Monday, November 14, 2011
Things Fall Apart
To date, this is my favorite story. I think Achebe is a master of story telling. He took an entire culture and embodied it into a single man. Okonkwo was the vessel of an entire piece of dark history. The end of Things Fall Apart gives the reader a sense that the Igbo Culture, the true Igbo Culture, died along with Okonkwo. That the Igbo were not the same people after the introduction of white mans governments and religious beliefs. Some might call it a period of enlightenment if those people are on the side of the Europeans. To think that the editors didn't touch a single piece of Achebe's writing really sums up the importance of this literature. The development of Okonkwo throughout the story is really a tragedy in most ways. Even though he is seen as a leader among his people, tragedy surrounds him. It is as if Karma and not his che is catching up with him.
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I really like your point that Achebe "took an entire culture and embodied it into a single man." I never thought about it like that but it is definitely true. Through Okonkwo, we see a civilized culture be destroyed, just as his own life was destroyed piece by piece. In a way, the death of Okonkwo signifies the death of the culture.
ReplyDeleteI like how you called it a "period of enlightment." I don't agree with the Europeans though but I see where it comes from.
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