Things Fall Apart provides a rich introduction into traditional Ibo culture and values. Present an account of the way of the life featured in Part 1 of the novel.

There is no standard definition of culture however many people consider culture to be referred to as the `system of shared beliefs, values, customs that members of society use to cope with their world and with another, and these beliefs are carried from generation to generation through learning’. These include; family and clan relations, the way in which the people dress, prepare food. The ceremonies and rituals that are held in there society. The social status of their people, and also political and religious practices. These are the things that Achebe has discussed throughout the novel allowing the reader to understand the African way of life. Achebe has not only discussed the richness and fairness of the Ibo culture but also did not hide away the injustices that arise in their culture.

Culture can also be referred to as ‘the relationships of other cultures’. This is clearly seen in Things Fall Apart when Achebe shows a contrast between the Ibo culture and the European culture and how these cultures blend together when the white men come as missionaries and try to communicate and live with the Africans. This would be discussed in greater detail during this account.

Firstly, let us consider the term ‘evil.’ Every culture has its definition of evil and what it considers as an evil act. In Things Fall Apart, the Ibo culture referred to the Africans as people who had a different way of seeing what evil was. This was quite clear in their ways of tradition. What is considered to be evil in one culture may not be seen as evil in another culture. For example the Africans who saw the church that was built by the Christians just a simple building whereas for the Christians it is a holy place. Europeans who went by the Congo River and saw the banks near by considered it to be an evil place because they haven’t lived there or they saw the vines surrounding the bank which gives it a more scary or evil look. Also in Things Fall Apart the clan continuously talks about the ‘Evil Forest.’ The people of Umuofia who had considered something as being evil had thrown it into the Evil Forest, Even when the Christians come to Umuofia the Africans allowed them to build there church in the Evil Forest thinking that the evil will destroy them, but nothing happened to the church by the supposedly evil spirit, instead the people of clan had burnt down the church. Evil is very important amongst the Ibo culture, a person who commits an evil act is dealt with by the clan and taken away from the land in order for that evil act not to be committed once again. Also another quite interesting thing about the Ibo culture is its fear of twins, everytime a set of twins is born they are put into the evil forest in which death is bestowed amongst them.

Next is how women are seen and treated by others within a culture. In Things Fall Apart, women are considered gentle, week and they need to be obedient to men (their husbands in general). Some women of the Ibo culture had a higher status than the other women, these include women who were considered as a priestess and were therefore treated and respected as a ‘god’ rather than a common women. These priestess were usually placed at the front of the cave in which the oracle was found. The woman’s job was in the house, taking care of the ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

As women and men had different crops to grow, they also had different crimes that they could commit and different stories they told. Men’s crimes were seen as intentional but woman’s crimes were not as women had been seen as not being able to commit such a crime due to their innocence and gentleness. For example , men like Okonkwo were able to commit crimes whereas women were not. This is just how their culture was. When it came to telling stories, the men’s stories were of bravery and war and the young men had to listen to these instead of the fairytales that women had told. ‘So Okonkwo encouraged the boys to sit with him in his obi, and he told them stories of the land.

Okonkwo’s son Nwoye had said that he had enjoyed his father’s stories more than his mother’s fairytales, but this was not true. Okonkwo loved listening to his mother as her stories had kept his gentle spirit high. When he told hi father he enjoyed his stories more, his father was pleased with him and did not beat him. This brings up another issue in the Ibo culture. Men were allowed to beat their wives as Okonkwo did very often. ‘And when she returned he beat her very heavily.’ The man was the head of the household and could do as he pleased even if it meant beating his wife. In the Ibo culture, the women were considered to fulfill every man’s needs and to serve the. As the years have gone passed the status of women has risen now being at the same rank as men. Here we can see how culture determines the woman’s position or place in a society.

Religion is an important aspect of culture, in the following paragraphs I will discuss some of the rituals and religious beliefs in the novel. In the first chapter we are introduced to the ‘kola nut.’ The kola nut is one of the way people welcome one another amongst the Ibo culture. The kola nut is passed between the host and the guest, each insisting that the other should be the one to crack the nut, however, the host takes the honour of cracking the nut. They say that whoever offers the kola nut brings life and this is one of the main rituals of the story. They do this in order to please their god and ancestors.

In chapter 2 where one of the clansmen’s wife had been murdered when she went to a market in Mbaina had caused for the men of Umuofia to gather to decide on what they would do to Mbaino as a result of their punishment. A custom amongst the Ibo culture was never to fight a ‘war of blame’ therefore, they first tried to reach an agreement before they had decided to go to war. Okonkwo went to negotiate with Mbaino because this was the first ritualistic act of the Ibo culture before they declare war. The village that committed the offence had given the Umuofia people a young boy, who was named Ikemefuna and a virgin as their repayment of the crime. Another ritual act is shown in chapter three when the people of Umuofia consult Agbala, ‘the oracle of the hills and caves.’ When they are confronted with any of their problems or want to ask question concerning their future they depend on the answers Agbala gives. The answer reaches them through the priestess. The words of Agbala were never ignored.

In chapter four of the novel Okonkwo is so carried away in his anger at his youngest wife that he forgets the ritual of the Week of Peace and breaks the rules of kindness and gentleness that all the villagers are supposed to show to one another during that week before the planting of the crops begin. Because he broke one of the most sacred events to the Umuofian people he has to make a sacrifice to the earth goddess in which he brings a goat, a hen and cowries. This is another ritual of the religion of the Ibo culture. When Okonkwo broke the rules of the Week of Peace, the whole village was shocked and began to talk about the consequences of breaking this law.

‘Ogbuefi Ezedu, who was the oldest man in the village, was telling two other men who came to visit him that the punishment for breaking the Peace of Ani had become very mild in their clan. ‘It has not always been so,’ he said. ‘My father told me that he had been told that in the past a man who broke the peace was dragged on the ground through the village until he died. But after a whole this custom was stopped because it spoilt the peace which it was meant to preserve.’

Another important aspect of the Ibo culture is ‘Egwugwu.’ The people of Umuofia reach order in their community by important rituals. One of the best examples of the power of rituals within the village is the arrival of egwugwu. These spirits carry the hopes and fears of the village:

‘And then the Egwugwu appeared. The women and children set up a great shout and took to their heels. It was instinctive.. And when, as on that day, nine of the greatest masked spirits in the clan came out together it was a terrifying spectacle..Each of the nine egwugwu represented a village of the clan. Their leader was called the Evil Forest. Smoke poured out of his head. The nine villages of Umofia had growth out of the nine sons of the first father clan. Evil forest represented the village of Umuera, or the children of Eru, who was the eldest of the nine sons.’

As we can see the people of Africa have a culture that is quite different to that of the European culture. The culture of the Africans has its own definition of evil, how it sees the status of women in the society, the rituals that are practiced and how it deals with other cultures. All these points are expressed vividly by the writer in which no bias occurs.

Word count: 1658

http://www.hellgate.k12.mt.us/bldg1/grade5/bixby/Lesson/GB/Chapter5/culture.htm