Things Fall Apart Imperialism

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In the novel Things Fall Apart, African author Chinua Achebe demonstrates the causes and effects of European imperialism by explaining the events that occurred when Europeans came to spread Christianity and in doing so broke apart and pacified many clans. Things Fall Apart is a novel about imperialism in Africa and the effects it had on the people there. It is told mostly through Okonkwo, a great warrior who is banished from his clan for several years. Imperialism is when one country or region controls the economy, politics, and cultural life of another country or region. In Things Fall Apart Achebe discusses how religion was a big part of the Europeans reason for coming to Africa. Many of the villages had people slowly converting to Christianity.…show more content…
Achebe’s reader can infer that spreading his religion was of the top priority to the white man. He came to share Christianity, his religion. Achebe also discusses the effects of the Europeans emphasis on religion. More specifically, he discusses how it played a part in breaking apart and pacifying the clans. The quote “Umuofia was feared by all its neighbors. It was powerful in war…” clearly identifies the ferocity of this clan (Achebe, 11). Even though Umuofia was a clan powerful in war, they were too daunted by the white men and the apparent power of their religion to engage in war with them. They feared the fact that so many of their clansmen had been coerced into abandoning their gods. When the Europeans established Christianity in Mbanta they had many people, including clan outcasts, that joined. These people were later excluded from the clan for betraying their gods. We know that these people were kicked out of the clan from this quote, “That night a bell-man went through...Mbanta proclaiming that the adherents of the new faith were thenceforth excluded from the life and privileges of the clan.” that further describes their exclusion (Achebe,

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