Igbo Culture In Things Fall Apart

As a group, me and my fellow classmates dug into the deeper meaning and effects of the Ibo culture in Things Fall Apart. We asked ourselves if Okonkwo was to blame for his actions, or if they were justified due to his cultures’ acceptance and even encouragement of such behavior. This led us to think about the psychology of the human mind, and the ease in which one can be convinced of doing wrongful things. We mostly came upon the conclusion that within Ibo culture in Things Fall Apart, doing things such as beating your wife for not making your food in time was not seen as domestic abuse in the villagers’ minds. This is due to the way Ibo men are expected to be the figure of dominance and strength within a household, the same that also envision women as the ever-loyal servant of men. For this, men like Okonkwo, who follow this way of thinking out of necessity to fit into his culture, might not be to blame,

We talked about the morality of forcibly introducing one’s culture into an unwilling group, and degrading their own, while also keeping in mind the secondary effects this could cause. Our conversation briefly shifted towards the ignorance shown by the District Commissioners action’s and conclusion upon seeing Okonkwo hanging cadaver. This line of thinking also brought us to the idea of whether dialects stemming from English could be considered as a separate entity, and if they were equal, or inferior the original. In terms of practicality, we agreed that dialects and slang did succeed in ease of communication, and it would be fine to use in such occasions. But we did not agree that dialects like the one seen in Dry Foot Bwoy, were capable of being used in terms of literacy and writing. It could surely be done, as demonstrated in the poem, but it lacks any sense of organization and fails to get the message across