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The Destruction of African Culture in Chinua Achebe

Religion makes its first appearance at the mention of the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves.
             The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves served as a guide for the Ibo. It is the first sign that they believed in a divine power. The Oracle was so powerful that a young boy, Ikemefuna, was sacrificed because it said it must be so. Even though Ikemefuna is Okonkwo's son, Okonkwo dares not dispute the decision of the Oracle and stands behind his religious duty: " if the Oracle says that my son should be killed I would neither dispute it or be the one to do it" (67). It is also the Oracle that predicts the arrival of the white man. "It said that other white men were on the way. They were locusts, it said and that the first man was their harbinger sent to explore the terrain." (138-139). In most African cultures white men were associated with the devil and evil spirits. It is at this point "things fall apart" for the African way of life.
             The first European appears in the village about two-thirds into the novel. He came into the town with an interpreter and spoke to them of a new religion, Christianity. He also requested a piece of land to build a church. The Ibo gave the missionaries the Evil Forest in which all those who had died of disease were left to perish. Justly so, the missionaries flourished in a place in which nothing but evil existed. This is the second sign that the Europeans presence is not a positive one. The order is disrupted when these white men impose Christianity on the Africans and asks them to replace all of their gods with a single god. This request generates the destruction of unity in the Ibo community. The new religion caused Blacks to reject and become ashamed of both their culture and themselves. Missionaries were soon able to secure members. The first members were obviously the society's outcast or osu, those who had nothing to lose by leaving the old religion and embracing the new.


Essays Related to The Destruction of African Culture in Chinua Achebe

1. When Cultures Collide - Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe, In the author of Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe compares the destruction of the Igbo people's culture to the damage done to Western civilization caused by World War I. ... In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe demonstrates the destructiveness of cultural collision by showing Okonkwo's loss of identity as a respected man in Igbo society and his response to the changes in his clan. ... By describing Okonkwo's loss of self-identity and death because of the cultural change in the face of the invasion of Western culture, Achebe shows the author'sillustratesuses th...

  • Word Count: 1186
  • Approx Pages: 5
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2. Things Fall Apart

Reason for Okonokwa's downfall in Things Fall Apart The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe has long been seen as a response to Christian colonial literature, which presents the African as a barbaric dark image. It is therefore ponder some that Achebe would choose to shed light on Africa by deconstructing and ultimately destroying his main character Okonokwa. Through examining Okonokwa and his character flaws and essentially the reasons for his downfall one may surmise that shedding light on the African plight was not Achebe's some message in this novel. ... Okonokwa'...

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3. Things Fall Apart

The author, Chinua Achebe was born and raised in Nigeria, which happened to house one of the first Christian missionaries in Africa. ... Through an authorial voice, Chinua becomes more trustworthy as the reader becomes aware that he has learned the Ibo traditions, way of life, and culture through his personal experiences. In the beginning, Achebe unfolded the story gradually to introduce the reader about the culture, life style, and beliefs of the Ibo societies to gain the reader's trust. ... Achebe clearly portrayed that whatever country received the exposure of the white men, its peo...

  • Word Count: 3003
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Grade Level: High School

4. William B Yeats

The first four lines of this poem are found amidst the opening pages of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. ... Chinua may have chosen this poem because it fits in exactly with the deterioration and destruction of Okonkwo and his tribe. ... His tribe and culture was falling apart and there was nothing he could do or attempt to do to prevent that. ... I believe that Chinua Achebe picked this poem because it symbolizes the end of African civilization. ...

  • Word Count: 616
  • Approx Pages: 2
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5. Things Fall Apart

Throughout his novel, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe attempted to describe the details of the Ibo tribe's way of life. Achebe traced the tragic outcome of a European collision with African civilization. ... Ikemefuna's death symbolized Nwoye's first lack of understanding of his Ibo culture. ... With the destruction of the traditional way of African life that survived for thousands of years, Christian missionaries scorned and degraded the customs of African culture. ... The missionary presence in Africa was harmful to the lives and cultures of the Ibo tribe. ...

  • Word Count: 1635
  • Approx Pages: 7

6. Things Fall Apart

In his novel "Things Fall Apart," Chinua Achebe gives his readers an exclusive insight to the unique characteristics of the African people before and after the white mans intrusion of their culture. ... Okonkwo can not accept this in his culture. ... He would have to flea the village in order for the Goddess not to bring destruction to them. ... The prensence of the missionaries brought much conflict to the villages of Africa. ... The anger he had for the Christians was so abundant that destruction was sure to errupt. ...

  • Word Count: 859
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7. Things Fall Apart

In his novel "Things Fall Apart," Chinua Achebe gives his readers an exclusive insight to the unique characteristics of the African people before and after the white mans intrusion of their culture. ... Okonkwo can not accept this in his culture. ... He would have to flea the village in order for the Goddess not to bring destruction to them. ... The prensence of the missionaries brought much conflict to the villages of Africa. ... The anger he had for the Christians was so abundant that destruction was sure to errupt. ...

  • Word Count: 857
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Things Fall Apart

However, his hidden desire to be the antithesis of his unsuccessful, "feminine- father elicits his own volatile, self-destruction. ... A persons "chi" is their destiny, their inner self, and any bad luck that occurs, people of Igbo culture would say that you have a bad "chi." ... The Igbo culture defines the place of women in the village and the treatment they receive. ... However, this calamity is the start of Okwonko's self-destruction and downfall. ... They began to learn how to communicate, while learning about each other's beliefs and culture. ...

  • Word Count: 2677
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  • Grade Level: High School

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