Things Fall Apart: Was Umuofia Such A Powerhouse In Nigeria?

Since Okonkwo stood out more than all the other men he was seen as Umuofia's most powerful man. Although Okonkwo is the most powerful man in Umuofia he also has weaknesses. One of those weaknesses is his father, he doesn’t wanna be a weak man and careless like his father. As the white missionaries moved in into their home land, the Igbo people who are unsure of how to react to these traditions either switched to their ways or stayed faithful to their faith. Many people became persuaded of the new religions authorities, however Okonkwo who is an warrior at heart refuses to accept the changes that were taking place in his community.

More and more villagers were falling under this new idea of a single God, not only villagers from Umuofia but from surrounding villages. The locals were no longer against the new religion. Okonkwo was one of the few who still was. The local villagers were sort of thankful for what the white men had brought to Umuofia. “The white man had indeed brought a lunatic religion, but he has also built a trading store and for the first time palm-oil and kernel became things of great price, and much money flowed into Umuofia.” (Achebe 178) The white men had slowly convinced the local people that what they were doing was productive after all. The arrival of the white men in Umuofia allowed for larger flow of commerce. This is yet another effect of imperialism over the African villages, though it isn’t negative. The next effect however, is indeed negative and

Umuofia is a village in Africa, and the inhabitants there are usually united. However, when the Christians arrive and permeate the village, the clan changes but also falls apart. The novel in which this story takes place is called Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The story is about a well-respected man named Okonkwo who has three wives and many children, the oldest being Nwoye. Okonkwo is banished for seven years from Umuofia, and during those seven years, Umuofia is changed fundamentally by the Christian faith. Many people are converted, but the whole clan is in conflict. This novel demonstrates that Christianity destroys but also guides the Ibo culture in Umuofia.

The "changing" of Umuofia can be viewed in many different ways, the most important of which are, "religion, culture, and domination through white (British) rule." The most important part of the story is when the white (British) men come to the tribe. These men, these

Umuofia was a known village that became feared by neighbors due to their local values. The tribe gained enemies, but were respected because they did not declare war unless invited. The smart villages were given an option of war on everyone, or just their one targeted victim, and most surrendered the one. Beheading showed strength within a warrior, violence being the foundation of their culture. In Nigeria, around the early 1900’s, a young man applying his local values to reach high ranking across many villages was done through . “The center cannot hold” when the Igbo tribe decides to withdraw from violence due to a new appealing European culture. There are instances where their culture gains control through violence and times when they limit any savagery to meet the commands of the Gods. Violence gave the Igbo tribe a lot of structure and played a great factor in

In the beginning, we are told that Umuofia is considered one of the strongest tribes in the lower Niger. However by the end of the novel, it is suggested that the villages are broken internally.

They think that he is the creator of all man and earth. They also have a queen that rules over them. The Ibo culture has a set of elders that rule over them and help them with everything they do, and the people with titles in the clan help with decisions too. They believe in multiple gods and if they defy them then whoever did wrong and his family will have consequences. The theme of the essay can be developed through the character’s response to cultural collision.

The novel Things Fall Apart, speaks of the life of Umuofia2, a fictional Nigerian village, and its traditions before colonization and then the changes it faces at the initiation of colonization. It is based around the life of a man named Okonkwo before the colonists come and the struggles he faces when they arrive. Just as all other regions, Umuofia

Okonkwo was there when he first experienced the white Christian missionaries. At first the people didn’t know how to react and they took it as a joke. They allowed the foreigners to build churches schools, hospital, seek converts, and even put a new government in place! In Mbanta they gave cursed land to the missionaries thinking that they would fail but soon the Christians would thrive. These goals that the Christians were sent out to fulfill soon become successful, the people of Umuofia don’t know what to believe anymore.

Institutions such as hospitals and markets are a positive change in Umuofia brought from the white people. Hospitals allowed for the Igbo people to mend themselves, therefore, making it a positive change. When Mr. Brown learns that the Igbo people cannot be won over with a frontal attack, he builds a “ little hospital” for the Igbo to heal and see the white men are not as awful as they may seem (Achebe 181). Hospitals in Umuofia brought medicine and healing to the people, therefore, making a positive change in the village. This, therefore, displays the positive trade-offs because of the healing and medicine that came to Umuofia. Another positive institutional change in Umuofia is the building of trade markets in Umuofia. From the new “trading store” the white men

Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, is a story of a traditional village in Nigeria from inside Umuofia around the late 1800s. This novel depicts late African history and shows how the British administrative structure, in the form of the European Anglican Church, imposed its religion and trappings on the cultures of Africa, which they believed was uncivilized. This missionary zeal subjugated large native populations. Consequently, the native traditions gradually disappeared and in time the whole local social structure within which the indigenous people had lived successfully for centuries was destroyed. Achebe spends the first half of the novel depicting the Ibo culture, by itself,

In Things Fall Apart, Umuofia is representative of Africa. Achebe writes the novel in the tumultuous time of postcolonial Africa. Western literature at this time has not been friendly towards the African nations. European arrogance and unfamiliar African mythologies and religions create stereotypical ideas about the Sub-Saharan cultures and lifestyles. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of darkness specifically aids in the Western mindset about Africa. Conrad’s aim, although perhaps not primarily meant to degrade Africa, nevertheless paints a picture of African citizens and cultures in a light that Achebe could not accept . In a conscious effort to counter the influence of novels like Heart of Darkness, Achebe decides to write Things Fall Apart as an attempt

Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, is a story of a traditional village in Nigeria from inside Umuofia around the late 1800s. This novel depicts late African history and shows how the British administrative structure, in the form of the European Anglican Church, imposed its religion and trappings on the cultures of Africa, which they believed was uncivilized. This missionary zeal subjugated large native populations. Consequently, the native traditions gradually disappeared and in time the whole local social structure within which the indigenous people had lived successfully for centuries was destroyed. Achebe spends the first half of the novel depicting the Ibo culture, by

In his novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe introduces his readers to the Nigerian village Umuofia and its culture through the protagonist, Okonkwo, a well respected Umuofian leader. Umuofian culture is centered around pleasing and respecting spiritual life. Everything within this culture and religion has a specific order; however, the Umuofian culture ultimately reaches its demise when Evangelists arrive to convert the Umuofians to Christianity. As seen through the events that transpire in this novel, from Nwoye leaving his family to letting the osu have a place in society, religion has the potential to both build and break a society. Specifically, religion has the power to break apart families, introduce new ideas into society, and bring hope into one’s life.

This paper reflects the novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe in 1958. Achebe gives an overview of pre-colonialism and post-colonialism on Igbo, detailing how local traditions and cultural practices can “fall apart” in some scenarios through some introduced, externally created hassles elevated because of colonization. The protagonist named Okonkwo mentioned in the story is a proof showing the lifestyle of the tribe. My main objective and focus is to lay emphasis on Africa specifically the Igbo society, before and after the arrival of the Europeans in Umuofia community; the results of their arrival concerning Igbo culture, thus leading to the clash of cultures between the two categories. I will also draw on post-colonialism with respect to globalization.