Essay on Dignity of the African People in Chinua Achebes...

Dignity of the African People Conveyed in Things Fall Apartnbsp; nbsp; In Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart, it is shown that the African people had their own complex culture before the Europeans decided to pacify them. The idea that the dignity of these people has been greatly compromised is acknowledged in the essay The Role of the Writer, which is explanatory of Achebes novels. A writer trying to capture the truth of a situation that his readers may know little or nothing about needs a sense of history in order to appropriately address the topic. It is not enough to beat another writer to the issue. Writers should make the attempt to express a deeper understanding. Without proper mental investment in a written work, the†¦show more content†¦In his mind, his religion is completely true, and the beliefs of the Africans are asinine and savage. The Commissioner considers any real contact with the natives undignified. He cannot respect his subject, which is in this case the Ibo, because he has elevated himself in his mind as more intelligent and c ultured. He does not have respect for them because he does not believe that it is worth his while to learn their philosophies. Once an author gains such a feeling of superiority over his subject, his writings cannot be objective. He must view himself equal in importance to the topic of analysis in order to explore in depth the human condition and make his own writings consequential. nbsp; Another vice that causes writings to be lacking in effect is insincerity on the part of the writer. When a writer performs for money or ego, the motivation does not help regain the loss of [the] dignity and self-respect that the African people suffered. Writers motivated by money tend to reflect the views of their parishioners. In this case the writers concerns are on his pay, not on the social impact of the topic. If the writer is writing for fame, he will be writing in a pedantic manner, keeping in mind only his success, rather that the depth of the piece. Such writers do not put their thoughts into human terms so that damage done to the AfricanShow MoreRelatedAfrican Literature : Is It Truly Authentic?1214 Words   |  5 PagesAfrican Literature: Is it Truly Authentic? Now lets just say an Anthropologist went on to study an African cultural group in Nigeria. Now let s consider that Anthropologist went on to live exactly like that African group, and the Anthropologist decided to report his findings as if an individual from that cultural group was writing about the experience. Now think about the controversy that will be caused, and the debate regarding if this is truly African experience. Ever since the mid 1700’s toRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe1324 Words   |  6 Pages Chinua Achebe chose to write his novels in English to reveal a deep response of his people to colonisation and to make that response understood to people all over the world. Things Fall Apart was written in English to teach people worldwide of the struggles he faced and the people of Nigeria faced growing up. Many authors and critics have written about Achebe’s ‘Things fall apart’ adding their valued opinion on what he was trying to say and his decision to write in English. In the followingRead MoreEssay on Images of Africa in Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart2228 Words   |  9 PagesImages of Africa in Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Joseph Conrads novel Heart of Darkness portrays an image of Africa that is dark and inhuman.   Not only does he describe the actual, physical continent of Africa as so hopeless and so dark, so impenetrable to human thought, so pitiless to human weakness (Conrad 94), as though the continent could neither breed nor support any true human life, but he also manages to depict Africans as though they are not worthy of the respectRead More Essay Contrasting Images in Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness2233 Words   |  9 PagesContrasting Images in Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness portrays an image of Africa that is dark and inhuman.   Not only does he describe the actual, physical continent of Africa as â€Å"so hopeless and so dark, so impenetrable to human thought, so pitiless to human weakness† (Conrad 94), as though the continent could neither breed nor support any true human life, but he also manages to depict Africans as though they are not worthy of the respectRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesPHILADELPHIA Temple University Press 1601 North Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright  © 2010 by Temple University All rights reserved Published 2010 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Essays on twentieth century history / edited by Michael Peter Adas for the American Historical Association. p. cm.—(Critical perspectives on the past) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-4399-0269-1 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4399-0270-7