Things Fall Apart--Part 3

1. At the end of the novel, Achebe brought in the Europeans to show the impact and strength of influence. The white men took their time taking over or taking apart the villages and families. By bringing in the Europeans, Achebe was showing how different vultures take action and how they handle or control violence. Although it taught the differences of the cultures, the timing which Achebe brought in the Europeans was ironically immediately after Okonkwo had left Umuofia and lived in Mbanta. Okonkwo would not have allowed the white men to build a church and begin to take over the land, but not many people voiced their opinions as Okonkwo did.
2. While Okonkwo was in Mbanta, the people of Umuofia lost their way of handling issues such of that as they were faced with. A majority of the people lost their mental strength, and were afraid to stand up for themselves as well as the village, and allowed their life to be taken over by the white men. The Umuofians did not realize the harm the Christians could bring because they approached them with such a gentle approach. Some villagers still believed in their old traditions and customs and continued them in their households, while others forgot about their old lifestyles because the Christians had brought new trade stores.
3. The kotma, or court messengers, serve as people to bring men to the Commissioner for trial. The difference between the white man’s law and the system of justice of the traditional Umuofia society is the white man’s law has a judge who decides if someone should be punished or not, whereas the traditional system of justice in Umuofia is set on a simple set of rules which everyone knows and follows no matter what the circumstances may be.
4. When Okonkwo suggested that they should fight the white men and “drive them from the land,” and Obierka responded with “it is already too late” (ch. 20), it was meant that the white men had already done too much damage to the village and converted too many people that the religion, government and new lifestyle brought by the white men would remain in Umuofia. According to Obierka, the white men have been “very clever” because they came peacefully, and used that peace and trust they formed in people to get things the way they wanted. Obierka may be considered a transitional figure between the old and the new Igbo societies because he looks at everything with an open mind to analyze it see it from every side, both positive and negative, and what the outcome may be.
5. Mr. Smith was not as understanding or friendly as Mr. Brown, nor was he as clever as Mr. Brown. Akunna and Mr. Brown’s discussion on religion showed the differences between the two religions. Also, it showed how differences in religion do not affect a friendship. Enoch took off the mask of an egwugwu, by doing this he killed a spirit which led to severe consequences. Neither of the religions understand the other’s customs and their importance if certain ceremonies.
6. The white men offered the Umuofians a chance to receive a good education, and also new trade stores. These new ideas were not important to Okonkwo, but they were to others. The people who believed in the importance of a good education sent their children to Mr. Brown’s school, and Mr. Brown would teach stories of his religion and basic school curriculum because this would lead to more people to convert to Christianity.
7. The District Commissioner had wished for his twelve men to hear the stories that were being told by the men. Instead of listening to the stories, they overpowered the leaders. Okonkwo tried holding back his anger towards the men, but he was not able to control it and killed the messenger out of frustration. Okonkwo also killed the man because he thought they were going to go into war with the white men. According to the laws set in Umuofia, Okonkwo would have been killed, so to send a message to his fellow people, he hanged himself. By hanging himself, Okonkwo showed how their village was being torn apart by the white men who turned on their own leaders. Okonkwo is a tragic hero because in order for him to become a hero of the novel after defeating Amalinze the Cat, something along the lines of death to allow the villagers to see how they were ruining themselves, all that their ancestors had done, as well as the future generations to come.
8. The District Commissioner will create a mockery of Okonkwo, but instead of being made into a hero, the District Commissioner will make Okonkwo be remembered as a foolish character and be looked down upon. Achebe follows the same religion as Okonkwo; I saw that because Achebe made it easy to understand Okonkwo’s thoughts and actions. Although Okonkwo was seen for his tragic death and his harsh actions, he dealt with many problems but still managed to live a great life, one that some people cannot see the importance of.
9. In the novel, things fell apart because the people forgot to speak for themselves and instead were taken over by the Europeans who were tearing apart all the work the ancestors had done. The people did not realize it, but they let fear take over their lives which caused them to allow the Europeans to do what they pleased without any restrictions. Like all novels, Things Fall Apart sends out a message, the message was to stand up for yourself, what you believe in and what you think is right.
10. The African-English cross helps English speakers relate tot eh tribes on a more intimate level. It gives us the opportunity to understand where the Igbo people come from and their traditions. Throughout the book, we compare and contrast our lives to the lives of the Igbo people’s. The cross is basically to create a familiar atmosphere for those of us not used to their culture, therefore, the amount of readers are not limited to a certain group of people.