Assignment 14 The African Literature

To evaluate my assignment CLICK HERE... 
Assignment -14                                        words - 1609

Name – Vipul Dabhi
Semester – 4
Roll No – 35
Enrollment No – 2069108420180009
Email ID – dabhivc04@gmail.com
Paper – 14 The African Literature
Topic – Major themes in Chinua Achebe’s
              Novels.
Batch – 2017-’19
Submitted To – Department of English,  MKBU.




• Chinua Achebe :
He was a poet,  professor, and critic from Nigeria.  He won the Man Booker Prize in 2007. Chinua was a Nigeria's greatest novelists. His novels are written mainly for an African audience, but having been translated into more than forty languages, they have found worldwide readership. Achebe was unhappy with books about Africa written by British authors such as Joseph Conrad  (1857–1924) and John Buchan  (1875–1940), because he felt the descriptions of African people were inaccurate and insulting. While working for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation he composed his first novel, Things Fall Apart (1959), the story of a traditional warrior hero who is unable to adapt to changing conditions in the early days of British rule. The book won immediate international recognition and also became the basis for a play by Biyi Bandele. Years later, in 1997, the Performance Studio Workshop of Nigeria put on a production of the play, which was then presented in the United States as part of the Kennedy Center's African Odyssey series in 1999. Achebe's next two novels, No Longer At Ease (1960) and Arrow of God (1964), were set in the past as well.

 By the mid-1960s the newness of independence had died out in Nigeria, as the country faced the political problems common to many of the other states in modern Africa. The Igbo, who had played a leading role in Nigerian politics, now began to feel that the Muslim Hausa people of Northern Nigeria considered the Igbos second-class citizens. Achebe wrote A Man of the People(1966), a story about a crooked Nigerian politician. The book was published at the very moment a military takeover  removed the old political leadership. This made some Northern military officers suspect that Achebe had played a role in the takeover, but there was never any evidence supporting the theory.

 Things Fall Apart :
Memory/Documentary
Digression is one of Achebe's main tools. The novel is the story of Okonkwo's tragedy, but it is also a record of Igbo life before the coming of the white man. The novel documents what the white man destroyed. The reader learns much about Igbo customs and traditions; depicting this world is a central part of the novel.
Social disintegration
Towards the end of the novel, we witness the events by which Igbo society begins to fall apart. Religion is threatened, Umuofia loses its self-determination, and the very centers of tribal life are threatened. These events are all the more painful for the reader because so much time has been spent in sympathetic description of Igbo life; the reader realizes that he has been learning about a way of life that no longer exists.
Greatness and ambition
Okonkwo is determined to be a lord of his clan. He rises from humble beginnings to a position of leadership, and he is a wealthy man. He is driven and determined, but his greatness comes from the same traits that are the source of his weaknesses. He is often too harsh with his family, and he is haunted by a fear of failure.
Fate and free will
There is an Igbo saying that when a man says yes, his chi, or spirit, says yes also. The belief that he controls his own destiny is of central importance to Okonkwo. Later, several events occur to undermine this belief, and Okonkwo is embittered by the experience. As often happens with tragedy, the catastrophe comes through a complex mix of external forces and the character's choices.
Masculinity
Masculinity is one of Okonkwo's obsessions, and he defines masculinity quite narrowly. For him, any kind of tenderness is a sign of weakness and effeminacy. Male power lies in authority and brute force. But throughout the novel, we are shown men with more sophisticated understanding of masculinity. Okonkwo's harshness drives Nwoye away from the family and into the arms of the new religion.
Fear
For all of his desire to be strong, Okonkwo is haunted by fear. He is profoundly afraid of failure, and he is afraid of being considered weak. This fear drives him to rashness, and in the end contributes to his death.
Tribal belief
Particularly since one of the threats to Igbo life is the coming of the new religion, tribal belief is a theme of some importance. Igbo religious beliefs explain and provide meaning to the world; the religion is also inextricable from social and political institutions. Achebe also shows that Igbo religious authorities, such as the Oracle, seem to possess uncanny insights. He approaches the matter of Igbo religion with a sense of wonder.
Justice
Justice is another powerful preoccupation of the novel. For the Igbo, justice and fairness are matters of great importance. They have complex social institutions that administer justice in fair and rational ways. But the coming of the British upsets that balance. Although the British claim that local laws are barbaric, and use this claim as an excuse to impose their own laws, we soon see that British law is hypocritical and inhumane. The final events leading up to Okonkwo's death concern the miscarriage of Justice under the British District Commissioner.


       Thus,  we can see the importance of literature in society, especially, how the idea of masculinity creates the problem that we can see in this novel.

Arrow of God :

Bondage to Traditions and Superstition
The rhythms of life in Umuaro are dictated by strict traditions. in the novel we see that these traditions have become shackles that bind the people to as the priests that are supposed to serve them have learned to manipulate their blind obedience to their traditions and customs. Priests have become the de facto rulers of their communities because they facilitate the rituals that are ubiquitous to village life. Over time, these priests become despotic in their leadership, seeing the immense influence that they wield over the superstitious inhabitants of their villages. We see this in Ezeulu's unreasonable adherence to the custom of waiting a month to consume the consecrated yams, even if it meant allowing the yams in the field to rot and for the rest of the villagers to face starvation. Even with the immediate danger of crop failure and widespread famine the villagers can do nothing to oppose Ezeulu as they are bound by the fear of divine retribution.
Duty vs. Morals
Another theme central to the novel which is a variant of the theme of conflict is the dynamic tension between carrying out one's duty versus morals. Ezeulu believes that is his duty to enforce the rituals that Ulu requires of him in order to maintain the regular cycles of planting and harvesting, but when his adherence to the rituals causes the people to suffer he decides that his maintenance of these practices are more important, causing conflicts to arise within the community which eventually spells his downfall.

No Longer At Ease :
The Corruptibility of Civil Servants
One of Chinua Achebe's main socio-political criticisms in No Longer At Ease is that of corruption in Nigeria. From the moment the book begins the main character, Obi Okonkwo, is confronted with the issue of bribery. From the moment he arrives at customs to the point at where he gives in to taking bribes himself, the voice of Achebe lingers in the backdrop through the words.
The Influence of Education
One of the most important aspects of Obi's life is that he was educated in England. This small fact molds the way others treat him and shapes what others expect of him. At the same time, the education he holds dear is also one for which he has felt guilt and one which has often made him a stranger in his own Nigeria.

A Man of the People :
The Corrupting Effects of Power
In this story Odili describes various characters and their individual ascents to power. In telling these stories, he commonly finds that each figure grows to be more self-involved and materialistic after acquiring power. These lessons are particularly evident in the narrator's descriptions of the country's political dynamic. Odili repeatedly finds that once someone gets accustomed to the privileges that accompany political involvement, they neglect all fair and just practices. This lesson is particularly evident with the story surrounding his radical Irish former professor. Odili explains that this professor largely inspired the narrator's ideological shift. However, the professor was later appointed in the government cabinet and became “a classic example of the corroding effect of privilege”
The Complacency of the Common Citizen
 Odili voices his disdain for the nation's "common man." Although many people are disheartened by the nation's politics, their disappointment manifests in disinterest. While they are aware of Chief Nanga's fraudulent real estate cases and other examples of deceit, they still believe that they can get "their share of the national cake" if he is the figure in power. Odili ruminates on the dynamic between the masses and the elite politicians throughout his campaign.
               In conclusion, we can say that Achebe has tried to represent his main duty.  As writers main duty is to represent the real situation of the society.  Similarly, Achebe has portrayed the real African society through the help of his writing.
              However , it tries to show that how the idea of Heathen and Eurocentric works.  In some of his work he openly admits that some of the white writers had have portrayed African culture as a more derogatory.

References :
https://www.gradesaver.com/a-man-of-the-people/study-guide/themes
https://www.notablebiographies.com/A-An/Achebe-Chinua.html