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Cultural Diffusion In Things Fall Apart

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Terms like cultural diffusion appeared once colonization and trading between other civilizations grew. The spread of ideas, beliefs, and materials to another. While, cultural diffusion happened, the erasing of other's culture also began. Colonization can be viewed as horrible or a beneficial quest that occurred in society. However, when two very diverse cultures clash with no knowledge of each other except for stereotypes they've conjured up, things tend to fall apart. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the novel is about the tragic diminish of Okonkwo and Igbo's culture. Using Okonkwo's violent tendencies, Achebe demonstrates how a person's sense of culture and identity can be challenged and eventually destroyed by the arrival of another. …show more content…

Additionally, he went from rags to riches because of his hardworking demeanor which emphasizes how Okonkwo desired to be the exact opposite of his father. He is characterized as a "wealthy farmer" and "one of the greatest men of all time." (Achebe 17) This demonstrates how he's at the top in his village and everyone respects him. Also, he's very adamant in following the traditions of his culture which gains high respect from the villagers. Also, Okonkwo is a man of "action" and a man of "war." (Achebe 20) Further emphasizing Okonkwo as a strong brave warrior who isn't afraid to take act of a situation which makes him a man to look up to in the village. Though, strength is an admirable trait in the Ibo culture, the way Okonkwo exerts his power in his household deteriorates his

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In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo reacts to cultural collision in his society by having a closed mind and attempting to retaliate, which ultimately leads to his suicide, contributing to the novel’s theme that one

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In “Things Fall Apart” Achebe gives background information on Okonkwo saying “He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife.” (5). This quotation from chapter one demonstrates that Okonkwo’s nobility of prosperity is revealed by his success’ from his early years and forward. The villagers within Okonkwo’s clan love and honor him for his personal achievements, and he

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Cultural diffusion is the spread of different things from one civilization or society to another. Examples of things that are spread include religious and political beliefs, art and architecture. In ancient times, these influences spread as a result of travel and trade.

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Okonkwo is the protagonist, so it makes sense for him to demonstrate a lot of pride which he undeniably does. Okonkwo is constantly bragging and boastful talking about how many men he or Umuofia has killed and is constantly scared to be perceived as weak. An early example of this is in chapter 7 when Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna. He is advised by his elders not to go and just stay at home. But Okonkwo goes anyway, which leads to him killing Ikemefuna because "He was afraid of being thought weak.

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Okonkwo becomes like this because of his father. His father was lazy and dies a dishonorable death and leaves nothing for his family. Okonkwo fears becoming like his father, an agbala. The effect of this is beneficial for Okonkwo. The way he turns out makes him a great man and because of this, he obtains the third highest title in his tribe.

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He thinks that anyone who is not like that is weak The main reason why Okonkwo is a tragic hero is that of how weak his chi is. The chi takes a big important role in the novel because according to the Igbo people, anything something goes wrong with a person it is because of there bad chi.in the beginning of the book, Okonkwo seems to be the one that has the best chi and has everything going for him at the time. In the beginning of the book the reader is meant though think that Okonkwo will overcome anything that is thrown at him because of his chi. This is shown in the novel when

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Ever since the beginning of time and civilization there has been many substantial changes that have occurred in the history of everything. Many of these changes are so important to todays society and were very important to many countries and empires of ancient times. People in these ancient times started to establish many different cultural practices and ideas that were spread. This spreading is called Cultural Diffusion; this is when ideas, customs and forms of technology spread to other civilizations. Ideas can be spread by people who move from place to place but don’t settle, they are called nomads.

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Among those of the same culture, individuals who are adaptive and open-minded can be successful when there is cultural collision. When the Igbo and European cultures collide, Okonkwo gradually spirals out of control, losing everything he values and his own sense of self. From the beginning of the novel, Achebe depicts Okonkwo as a virile warrior and a successful farmer within the Igbo tribe. Reacting with violence to anything he considers “womanly” or “weak”, “He was a man of action and man of war” (10). Because of his reputation as a warrior he is highly respected by his community.

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For Okonkwo, being truly successful means becoming a better man than his father. Throughout Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is afraid that he will become like his father, who was both lazy and cowardly. Okonkwo, determined to emerge from his father’s shadow, lives his life in order to gain the respect of the other villagers. As a young man, he defeats Amalinze, a great wrestler who had gone undefeated for seven years (Achebe 1). As he grows older, he becomes a wealthy farmer, with two barns full of yams (Achebe 8).

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Eventually, after numerous hardships, Okonkwo earns his success and obtains several barns and wives. This symbolizes wealth and power which were what Okonkwo had been working for all his life. Moreover, Achebe portrays Okonkwo as a fierce warrior and is also represents him as a model clansman in the society:

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Things Fall Apart, a book written by the author Chinua Achebe is a story filled with amazing culture. It is about the rise and downfall of the main character, Okonkwo. The book had many different aspects of the African culture and the different time period. For example, characters and their importance throughout the story, and how women were treated in this culture and time period. Topics from religion, family, and the social complexity were very much involved throughout the entire book and portrayed by many of the characters.

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Things Fall Apart is a short novel about Okonkwo, an established member of Umuofia, which is an Igbo village in what now is south-eastern Nigeria. Although it is a work of fiction, the culture of the Igbo tribe is similar to that of most pre-colonial african villages, including the village Ogidi, where Achebe, the author of the book,

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“Things Fall Apart”, a novel written by Chinua Achebe about Africa through the character Okonkwo, a man who Achebe uses to illustrate the complexity Igbo culture, contrary to what the Europeans portrayed Africa as. One main focus of the book is to counter the single story, which is the idea that an area is represented by one story, similar to a stereotype. However, differing from a stereotype a single story often completely misrepresents something, and in this case Africa. Europeans had been the only ones writing about Africa, describing all the culture as problematic for being different, rather than looking at what African culture really is. Achebe was one of the first to write about African culture for westerners to read about, making Things Fall Apart a true innovation in writing.

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Out of all of his children, at least he takes much pride in one of them; that’s something that he never gets himself from his father while he grows up. In contrast to this softer behavior, Okonkwo is also a strong man. He is one of the greatest wrestlers in all of the villages when it comes to his physical strength. Not only that, he is mentally strong as well. He is able to do things that most men believe to be unthinkable; he displays all of the characteristics needed in an ideal warrior.

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