Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Okonkwo The Power Hungry Warrior in Things Fall Apart

Okonkwo, The Tragic Hero The novel, Things Fall Apart, takes place in a Lower Nigerian village of Iguedo and Mbanta and is centered around a man by the name of Okonkwo. Okonkwo, the protagonist, is introduced as the most renowned warrior of all tribes who brought great honor to his tribe by becoming the top wrestler of the villages. Throughout the book, Chinua Achebe expresses Okonkwo as a man whose obsession with power is what ultimately leads him to failing in attempts to obtain that power through his role as a farmer, the actions towards his family, and his actions towards the new civilization of the village. When introducing the protagonist, Achebe makes Okonkwo’s thirst for power and status very apparent not just through his†¦show more content†¦He had hoped to be praised for his authority in his family, but instead was frowned upon and punished for his crime. Not only is this idea of a power hungry man seen of his role in his family, but also in his actions upon the return to his father land after being exiled for seven years for accidently killing his friend’s son. The third example that shows Okonkwo and his obsession with power can be in his action when returning to his father land. Before returning to his father land, Okonkwo had big plans for how he would rise to power and even surpass the status he had before he was exiled. Unfortunately, when he returned he accomplished little to nothing. Instead, returns to a land that has been colonized by what he calls the â€Å"albinos†. In an act to try and assert dominance, Okonkwo, after being released from prison, tries to gather the village and rebel against the white men, which excites him. This can be shown in the book when the narrator said,† Okonkwo slept very little that night. The bitterness in his heart was now mixed with a kind of childlike excitement; before he had gone to bed he had brought down his war dress, which he had not touched since his return from exile.† (Achebe 70). This quote is a perfect example of Okonkwo’s obsession with power. Having had a littl e taste of power by getting ready to rebel, Okonkwo becomes very excited and could not sleep. Also, theShow MoreRelatedChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1410 Words   |  6 PagesTeddy Manfre Ms. Blass ENG 209-001 April 24, 2017 Things Fall Apart In 1958, Chinua Achebe a famous Nigerian author publishes one of his most famous novels Things Fall Apart. The novel takes place in a Nigerian village called Umuofia. During the time that this novel is published Nigeria is being criticized by the Europeans for being uncivilized. In response, Achebe uses his brilliance in this novel to express the valued history of his people to his audience. His focus in the novel is on the pre-colonizedRead MoreThe European Imperial And Colonial Influence On Nigeria1293 Words   |  6 Pages The European imperial and colonial influence on Nigeria was tremendous and ended up hurting the tribal traditions in the area. This is evident in books like Things Fall Apart and Death of a King’s Horseman where the traditions of the tribes were weakened by the through the British rules and laws. For example, in Death of a King’s Horseman, the play opens on Elesin needing to commit suicide based on the tribal traditions. However, the British offi cial in the area viewed it as a barbaric and primitiveRead More Notion of Balance in Things Fall Apart by Achebe Essay1634 Words   |  7 PagesNotion of Balance in Things Fall Apart by Achebe The notion of balance in Achebes novel is an important theme throughout the book. Beginning with the excerpt from Yeatss poem, The Second Coming, the concept of balance is stressed as important, for without balance, order is lost. In the novel, there are many systems of balance which the Ibo culture seems to depend upon. It is when these systems are upset that things fall apart. Okonkwo, the Ibo religion, and ultimately, the Ibos autonomyRead MoreThings Fall Apart-Notion of Balance Analysis1633 Words   |  7 PagesNotion of Balance in Things Fall Apart The notion of balance in Achebes novel is an important theme throughout the book. Beginning with the excerpt from Yeatss poem, The Second Coming, the concept of balance is stressed as important, for without balance, order is lost. In the novel, there are many systems of balance which the Ibo culture seems to depend upon. It is when these systems are upset that things fall apart. Okonkwo, the Ibo religion, and ultimately, the Ibos autonomy were broughtRead MoreOkonkwo Character Analysis1907 Words   |  8 PagesThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo is a wealthy and respected warrior of the Umuofia clan. Umuofia is one of the nine clans that are connected. The village consists of Igbo people in the African country of Nigeria. His fame became solely from personal achievements. Okonkwo was much unlike his father who was poor, a debtor, and basically a failure to his people. When his father died all, he took with him was debts that were never paid. In the village of Umuofia, a man is judged accordingRead MoreIgbo Dictionary129408 Words   |  518 Pagesvocabularies are based on the same list that Thomas uses in his Specimens of languages from Southern Nigeria (1914), in which he gives lists from 26 dialects of Igbo and closely related languages. Part V (1914) consists of Addenda to IboEnglish dictionary; apart from corrections to Part II, this volume adds a large amount of material from the Asaba dialect. In general, Thomass material is extensive, but inadequately transcribed and analysed. The CMS mission at Onitsha under took the collection of a considerable

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.