The Post-Colonial Reality in Chinua Achebe’s Novels (original) (raw)
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THEMES, ISSUES AND CONCERNS IN THE NOVELS OF CHINUA ACHEBE: RESPONSE TO COLONIALISM
isara solutions, 2021
Achebe's fame as an outstanding African novelist rests specially on his four novels-Things Fall Apart (1958), No Longer At Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964) and A Man of the People (1966) the first three of them having been published together as The African Trilogy (1988). The village novels Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God depict conflicts in Ibo society partly generated by the impact of European colonialism and partly by tensions within the society itself. These two novels form a class by themselves in the sense that they unfold the complexities of tribal life beneath its surface simplicity and calm and the tribal societies symbolize the conflict of cultures. The other two novels No Longer At Ease and A Man of the People are satirical in intent and hold up a mirror against the New Rulers of the of the postcolonial era in Africa. Taken together, all the four novels deal with the theme of colonial encounter and human condition, and yield wonderful response to colonialism. At the root of these themes, runs a parallel and basic theme of these novels, that is, the theme of sustenance of African culture and traditions. Explicitly so, because traditions and the culture of a country provide an identity and self-respect to the people of that country. A society of certain identity then gets established and re-established even after untold losses.
Villanova Journal of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, 2019
The synergic nature of African culture is endowed with cultural values that promote peace, oneness, harmony and care for one another. Thus, the ideology of communalism is a highly esteemed African practice which works for the survival of the people and for the common good. This principle and practice of communalism have held the African culture from total annihilation. This is even in spite of occasional individual dissidence found among those communities. African literature has dealt with matters of cultural importance, highlighting individual and collective tendencies which have reflected certain ideologies in fictional texts and narratives. Chinua Achebe, a leading literary African writer has extensively promoted African communality in fictional texts. Hence to explore the fact of African Communalism and the conflict of individualism, selected novels of Achebe including; Arrow of God, Things Fall Apart and No Longer at Ease, are to be examined to present characters that are seen as non-conformists. This study is aimed at making a literary exploration on the longstanding ideology of communalism, in the spirit of ofuobi/anyibuofu. It will specifically make a critical evaluation of the dissenting activities of the key individuals in the texts and the consequences of their actions. The conclusion will promote a reorientation and reordering of individual psyche to the assimilation of cultural ideologies in our changing world.
COLONIAL ENCOUNTER AND AFRICAN TRADITION IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART
Indian Scholar An International Multidisciplinary Research e-Journal, 2016
Colonialism has always been a painful process, and Africa like India in general and Achebe's Nigeria in particular has had its experience of the colonial rule. Chinua Achebe has rightly reconstructed historical and political events regarding the recent past of the Igbo people who were suppressed and oppressed by the Europeans. Narrated within a specific locale, Achebe provides alternative sets of traditions, ideals, values and behavior while reclaiming his heritage and at the same time provides directions for constructive changes. An attempt is also made to show how Igbo community life is represented and how the arrival of white missionaries and colonial administrative gradually started to question and destroyed that traditional life of Igbo people from within by eroding its value system. Further the paper will explore social, political, religious, cultural, economical, as well as educational suppression of Igbo tribe.
African Culture and Traditions in the Novels of Chinua Achebe: Response to Colonialism
2014
Achebe’s reputation as an outstanding African novelist rests securely on his four novels – Things Fall Apart (1958), No Longer At Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964) and A Man of the People (1966) the first three of them having been published together as The African Trilogy (1988). The village novelsThings Fall Apart and Arrow of God depict conflicts in Ibo society partly generated by the impact of European colonialism and partly by tensions within the society itself. These two novels form a class by themselves in the sense that they unfold the complexities of tribal life beneath its surface simplicity and calm and the tribal societies symbolize the conflict of cultures. The other two novels No Longer At Ease and A Man of the People are satirical in intent and hold up a mirror against the New Rulers of the of the postcolonial era in Africa. Taken together, al the four novels deal with the theme of colonial encounter and human condition, and yield wonderful response to colonialism. At t...
Post-Colonial Literature in Africa A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe
2015
The present study seeks for investigating the manifestations of colonialism and post-colonialism movements in the African societies, and how literary works dealt with these movements either by defending and rationalizing, or by criticizing and refuting them. The first part starts with colonialism movement, and it briefly discusses the different reasons of the emergence of this movement in Europe, and how it moved to the African continent, whereas the next section addresses the legitimacy of colonialism in literary works about Africa, and mainly about Morocco and Algeria. The following part deals with the negative impacts of the colonial countries in the colonized territories, and how some writers censured this movement, and resisted against its notions. Finally, this entry draws more attention to the Africans’ reaction against colonialism, and their disillusionment after gaining the independence. The second part focuses on post-colonialism and the literary works that appeared at that time, and it starts with a brief introduction about this movement, and then, examines some post-colonial literary works that had negative perspectives towards this movement. Also, this entry addresses the post-colonial African books that view colonialism in the same negative way. The final section deals with a post-colonial novel which is A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe, and it includes a brief summary about the novel as well as it reviews the significance of its title, and finally it discusses the theme of corruption in the same book.
This paper intends to vocalize the muffled voices of African women which were hushed by colonizers in colonial rule. This paper contends that, though, females in Chinua Achebe's No longer at Ease (1960) and Anthills of the Savannah (1987) are manifested to be under control of colonial mindset; however, these women are actually embedded in African history and mythology in pre-colonial era. In the African colonization era, females became the victim of the colonizer's catechizing eyes. However, colonizers documented African women as feeble and silent in colonial discourses and they directed their mission of freedom of African women from brown men's domination and local savage customs. The British Imperialist framed the colonial image of African women in the Victorian concept of womanliness, an entirely oppressed and subordinate gender. This paper debates that although the aboriginal African women inhabited under tribal male supremacy in pre colonial era, thus far, African culture granted them certain prerogatives and privileges. Moreover, this paper delineates that Achebe in his novels not only opposes the colonial portrayal of African women but also restores the status of African women by re-visiting pre colonial African culture.
African Literature as a tool for National Development: A Case of Chinua Achebe's A Man of the People
1 After the independence in 1960 Nigeria assumes the role of a free nation with hope of developing itself to its capacity in all spheres of life; politically, economically, educationally, socially and spiritually. Unfortunately, those that assumed the leadership failed to realize the dream of Nigerians. So, the country turned into the land of corruption and misrule. Considering the situation of the country, a very prolific and reputable writer (Chinua Achebe) writes to expose such evil acts of the leaders in his fourth novel, A Man of the People. His intense experience and ability to understand the reality of Nigerian environment which he portrays in the novel (A Man of the People) has a great impact in the lives of Nigerians. This paper seeks to explore such great work of arts with hope it will provide a sustainable development for the nation if used.
81. The Pen and The Plow: Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and The Reimagining of African Culture
Chinua Achebe's magnum opus, Things Fall Apart, remains a key work of world literature, shedding powerful light on the complexities of African culture long suppressed by Western narratives. Born and raised in Nigeria, Achebe became not only a celebrated writer, but also a cultural ambassador, working to promote recognition and respect for the rich traditions and history of his homeland. With Things Fall Apart, Achebe has not only told a story, but also written a counter-narrative that opposes the Western view that often misinterprets or oversimplifies African civilizations. Central to Achebe's literary philosophy was a belief in the sanctity and power of personal stories. He firmly believed that the stories of those on the margins of society, the marginalized, should be told by people who experienced and felt them directly. These stories, Achebe believed, would be authentic, nuanced, and profound, giving readers a real insight into the African experience. Through the lens of Things Fall Apart, one isn't merely reading about African traditions, but rather, immersing in them. Achebe masterfully manages to weave a tapestry of life, love, conflict, and change that forces readers to rethink their perceptions and understanding of Nigerian history and African culture as a whole. Achebe's influence was not limited to his narratives, however. His critique of non-native narrators, who often painted Africa with broad, uninformed strokes, resonated widely in literary circles. Achebe emphasized the dangers of allowing others to define one's own story and underscored the urgency for authentic African voices to reclaim their narrative. Through his works and advocacy, Achebe has not only offered narratives, but revolutionized the discourse on African culture in literature.
Toward A Restoration of Societal Ethos with Reference on Chinua Achebe’s Writings
International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 2020
Traditional oral literature of Africa is counted as one of the most distinctly and varied categories of African literature with Chinua Achebe as pioneer. In his writings, Achebe takes on the roles of social commentator and crusader through the conduit of orature to criticize the devaluation of cultural and societal norms. His later novels can be read imbued with the lamentation of the death of moral and social values in Nigerian society; the unspoken degradation of Nigerian immigrants in Europe and America, and the frequency with which corrupt practices have undermined the nation’s development. This paper examines how Achebe’s writings canvasses for a re-examination of societal ethos, which demands that the contemporary Nigeria settles. Therefore, the necessary actions should be taken in restoring, maintaining and preserving the oral tradition. Preservation is not just limited to keeping the form of oral tradition in the community, but the values that contained in the oral tradition...
Cultural Dynamism in Nigeria with Reference to Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart
International Journal of Social Science and Human Research
This article aims at raising the different aspects of life of Nigerian people prior independence and exalting inheritance or profit this people has gained in return after their encounter with the white man. It is certain that the issue of colonization has been the concern of many African and even non-African writers. In fact, colonization has disrupted the socio-economic and political structures and replaced traditional values by another system of values that are not suitable for African customs. From the image the white man has painted Africans, colonization does not acknowledge the existence of pre-colonial values. Hence, by necessity, the African writer is placed in front of an essential and complex duty, that of reconstituting the actual image of his group, rehabilitating the past in substituting to the distorted image depicted by the colonizers the African vision of history. Accordingly, Chinua Achebe is one of those intellectuals who have tried to make his readers realize the ...