Arrival of the Missionaries Flashcards
When the missionaries arrive, there is a clear contrast in faith and in tradition, the Umuofians especially consider the missionaries to be mad, often making fun of them.
‘These men must be mad’
‘The strange faith and the white mans god would not last’
‘mad dog’
The Christians consider the Umuofians religion to be wrong, they hold complete confidence in their own faith. Often they criticise and are often rude about their beliefs.
‘Gods of wood and stone’
‘They are gods of deceit’
Umuofians that convert to Christianity are considered to be worthless, weak, and the scum of the clan
’ Efulefu’ or ‘Worthless, empty men’
‘Weak effeminate men’
Achebe does well at providing a balanced view on each religion, he never shows one to be better than the other, and at no point claims that one is perfect. Having said that, while the way in which Christianity appears, there are elements which clearly appears to some Umuofians, such as its contrast to the harshness of Igbo culture, demonstrated by Nwoye’s conversion
‘An answer for the question that haunted his young soul’
‘The words of the hymn were like drops of frozen rain melting on the dry plate of the panting earth’
‘The hymn poured into his parched soul’
‘These men must be mad’
‘The strange faith and the white mans god would not last’
‘mad dog’
When the missionaries arrive, there is a clear contrast in faith and in tradition, the Umuofians especially consider the missionaries to be mad, often making fun of them.
‘Gods of wood and stone’
‘They are gods of deceit’
The Christians consider the Umuofians religion to be wrong, they hold complete confidence in their own faith. Often they criticise and are often rude about their beliefs.
’ Efulefu’ or ‘Worthless, empty men’
‘Weak effeminate men’
Umuofians that convert to Christianity are considered to be worthless, weak, and the scum of the clan
‘An answer for the question that haunted his young soul’
‘The words of the hymn were like drops of frozen rain melting on the dry plate of the panting earth’
‘The hymn poured into his parched soul’
Achebe does well at providing a balanced view on each religion, he never shows one to be better than the other, and at no point claims that one is perfect. Having said that, while the way in which Christianity appears, there are elements which clearly appears to some Umuofians, such as its contrast to the harshness of Igbo culture, demonstrated by Nwoye’s conversion
