African Culture Essay

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African Culture "Things Fall Apart" - short summary of the book, analysis of African Culture before by appearance of white man. Things fall apart, is the story of an Ibo village- Umuofia , which takes place in the late 1800s. Things Fall Apart analyzes the destruction of African culture by the appearance of the white man (Christian Missionaries) in terms of the destruction of the bonds between individuals and their society. Christian Missionaries try to convert the people of the Ibo society to Christianity, and in their efforts of doing so, they bring about a downfall in the social and cultural structure of the people in this society. Like the title suggests ‘Things fall apart’ in the society largely due to the interference of the Christian Missionaries. The main character in this story are Okonkwo – a “strong” man whose life are dominated by fear and anger. Okonkwo was known throughout the village for his strength and valor. He was the greatest wrestler alive! Okonkwo had achieved quite in his life, he was a wealthy farmer, a husband with three wives, a title-holder among his people. However, Okonkwo’s childhood was not a happy one. Okonkwo’s father Unoka, was quite an unsuccessful man. He did not hold any titles, which was considered a shame in his clan. Unoka was lazy and improvident when he was young, he owned almost all of his neighbors some amount of money. Probably the only thing that Unoka was good at was at his flute, with which he wasted most of his time. Unoka was a man who didn’t care much about tomorrow. When Unoka died he was heavily in debt and had taken no title at all. Okonkwo had to fend for himself right from childhood. Fortunately a man in his clan was judged on his own worth and not that of his father. Age was respected among his people but achievement revered. And Okonkwo was a man of great achievements. However, such a

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