things fall apart Essay

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The changing world of the Ibo has caused things to ‘fall apart’. How does the Achebe demonstrate the impact of the changing world on Okonkwo? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. - Marian Ung

For the novel “Things Fall Apart” – Chinua Achebe, a lot of events has been trigger that revolve around the Ibo to cause a changing world in the customs for things to “fall apart”. The world around Okonkwo who is the main protagonist of the novel is he was one of the greatest living warrior alive. Known throughout the nine villages and even beyond, he and what he believe in are slowly falling apart. One of the events that trigger this is the killing a clansman accidentally, and he was exile from his father clan to find when returning; missionaries and colonial governors. In the context of changing world from Okonkwo views is it’s not changing for a good reason. His world is thrown radically off-balance from the Ibo tradition, culture, clan, religion and customs due to the upbringing of new people bringing a new religion and furthermore a new law that clashes with the Ibos.
The novel is divided into three parts. In the first part it introduced and talks about the customs and Ibo people daily lives such as titles, ranks, stories, celebrations, the evil forest, twins, etc. In the end of part one chapter 13, give the beginning signs of a changing world from Okonkwo. His gun had exploded and accidently killed a boy. He had committed a female crime (female ochu) as it had been inadvertent and could return to the clan after seven years. Also Okonkwo friend Obierika has started to question his own customs “Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offence that he had committed inadvertently?” and “He remembered his wife’s twin children, whom he had thrown away. What crime had they committed?” –chapter 13 page 91 (new book) last paragraph. Even though he just when back to square one and accepted the customs, it hinted the upcoming events in part two and three on what’s going to happen.
Okonkwo being exile from the village of Umuofia has lost everything he has earn from the very start of a young age; his farm, land, home, titles besides his family and valuable that he was able to save before they burnt it away. Achieving his life dreams “being one of the lords of the clan” has now been demolished and broken down just because of this one incident that he has to fled to his motherland and start a life there for seven years “cast out like a fish on to a dry, sandy beach, panting”. Though of a great lost has occur, Okonkwo does not lose hope at all but to start a new life and work hard in achieving his dream and he cannot wait to be welcome back by his village for his long return after seven long years, “Okonkwo and his family worked very hard to plant a new farm”- all quotes from chapter 14.
On the second year of exile, Obierika came to visit Okonkwo and told him the story of Abame being wipe out entirely only some escape to tell the stories that happen. Giving the upcoming events of what will happen in the future. At first it was a man riding an iron horse (bicycle) but the people of Abame kill him and lock up the iron horse. Later many men similar to the man they kill came and wipe out the village. Uchendu (Okonkwo Uncle) has indicate this story from Abame to the story of the mother duck “Never kill a man who says nothing” as Mother Kite had said “There is nothing to fear from someone who shouts”. Okonkwo agrees but in a different view of how they were foolish not to be armed. There were stories already of the white man tale but people had ignore it and so they now pay for it, “We have heard stories about the white men who made the powerful guns and the strong drinks and took slaves away across the seas, but no one thought the stories were true”- all quotes from chapter 15.
Couple of years pass and the white missionaries have arrived in Mbanta bringing trouble to the village. They told there is only one true god and all there
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