weighed heavily upon the mother not the father to teach the children about them. This

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