Essays on Chinua Achebe

The issues of race and identity in Things Fall Apart stem from the Europeans’ determination to impose their ideologies on the Ibo people. On one hand, the native tribes adhere to strict belief systems that dictate their social lives. Just as the men are superior…

In every society, a person may have a voice, but not all voices hold power. In Dalton Trumbo’s depressing novel Johnny Got His Gun and Chinua Achebe’s cultural story Things Fall Apart, several characters reveal this struggle through their actions and thoughts. Joe from Johnny…

The sociology of gender examines how society influences our understandings and notion of differences among masculinity (what society deems suitable conduct for a “man”) and femininity (what society deems appropriate behavior for a “woman”). We examine how this, in turn, influences identification and social practices….

Things Fall Apart commences with Okonkwo occupying a deeply esteemed/respected position in the clan of Umuofia. Okonkwo’s fellow villagers find themselves regarding him with respect due to the fact that his status was acquired solely through personal effort. As a result of being raised by…

If we look around at the whole universe today, there are tons and millions of cultures centered everywhere around the globe. With this much cultures in the universe, people are bound to believe that they’re all divergent. Even though they are dissimilar in some aspects,…

Inside the culture of the Igbo, intricate storytelling is a cherished art form and a fundamental collaborative device. The younger ones gain knowledge through their ancestors’ past by attending their mother’s late night fireside stories, and members of the clan see communal values through stories…

In Igbo culture, the expectation for men is to display dominance over women, which means that they cannot display any qualities associated with feminine actions otherwise they will be seen as a sissy or a weak-link which will decrease your image, masculinity, and power. In…

Okonkwo can be violent and very quick tempered, as shown by “He has a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough he would use his fists. ”(4) This quote shows us he is quick to anger…

“Strength, fortitude, or hardiness traditionally associated with men as opposed to women or children” defines the word manliness as well as the Nigerians way of life in the late nineteenth century. If you were a man during this time you would work your whole life…

Okonkwo had risen so suddenly from great poverty and misfortune to be one of the lords of the clan, he was respected in his industry but Okonkwo’s brusqueness in dealing with less successful men was a striking flaw in him. He expects everyone to be…