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No Longer At Ease Summary

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In the 1950s, African nations commenced fighting vehemently for independence. In this context of fight for decolonization, Chinua Achebe wrote his novel, No Longer at Ease published during Nigeria’s independence. The story occurs in the city of Lagos and in the village of Umuofia. The main character, Obi, got money from the Umuofian Progressive Union to study in England. However, when he returned to Nigeria, he is trapped between his tradition and western culture. In the book, Achebe emphasizes a theme of colonial mindset through the alteration of Nigerian culture, the domination of English over local languages and the divinization of Europeans. Achebe uses signified meaning to show how colonialism affected Nigerian …show more content…

Actually, it is mentioned, “to throw a white man was like unmasking an ancestral spirit” (Achebe 58). The comparison between Europeans and ancestral spirits shows that Umuofians gave a particular deference to Europeans. Therefore, disrespect to white people was viewed as a taboo; this deference triggered a submissiveness to colonial rules which caused an inferiority complex. Furthermore, a soldier told the Umuofians, “If you see a white man, take off your hat for him. The only thing he cannot do is mould a human being” (Achebe 13). The hyperbole in the second sentence—the only thing he cannot do is mould a human being—divulges that Nigerians believed that Europeans were close to Gods. Therefore, Europeans were considered as divinities. Moreover, the phrase “take off your hat for him” strengthens the deification as, initially, it was used for people going to church who had to remove their hats to worship God. In this context, it shows an adoration of the white man. This adoration connects to the Empire Days when Nigerians used to sing the English kings and queens’ praises. To summarize, the divinization of Europeans provoked an obedience to colonial rules and a feeling of inferiority within

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Since the time of colonialism, Blacks and Indigenous peoples fell under the totalitarian ruling of colonists who have obviously favored their own race over others in order to expand their political, territorial and economic powers. As a result, the non-whites (notably the Blacks and Indians) were unjustly segregated and classified as inferior to the

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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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The novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, defines an important literary example of the historical conflict of European colonialism in Nigeria during the

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Quite simply put, Europeans viewed Africans and Native Americans as inferior to themselves. They were considered to be heathens and barbarians by the Europeans. And, at least initially, they were not Christian. It was believed that Europeans could save both Native Americans and Africans not only spiritually but also economically and socially. This type of attitude also most likely made it much easier for the Europeans to discriminate and exploit them.

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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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Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a book based up on pre-colonial Nigeria back in the 1890s and it focuses on on traditional society’s and colonialism. The author presents the book Things Fall Apart through the eyes of the main character Okonkwo who was a respected elder in the village. Women in the book were all housewives and they were shown as weak, and as second class citizens of the Umuofian society. The roles of women in the Umuofia society is presented through several events that happened in in the village of Umuofia.

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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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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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In Igbo culture it is acceptable to beat women and look down upon them? Women are below men in this culture and in the eyes of the Europeans that is wrong. In Things Fall Apart sexism is shown in many ways such as the abuse of women, social expectations and the power of males. But the Igbo culture views that as normal while the rest of the world despises the cultures way of treating women. Although Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart shows traces of gender equality among the Igbo, the European audience views the culture as sexist.

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The rate of poverty and homelessness created a need for more economic opportunities. Colonies provided a chance for work and prosperity(Iweriebor, “The colonization of Africa”). Europeans lied to the Africans and made them sign what the Africans thought were peace treaties. Proverbs were among the many popular folkloric forms. Nigeria’s diverse past traditions provide many culture ideas(Gall, Hobby, “nigeria”).

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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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Achebe illustrates that colonialism has a negative effect on Ibo culture by dividing Ibo people, which results in the downfall of Ibo civilization. Before white men arrive to Ibo society, there is no sense of colonialism. In this atmosphere, the Ibo society functions

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