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Mental Health In Things Fall Apart And Invictus By Sangu Delle

823 Words4 Pages

Lori Deschene once said “Having feelings doesn’t make you a negative person. It makes you human.” When mental health is mentioned, many of us brush it off to not be seen as “weak”. The book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley, and a TedTalk by Sangu Delle all show us what it means to be emotionally vulnerable, and the effects that mental health can have on us. Just like our physical health, our emotional well being is just as important and can affect our relationships with the people around us and our overall well-being and quality of life. Depriving our mental health will only drive us down if we live in fear of becoming the person we don’t want to become.
Mental health is just as important as physical …show more content…

In the TedTalk by Sangu Delle, he mentions that “All of us — but we Africans especially — need to realize that our mental struggles do not detract from our virility, nor does our trauma taint our strength. We need to see mental health as important as physical health.” (TedTalk). This TedTalk emphasizes the importance of mental health and getting help professionally in order to break the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Specifically within African communities, but the message can be relevant to other communities as well. Recognizing and addressing mental health issues takes a great deal of courage and strength. Seeking help from a professional can be an experience that improves the quality of life and prevents more serious issues from arising. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is not able to recognize his mental health. “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak.” (Achebe 61).” This quote highlights how the fear of being seen as weak can prevent people from recognizing and addressing their mental health issues. Okonkwo's fear of being thought of as weak drives him to take actions that lead to his downfall. When he refuses to acknowledge and address his mental health concerns, it resorts to harmful behaviors

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