Negative sides in Things Fall Apart - Assignment

Negative Sides in Things Fall Apart	March 9 2020
Assignment of African Literature		[Type the document subtitle]

Name  : Krishna K. Patel

Course: M.A. English
Semester: 4
Batch: 2018 – 2020
Roll no:-14
Enrolment no.: 2069108420190035
Email Id: krishnadobariya08@gmail.com
Paper no.: 14 African Literature
Submitted to: Smt. S. B. Gardi Dept. of English MKBU

Chinau Achebe :-

Chinau Achebe was a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic. His first novel Things Fall Apart, often considered his masterpiece, is the most widely read book in modern African literature.

Raised by his parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria, Achebe excelled at school and won a scholarship to study medicine, but changed his studies to English literature at University College. He became fascinated with world religions and traditional African cultures, and began writing stories as a university student. After graduation, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting service and soon moved to the metropolis of Lagos. He gained worldwide attention for his novel Things Fall Apart in the late 1950s; his later novels include No Longer at Ease, Arrow of God, A Man of the People, and Anthills of the Savannah. Achebe wrote his novels in English and defended the use of English, a “language of colonizers,” in African Literature.

Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Nigerian author Chinau Achebe. Published in 1958, its story chronicles pre-colonial life in the southeastern part of Nigeria and the arrival of the Europeans during the late nineteenth century. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, one of the first to receive global critical acclaim. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and is widely read and studied in English  - speaking countries around the world. In 1962, Achebe’s debut novel was first published in the UK by William Heineman Ltd. Things Fall Apart was the first work published in Heinemann’s African Writers Series.

Nigeria is rich with its traditions and each is fruitful with its own laws. This certain tradition along with its aspects of live is abundantly found in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. This novel talks about Igbo’s tribe and interesting tradition which definitely carries a high moral values as well as lessons. However, this essay searches the Igbo’s tradition from the view points of its negative side with no means to insult the tradition but on the contrary to widely open our horizon of thinking as well as to enrich the tradition itself. This essay focuses on the ways on Igbo’s life, such as; their belief, marriage, and social and political structures.

The novel began with the description of success and greatness of Okonkwo in Umofia and other neighboring  village. He was a successful man in every possible way by the Igbo standard. He was a wrestling champion, a great warrior and a wealthy farmer. Okonkwo was thus consideredone of the greatest men of his time.  But, his life took an unexpected turn after he inadevertently killed one of his clan men. As a punishment for this crime, he was exiled to Mbanta for seven years. This incident in a way paved the way for colonization to make inroad into Umofia. After seven years of exile, Okonkwo finally returned home. Much water had flown under the bridge since he left. No one seemed to pay attention to their warrior’s return. “The new religion and government and trading stores were very much in the people’s eyes and minds. They talked and thought about little else, and certainly not about Okonkwo’s return.” Things had fallen apart already. There were the church, the court and administration of the white men. He also found that many natives had converted to Christianity – not only the low born and the outcast, but sometimes a worthy  man had joined it. Such a man was Ogbuefi Ugonna, who had taken two titles.” Igbo people started forgetting their ancient gods, thinking that their gods were false. One convert named Enoch even dishonoured the custom of his own people by unmasking an egwugwu, which was considered one of the greatest crimes. The new coverts started making fun of their ancient faith and even threatened to burn their shrines claiming their gods were dead and impotent. One osu, an outcast who was newly converted to Christianity, killed a royal python , the most revered animal that the natives addressed it ‘Our Father’, in Mbanta. It was evident that colonialism had brought a stark division among the natives. Okonkwo wanted to fight the white men and their followers to protect his religion and customs. But it was too late because, as Obierika claimed, many of their own brothers had joined the white men. There were many natives who were ready to fight for the white men. Thus, the division and hatred among the natives was quite visible. There was no longer unity among them.

The Igbo believe that there was something abnormal and mystical about the twins. When people ask for rain, they do not expect a flood. Twins birth represented excessive fertility and had to be kept in cheek. After leaving the babies in the bush to die, the mother would undergo extensive rituals intended to prevent her from bearing more twins. If appropriate measures were not immediately taken, not only the parents of twins but the entirely community might suffer.

We can say that the Igbo people treat cruelly the twins and kill them. They think that twins as a source of misfortune and many difficulties. They do this because they just follow the tradition. They never think the twins are also their babies who need their protection and tenderness. They blindly commit to their belief. The born children who need their belief. The born children who need their cares should be killed because they should uphold their tradition. It is clear that Igbo people do to their twins is not fair and against the human feeling and justice. The animal itself has no heart to kill its child except the beast. The Igbo people themselves are mostly primitive and traditionally much influenced by their belief of their ancestors. They are still mystically connected. But after the coming of white in Nigerian, their belief and old tradition get some changes. The Igbo themselves just follow what their ancestors have done. They never have any alternatives to find the solution of the born twins. The only way they have to do is to throw away the twins to the forest. They never think that what they have done to their own blood is quite wrong and unacceptable by those who believe in God and love.

The most economies of African nations rely heavily on agriculture or mineral resources. Most African nations lack a solid industrial and technological base to facilitate and sustain economic growth and development. Thus, while most African nations supply the necessary raw materials that feed industries in western nations, African nations. Even with economies that are mainly agro – based, most agricultural practices in Africa are still primitive and manually based. While the western nations employ mechanized farming system, Africa and most third world nations still rely on manual labor, with the resultant poor output.

Coupled with the problem of the lack of a solid industrial base to facilitate development in Africa, is the challenge of a dismal lack of infrastructural facilities such as good access road network linking cities and rural – urban areas of the continent electricity, internet, pipe borne water supply, effective communication system, efficient health system etc. without these basic facilities, economic development would be stalled. Though in recent years, there has been a tremendous growth in the telecommunication revolution sweeping across Africa, yet only a handful can afford the communication gadget. Besides, communication facility is just an aspect of the overall infrastructure. When these facilities are lacking, there is little or nothing that can be facilities are lacking, there is little or nothing that can be accomplished as far as development is concerned in Africa.

Illiteracy, poverty and disease are three interrelated factors that plague Africa’s developmental bid. A well trained and an enlightened population can contribute more to national development than an unenlightened one. The high rate of poverty in Africa means that only very few can afford the cost of a good education. Equally true is the fact that an enlightened population may not only afford the means for healthcare cost, but may also acquire the basic health education necessary t main better health.

Conclusion:

African nations, just like other poor third world nations, have been recipients of the benevolence of the western nations. There have been dissenting voices regarding providing lasting solutions to Africa’s economic woes. While some speak in favor of the benevolent gestures such as handouts and debt cancellation from their creditors, others oppose any such gestures, on the grounds that such foreign aids do little or nothing in alleviating Africa’s economic woes. In the book Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe portrays both positive and negative aspects of Okonkwo and the Igbo culture .

Works Cited

Sastra, Purwarno. Negative sides of Igbo's Tradition in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. 06 February 2006. 7 March 2020 <https://purwarno-sastra-uisu.blogspot.com/2006/02/negative-sides-of-igbos-tradition-in.html>.

Timothy, Alexander Essien. Despair and Disillusionment in Post Negritude African Literature. January 2017. 7 March 2020 <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325248913_Despair_and_Disillusionment_in_Post-Negritude_African_Literature>.