Personally, there may be more than one person to be blamed for things falling apart, it depends on the perspective from where one looks. While reading the novel as I made mention in the other blog, I saw a change in the destiny of Okonkwo when he committed the ultimate "hubris". Against the caution of his friend he betrayed the boy who called him father. Things took a turn for the worst and so after that it proved that balance is needed in everything, in an attempt to be nothing like his father, he became the opposite and more obsessed. I felt that pride was also a contributing factor for his downfall. Of course there are other factors that can be blamed for the downfall of things , such as the complacency of the Africans during the colonisation period where some may opine that they failed to fight for their beliefs. More importantly to me, the former is the issue that I saw and what stuck out to me.
sorry, additionally what falls apart is the life of the protagonist and by extension to him, the African world, the culture and religion as they know it.
The story deals with a culture on the verge of change and how these changes affect various characters. Okonkwo resists the political and religious orders because he feels that they are not manly and he himself will not be manly if he consents to join or even tolerate them. To some extent, Okonkwo's resistance of cultural change is due to his fear of losing societal status and in part this causes Things to fall apart. His sense of self-worth is dependent upon the traditional standards by which society judges him. The villagers are caught between resisting and embracing change and they face the dilemma of trying to determine how best to adapt to the reality of change. Many of the villagers are excited about the new opportunities that the missionaries bring and this European influence threatens to extinguish the need for the farming and harvesting traditions. Traditions that were once crucial for survival are now dispensable. In looking at who is to be blamed, there are stages within the story that account for the slow downfall of the once highly acclaimed Igbo Clan, from one man inability to understand the changes and try to fight yet in the end takes his life, where there's a conflict with his "chi" and the other villagers not strong enough against Mr. Brown and others.
Tracy Tuitt here. Who can be blamed for "things falling apart"? I think both parties are to be held responsible although not in a 50:50 proportion, necessarily; moreso the African community than the White folks. In the first appearance of the White man, he didn't commit any act against the people of Abama, yet they killed him because of their culture and beliefs. The same with the missionaries; their influences on Umuofia and Mbanta were indirect. They preached and practiced their beliefs but never forced anyone to dispose of their prior and ancient culture. That was the end result but it was purely because of the choices made by the individuals. However, it did reach an extent where the White people began to impose rules (for lack of a better word)on to the people of Umuofia, strictly speaking...the Commissioner. In that sense, the White people can be held responsible. Nonetheless, both parties contributed to the fall of the African culture, their families, their individual lives and beliefs. :)
At the beginning of the novel Achebe concentrated on building the image of the Igbo African civilization. To steer away from the pre colonial believes of whites and in some cases blacks that African are a babaric people with no structured civilization, Achebe paints the picture of the civilization of people. Even with its cracks, they has a religion, they had laws, they works, they farmed, they shared, they married, they played, they socialized, they faught, they traded, they built houses, but most of all they had a belief system that guided their every action. This belief system is what fell apart in the story. The white men came with their new religion and saw the cracks in the Igbo religion and used them to their advantage. One crack had a woman who wanted to keep her twins, another crack had a people who were exiled from they clan and wanted to come back. There was a crack filled with people who saw what they could gain from being part of this new religion. Things like love, material good that were offered etc. People saw the white men, who should have dies after building the church and living in the evil forest still alive after months of living there. All these things caused the people to create greater doubts in what they believed. Without a belief system one doesn't know who one is and becomes lost and the Igbo people lost everything they once believed. Therefore everything that once characterized them as a people lost its strength and fell apart. Who is to blame. Tough question. The finger can be pointed at the colonizers, but their fault is only in going and disrupting the civilization that was already existing. Because the religion that was practiced by the Igbo people was not as solid as they thought it was easy for the whites to colonize and convert them. Some evidents in the text shows that without the whites coming the beliefs of the Igbo people would have eventually changed but because of the colonizers it happen quicker that expected. So both parties played a part in the fall of precolonial African beliefs/religion.
This is kind of tricky. What happened in 'Things Fall Apart' was inevitable in that if it was not the missionaries who came, someone else would have. The thing is the Igbo people lived a simple life, but had their own ways of dealing with things but because they were limited to that setting, that way of life, unable to explain simple phenomena such as the birth of twins, they were undone by the white people. And because of this 'sheltered life' so to speak, they were unable to stop what was happening around them, albeit that it was happening slowly but changes were taking place. This is because the white people were able to explain things that they themselves were unable to and therefore they were seen as people who had more knowledge and power than they did and hence was the reason why some of them decided to join with them. It was especially beneficial to the women since they did not have much rights but by accepting the white people and their customs, they now enjoyed a voice, something that was subdued within their clan. From a societal point of view, it cannot truly be looked at as falling apart but rather as a merging of two worlds, where one overpowered the other. From the point of view of Okonkwo, by starting off the novel with him in the height of his prime, it set the stage for the slow unravelling of his life. His main desire was to achieve greatness but in attempting to do this, he imploded upon himself and his family. His unwillingness to change and to hold on to his customs and ways was his undoing.
Starleen Bain. Blame....hhhmmm....Maybe in considering motives of individuals and groups some light might be shed on this issue. Colonizers seek out lands and peoples that would bring gain and more power to them. They care less about the soceity and its way of life or beliefs. The notion that they are superior and that their presence can only benefit the people fuels this rationale of overcoming and conquering. Though they try to re-create their system, religion and society, the belief that the people are "primitive" causes them to disrespect the operating systems in that society. The goal we must remember was not to co-exist, teach and share beliefs, but to aquire a new land to do their bidding and increase their influence in the world. The people of Umuofia though organized observed some beliefs that were somewhat distasteful (twins thrown away, eye for an eye laws. etc). There were some that were not pleased and even questioned these occurances. I believe these individuals and future leaders would have possibly changed these laws. Okonkwo, I think saw the falling apart before the others but again was only concerened with the disruption of the world where he was almost a king. As the old saying goes "together we stand divided we fall".
In Achebe’s “ Things Fall Apart” no one group is resposible for the colonisation of the Igbo tribe or the desolation of their culture. The Igbo tribe living in Umuofia judicial system, customs, traditions, beliefs, value system, government ( the form they had) and family structure ,in essence the way of life as they knew it fell apart. One may argue that the Europeans are solely responsible but I beg to differ.The Europeans , in my opinion were the catalyst , an effective catalyst simply because of the state in which they found the tribe.The culture of the Igbo society was perched on a shaky foundation, even before the Europeans arrived questions were being raised as to the validity and practicality of their way of life. Two prime examples in the text are Obierika “it wound my heart to see young men killing palm trees in the name of tapping…..I don’t know how they got that law” and Nwoye who could not fathom the prudence in the killing of his “brother” Ikemefuna. Simply put the people of Umuofia were ready for change…any change, hence the reason for little resistance to the Europeans’ infiltration …a sign that they were dissatisfied with the way things were and possibly intrigued by the unknown…they were open to something different.
What falls apart is the unity of the tribe of Umuofia, along with its culture and customs. I believe that the missionaries play a part in this disintegration of the village, but cannot be solely blamed due to the fact that this tribal deconstruction was inevitable. Many of the members of the tribe seemed to be fed up of all the rules and constrictions of their customs because look at how quickly so many of them converted when the missionaries arrived. Yes, the missionaries came and took advantage of the naive tribesmen but it would not have been so easy if some of them hadn't already felt some dissatisfaction with what their tribe had to offer. Perhaps blame CAN be placed somewhere,but as far as I see it "civilization" was bound to reach the tribe at some period in time because change is something that will always be inescapable.
I loved reading these blogs and i am in agreement with the idea that the "blame" is to be put on the colonisers but i do think to a large extent, those missionaries targeted the weak (according to the guest lecturer Ms. Barat) and the falling apart of the tribe and community was as a result of the Umuofians allowing these people to influence their ways of life. although it may have been to a great extent that they could not have fought and avoided the coming and influence of the missionaries, i think the whole falling apart can be left up to those who allowed themselves to be sucked into the "whirlwind" of the missionaries. for example if someone comes into my house and introduces me to something i know nothing about telling me that the way of life i have known is insignificant and so on i would just simply dismiss them. others on the other hand let themselves be convinced that these people for whatever reason know something about them that they don't and in tern give in to the way of life of the intruder. Don't have to agree with me I just think so :)
certainly, one can not simply blame a particular group or individual for things "falling apart." In actuality i believe that the change was inevitable. notice the word 'change" in this regard one may even be bold to question if in fact anything "fell apart" at all. the concept of things falling apart is entirely relative. from the perspective via the eye of a colonial official i think nothing fell apart, rather, things simply fell into place for them, thereby facilitating the orchestration of the "civilization' that they so diligently sought to establish. however, from the Ibo perceptive one can certainly agree that things did in fact fall apart in a manifestation of change and cultural depletion. but again one cannot make a generalization for the entire Ibo society.... what about the Africans that converted and essentially abandoned their religious and cultural roots instilled since childhood. can one truly say that for these people things fell apart? my point is simply this, any response on who was responsible for things falling apart should firstly consider what is meant by falling apart, what fell apart and for whom did it fall apart.
It may not be one particular group to be blamed, whether it was the africans or the white colonizers. The people of Umufia however began to loose sight of who they were and that made it easy for the white colonizers to invade not only their physical space but also their cultural space. What falls apart is Okonkwo, in that he starts off the novel being quite virile, showing his physical strength as well as his "manness" and we gradually see a change in his behaviour as the novel progresses. One of the most significant changes we see is his attitude towards his daughter, even when she falls sick. We see a "softening" of his character and it even digresses further on in the novel, until he commits suicide which is a complete abomination in his culture
i think that in this novel, particularly Okonkwo's life falls apart. first, he disturbs the week of peace by beating his wife! then, he is blessed with another son, Ikemefuna, who he kills! after this, he accidentally kills a clansman at a funeral. he is distraught at the fact that his son Nwoye, converts to Christianity. and finally, he make s a riot at the end amongst the whites which none of his brethren seek to assist in and then he kills himself!!
I do not think that any one person is to blame for things falling apart. Life is such that we all do what we think is best at the time of our decision making, yes the actions of others may influence which way we turn in life but ultimately the power of choice lies with us. Okonkwo's life was what he made it as was his father's and his son's as well as those that brought Christianity.
Like Ms. Bharath said, the colonizers were able to penetrate because of the weaknesses in the cultural beliefs and practices of the Igbo and as such, I don't believe that either party can be blamed; the Igbo 'converts' were searching for something more (different) and the missionaries were able to fill that void and as far as they (the missionaries) were concerned, they were doing God's work. And really, although the life of the people of Umufia changed, the only person for whom things really devastatingly fell apart was Okwonko and that was as a result of his inability to acknowledge (adapt to)change.
I don't think any person in particular is to blame in things fall apart.....but i do think the way the Ibgo tribe structured their religion is accountable for alot of issues that could of been avoided and therefore leading to their own people going against them...The igbo people like any ordinary human being want to look up to something they think is greater than them (a higher being).They need this, to have some sort of system which places the men on top of the hierarchical structure...the men therefore automatically have the huge respectability of running their home, improving their image and the community as a whole..this isnt an easy task and Okonkwo is a prime example of this!!!!
is someone really to blame in things fall apart? or is it fate to be blamed?lol one can blame the tribe or Okonkwo for the choices he made,Okonwo's father or the "white man"...etc but really it depends on the perspective one views from...a chain reaction..or a link of forces that is to be blamed. What fall apart is not only the great warrior Okonkwo but also the traditional aspects of society (i also believe that Okonkwo's death was a representation of the death of the old "traditional society"),namely the religious aspect which played a major role of the community with the emergence of the "white man's" christianity.
Well, before the white men came, the Africans seemed to be contented with what the had, like their own rituals, beliefs, religions etc. But, when the white men came they changed almost everything that the Africans knew and what they used to live by. So in that case, it made things fall apart for the Africans. In reference to Onkonkwo, He made things fall apart for himself by being to obsessed with not becoming like his father. He took things too far and way too seriously. So, in the end he was a wreck because of all the bad he had done just because he didnt want to be seen as weak. So, I believe he made the things fall apart for himself. But when it comes to the African people as a whole, I think it was the white people who made things fall apart for them and they Africans didnt even realize it.
Things fell apart in various angles for the people of Africa and Okonkwo as an individual. When the Europeans conquered the Africans they were completely diverted to a different lifestyle and ideally things fell apart for them. Their life as they knew it to be was no longer the same no matter how hard they tried. Also Okonkwo destroyed his entire life ironically by trying to save his family and clan. Change happened inevitably for them but it was a change that destroyed them. When Okonkwo stood up for himself he threw his life away and things fell apart. However Okonkwo ideally made things fall apart for himself when he was sent away for the seven years all because he didn't want to be 'womanish.' So i would definitely say that it was the change in Africa and the culture for these people that things fall apart.
I really don't know if anyone can be blamed for things falling apart. The great evolutionist Charles Darwin said that we must Evolve or Die and that is just what happened to Okonkwo. Had he accepted change he would have been alive to reap the fruit of his labour. he chose however to hold on to the old ideals of his ancestors and it led to his fall.
personally i really do not think anyone is to blame at all. the 'falling apart' of things in the novel seems to me like fate and would have happened to okonkwo and his village anyway. the arival of the europeans just served as a sotr of catalyst for things to start 'falling apart', but i would not go so far as to say that it was their fault that it did. any thing could have started the process since doubts and fears were already in place in okonkwo and the village. so i really dont think that anyone group should be blamed for things falling apart in the novel.
Things fell apart because they had to.Okonkwos society and way of life had run its course and in the only thing constant is change.No one is to be blamed for what happened, it was just its natural course.Okonkwo may feel that his life is what fell apart due to his actions but if you assume that he did not kill the 'messenger' another turn of events would have occurred to make it happen as he was the one who felt the most strong aversion to the Europeans and their means of incorporating themselves into Africa.
I think it's inevitable for "things to fall apart" in every society...simply because change is inevitable, things will fall apart for change to occur...no one person in that society was responsible it's the chain of events and if it hadn't happened the way it did, change would have come and life as Okonkwo and his people knew it would still have changed. Some may even be of the view that for growth to happen, things must fall apart, kinda like break down to build up...
What falls apart? What didn't?? The life of the tribes, the people, the families were all affected by the different circumstances that became them within the novel, when the colonizers came they really only made the inevitable occur sooner. A breakdown in the life of Okonkwo was looked at the most, from the start when his past experiences mainly with his father was depicted as the reason by which he lived the way he did, why he portrayed the macho-masculine facade at all times- because he needed to prove he wasn't as his father was. They lived in a time and a place where their beliefs were all they knew, all they had and they adhered to them; they had structure and measures to be able to function. But like all societies, not everyone will take the rules as they are and accept it as if that were all, and just simply accept them. When the Whites came it was those villagers who didn't fit in the previous system that saw this as an alternative of a life they didn't know, one unlike their own. No one person is to blame, maybe traditions were to blame, but who started those traditions? Taken from any number of angles one can have any number of interpretations and suggestions as to what or who was to blame. It could just be a faulty system or one that didn't evolve along with the rest of the world, thus keeping the people of Umuofia limited and easy to manipulate. As a result it led to Pride being the demise of Okonkwo, he couldn't see beyond what was ingrained within him by tradition and himself. Things fell apart to form new and renovated things (never necessarily for the better). To blame and put fault on someone/something would be wrong, as a number of reasons combine to contribute to the breakdown of something like the breakdown of this whole village and their surroundings. Something much bigger than any one person or any one group.
After taking a holistic view of this book I see a society falling apart. Achebe allowed us to see not just one man but an entire village, a society break apart and fall to pieces. Then, based on Achebe's representation of the igbo village I wonder who cannot be blamed for this. I could not think of anyone in the novel to be exempted. However,the thought came to me, can you blame a man for having ideologies...whether he is African, European or Christian he will believe in something and ti him his beliefs are always right. It is these DIFFERENCES that cause things to fall apart.
It is human nature to be curious about things that are new and strange. Things fell apart not because of any one group's imposition or lack of loyalty, but because the society was ripe and vulnerable to any wind of change that may have blown. The people of Umuofia are at first apprehensive and then curious, they listen to the Europeans and make their own assessments of their discourse. If the foundation of the society was strong, and the beliefs, values and norms were inclusive rather than exclusive, then may be the wooing of the Europeans would have fallen on deaf ears. We cannot negate though the pretense under which Umuofia was eventually invaded. Conversion of the natives was the front, but acquisition of all that they had to offer was the aim. They arrived with a closed mindset and a preconceived notions of the natives and as such used whatever means necessary to claim an empire. It can be argued if the true intentions of the Europeans were revealed from the inception, they may heave been met with much more resistance. Regardless of such, pinpointing any one player with which the onus must lie for the destruction of things would be hard to do. Okonkwo, Nyowe, The Commissioner, Obierika all had a hand to play in the eventual fall of Umuofia. We can say that the Europeans came and destroyed a culture that was strong and rich, but who are we to know, maybe things would have fallen apart despite the arrival and presence of the Europeans.
Hi, I believe that really no one person can be blamed for things falling apart. It had to do with a modernization of the system, and a refusal to accept that. Once the missionaries or the white men were allowed to come it and establish their churches offering, an opportunity for improvement, showing a different lifestyle, different laws, different gods, gods that seemed more powerful than those of the natives, things began to fall apart. It was a difficult situation for the chiefs, if they, blend in with the white people, and accept their custom it would mean abandonment of all that is sacred to them, their values, traditions, and also the belief and fear that they would be punished by their gods. It would also be submitting to the dominance of white rule which would produce certain limitations. What fell apart was their system of living, and governing and no one individual should be held responsible, but there should have existed more dialogue on both sides allowing room for possible compromised.
It is easy to say Okonkwo is to be blame for things falling apart however,I am of the believe that no one person is to be blamed. To blame Okonkwo is to say that his society is responsible.I see Okonkwo as a mere representation of the society in which he existed.Yes, he had some part to play in his own demise, but so did his society, who outcast certain people and denied twins.Okonkwo wasn't perfect, neither was his society and it was their imperfections which made it easier for both to fall when things begun falling apart. Josell O'Connor
There are a number of factors which contribute to things falling apart. Okwonko is too proud to follow his gut feelings/ his heart even. The entire Igbo tribe does not put up a true fight to protect their heritage and culture. The colonisers are insistent regarding converting the tribal members. Things seem to fall apart in more than one instance in the novel. Okonkwo's pride as he delivered Ikemefuna's death blow, Okonkwo beating hie wife during the Peace period, Okonkwo being exhiled from the tribe, the colonisers coming in and possessing some control over the clan members and last but not least, the Suicide of Okonkwo. I would have to put the blame on the human condition for things falling apart. It is aspects such as greed, pride, the longing for acceptance, lust for power etc. which cause Okonkwo, the clan members as well as the colonisers to make decisions, thus leading to things falling apart.
BLOGGER'S NAME: MELINA WISKY Stories like this are multi-causal, ie one individual/group is not the only cause. There are other factors that contribute to the result. Who is responsible for things falling apart? What falls apart? For one, Umuofia's relgious society falls apart. This is because the people gave in to the White colonizers. If they were strong and satisfied with their religion, when the Whites came and Okonkwo encouraged them to fight, they would have fought. The people of Umuofia caused their religious society to crumble due to their lack of passion and drive. What really falls apart is Okonkwo. The people and Okonkwo contributed to his demise. The lack of will to protect their heritage which Okonkwo cherished caused him to commit suicide which actually is ironic in the true sense of the word because it is against their culture to commit suicide which deems people unclean. Okonkwo was very prideful and he definitely caused himself to fall apart because he realized he could not get his way and he just made up his mind "his way or the highway" and in doing so, the very thing he did not want to become, his father, he did become because his father died an unclean death and so did he and both Okonkwo and his father died as nobodies or even "dogs"
With regards to the novel, things falling apart cannot be examined through a single perspective; it must be looked at from the perspective of the Igbo tribe and the Europeans. These Europeans saw it fit to invade this tribe’s territory and they wanted to impose their culture on these people, they somehow succeeded because several of the Igbo people disregarded their culture, something which they upheld for generations, and they changed into the white man’s culture- Christianity. These people accepted change and so nothing really fell apart. Likewise, Okonkwo resented this and as a result he fell apart in that ultimately he committed suicide and ended up being just like his father whom he strived throughout the entire novel not to be- a so called “nobody.” Thus, after his death, life went on as usual and Okonkwo was disregarded by his once fellow villagers. In a nutshell, nothing really falls apart in the Igbo society; some accepted the change imposed on them while the others lived around it. Okonkwo, the protagonist, falls apart in the end because he simply could not accept this change.
i personally think that no one person is to blame in this book. of course the destruction of okonkwo himself is to be blamed on himself. i think the reason for this is his mentality towards females. he was always trying not to be like his father whom he thought of as womanly and he always judged females as weak and helpless and emotional. however the fact is that we are all human with all of these emotions. there is no gendered emotion and he tried to overcome himself as a human and this lead to s defeat and the falling of his family. however the falling of the culture and tradition and leadership of the village can not be blamed on one person, everyone has a part to play in the way things ended.
No one person is to be blamed for "things falling apart" in Achebe's novel. Okonkwo could not live with the act that his people of Umuofia would not stand up for themselves against the Europeans. He could not accept the change where they had converted to Christianity. Throughout the entire novel, his aim was not to be like his father but all ended the same. He killed himself because he could not accept change. In all, Okonkwo was the one who had fallen apart and left his family. After his death everything remained the same, nothing had changed.
I agree that no one should be blamed for things falling apart. It is tempting to say that Okonkwo is purely responsible for his own downfall at the end of the novel. However, Okonkwo's values, morals and beliefs, all attained from culture and socialization created his character and was by no means any fault of his. He wanted what he thought was best for himself and his family. Despite his arrogance sometimes, Okonkwo was good at heart. I think therefore that society largely accounted for his failure.
In "Things Fall Apart" it is not merely a general statement meaning that some one thing or group of things fell apart. I believe that the novel showed some tihngs falling apart in some of the different lives of the characters in the village. However, because of the fact that the novel was centered around Okonkwo and his family, one may look at the question of "what fell apart?" with regards to him and how he was affected by issues in the novel, therefore I will discuss it in this context. Okonkwo was responsible for some of the things that fell apart in his life, which later lead to his death. I think so because of his mindset! his strong obsession with masculinity and his lack of open mindedness lead him to shun his son as well as commit suicide. All the characters had to deal with the same ordeal (The coming of the Europeans) yet Okonkwo was the only one who's resolution was suicide. The coming of the Europeans contributed to what was falling apart and that was the lives of the tribe. They were not responsible for the lives of these tribes-people falling apart.
There is no one individual or group of individuals that can be blamed for things falling apart. In the novel, the members of the society, including the leaders, were not aware of the undercurrent of the motives of the Europeans, that would later drown their society. Okonkwo was aware, however, and attempted to rescue the society before its collapse but his single effort was not sufficient to hold and influence an entire society of varying views. The blame cannot be placed on one member of the Ibo society nor the European society because neither was aware of the negative effects that the Europeans would have had. Both societies were experimenting and none aware of the fragility of a society and its effects that can result as people change or adopt attributes of others outside of their world.
Personally, there may be more than one person to be blamed for things falling apart, it depends on the perspective from where one looks. While reading the novel as I made mention in the other blog, I saw a change in the destiny of Okonkwo when he committed the ultimate "hubris". Against the caution of his friend he betrayed the boy who called him father. Things took a turn for the worst and so after that it proved that balance is needed in everything, in an attempt to be nothing like his father, he became the opposite and more obsessed. I felt that pride was also a contributing factor for his downfall. Of course there are other factors that can be blamed for the downfall of things , such as the complacency of the Africans during the colonisation period where some may opine that they failed to fight for their beliefs. More importantly to me, the former is the issue that I saw and what stuck out to me.
ReplyDeletesorry, additionally what falls apart is the life of the protagonist and by extension to him, the African world, the culture and religion as they know it.
DeleteThe story deals with a culture on the verge of change and how these changes affect various characters. Okonkwo resists the political and religious orders because he feels that they are not manly and he himself will not be manly if he consents to join or even tolerate them. To some extent, Okonkwo's resistance of cultural change is due to his fear of losing societal status and in part this causes Things to fall apart. His sense of self-worth is dependent upon the traditional standards by which society judges him.
ReplyDeleteThe villagers are caught between resisting and embracing change and they face the dilemma of trying to determine how best to adapt to the reality of change. Many of the villagers are excited about the new opportunities that the missionaries bring and this European influence threatens to extinguish the need for the farming and harvesting traditions. Traditions that were once crucial for survival are now dispensable.
In looking at who is to be blamed, there are stages within the story that account for the slow downfall of the once highly acclaimed Igbo Clan, from one man inability to understand the changes and try to fight yet in the end takes his life, where there's a conflict with his "chi" and the other villagers not strong enough against Mr. Brown and others.
Tracy Tuitt here. Who can be blamed for "things falling apart"? I think both parties are to be held responsible although not in a 50:50 proportion, necessarily; moreso the African community than the White folks. In the first appearance of the White man, he didn't commit any act against the people of Abama, yet they killed him because of their culture and beliefs. The same with the missionaries; their influences on Umuofia and Mbanta were indirect. They preached and practiced their beliefs but never forced anyone to dispose of their prior and ancient culture. That was the end result but it was purely because of the choices made by the individuals. However, it did reach an extent where the White people began to impose rules (for lack of a better word)on to the people of Umuofia, strictly speaking...the Commissioner. In that sense, the White people can be held responsible. Nonetheless, both parties contributed to the fall of the African culture, their families, their individual lives and beliefs. :)
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ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the novel Achebe concentrated on building the image of the Igbo African civilization. To steer away from the pre colonial believes of whites and in some cases blacks that African are a babaric people with no structured civilization, Achebe paints the picture of the civilization of people. Even with its cracks, they has a religion, they had laws, they works, they farmed, they shared, they married, they played, they socialized, they faught, they traded, they built houses, but most of all they had a belief system that guided their every action. This belief system is what fell apart in the story. The white men came with their new religion and saw the cracks in the Igbo religion and used them to their advantage. One crack had a woman who wanted to keep her twins, another crack had a people who were exiled from they clan and wanted to come back. There was a crack filled with people who saw what they could gain from being part of this new religion. Things like love, material good that were offered etc. People saw the white men, who should have dies after building the church and living in the evil forest still alive after months of living there. All these things caused the people to create greater doubts in what they believed. Without a belief system one doesn't know who one is and becomes lost and the Igbo people lost everything they once believed. Therefore everything that once characterized them as a people lost its strength and fell apart. Who is to blame. Tough question. The finger can be pointed at the colonizers, but their fault is only in going and disrupting the civilization that was already existing. Because the religion that was practiced by the Igbo people was not as solid as they thought it was easy for the whites to colonize and convert them. Some evidents in the text shows that without the whites coming the beliefs of the Igbo people would have eventually changed but because of the colonizers it happen quicker that expected. So both parties played a part in the fall of precolonial African beliefs/religion.
ReplyDeleteThis is kind of tricky. What happened in 'Things Fall Apart' was inevitable in that if it was not the missionaries who came, someone else would have. The thing is the Igbo people lived a simple life, but had their own ways of dealing with things but because they were limited to that setting, that way of life, unable to explain simple phenomena such as the birth of twins, they were undone by the white people. And because of this 'sheltered life' so to speak, they were unable to stop what was happening around them, albeit that it was happening slowly but changes were taking place. This is because the white people were able to explain things that they themselves were unable to and therefore they were seen as people who had more knowledge and power than they did and hence was the reason why some of them decided to join with them. It was especially beneficial to the women since they did not have much rights but by accepting the white people and their customs, they now enjoyed a voice, something that was subdued within their clan. From a societal point of view, it cannot truly be looked at as falling apart but rather as a merging of two worlds, where one overpowered the other. From the point of view of Okonkwo, by starting off the novel with him in the height of his prime, it set the stage for the slow unravelling of his life. His main desire was to achieve greatness but in attempting to do this, he imploded upon himself and his family. His unwillingness to change and to hold on to his customs and ways was his undoing.
ReplyDeleteStarleen Bain. Blame....hhhmmm....Maybe in considering motives of individuals and groups some light might be shed on this issue. Colonizers seek out lands and peoples that would bring gain and more power to them. They care less about the soceity and its way of life or beliefs. The notion that they are superior and that their presence can only benefit the people fuels this rationale of overcoming and conquering. Though they try to re-create their system, religion and society, the belief that the people are "primitive" causes them to disrespect the operating systems in that society. The goal we must remember was not to co-exist, teach and share beliefs, but to aquire a new land to do their bidding and increase their influence in the world. The people of Umuofia though organized observed some beliefs that were somewhat distasteful (twins thrown away, eye for an eye laws. etc). There were some that were not pleased and even questioned these occurances. I believe these individuals and future leaders would have possibly changed these laws. Okonkwo, I think saw the falling apart before the others but again was only concerened with the disruption of the world where he was almost a king. As the old saying goes "together we stand divided we fall".
ReplyDeleteIn Achebe’s “ Things Fall Apart” no one group is resposible for the colonisation of the Igbo tribe or the desolation of their culture. The Igbo tribe living in Umuofia judicial system, customs, traditions, beliefs, value system, government ( the form they had) and family structure ,in essence the way of life as they knew it fell apart. One may argue that the Europeans are solely responsible but I beg to differ.The Europeans , in my opinion were the catalyst , an effective catalyst simply because of the state in which they found the tribe.The culture of the Igbo society was perched on a shaky foundation, even before the Europeans arrived questions were being raised as to the validity and practicality of their way of life. Two prime examples in the text are Obierika “it wound my heart to see young men killing palm trees in the name of tapping…..I don’t know how they got that law” and Nwoye who could not fathom the prudence in the killing of his “brother” Ikemefuna. Simply put the people of Umuofia were ready for change…any change, hence the reason for little resistance to the Europeans’ infiltration …a sign that they were dissatisfied with the way things were and possibly intrigued by the unknown…they were open to something different.
ReplyDeleteWhat falls apart is the unity of the tribe of Umuofia, along with its culture and customs. I believe that the missionaries play a part in this disintegration of the village, but cannot be solely blamed due to the fact that this tribal deconstruction was inevitable. Many of the members of the tribe seemed to be fed up of all the rules and constrictions of their customs because look at how quickly so many of them converted when the missionaries arrived. Yes, the missionaries came and took advantage of the naive tribesmen but it would not have been so easy if some of them hadn't already felt some dissatisfaction with what their tribe had to offer. Perhaps blame CAN be placed somewhere,but as far as I see it "civilization" was bound to reach the tribe at some period in time because change is something that will always be inescapable.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading these blogs and i am in agreement with the idea that the "blame" is to be put on the colonisers but i do think to a large extent, those missionaries targeted the weak (according to the guest lecturer Ms. Barat) and the falling apart of the tribe and community was as a result of the Umuofians allowing these people to influence their ways of life. although it may have been to a great extent that they could not have fought and avoided the coming and influence of the missionaries, i think the whole falling apart can be left up to those who allowed themselves to be sucked into the "whirlwind" of the missionaries. for example if someone comes into my house and introduces me to something i know nothing about telling me that the way of life i have known is insignificant and so on i would just simply dismiss them. others on the other hand let themselves be convinced that these people for whatever reason know something about them that they don't and in tern give in to the way of life of the intruder.
ReplyDeleteDon't have to agree with me I just think so :)
certainly, one can not simply blame a particular group or individual for things "falling apart." In actuality i believe that the change was inevitable. notice the word 'change" in this regard one may even be bold to question if in fact anything "fell apart" at all. the concept of things falling apart is entirely relative. from the perspective via the eye of a colonial official i think nothing fell apart, rather, things simply fell into place for them, thereby facilitating the orchestration of the "civilization' that they so diligently sought to establish. however, from the Ibo perceptive one can certainly agree that things did in fact fall apart in a manifestation of change and cultural depletion. but again one cannot make a generalization for the entire Ibo society.... what about the Africans that converted and essentially abandoned their religious and cultural roots instilled since childhood. can one truly say that for these people things fell apart? my point is simply this, any response on who was responsible for things falling apart should firstly consider what is meant by falling apart, what fell apart and for whom did it fall apart.
ReplyDeleteIt may not be one particular group to be blamed, whether it was the africans or the white colonizers. The people of Umufia however began to loose sight of who they were and that made it easy for the white colonizers to invade not only their physical space but also their cultural space. What falls apart is Okonkwo, in that he starts off the novel being quite virile, showing his physical strength as well as his "manness" and we gradually see a change in his behaviour as the novel progresses. One of the most significant changes we see is his attitude towards his daughter, even when she falls sick. We see a "softening" of his character and it even digresses further on in the novel, until he commits suicide which is a complete abomination in his culture
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ReplyDeletei think that in this novel, particularly Okonkwo's life falls apart. first, he disturbs the week of peace by beating his wife! then, he is blessed with another son, Ikemefuna, who he kills! after this, he accidentally kills a clansman at a funeral. he is distraught at the fact that his son Nwoye, converts to Christianity. and finally, he make s a riot at the end amongst the whites which none of his brethren seek to assist in and then he kills himself!!
ReplyDeleteI do not think that any one person is to blame for things falling apart. Life is such that we all do what we think is best at the time of our decision making, yes the actions of others may influence which way we turn in life but ultimately the power of choice lies with us. Okonkwo's life was what he made it as was his father's and his son's as well as those that brought Christianity.
ReplyDeleteLike Ms. Bharath said, the colonizers were able to penetrate because of the weaknesses in the cultural beliefs and practices of the Igbo and as such, I don't believe that either party can be blamed; the Igbo 'converts' were searching for something more (different) and the missionaries were able to fill that void and as far as they (the missionaries) were concerned, they were doing God's work. And really, although the life of the people of Umufia changed, the only person for whom things really devastatingly fell apart was Okwonko and that was as a result of his inability to acknowledge (adapt to)change.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any person in particular is to blame in things fall apart.....but i do think the way the Ibgo tribe structured their religion is accountable for alot of issues that could of been avoided and therefore leading to their own people going against them...The igbo people like any ordinary human being want to look up to something they think is greater than them (a higher being).They need this, to have some sort of system which places the men on top of the hierarchical structure...the men therefore automatically have the huge respectability of running their home, improving their image and the community as a whole..this isnt an easy task and Okonkwo is a prime example of this!!!!
ReplyDeleteis someone really to blame in things fall apart? or is it fate to be blamed?lol one can blame the tribe or Okonkwo for the choices he made,Okonwo's father or the "white man"...etc but really it depends on the perspective one views from...a chain reaction..or a link of forces that is to be blamed. What fall apart is not only the great warrior Okonkwo but also the traditional aspects of society (i also believe that Okonkwo's death was a representation of the death of the old "traditional society"),namely the religious aspect which played a major role of the community with the emergence of the "white man's" christianity.
ReplyDeleteWell, before the white men came, the Africans seemed to be contented with what the had, like their own rituals, beliefs, religions etc.
ReplyDeleteBut, when the white men came they changed almost everything that the Africans knew and what they used to live by. So in that case, it made things fall apart for the Africans.
In reference to Onkonkwo, He made things fall apart for himself by being to obsessed with not becoming like his father. He took things too far and way too seriously. So, in the end he was a wreck because of all the bad he had done just because he didnt want to be seen as weak. So, I believe he made the things fall apart for himself.
But when it comes to the African people as a whole, I think it was the white people who made things fall apart for them and they Africans didnt even realize it.
Things fell apart in various angles for the people of Africa and Okonkwo as an individual. When the Europeans conquered the Africans they were completely diverted to a different lifestyle and ideally things fell apart for them. Their life as they knew it to be was no longer the same no matter how hard they tried. Also Okonkwo destroyed his entire life ironically by trying to save his family and clan. Change happened inevitably for them but it was a change that destroyed them. When Okonkwo stood up for himself he threw his life away and things fell apart. However Okonkwo ideally made things fall apart for himself when he was sent away for the seven years all because he didn't want to be 'womanish.' So i would definitely say that it was the change in Africa and the culture for these people that things fall apart.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know if anyone can be blamed for things falling apart. The great evolutionist Charles Darwin said that we must Evolve or Die and that is just what happened to Okonkwo. Had he accepted change he would have been alive to reap the fruit of his labour. he chose however to hold on to the old ideals of his ancestors and it led to his fall.
ReplyDeletepersonally i really do not think anyone is to blame at all. the 'falling apart' of things in the novel seems to me like fate and would have happened to okonkwo and his village anyway. the arival of the europeans just served as a sotr of catalyst for things to start 'falling apart', but i would not go so far as to say that it was their fault that it did. any thing could have started the process since doubts and fears were already in place in okonkwo and the village. so i really dont think that anyone group should be blamed for things falling apart in the novel.
ReplyDeleteThings fell apart because they had to.Okonkwos society and way of life had run its course and in the only thing constant is change.No one is to be blamed for what happened, it was just its natural course.Okonkwo may feel that his life is what fell apart due to his actions but if you assume that he did not kill the 'messenger' another turn of events would have occurred to make it happen as he was the one who felt the most strong aversion to the Europeans and their means of incorporating themselves into Africa.
ReplyDeleteI think it's inevitable for "things to fall apart" in every society...simply because change is inevitable, things will fall apart for change to occur...no one person in that society was responsible it's the chain of events and if it hadn't happened the way it did, change would have come and life as Okonkwo and his people knew it would still have changed. Some may even be of the view that for growth to happen, things must fall apart, kinda like break down to build up...
ReplyDeleteWhat falls apart? What didn't?? The life of the tribes, the people, the families were all affected by the different circumstances that became them within the novel, when the colonizers came they really only made the inevitable occur sooner. A breakdown in the life of Okonkwo was looked at the most, from the start when his past experiences mainly with his father was depicted as the reason by which he lived the way he did, why he portrayed the macho-masculine facade at all times- because he needed to prove he wasn't as his father was.
ReplyDeleteThey lived in a time and a place where their beliefs were all they knew, all they had and they adhered to them; they had structure and measures to be able to function. But like all societies, not everyone will take the rules as they are and accept it as if that were all, and just simply accept them. When the Whites came it was those villagers who didn't fit in the previous system that saw this as an alternative of a life they didn't know, one unlike their own. No one person is to blame, maybe traditions were to blame, but who started those traditions? Taken from any number of angles one can have any number of interpretations and suggestions as to what or who was to blame. It could just be a faulty system or one that didn't evolve along with the rest of the world, thus keeping the people of Umuofia limited and easy to manipulate. As a result it led to Pride being the demise of Okonkwo, he couldn't see beyond what was ingrained within him by tradition and himself. Things fell apart to form new and renovated things (never necessarily for the better). To blame and put fault on someone/something would be wrong, as a number of reasons combine to contribute to the breakdown of something like the breakdown of this whole village and their surroundings. Something much bigger than any one person or any one group.
After taking a holistic view of this book I see a society falling apart. Achebe allowed us to see not just one man but an entire village, a society break apart and fall to pieces. Then, based on Achebe's representation of the igbo village I wonder who cannot be blamed for this. I could not think of anyone in the novel to be exempted. However,the thought came to me, can you blame a man for having ideologies...whether he is African, European or Christian he will believe in something and ti him his beliefs are always right. It is these DIFFERENCES that cause things to fall apart.
ReplyDeleteIt is human nature to be curious about things that are new and strange. Things fell apart not because of any one group's imposition or lack of loyalty, but because the society was ripe and vulnerable to any wind of change that may have blown. The people of Umuofia are at first apprehensive and then curious, they listen to the Europeans and make their own assessments of their discourse. If the foundation of the society was strong, and the beliefs, values and norms were inclusive rather than exclusive, then may be the wooing of the Europeans would have fallen on deaf ears.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot negate though the pretense under which Umuofia was eventually invaded. Conversion of the natives was the front, but acquisition of all that they had to offer was the aim. They arrived with a closed mindset and a preconceived notions of the natives and as such used whatever means necessary to claim an empire. It can be argued if the true intentions of the Europeans were revealed from the inception, they may heave been met with much more resistance.
Regardless of such, pinpointing any one player with which the onus must lie for the destruction of things would be hard to do. Okonkwo, Nyowe, The Commissioner, Obierika all had a hand to play in the eventual fall of Umuofia. We can say that the Europeans came and destroyed a culture that was strong and rich, but who are we to know, maybe things would have fallen apart despite the arrival and presence of the Europeans.
Hi, I believe that really no one person can be blamed for things falling apart. It had to do with a modernization of the system, and a refusal to accept that. Once the missionaries or the white men were allowed to come it and establish their churches offering, an opportunity for improvement, showing a different lifestyle, different laws, different gods, gods that seemed more powerful than those of the natives, things began to fall apart.
ReplyDeleteIt was a difficult situation for the chiefs, if they, blend in with the white people, and accept their custom it would mean abandonment of all that is sacred to them, their values, traditions, and also the belief and fear that they would be punished by their gods. It would also be submitting to the dominance of white rule which would produce certain limitations.
What fell apart was their system of living, and governing and no one individual should be held responsible, but there should have existed more dialogue on both sides allowing room for possible compromised.
It is easy to say Okonkwo is to be blame for things falling apart however,I am of the believe that no one person is to be blamed. To blame Okonkwo is to say that his society is responsible.I see Okonkwo as a mere representation of the society in which he existed.Yes, he had some part to play in his own demise, but so did his society, who outcast certain people and denied twins.Okonkwo wasn't perfect, neither was his society and it was their imperfections which made it easier for both to fall when things begun falling apart.
ReplyDeleteJosell O'Connor
There are a number of factors which contribute to things falling apart. Okwonko is too proud to follow his gut feelings/ his heart even. The entire Igbo tribe does not put up a true fight to protect their heritage and culture. The colonisers are insistent regarding converting the tribal members. Things seem to fall apart in more than one instance in the novel. Okonkwo's pride as he delivered Ikemefuna's death blow, Okonkwo beating hie wife during the Peace period, Okonkwo being exhiled from the tribe, the colonisers coming in and possessing some control over the clan members and last but not least, the Suicide of Okonkwo. I would have to put the blame on the human condition for things falling apart. It is aspects such as greed, pride, the longing for acceptance, lust for power etc. which cause Okonkwo, the clan members as well as the colonisers to make decisions, thus leading to things falling apart.
ReplyDeleteBLOGGER'S NAME: MELINA WISKY
ReplyDeleteStories like this are multi-causal, ie one individual/group is not the only cause. There are other factors that contribute to the result. Who is responsible for things falling apart? What falls apart? For one, Umuofia's relgious society falls apart. This is because the people gave in to the White colonizers. If they were strong and satisfied with their religion, when the Whites came and Okonkwo encouraged them to fight, they would have fought. The people of Umuofia caused their religious society to crumble due to their lack of passion and drive. What really falls apart is Okonkwo. The people and Okonkwo contributed to his demise. The lack of will to protect their heritage which Okonkwo cherished caused him to commit suicide which actually is ironic in the true sense of the word because it is against their culture to commit suicide which deems people unclean. Okonkwo was very prideful and he definitely caused himself to fall apart because he realized he could not get his way and he just made up his mind "his way or the highway" and in doing so, the very thing he did not want to become, his father, he did become because his father died an unclean death and so did he and both Okonkwo and his father died as nobodies or even "dogs"
With regards to the novel, things falling apart cannot be examined through a single perspective; it must be looked at from the perspective of the Igbo tribe and the Europeans. These Europeans saw it fit to invade this tribe’s territory and they wanted to impose their culture on these people, they somehow succeeded because several of the Igbo people disregarded their culture, something which they upheld for generations, and they changed into the white man’s culture- Christianity. These people accepted change and so nothing really fell apart. Likewise, Okonkwo resented this and as a result he fell apart in that ultimately he committed suicide and ended up being just like his father whom he strived throughout the entire novel not to be- a so called “nobody.” Thus, after his death, life went on as usual and Okonkwo was disregarded by his once fellow villagers. In a nutshell, nothing really falls apart in the Igbo society; some accepted the change imposed on them while the others lived around it. Okonkwo, the protagonist, falls apart in the end because he simply could not accept this change.
ReplyDeletei personally think that no one person is to blame in this book. of course the destruction of okonkwo himself is to be blamed on himself. i think the reason for this is his mentality towards females. he was always trying not to be like his father whom he thought of as womanly and he always judged females as weak and helpless and emotional. however the fact is that we are all human with all of these emotions. there is no gendered emotion and he tried to overcome himself as a human and this lead to s defeat and the falling of his family. however the falling of the culture and tradition and leadership of the village can not be blamed on one person, everyone has a part to play in the way things ended.
ReplyDeleteNo one person is to be blamed for "things falling apart" in Achebe's novel. Okonkwo could not live with the act that his people of Umuofia would not stand up for themselves against the Europeans. He could not accept the change where they had converted to Christianity. Throughout the entire novel, his aim was not to be like his father but all ended the same. He killed himself because he could not accept change. In all, Okonkwo was the one who had fallen apart and left his family. After his death everything remained the same, nothing had changed.
ReplyDeleteI agree that no one should be blamed for things falling apart. It is tempting to say that Okonkwo is purely responsible for his own downfall at the end of the novel. However, Okonkwo's values, morals and beliefs, all attained from culture and socialization created his character and was by no means any fault of his. He wanted what he thought was best for himself and his family. Despite his arrogance sometimes, Okonkwo was good at heart. I think therefore that society largely accounted for his failure.
ReplyDeleteIn "Things Fall Apart" it is not merely a general statement meaning that some one thing or group of things fell apart. I believe that the novel showed some tihngs falling apart in some of the different lives of the characters in the village. However, because of the fact that the novel was centered around Okonkwo and his family, one may look at the question of "what fell apart?" with regards to him and how he was affected by issues in the novel, therefore I will discuss it in this context. Okonkwo was responsible for some of the things that fell apart in his life, which later lead to his death. I think so because of his mindset! his strong obsession with masculinity and his lack of open mindedness lead him to shun his son as well as commit suicide. All the characters had to deal with the same ordeal (The coming of the Europeans) yet Okonkwo was the only one who's resolution was suicide. The coming of the Europeans contributed to what was falling apart and that was the lives of the tribe. They were not responsible for the lives of these tribes-people falling apart.
ReplyDeleteThere is no one individual or group of individuals that can be blamed for things falling apart. In the novel, the members of the society, including the leaders, were not aware of the undercurrent of the motives of the Europeans, that would later drown their society. Okonkwo was aware, however, and attempted to rescue the society before its collapse but his single effort was not sufficient to hold and influence an entire society of varying views. The blame cannot be placed on one member of the Ibo society nor the European society because neither was aware of the negative effects that the Europeans would have had. Both societies were experimenting and none aware of the fragility of a society and its effects that can result as people change or adopt attributes of others outside of their world.
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