Things Fall Apart Colonialism Essay - 1267 Words

Colonialism is the policy or practice of taking over a country and changing it economically. This relates to the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, because the book itself is based off of colonialism and different types of cultures and people. I agree that colonialism strips the person of their cultures and soul. â€Å"By the late nineteenth century, Europe was engaged in â€Å"the scramble for Africa,† a competitive effort to colonize the continent and gain control of its natural resources. In 1884, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck convened a conference in Berlin where European diplomats divided Africa among themselves. No African representatives were present. By 1900, almost all of Africa was under European control. The colonial powers†¦show more content†¦There are two ways this condition may be terminated: the area may be freed of the control of the colonial power by allowing it to become an independent nation, or if the area is absorbed into the borders of the controlling nation† (Edward M). Colonialism can only be understood in two ways, wrong or right. In some ways colonialism is helpful, in other ways it is the complete opposite and almost completely insane. Okonkwo thought it was completely wrong and that he should go to war with the Europeans for what they were doing. What they Europeans were doing was inhumane and just wrong to Okonkwo. He was so dedicated to his culture that he was willing to fight for his right to live his life dedicating everything he did to his tribe and himself. As of people in today’s society, some may fight for what they want in life, others will sit around and wait for it to be handed to them. In Okonkwo’s case, he had to fight for what he wanted. Okonkwo knew that if he had converted to christianity and abandoned his tribe that he would regret it and be hated even more. It is no secrete that Okonkwo wanted to live up to one thing, to not be a failure like his father. Okonkwo wanted to work hard his whole life and always win o r be extraordinary at everything he did. In the end of the book, things really did fall apart. Okonkwo killed himself because he would rather be dead than live a life he wanted to represent.Show MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart And Heart Of Darkness Analysis910 Words   |  4 PagesCompare Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart with Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness In everyday life, we are always comparing, even subconsciously with even knowing it. When we compare things, we look at what the similarities are in said items such as a popular brand or a generic one. Comparing things such as two literary works, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, both have a lot of similarities that we will look at. In Things Fall Apart, it is about a man namedRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe And William Shakespeare s The Tempest1417 Words   |  6 PagesRoughly based on personal encounters Joseph Conrad uses Heart of Darkness to comment on the negative aspects of colonialism. Colonialism by definition is, â€Å"the policy and practice of a power in extending control over weaker peoples or areas.† In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, colonialism plays a significant role in the break down of humans. 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Because of its unique spin on European colonialism from an African tribesman’s perspective and its eloquent use of Igbo vocabulary, the volume continually draws in readers from various backgrounds and locations. Attention to detail and foreshadowing are common throughout the book; zeroing in on certain motifs and themes r elating to African culture. One motif examined throughout the novel is chi. Author Chinua Achebe