Clash of Cultures in Things Fall Apart

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Things Fall Apart Research Clash of Cultures in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart Many times in the past when two relatively different cultures have met, there is often a clash of cultures. Sometimes it can be peaceful, but the majority of the time it is violent with one culture invading another. Either way, there are great consequences that come with these clashes. Consequences usually involve one culture being taken advantage of by the opposing dominant one. In Chinua Achebe’s fictional novel, Things Fall Apart, this cultural invasion does take place, igniting a clash of cultures between the Igbo tribe of Nigeria and the Christian British that are seeking to colonize this primitive land. The constant forcing of new ideas upon the tribal people slowly begins to erode at the Igbo tribe’s culture, while also causing things to fall apart within the society. The European’s ignorance and disrespect towards the Igbo culture caused them to enforce their own ideas on the tribal people, which lead to a destruction of the traditional religion and government, along with a demise to their primitive customs, beliefs, and values. Often times in history, religion has been the focal point of a variety of different conflicts. In Achebe’s fictional, but factually based novel, history repeats itself with religion initiating a culture conflict between the traditional Igbo tribe and the Christian British missionaries. In the beginning, the Europeans arrival in Umofia also brought along Christianity, but at first, the religion was not forced upon the tribal people (Aboukhadijeh, Feross). This made joining their church entirely optional to the people. However, overtime the “missionaries became increasingly aggressive” (Aboukhadijeh, Feross) and even hostile to the native tribe’s traditional religion, while simultaneously forcing their own Christian religion upon the native people.
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