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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
In three pages, culture is examined within the context of this 1959 African novel, with a summary and comparative analysis of the culture presented in the text and the writer’s culture and values also presented. Two sources are listed in the bibliography.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGtfachebe.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
or bad, undesirable, and improper - in a culture" (Schaefer and Lamm 74). Culture and values are at the heart of Chinua Achebes debut novel entitled Things Fall Apart.
First published in 1959, it is the story of Okonkwo and his Umuofia village, which is located in what is now Nigeria at the time when the region was
feeling the effects of European colonialism. It is a story of conflict - of changing times, of generations, and of cultures (European vs. Ibo or Igbo). The changes
that are occurring within the Umuofia community are reflected in the changes in Okonkwos character. Once a respected village elder, Okonkwo is forced by times and circumstances to leave
his beloved Umuofia for a period of prolonged exile. Upon his return, Okonkwo is shocked to learn it bears little resemblance to the village he left. The Christian
missionaries who descended to civilize the primitive Ibo people had changed the value systems and the social order that went with them. Okonkwo and his old-world values no longer
had a place in Umuofia. Stripped of his cultural identity, Okonkwos life no longer served any purpose, and so he committed suicide. This act served a dual significance
- it ended Okonkwos life and anguish, and it was a parting shot to the Christianity that had taken root in Ibo soil since it was believed to be a
cardinal sin to take ones own life. The culture featured in Things Fall Apart prior to the intrusion of European imperialism was a patriarchy, which means that it
was completely male-dominated. Men were responsible for law and order in society and within their own households. To be a female or effeminate implied weakness and inferiority: "A
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