TFA Flashcards
what is an ideal father
cultivate the family wealth and resources
serves as the family priest and spiritual leader
provider for the family
defender of its honor
teaching to his sons
what is an ideal mother
main duty is to add to the family line by bearing healthy children
also to please the husband
to inspire and fuel the father with ideas to develop the family
what is an ideal child’s role
they are the inheritors if the future and are raised to continue to value the older generation
male children should be 100% under the fathers mentorship
female children should be 100% under the mothers mentorship
what are the basis of an ideal family
mutual respect for each other
reverence for all past fathers
unity
reasons why Okonkwo’s family fits the idea igbo family
Okonkwo beat his wives (defender of honor)
taking in of Ikemefuna shows the extended family household
Ezinma and her mother showed that they fit the ideal mother daughter relation as she was under her mothers influence 24/7
reasons why Okonkwo’s family DID NOT fit the ideal igbo family
Unoka (okonkwo’s father) was very ill-fated and died at an early age. there was nothing for okonkwo to inherit so they did not follow the ideal
Okonkwo did not obey the week of peace as he beated his son
what were achebe’s intentions in TFA
To show what life was like in pre-colonial Nigeria
To celebrate, respect or explore traditional Igbo customs and beliefs
To show the grandeur and the weakness of pre-colonial Igbo society
To redress the balance of historical accounts of colonisation
To criticise colonisation
To criticise the ideas behind colonialism
To emphasise the tragedy and tragic effects of colonisation
in summary
-to show what life was like in Umuofia in the late 1800’s from an Igbo perspective and their view of the Christians
Okonkwo as a character
he is very hard working and is established as a great man in the clan
he is very representative of Igbo values (success through yams and wives) and his strengths
his harsh aggression and traditional masculinity as well as his imposement of these values on his wives and children
Okonkwo has a fear of failure, weakness, being like his father
he also has a traditional rigidity when he acts leading to his downfall through beating of his wives during peace week, the death of ikemefuna, exile and killed of the message due to his inability to adapt to the european incursion
nwoye as a character (the relationship between nwoye and okonkwo)
masculinity - his defiance of resentment for okonkwo’s masculine values (such as aggressiveness, violence) and acceptance of maternal values despite his burst of masculinity under the influence of Ikemefuna
change - challenging and questioning of the Igbo traditions imposed onto him by OKonkwo (sacrificing of Ikemefuna, killing his twins..) and accepting change as a result
things falling apart - Okonkwo’s rigidity meant he saw Nwoye as feminine for converting to Christianity. His feminity and move away from tradition disrupted Okonkwo’s traditional values and this was one of the many things which fell apart in Okonkwos world and led to his downfall
Mr Brown and Reverend Smith
Mr Brown represented the well rounded colonial presence which much of the clan respected (not Okonkwo) and Achebe wished to also present as an option - Mr Brown is understanding, curious and is able to see the two religions co-existing. He was dedicated to Christianity but did not believe in a frontal attack
Mr Smith represented the harsh colonial presence which was based upon the ideology of bringing light into darkness - He is unwilling to compromise, he believes the two religions can not co-exist, he was intolerant and ignorant, preached violence
Things falling apart - Okonkwo rejects both reverends ideologies as they disrupt his rigid and traditional values and identity, but Mr Smith’s actions which precipitated Enoch to remove the mask of the Egwugwu led to the chain of events which defined Okonkwo’s downfall
Relationship between Okonkwo and his wives (Ekwefi)
Fear - Relationship built on fear and oppression, beatings, shows Okonkwo’s values
Ekwefi - Only named wife, defying tradition and challenging Okonkwo - shows typically masculine values, mother of Ezinma who also shows masculine traits, challenges Okonkwo’s traditional perspective
Things falling apart - Ekwefi and Ezinma challenge Okonkwo’s traditional perspective, one of the many things in Okonkwo’s world which ‘falls apart’ and he is unable to adapt to, Okonkwo’s fear of weakness and of failure led him to feel obligated to beat his wives, contributing to his downfall as he beat his wife during the week of peace, traditional values surrounding women fall apart with the arrival of the Christians
Masculinity
Okonkwo’s portrayal of masculinity - extreme fear of failure and weakness, hard working and willing to sacrifice much to achieve what he wants, emotionless, unreasonable, since he had established himself as a great man, it is clear this was valued
Men being feminine - Nwoye’s defiance of and resentment for Okonkwo’s masculine values and acceptance of maternal values, and his change as a result of this, Unoka’s femininity and
Okonkwo’s resentment of this
Things falling apart - Changes to the masculinity of the clan as well as his son Nwoye challenge Okonkwo’s traditional perspective and cause things to fall apart in Okonkwo’s world. His fear of failure and weakness which he ties in with his masculinity means he feels obligated to act a certain way and therefore his rigidity renders him unable to adapt, leading to his downfall
Relationship between Nwoye and Ikemefuna
Friendship - Their inseparability shows deep bonds of kinship, the ones which it was believed would challenge the missionaries and their change. Made Ikemefuna less afraid at first
Masculinity - Ikemefuna made Nwoye more masculine, and Okonkwo’s values are highlighted as he now respects his son more, despite knowing his son’s development was a result of Ikemefuna, he was previously concerned about Nwoye’s femininity
Things falling apart - Ikemefuna’s death affect Nwoye, not only because they were Things falling apart - Ikemefuna’s death affect Nwoye, not only because they were friends but also because he did not understand why he had to die, which led to him distancing himself from Okonkwo and converting to Christianity, exhibiting feminine traits, which was one of the things which fell apart in Okonkwo’s world, and since his rigidity rendered him unable to adapt, this led to his downfall
change
Change brought upon by British - New religion, justice system, new language so loss of proverbs, new currency so loss of yams, different ideas symbolised by locusts and python, change in Umuofian values in Okonkwo’s eyes
Nwoye challenging and questioning tradition (sacrifice of Ikemefuna, killing twins etc.) and accepting change into Christianity as a result
Okonkwo and Obierika approaching change differently - Obierika is much more flexible and questioning, while Okonkwo fails to adapt to change. This difference is what leads to Okonkwo’s downfall as when tradition falls apart his rigidity means he cannot accept this change and things fall apart
tradition
Okonkwo’s traditional values and his enforcement of these on his wives and children - representative of Igbo tradition regarding the role of women and children
Nwoye’s rejection of tradition and his resultant change (death of Ikemefuna, twins, father beating him)
Breaking of tradition leads to things falling apart - British bringing new religion and disrupting everything (Not dying in the evil forest, Enoch killing the egwugwu and python), as well as having different beliefs represented by the locusts and the pythons, Nwoye being feminine and becoming Christian, Ekwefi being defiant, Ezinma exhibiting masculine traits, Okonkwo’s inability to adapt leads to his world falling apart and therefore his downfall
Gender roles
in Igbo society women do domestic tasks, while men do the harder tasks and hold more prestige (Okonkwo’s involvement in Egwugwu, him being the farmer, his wives looking after children), similarities to Victorian England (Cult of domesticity), Achebe trying to highlight similarities (similarities challenge HoD), polygamous, shows different ways of living are acceptable too
