Okonkwo And Other Members Of The Clan example essay topic

... ther him because he feared being seen as weak, like a 'shivering old woman' (Achebe 65). This same event is also a major breakdown for Okonkwo. Killing Ikemefuna represents killing off everything in which Okonkwo believed very strongly in. He saw many of his own qualities in Ikemefuna.

He could have done a lot of good for the clan and Okonkwo was very proud of him but, he ends up killing Ikemefuna himself. Just as Okonkwo was gaining power and higher positions within the clan, he was banished for seven years for accidentally killing another member of the clan. They burned all 5 his huts down and he and his family had to live in his motherland. He had to resettle in his mother's maiden land of M banta. It was also against the law to unmask the spirit. Even though everyone knew that he was innocent and that the banishment was meant for murder, no one was willing to challenge the tradition.

The fact that the Ibo people relied on tradition and would not accept change was a weak point in their society. As Okonkwo was preparing to return to Umuofia from his time is exile, he was expecting the people to be exited for his return. He thought they would be happy to have their warrior leader back home. Their reaction was not what he expected. He believed that the people had grown weak. While he was gone the missionaries had also arrived in Umuofia.

Okonkwo was not scared of them at first. He did not think that anyone would believe what they had to say. The arrival of the missionaries is the issue in which there is the biggest clash of beliefs. When the Christian religion was introduced, many members of the clan who were not happy with the Ibo religion became interested.

Some of the title-less men were also interested. Nwoye, who did not approve of leaving the supposedly evil twin babies in the woods or the killing of Ikemefuna, was also interested in Christianity because it taught that killing innocent people was wrong. When Okonkwo heard that Nwoye was visiting with the missionaries, he was infuriated and he kicked him out of the house. In general, Okonkwo was fearful and extremely resistant to the new religion because it had the potential of ruining the life long work of the clan of trying to please the gods of its ancestors.

Just as we can see a clash in personal beliefs within the clan, we can also see the difference in customs or methods or motives between the two missionaries. Mr. Brown was a 6 very passive and understanding man, whereas, Mr. Smith was more forceful and condemning of the people. He did not try to understand the customs of the clan, he simply told them that they were wrong and Christianity was right. Things really got heated up when a convert unmasked and killed an. In revenge, the church was burnt down. Okonkwo and other members of the clan were brought before the commissioner and were harassed and beaten.

It was after this that a town meeting was called. Okonkwo was infuriated and determined to fight the white men. When a messenger came to break up the meeting, Okonkwo was so enraged that he killed the man. The arrival of the British in and before the 1800's led to what seemed like a million conflicts between the Igbo and the British political systems.

There were conflicts regarding religion, social life, education and many others. It affected the Igbo both positively and negatively. On the positive side it benefit ted them economically and it stayed a patrilineal society (man's world). Yet there were negative sides to it as well such as that it destroyed their traditional government ('e bu') and forced them to change their lifestyles. Polygamy was deemed to be senseless. The British told the Igbo that they worshiped fake gods of stone and wood, and that they should convert to their religion.

As the British moved into Umuofia they introduced hospitals and a court system where the Igbo were judged and the British missionaries were protected, they also built jails. The missionaries also created a school where they taught new Christians (reformed Igbo) to read and write in the white man's language. The British also set up also set up trading shops, which made money for the villagers. There was also an increase in the development in 7 technology (trains, etc... ).

It seemed that this was all for the good and only improvements; a better lifestyle would come of these reforms. The people of Umuofia attempted to stop the British and the changing society but they did not succeed. In the end, Okonkwo committed suicide by hanging himself. He knew that the people would not fight and he was ashamed of what the Ibo society had become. 'He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messenger escape.

They had broken into tumult instead of action' (Achebe 205). Everything he lived for and believed in was going to be taken away by the white men. They had control over everything. He did not want to see that happen so he took his own life. Yet, this is ironic because, in doing so, he was committing an act which was considered one of the worst actions a member could do in the Ibo society. Throughout the story we see how strong Okonkwo's personal beliefs were and how much they meant to him.

Beliefs, both personal and those of the society someone is born into, play a major role in their life. This story is an example of what happens when those beliefs are taken away and others are forced upon a person. Everyone needs to believe in something, and things fall apart when they no longer can. When he tells the story with an understanding and personal experiences in both cultures. He does not portray the African culture and their beliefs as barbaric. He simply tells it as it is, and how things happened.

It is the same with the white men. China Achebe realized that neither of the cultures were bad, but they simply had a difference in beliefs.