Lesley Scheuber

Mrs. Bosch

English 10 Honors

29 July 2006

Assignment: I

Pride is the honor or dignity one has in something. Every living being

takes pride in at least one thing in their life. Whether it is a foolish

thing to be proud of to someone else, it may mean the world to that

one person. People take advantage of other people’s pride or dignity

and disrespect it. Someone’s honor is not something to fool around

with. Throughout Things Fall Apart, Achebe shows the things he is

proud of in his life. However, not everyone takes pride in the same

things. Many people take pride in their personality traits, athletic

abilities, physical features, their past, or their future. There are

great differences between what people are proud of now and what

people were proud of in the past. With the exceptions above, many

people today are proud of material items like trophies and medals.

Achebe used many unfortunate events in Things Fall Apart to show

how important the things he took pride in were. He shows what

would happen when people lose sight of everything he is proud of.

Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart to express that he takes pride in his

family, heritage, language, and his memories.

Achebe takes the most pride in his family. The whole book is about

the ups and downs of an Umuofian family. Achebe used this family to

demonstrate through specific actions how he took pride in his family.

The incident between Nwoye and Okonkwo illustrates the

importance of family. The controversies began when “Nwoye had

been attracted to the new faith from the very first day, he kept it

secret. He dared not to go too near the missionaries for fear

of his father” (149). Nwoye knew he was betraying his family when

he began practicing the new faith. As time past, Okonkwo became

aware of Nwoye’s visits to the missionary. Okonkwo was enraged

and began to strangle Nwoye. Nwoye would have died if it were not

for Uchendu who came and calmed Okonkwo. When Nwoye was

released, he left forever. Okonkwo was very upset and saddened

with the matter. Achebe shows the importance of family through

this dispute. A family is not a family if there are lies and secrets

being kept. He uses this tragedy to demonstrate that families should

stick together when times are rough and not leave. Achebe wanted

the readers to see that a family is more than a group of people who

have the same blood, but a group of people who rely and depend on

each other. That is what Achebe takes pride in.

The heritage of Achebe is something he takes honor in. His heritage

is full of many special occasions and ceremonies. All of the people in

Umuofia are not just friends, but they are a big family. They feast

together and work together. It is traditional in the village to open a

kola nut when a visitor other than one’s child or wife visits them in

their obi. The tribe had a “Feast of the New Yam” which was a feast

held for the goddess Ani. Ani was the goddess of the earth and the

source of all fertility. Every Umuofian took a part in this feast.

Achebe explains every special occasion in great detail. The most

honored tradition in the tribe is the Week of Peace. During that

week, a man is not allowed to beat his children or wives. However,

Okonkwo disturbed the Week of Peace when he beat his wife. His

youngest wife left to get her hair braided and did not feed her

children before she left. Okonkwo was very upset that she was gone

and forgot it was the sacred week. People heard his wife’s cries, and

Okonkwo had to be punished. There is no excuse for a man to beat

his wife during the Week of Peace. Ezeani explained that even if

Okonkwo came into his obi and “found her lover on top of her, you

would still have committed a great evil to beat her” (30). Nothing

could justify his actions so he was punished. Okonkwo had to make

a sacrifice to Ani. He had to bring a female goat, a hen, cloth, and

a hundred cowries to her shrine. Achebe used this story to show the

importance of tradition of his culture. It is wrong to break tradition,

and there are no exceptions. Achebe is proud of his culture, and he

shows that those who break the rules deal with the consequences.

The art communication and language of Achebe’s culture was

greatly valued. Communication was necessary in Umuofia. The

failure to communicate with each other can cause a society to fall.

Umuofia began to fall because they forgot to speak up for

themselves. Okonkwo was a man who always voiced his opinions.

He stood up for what he believed was right, and he was never one to

back down. However, when he was banished from Umuofia, no one

was there to speak up for the tribe. They allowed the Europeans

to come in and build a missionary. The Umuofians took the

Europeans for granted because they came in harmlessly and quiet.

We later learn that Okonkwo would have never allowed the

Europeans in because he remembered the incident in Abame. He

knew that the Europeans would cause danger even though the

situation between Abame and Umuofia was different. The

Europeans missionary grew tremendously, and the Umuofians were

no longer happy with their decision. However, they were too afraid

of the “white men” and did not act against them. This was unlike

the historical tribe because Umuofia was known for their strength

and dominance in war. While six Umuofians tried to negotiate a

mishap with the Europeans, “the six men were handcuffed and let

into the guardroom” (194). The Umuofians had allowed the

Europeans the power to arrest the people of Umuofia. They lost

their voice, therefore, they lost their power. Achebe used this as an

example to show the importance of communication and language.

People are given the ability to speak for a reason. Achebe knows

that if do not use your ability to speak up, then someone will speak

up for you. Communication is vital and that is why Achebe takes

pride in it.

Achebe was honored to have his memories. They are created every

day whether they are fun, sad, disturbing, loving, or interesting. A

memory is something no one can take from you. It is your own and

nothing can ever change that. A simple memory can keep you warm

on a cold night, or it can motivate you to be a better person. In

Okonkwo’s case, his memory motivated him to be a recognized as

a great man. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, was very lazy and

unsuccessful. His father held no honors in Umuofia, and Okonkwo

does not consider men without honors real men. His father was

incompetent, and he only thought about the present, which is not

always bad except for in this situation. Unoka has chalked lines on

the walls of his obi to keep track of how much money he owes

people. When Unoka got money, instead of paying his way out of

debt, he “immediately bought gourds of palm-wine, called round his

neighbors and made merry” (4). Okonkwo remembered the way his

father was, and he did not want to be like him. Achebe takes pride

in memory because your memory is important. Bad memories, like

Okonkwo’s of his father, motivate you to be different and set

yourself apart. Achebe sees the greatness in a memory and wants

his readers to see it.

Achebe was being bold when he wrote Things Fall Apart. He put his

pride and his feelings out and that allows people the opportunity to

judge him. He wanted to share his beliefs, and he was successful. It

is said that a man will be content until their pride or dignity is

stepped on. Therefore, Achebe was going out on a limb when

writing this novel. There are multiple signs within the novel that

demonstrate the pride he has in his culture. He is not ashamed of

his heritage and does not pretend to be someone he is not. When

reading this novel, many of Achebe’s personality traits are

presented to us readers. He is grateful for his family and the

blessing of life. He is grateful and proud of the simple things in

life. Many of us take talking and thinking for granted,

yet Achebe realizes how blessed he is to have these abilities.

Achebe is a wise man who takes pride in fascinating attributes.