Essays and Research Papers on African Literature

This 5 page paper assesses Okonkwo’s responsibility in his own situation. How much of his own psychological motivation creates his dilemma versus either fate or other outside sources? The paper explains how this protagonist is partly to blame. No additional sources.

5 pages in length. The writer discusses the impact of European colonization upon the village of Umuofia from Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart.' No additional sources cited.

A five page paper looking at the social forces binding the Ibo to tradition in Chinua Achebe’s acclaimed novel. The paper points out that Achebe’s insights illustrate Bronislaw Malinowski’s theories of social change. Bibliography lists four sources.

A five page paper looking at this book in terms of its treatment of education. The paper argues that before the British imperialists came, the members of the Ibo tribe were far from uneducated and uncivilized; they simply had devised educational and socializing methods which differed from the Western model, but which worked for them. ...

A five page paper looking the protagonist of this novel by Chinua Achebe in terms of the way he illustrates the plight of the Ibo culture. The paper asserts that while our own values often contrast with those of Okonkwo, we understand the poignancy of his fate. No other sources.

This 5 page paper delves into this novel’s minor character Nwoye and expresses his importance in the work. The father-son relationship is explored as a repetitive element. Gender is noted as being of significance. Quotes are used to support the thesis. The work is the only source listed.

A seven page paper looking at the degree to which the indigenous Ibo society depicted by Chinua Achebe in this novel actually collaborated with the white imperialists who came to take over their land. The paper argues that the Ibo allowed the West to gain a foothold because their own culture did not allow them ...

A nine page paper comparing the state of African society depicted in Chinua Achebe's novel with the sociological and political theories discussed in Mahmood Mamdani's Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism; Anthony Butler's Democracy and Apartheid: Political Theory, Comparative Politics, and the Modern South African State; and Frederick D. Lugard's ...

5 pages in length. One can reasonably assert that there existed a sequence of social change as a means by which to describe the impact of the intrusive European culture upon the indigenous culture of Umuofia. Having viewed Umuofia's culture as tending to be relatively stationary as well as harboring unstable equilibrium, one ...

This four page paper analyzes the play Blood Knot by Athol Fugard. It opens with a discussion about Apartheid and its affect on the world. The play is summarized and key points are brought to light regarding the message it gives. Bibliography lists one source.

A 3 page paper which discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Ezinma in "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe. This character is one of the few representations of women in this book, and the character serves to represent a young woman who is incredibly strong and intelligent, yet weak in body and in perhaps in arguing any position, but ...

A 3 page paper which discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Nwoye in 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe. This character's strengths lie in his ability to look beyond the traditional and accepted. He looks outside of that tradition to see another faith. But, herein also lies some of his weakness for he is, in many ways, running from ...

This 7 page report discusses Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel about a village in pre-colonial Nigeria. The concept of things falling apart in “Things Fall Apart” comes from the many ways in which the life of the main character, Okonkwo, changes in ways he is powerless to understand. “Things” are simply not the way Okonkwo believes they should be ...

A 4 page paper that examines the manner in which African author Chinua Achebe challenges traditional ideas of imperialism in his novel entitled Things Fall Apart. A short synopsis of the novel's plot is included, with particular emphasis placed on the sections in which Achebe emphasizes the uneven trade of time honored tradition for Western ...

A 5 page analysis, + a 1 page outline of that analysis, of Chinua Achebe's novel of Nigerian colonialism, 'Things Fall Apart.' The writer argues that Achebe's novel demonstrates that the Igbo culture shared many of the faults of the invading British and that this is demonstrated through the characterization of the protagonist of ...

A five page paper looking at Achebe's novel in terms of the way the two characters Obierika and Nwoye counterbalance Okonkwo and contribute to the significance of the story's final outcome. Bibliography lists two sources.

A five page paper which analyses the interrelationship between community and individual in Chinua Achebe’s novel of nineteenth-century Africa, Things Fall Apart. The writer looks at the way in which the protagonist’s decline and eventual demise mirror the collapse of his community, and how the flaws of the individual are reflected in the flaws of ...

A 5 page paper which argues that in the role of women, in "Things Fall Apart," we are presented with an examination of problems and challenges that face Chinua Achebe as a African writer. He is not privy to the same ideals and advantages as American or European writers, and this is heavily reflected in his work. His depiction ...

5 pages in length. As the protagonist of Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart," Okonkwo ultimately ends up as the tragic hero as a direct result of his inability to alter the course of his life. Defining this particular concept calls for one's close interpretation of what the protagonist's role truly represents; with that, ...

This 6 page paper considers 'Things Fall Apart', written by Chinua Achebe. The writer considers both the story and the dialogue of the work, how they bring together an understanding of life and death, pride and prejudice within the Ibo people and the relying impact of the arrival of the white man. The bibliography ...

A paper which looks at Mofolo’s novel ‘Chaka’ and considers its importance in terms of the cultural context in which it was written, the way in which it celebrates traditional African values and cultural practices, and the extent to which Mofolo is able to present a subtle and skilfully implied criticism of European cultural values ...

A 7 page essay that discusses 2 books dealing with patriarchal cultures. Gabriel Garcia Marquez in Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Tayeb Salih in Season of Migration to the North each address societal gender paradigms that differ from those found in Western industrialized societies. Marquez's novel features life in Latin America, specifically in Colombia, ...

This 6 page paper considers the way in which Chinua Achebe presents Michael Obi and his wife Nancy in the short story "Dead Men's Path." Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 9 page paper considers the role of gender and race in Caryl Churchill's play 'Cloud Nine'. This play uses disruptive gender performances to illustrate the way in society has repressed and enforced its ideals on those who should have bee free to develop without the interference of pressurised expectations and enforced social perceptions. The ...

This paper discusses the ways in which leadership and gender are dealt with in the film “Whale Rider” and Chinua Achebe’s short story “Girls at War.” Bibliography lists 4 sources.