What is the difference between Mr Brown and Mr Smith?
What is the difference between Mr Brown and Mr Smith?
Unlike Mr. Brown, Reverend Smith is uncompromising and strict. He demands that his converts reject all of their indigenous beliefs, and he shows no respect for indigenous customs or culture. He is the stereotypical white colonialist, and his behavior epitomizes the problems of colonialism.
What is the significance of Enoch unmasking the Egwugwu?
One such convert, Enoch, dares to unmask an egwugwu during the annual ceremony to honor the earth deity, an act equivalent to killing an ancestral spirit. The next day, the egwugwu burn Enoch’s compound to the ground. They then gather in front of the church to confront Reverend Smith and his fellow Christians.
Why did Okonkwo kill himself?
With a feeling of hopelessness, Okonkwo gives up and hangs himself. He commits suicide because he cannot deal with the changes that the Christian white men are making in his village.
Why are yams significant in this culture?
In ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe, yams are significant because they represent wealth and masculinity to the Umuofia clan. Yams are so important to the Umuofia that their daily lives and celebrations are organized around this vital crop.
What is the role of the yam in the life of the community?
Yams are the essential crop within Umuofia; the yam is a crucial staple in the Igbo diet. The number of yams a man successfully grows indicates his wealth and rank within the society. Additionally, the cultivation of yams is associated with masculinity: “Yam, the king of crops, was a man’s crop” (23).
What does the yam symbolize in Igbo culture?
This is of course the African yam, a cornerstone of Igbo culture, as well as a symbol of masculinity, power, and wealth in the story.
What is the significance of the new yam festival in things fall apart?
‘The Feast of the New Yam was approaching and Umuofia was in a festival mood. It was an occasion for giving thanks to Ani, the earth goddess and the source of all fertility. Ani played a greater part in the life of the people than any other deity. She was the ultimate judge of morality and conduct.
What did Okonkwo often say about Ezinma?
Who was Okonkwo’s favorite child, and what did he often say about the child? His favorite child was Ezinma, daughter of Ekwefi (second wife). He often said it was a shame she wasn’t a boy. He beat his second wife, Ekwefi, then fired his gun at her.
What did Okonkwo say about Ezinma?
Okonkwo – being a man who basically only values masculine qualities – strongly wishes that Ezinma had been born a boy, which, from his frame of mind , shows how much he loves and values her. Because she is her mother’s only child, Ezinma is coddled and often acts in a bolder manner than the other children.
What story is always told at the new yam festival?
The story that is always told at the New Yam Festival is the story of a wealthy man who had so much foo-foo at his feast that the dinner guests couldn’t see anyone at the other side of the table until the food was eaten. This is an example of a legend because it is an exaggeration and has some truth to it.
Who is Okonkwo’s second wife?
Ekwefi
Who did Okonkwo kill?
Okonkwo’s gun accidentally goes off and kills Ezeudu’s sixteen-year-old son. Killing a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess, so Okonkwo must atone by taking his family into exile for seven years. Okonkwo gathers his most valuable belongings and takes his family to his mother’s natal village, Mbanta.
What is nwoye’s dilemma?
What is Nwoye’s dilemma? He enjoys “woman” stories, but listens to Okonkwo to gain respect.
Did Okonkwo kill ikemefuna?
In achieving success, fame, and power, Okonkwo habitually resorts to and comes to rely on thoughtless violence. Without regard for consequences, Okonkwo acts – beats his son, repudiates his father, kills Ikemefuna, butchers the messenger. He becomes the epitome of violent action and as such ultimately destroys himself.
Why does Okonkwo not like nwoye?
Okonkwo is frustrated by Nwoye because he reminds him so much of his own father, Unoka. Okonkwo is disappointed that Nwoye resembles Unoka in that he’s sensitive and often lazy. Okonkwo views these as signs of femininity which he believes is one of the most disgraceful traits an Ibo man can display.
How does Okonkwo feel after killing ikemefuna?
After killing Ikemefuna, Okonkwo is very upset. He doesn’t eat for two days and has difficulty sleeping. He was very fond of Ikemefuna and he knew that this boy had been a positive influence on Nwoye and that they too had become great friends.
What happens to Okonkwo after he kills ikemefuna?
When the village elders decide the time has come to kill Ikemefuna and finally settle the dispute with the neighboring village, Okonkwo insists on taking part in the execution, despite the fact that the boy calls him “father.” Okonkwo ends up killing Ikemefuna himself out of fear that his failure to take responsibility …
Why is Okonkwo so depressed?
Lesson Summary They build homes and plant yams, but Okonkwo becomes depressed because of how his life has turned out. His uncle Uchendu, after helping to conduct a final marriage ceremony for his son and daughter-in-law, reminds Okonkwo to be strong and to recognize that life is not easy for anyone.
What does ikemefuna symbolize?
Ikemefuna symbolizes the innocent victims of this traditional society before it fell apart. Okonkwo, the novel’s protagonist, sometimes falls foul of the laws in his society. He is punished for breaking the Week of Peace and is sent into exile when he accidentally kills Ezeudu’s son.
Why is ikemefuna important?
Ikemefuna serves the purpose that Oknokwo’s tribe will not go to war with Mbaino: A young boy named Ikemefuna is given to Umuofia in order to avoid war. While living with Okonkwo, Ikemefuna becomes like a son to Okonkwo. In fact, he is more of a son than Nwoye is.
What was ikemefuna good at?
Ikemefuna was talented, hardworking, and a great hunter. Okonkwo grew to admire him. He began to realize that Ikemefuna was a good role model for Nwoye, because he was teaching him to be more of a man.
What does Okonkwo symbolize?
In ‘Things Fall Apart’, the main character, Okonkwo, is often described in terms of fire and flames – his nickname is even ‘Roaring Flame’ – so, to him, fire symbolizes potential, masculinity, and life. Okonkwo is a lot like a fire, really. He only ever allows himself to show one emotion: anger.
What is the main point of things fall apart?
The novel chronicles the life of Okonkwo, the leader of an Igbo community, from the events leading up to his banishment from the community for accidentally killing a clansman, through the seven years of his exile, to his return, and it addresses a particular problem of emergent Africa—the intrusion in the 1890s of …
Why does Okonkwo regret his exile?
Okonkwo regrets his exile even though he prospers in his motherland because he feels he would have prospered even more in Umuofia.
Why did Okonkwo kill the messenger?
Okonkwo kills the District Commissioner’s messenger to rebel against the Commissioner and the missionaries. Prior to this event, the Commissioner tricked the clansmen and put them in jail for burning down his church.
Is Okonkwo A Igbo?
The novel follows the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo (“Ibo” in the novel) man and local wrestling champion in the fictional Nigerian clan of Umuofia.
How is Okonkwo’s death ironic?
Okonkwo’s death is especially ironic when we consider one major event at the beginning of the novel: the terrible harvest. Okonkwo’s first harvest is one of the worst harvest years in clan history. ‘ It is doubly ironic, then, that it is his inflexible will that eventually leads to his downfall and suicide.
Why was Okonkwo banished from his village?
Because the accidental killing of a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess, Okonkwo and his family must be exiled from Umuofia for seven years. The family moves to Okonkwo’s mother’s native village, Mbanta. He gives Okonkwo a plot of land on which to farm and build a compound for his family.
What crime did Okonkwo commit?
During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo commits the crime of beating his wife. This is his first crime against the earth. As punishment, he is told to make a ritual sacrifice, which he does. A few days before the new year, Okonkwo threatens his second wife Ekwefi with a gun.
Why did uchendu talk to Okonkwo?
Why did Uchendu talk to Okonkwo about the Mother Supreme? He explained to him how he pretty much owed his mother comfort and to reject otherwise would anger the deceased.