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Discuss okonkwo in the novel things fall apart by chinua achebe
Literature essay okonkwos character
Discuss okonkwo in the novel things fall apart by chinua achebe
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In the story “Things Fall Apart”, Okonkwo is a character who is recognized as a successful wrestler, and a strong leader in the village Umuofia. Okonkwo is exiled to his mother’s village called Mbanta for seven years for killing Ezeudu’s sixteen-year-old son. Okonkwo finds out that his son Nwoye has joined Christianity and takes exception to it. Okonkwo beats Nwoye because he joins Christianity because he still hasn’t forgiven Okonkwo for killing Ikemefuna. Okonkwo has a response to the collision of his culture.
In Umuofia, Okonkwo has a high title, earned by demonstrating his achievement in his city. He is recognized everywhere for being a great wrestler who beat Amalinze the Cat. In chapter one, it says that “He brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat” (Achebe 3). Okonkwo made it his goal to demonstrate himself powerfully to the community because his father, Unoka, was the opposite. The emotional, lazy, gentile, and unsuccessful Unoka was interested in music and drinking, and he didn 't try hard to make a name for himself.
Chapter 10: In chapter 10 of Things Fall Apart, the author had purpose in all text. The text supported the author’s purpose of being a female is difficult. Females had to deal with having their thoughts or opinions not important. “There were many women, but they looked on from the fringe like outsiders” (Achebe 87).
The novel “things fall apart” is about the fatal demise of Okonkwo and the igbo culture of Umuofia. Okonkwo is well known and respected leader in his community, who is successful in everything he does, such as wrestling and farming. He is quick with his hands and takes pride in his accomplishments. Okonkwo’s family relationship makes him a sympathetic character because of his support and an unsympathetic character because of his cruelty. In many ways Okonkwo showed that he had no sympathy for others , However at times he could be sympathetic.
The background on him included the statement that “Unoka, the grown up, was a failure” (5). Okonkwo, however, has been a hard worker ever since childhood. At 18, “ he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat” (3), who was an undefeated
And indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death (p18). This direct text supports that Unoka had a contemptible life. Unoka’s own son was ashamed of his father, and the life that he lived. Unoka was poor, lazy, neglectful to his wife, and he did not plan for the future. According to the novel, during Unoka’s life, he never took a title and therefore never gained status or respect from the villagers, and later on from his son Okonkwo.
From being nothing in his village he rises to be a great, honorable, successful leader of umuofia. He also has a tragic flaw of being weak, failure and having fear that leads him to fail at things several times because of his fears. All of these failures then lead him to his suicide. Finally, he finds his own tragic fate because of his murder of the missionaries court messenger during his villages meeting. Though Okonkwo's life started out as one of the most successful and leading men of Umuofia but because of his violent and impulsive characteristics, even the most successful and well-respected man can fall from his
He became respected ever since he defeated Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling match many years ago. As British missionaries invade their village, many changes have been occurring. Okonkwo struggles adjusting to the way of doing things and questions his identity when he gets banished from Umuofia and learns of the disconnect of his men. Through the disconnect
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).
In the essay I created about Umuofia having both civilized and uncivilized attributes, my strength, includes a complex thesis, and my weakness, includes use of passive voice, illustrated my various developments in essay writing. The strength that I exhibited in my essay was a complex thesis. The improvement in my theses can be seen in my most recent thesis from the essay about Umuofia. The thesis was filled with rich vocabulary and strong language in order to convey my opinion with correct examples.
Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Chinua Achebe. In the novel there is a main character called Okonkwo. He lived in Umuofia where he was also known throughout many of the nine villages around Umuofia. In the beginning of the story we see his overwhelming hatred towards his father Unoka. His father died about ten years ago and had not taken any title and was very much in debt.
Generally, a tragic hero is born into royalty and has already attained the noble status. However, Okonkwo was born into a poor family, and according to Okonkwo his father was “weak and feminine”. Regardless his father’s failures Okonkwo acquires respect in the Igbo society by defeating a great wrestler: As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat. (1) Okonkwo furthermore spends his hours toiling away in an attempt to earn his way up in the patriarchal society.
From the beginning of the novel it is understood that Okonkwo is highly ranked and regarded in society. In fact, in the first two sentences it is stated that “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements” (Pg. ). Early in his life Okonkwo knew that he wanted to become an important person in society. When he was eighteen years old, Okonkwo was able to win a fight with Amalinze the Cat who had been undefeated for seven years.
Thousand’s of people go through life changing events everyday, these events can cause people to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Having to make a decision to do what you know is right or do something that is frowned upon by others just to get at a better state in life. In the novel “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe displays fear, fate, and religion through conflict and tragedy. In the novel “Things Fall Apart” the author shows tragedy by putting the characters in certain devastating situations.
However, Unoka the grown-up was a failure. He was very poor and was constantly in debt, which means that his wife and children (including Okonkwo) didn’t have much to eat. Unoka was very feminine, having a love for music and a hate for wars and blood. He died ten years ago, still a failure who had no titles and was still in debt. Ashamed of his deceased father, Okonkwo has become the complete opposite of his father.
