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Things Fall Apart Research Paper

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Cultural Destruction One of the driving forces of history is the interaction between different cultures. Sometimes this interaction comes in peaceful forms such as trade and marriage. Other times, cultures act violently towards one another, oppressing or waging war against other ways of life. This second type of cultural exchange can be extremely harmful, especially when a culture ends up being erased. At that point, the people who once adhered to that culture must live with damaged identities. Because culture is part of identity, seeking to destroy a foreign culture is highly detrimental to the affected people, although some cultural change brought about by peaceful means can be a good thing. These ideas are reinforced by countless …show more content…

One notable instance of cultural destruction is the Scramble for Africa. This phrase refers to the efforts made by European powers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to take control of Africa and its resources. During this time, European cultures both mixed and clashed with native African cultures. It is worth noting that Europeans brought several good changes to Africa; in some cases, the introduction of certain moral and religious principles brought an end to harmful practices such as the abandonment of newborn twins. However, European colonialists harmed more than helped native Africans. Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart exposes the negative effects of colonialism. One speech given by a character towards the end of the book expresses the deep despair felt by the victims of cultural destruction. On page 203, Achebe writes, “All our gods are weeping… Our dead fathers are weeping because of the shameful sacrilege they are suffering and the abomination we have all seen with our eyes... Our fathers never dreamed of such a thing, they never killed their brothers. But a white man never came to them. So we must do what our fathers would never have done.” Because of the aggressive actions of foreigners against their culture, the Igbo people of Nigeria were provoked to unprecedented violence between people of the same tribe. The destruction of their native culture led to divisions between the people and a rift in their

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After years of colonization and stripping the land of its crops and animals Europe left with all the resources they will need. As white racists assume, Europe’s colonization over Africa resulted in a loss of natural resources was because of the inefficiency and stupidity of African citizens however, the lure of an abundance of resources and goods made Africa susceptible to

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Correspondingly, this has also occurred in quite a few other cultures, including the Irish, as mentioned before, and a more commonly known example which is the disapproval and genocide of the Native American people and their cultural. These examples show just how in depth the effect of cultural can threaten

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The proverbs in Things Fall Apart allow for a deeper look into the Igbo culture and their beliefs. Sayings that initially seem to drive Western and African societies further apart end up pushing them together when the meaning is deciphered. An example of this is the proverb, “Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to the other, let his wing break” (19). Basically it's saying that as long as everyone's equal all is well, but as soon as someone decides to takeover let them have bad luck.

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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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Nigeria’s independence from Great Britain in 1960 marked a transition in the African narrative. From the late 19th century to mid 20th century saw Nigeria as a prisoner to British rule. Ancient artifacts and stories thousands of years old were erased.(paper source)In addition, many beliefs Nigerians held on religion, politics, and mythology resulted those beliefs resulted in them being discredited. Britain’s colonization of Nigeria brings up a point on how a culture's history can be altered to change a narrative.(paper source) Author, Chinua Achebe suggest stories regarding the Igbo ethnic group should be told before Britain's colonization.

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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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One major effect of European imperialism on Africa was the sudden, dramatic amount of poverty. During the "Scramble for Africa", Europeans drained all resources and money out of Africa, leaving indigenous peoples with nothing. There was also an increase in disease and fighting amongst tribes in Africa, due to Europeans drawing borders that separated some friendly tribes and forced others to live together with their mortal enemies. After WWII, when Europeans abandoned their African colonies, many were able to claim independence. However, since the indigenous people had not been allowed in positions of power while existing in a colony, they had no leadership skills to govern themselves, and many nations fell apart under corrupt rulers.

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Cultivating respect for the diversity of the people and their cultures plays an important role for a living. Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, implies the importance of respect in the Ibo tribe because it plays a key role in their society. As the European settlers invade the Ibo’s land, there is a question of the balance of respect within the Ibo culture and between the two diverse religions. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe portrays that the Ibo culture values dignity between individuals to prove that respect leads to harmony.

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Although Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart shows traces of gender equality among the Igbo, the European audience views the culture as sexist. In Things Fall Apart sexism is shown in many ways like the abuse of women, social expectations and the power of males. The Igbo people don 't look at women the same way as Europeans do. Europeans treat women with respect and dignity while The Igbo dismiss the importances of

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During the succession of periodization Five (1750 C.E.-1900 C.E.) leading into periodization Six (1900-present day), there were many causes and consequences of new imperialism in Africa. New imperialism was caused due to the Europeans’ desire to acquire new land and resources, along with the introduction of social darwinism. The consequences of new imperialism were the denial of natural rights to Africans, as well as the religion of Christianity rising to become a more eminent feature of African society. To begin with, Europeans believed that in order to build on their acquisitions and improve the availability of new resources they would need to conquer Africa. At the time, Europe’s external conflicts were increasing significantly.

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The arrival of the Europeans with their customs and religion caused the natives to be wildly mystified and made them reconsider their own customs. Soon many native people began to convert to Christianity and this resulted in disunity among the people as they turned against each other. Chinua Achebe powerfully expressed this through his book Things Fall Apart: “Our own men and sons have joined the rank of a stranger. They have joined his religion and they help to uphold his government.” (Achebe, 155) Another way imperialism destroyed cultures began at the Berlin Conference where Europeans met up to divide Africa.

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When cultural diversity is reduced through the popularization and diffusion of cultural symbols, one could speak about cultural homogenization. The world and its cultures become more the same, and it is often argued that our current society is in a phase of homogenization. To be more precise, a phase of dominant Western culture established with the help of

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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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It can kill it, it can change it or it can cover it up. Tourism plays a large part in this. Take India for example. The country’s true culture is a beautiful one. The people of India have hundreds of subcultures and religions that are overlooked by the rest of the world.

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