ipl-logo

Things Fall Apart Christianity Essay

421 Words2 Pages

The religious changes that christianity brought for okonkwo's society are undeniable as are the changes imposed on anglican christianity when it arrived to nigeria. Many changes are included in this list, among these changes in representation of religion, changes in rituals done in the religion, and changes on Anglican Christianity to help it mingle with the present religions. In this essay these changes will be delved upon. Christianity changed and was changed by the societies in nigeria.
Throughout the book Things Fall Apart the changes christianity imposes are undeniable. Nwoye, when the christians first got to his village, thought “the words of the hymn were like the claps of frozen rain melting on the dry plate of the panting earth” (Achebe, 147). this new religion that the white man brought gave answers to many of the peoples questions and, which some felt, unbased beliefs. some of the beliefs that the igbo had were bottomless, christianity brought ideas to change some of those bottomless ones, but many ,as said before, did not change. christianity changed the beliefs of the igbo people profoundly. …show more content…

A site talking about the mixture between christianity and african religious belief said this, “..mingled christianity with yorubaland rituals, it too had festivals and was home to the traditional travelling theater.” (christianity and yoruba). When christianity arrived to nigeria it was not fully accepted, sometimes it mingled and mixed. in this example theater and reenactment are absorbed into the igbo culture, these aspects of culture came from european tradition to reenact happenings of the bible. some aspects of european culture were absorbed into the igbo

Show More
Related
583 Words | 3 Pages

The methodology of Haitian Voodoo slaves has accomplished the same. To emphasize such a fact Coleman said “slaves seized the right to reinterpret Christianity in light of their own situation.” 51 African Theologians also have espoused such. They set their own parameters for definition of a “new Christianity.”

Read More
784 Words | 4 Pages

When people started converting to Christianity the Africans realized that “none of them [were men] of title” (Achebe 119). The Igbo people put men of achievement on a societal pedestal and give them respect only because of their accomplishments, which also means that there are outcasts. The people that have not achieved much are looked down upon in society and are seen as subordinate. Another example of Christianity’s acceptance is how they “educated their converts” (Source C). In the novel, Christianity’s customs contrasts to the Igbo in that the Christians accept individuals as they are and not by what they have accomplished.

Read More
1680 Words | 7 Pages

The spreading Christianity was a sandwich served to the Africans in that it preached of a forgiving God and the need for redemption on one side and brought education to the children of the natives on the other side while in between it taught about respect for authorities and at the same time requested government protection which was never kind. Some of the new Christian converts began rebelling against their traditional authorities hence making it easier for the colonizers beside the fact that most African chiefdoms were decentralized and easy to conquer

Read More
1006 Words | 5 Pages

Changes in religious practice and belief between 1450 and present in Sub-Saharan Africa were dramatic and pronounced. The introduction of European culture and religious beliefs in the later half of the 15th century acted to change the existing religious practices and beliefs of Sub-Saharan Africa. During the years of 1450 and onwards, the religious practices and beliefs in Sub-Saharan Africa had changed very little for centuries and revolved around animistic beliefs. After the European entry into Sub-Saharan Africa during the 1490’s, the introduction of Catholicism begins a period of great change in religious practice and belief. In spite of great changes in religious belief and practice, the devotion of the people to their religion, no matter

Read More
728 Words | 3 Pages

These cultures were no longer retained after white men came and “told them they worshipped false gods, gods of wood and stone” (145). These harsh ideas on the Igbo people led them to abandon their own religion and take up the new religion if it meant change for the Igbo people. This strict cultural change left harsh damage to the current culture of the Igbo people. This culture should have been retained but it was destroyed and abandoned for a new culture, one of the Christian faith and newly formed

Read More
1632 Words | 7 Pages

The Igbo religion had been passed on from generation to generation, which caused them to be so strong in their religion, so when the white missionaries came and tried to convert them, they were very unwilling to switch to Christianity (Kucharski, Mike.). The fictional characters in the novel participated in certain rituals that reflect the religion of the Igbo people. When public events take place in the novel, the egwugwu, who represent the ancestors and deities, meet with all the people of the village in one space; this shows that the Igbo had a religion that influenced their government (Ogbaa, Kalu.). In the later chapters of Things Fall Apart, Achebe uses a conversation between Okonkwo and Obierika to say that the village’s way of life works because of their land, language, customs, and religion, but the white missionaries disturbed the peace of their village and caused things to begin to go badly for the Igbo (Achebe, Chinua.). Throughout the whole novel, Achebe points out the main differences between the Igbo religion and Christianity.

Read More
1003 Words | 5 Pages

In the nonfiction novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, the author uses detail, figurative language to convey the tradition, religion and the ways of the Ibo people. The novel's protagonist Okonkwo is famous in the surrounding villages for being a wrestling champion, defeating a wrestler nicknamed "the cat". He is strong, hard-working, and strives to show no weakness. Okonkwo wants to dispel his father Unoka’s tainted legacy of being effeminate and cowardly. Okonkwo works to build his wealth entirely on his own, as Unoka died a shameful death and left many unpaid debts.

Read More
741 Words | 3 Pages

Therefore the advent of Christianity in Igbo land had meant the introduction of a christian world view. Admittedly, Christianity made tremendous achievements. They abolished slave trade and slavery, human sacrifices and twin killing, introduced education, built hospitals and charity homes. They destroyed some level of superstition, increased human knowledge that brought about improved human welfare. Igbo traditional religion was incapable of achieving this because it was static as well as looking downwards.

Read More
985 Words | 4 Pages

The majority of themes that are present in the book reflect and allude to the postcolonial state of Nigeria. The postcolonial state of Nigeria was very militarial and authoritarian. It had a gap between the Christians, who had good contact with the former British colonizers and the Pagans. In the following Essay, we will

Read More
1153 Words | 5 Pages

It made Igbo to believe, “praying that the day would not be far when the priest and all his people would turn away from the worship of snakes and idols to the true religion” (AOG: 214). The missionaries promoted Igbo to abandon the ‘snakes and idols’ and join the church to become civilized and find a salvation. The Christianity provided the stronger protection than the deity, Ulu. The Christ is believed to be the strong, merciful and forgiving and Ulu in compare to Christianity is weak and stubborn; the stubbornness of the native deity caused the religious identity. The missionaries declare, “Ulu who is a false god can eat one yam the living God who owns the whole world should be entitled to eat more than one”.

Read More
1038 Words | 5 Pages

Today, Christianity is one of the largest religions in Africa. In the past few decades, there has been a large growth of Christians in Africa - this is coupled with a steady decline in the more traditional African religions. The book, Things Fall Apart shows that a character that has a tragic flaw is one that constantly makes error in there actions that eventually cates us to them and leads them to there doom. Okonkwo, a perfect tragic character, is driven by his fear of being unmanly, this causes him to act very harsh toward his fellow tribesmen, his family and himself; he will judge all the people in the village. In the eyes of Okonkwo, a true man is wealthy, hard-working, and violent.

Read More
945 Words | 4 Pages

(I Contrasted about the actual religion and the religion in the book (igbo and ibo).) “The white man also their brother because they were all sons of god. And he told them about this new god, the creator of the world and all the men and women. He told them they worshiped false gods,gods of wood and stone”. (Achebe 114)

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

In Chinua Achebe novel, Things Fall Apart Nwoye a young man under Okonkwo’s responsibility is affected positively by the introduction of western ideas into the Ibo culture. This being said Nwoye has found a passion for being apart of a religion not known by any local in Igbo called Christianity, to some it was a blessing and to others a disgrace. To Okonkwo he feels that anybody who converts to Christianity is a disgrace to their village. And how surprising is it that his own son converts to a Christian. And in his conversion he tries to escape his strict culture and find out who he is as a person.

Read More
846 Words | 4 Pages

Chukwu is their primary god along with others, and the Igbo fear him. They believe that their souls were given to them by ancestors and that they will eventually pass their soul down to their grandchildren. The spread of Christianity was not welcomed by all, but it found a way to sneak into the lives of all the Igbo people. Achebe uses these ideas to show the Igbo were civilized people who had their own beliefs before Christianity replaced the Igbo religion and ultimately changed their lives

Read More
1837 Words | 8 Pages

S. Naipaul and J. M. Coetzee these Post-colonial writers have all dealt with Africa in their own individual and unique ways. Achebe does not treat the African culture and ways of life as something hybrid, complex, dependant for its significance on the Western style of perceiving things or neither has he shown Africa to be existing only in relation to its difference from or consonance with the Western form of religion, culture, identity, and discourse. The major theme of the novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ centers around the destruction of Africa’s intricate, almost incomprehensible but unique way of life and culture in the wake of British colonization and forced or maneuvered conversion to Christianity. The administrative as well as religious changes that the British tries to impose upon the native Africans has the disastrous effects of uprooting the indigenous people from their original root and tradition and can be seen as some instruments of subjugation, subordination and subservience which starts with creating distrust, doubts and insecurity in the minds of people for their Igbo tradition, and its cultural and religious practices and ends with making them internalize the Christian way of life and British administrative apparatuses. Another theme that is explored in this novel is the inherent fault of the central character Okonkwo, who is ambitious, industrious, honest, masculine but is rash, and unthinking and his sense of self and identity is wholly dependent on the approval of others in his community and he thinks of anything that intrudes into it as a threat and he tries hard to be a man though in a flawed manner.

Read More

More about Things Fall Apart Christianity Essay

Related Topics

Open Document