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Igbo Cultural Identity

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The theme of No Longer at Ease (1960) epitomizes issues of cultural identity caused by colonial power in Nigeria The native Igbo people in Lagos are captivated by Englishness in daily routine making them aware of their social status and the challenge to preserve the culture. Stuart Hall points out about the cultural identity that ‘Essentialist conceptualizations of identity claim there is an authentic cultural identity, a “true self”, which “people with a shared history and ancestry hold in common” (Hall 1996:111). The unequal relationship with colonial power stamps the questions on the cultural identity of the Igbo people. Achebe remarks the problematic situation, ‘Titles are no longer great, neither are barns or large numbers of wives and children. Greatness is now in the things of the white man. And so we too have changed our tune.’(NLE: 42) The remark of an Igbo is the awareness of the influence of colonial power. There are the two worlds: the native world of the Igbo people and ‘the white man’. The native Igbo people …show more content…

There is an ignorance of the Nigerian Igbo people emphasizing the native ambivalence and invading the colonial administration. The identity of the Igbo is always at the grim fear about the colonial power. Achebe mentions it that ‘It was said that if you touched a soldier, Government would deal with you.’(NLE: 10) The colonial power operates the Nigerian community with the practice of the colonial administration. . Lloyd W. Brown in his study of post-colonial fiction including Achebe’s No Longer at Ease points out that ‘Their indifference to Government and the regulation of the state is due to the fact that—since it was created by the foreign colonizer—they have ‘been accustomed to think of a central authority in terms of powerful, alien exploiters” (Brown

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Many stereotypes of African culture have emerged due to western literature and media and first hand accounts of explorers. Things Fall Apart offers a view into the truth and reality of African cultures, which are often misconceptualized by these stereotypes. Acebe shows how African society functions well without assistance from foreign travelers. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe counters the imperialist stereotypes of Africa by keeping certain words in the Igbo language, as opposed to translating them into English, to fight back against the spreading western culture and to embrace their own way of life. He also counters the imperialist stereotypes of Africa by using Igbo proverbs to show how their culture values many of the same things that western

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889 Words | 4 Pages

How do the British attempt to raise their own perception of “civilization” over that of the colonial subject? 4.How does Okonkwo retain his pride and cultural identity during the British colonial occupation? What cultural and social values make him less susceptible to British colonial tyranny? 5.How does Okonkwo’s understanding of the family unit define his role as a member of Igbo tribe? What indigenous values in African tribes provide a framework for tribal customs in contrast the white European family values that are imposed on him and his family?

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We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” In which achebe’s purpose was to condemn the white colonists for altering the Igbo culture, religion, "Igbo." - Introduction, Location,

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The tripartite novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, published in 1958 focuses on the changes taking place in Nigeria, as a result of colonization during the 20th century. Chinua Achebe’s pragmatics when writing the novel focused on changing the perspective of Western readers with regard to African society. He mainly wanted to falsify the assertions in books such as “Heart of Darkness” which he claimed gave people of African descent a dull personality. Social status is one of the novels’ main themes. Chinua Achebe successfully incorporates the importance of social status, giving readers the impression that for the Ibo society, social structure consists mainly of a hierarchy of both skill and strength.

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Meanwhile, this essay focuses on the behavior of people in standard societies, not their attitude towards a situation of despair. As a result, even though Iwegbu’s approach to life is noble, to say the least, he is not attacked by the same psychological demons that plague regular

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A struggle for power between any two or more groups of people in a society can lead to more damage and sever relations between people. Moreover, it can lead to tragic endings, much like the way Okonkwo’s relationship with Nwoye was lost forever. The concept of men being superior and women being inferior and weak is seen in many cultures, including Igbo society. Because gender roles have both advantages and disadvantages, gender-specific stereotypes are integrated in many different societies, similar to the ones prevalent in

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Through the way that The Headstrong Historian portrays the topic of assimilation and the creation of the “Nigerian middle-class”, we are shown the historical accuracy of The Headstrong Historian. The British assimilated many Nigerians through education. Because of the many benefits to be gained from a European education, by the late 19th century, more and more Nigerians were taking

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Introduction On October 1st 1960 , British rule over Nigeria as a colony ended, as well as most of its official structure. Nigerian leaders were left with the task of taking up the leadership of the Nigerian people from the British with a promise of democratic rule; however within fifteen years after independence various institutions experienced great changes bringing great instability and uncertainty to the newly founded government. Northern and Southern regions of Nigeria both felt the impacts in education, politics, religion and ethnically. This causes one to wonder what the British Imperialistic government did differently, and why the difference between the Southern and Northern region became so evident in the fifteen years after independence.

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Although Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart shows traces of gender equality among the Igbo, the European audience views the culture as sexist. In Things Fall Apart sexism is shown in many ways like the abuse of women, social expectations and the power of males. The Igbo people don 't look at women the same way as Europeans do. Europeans treat women with respect and dignity while The Igbo dismiss the importances of

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Moreover, Western civilization became the ideal civilization, and became way superior to African “civilization.” As a consequence, African tradition became perceived as primitive, outmoded, and sadly not welcomed by the rest of the world. Unfortunately, a lot of Africans experienced a trend of a dying out culture. (2) It can be implied that even the Africans’ self-perception dropped because the only lifestyle they knew was suddenly taken away from them and they were taught that it was substandard. Therefore, the indigenous inhabitants of the colonies, the Africans, had to adapt to a new, “superlative” culture and view it as more sophisticated than theirs.

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“Military men would always overthrow one another, because they could, because they were all power drunk” (24) illustrates the internal governmental struggle in Nigeria during this book and a result of the “bloody coups of the sixties” (24). Nigeria is industrialized due to colonization of the British (Hurst) and is shown to be true as Papa owns a factory and newspaper branch known as “the Standard” (24). The industrialization of Nigeria is a direct effect from the colonization of Africa during the majority of the twentieth century. The colonization and the independence of Nigeria from Britain in 1960 led to an “ethnic tension in

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But for the purposes of this article, the focus will be in the Igbo ethnic group of Nigeria. The Igbo ethnic group which is also a language

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THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON INDIVIDUALS IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S ARROW OF GOD S.Senthamarai I.M.A.English Literature TGAC,Rasipuram 9566769103 Senthamarais135@gmail.com Abstract: Cultural Studies can be considered as an innovative interdisciplinary field of research that investigates the ways in which

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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the positive and negative impacts of colonialism. Key words: - Colonialism, Religion, Culture, Civilization, Conflict INTRODUCTION Things Fall Apart was published in 1958 just two years before Nigeria’s independence from the British’s rule in 1960. Achebe, who was born in 1930, had experienced colonialism in his country. The novel depicts the pre-colonial and early colonial Nigerian society.

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Feminist Theory In Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”, they recognize the life of the Igbos which are a tribe in the village of Umuofia during European colonization. There are many topics brought up in this book like the effects of colonization, culture and tradition, religion, race, etc. It is relatively easy to read “Things Fall Apart” as an anti-feminist text due to the face that the Igbo clan’s customs and traditions seem to side towards masculine features, such as power and strength. The novel is told through a male protagonist’s point of view in nineteenth century Nigeria, while women there do not have much rights, they do wield heavy influence over the leaders of the clan.

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