Destruction of the Ibo Tribe in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay

The Assisted Suicide of the Ibo Tribe Nothing on this planet is indestructible, everything must go at some point in being. However, if an object is left untouched, it will not disappear. Something has to assist its end. The same concept applies for the tribe of Umofia. The Umofian culture cannot prosper forever, something had to aid in its downfall and in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the British were to blame for the downward spiral the Umofian people saw. The novel Things Fall Apart is set in Africa and focuses on Okonkwo, the main character. Okonkwo leads an ambitious life until he mistakenly shoots a member of the tribe during a festival. His reprimand for this act was seven years in exile in which he served reluctantly. Upon his arrival to his home tribe, he observed that his clan’s folk had become â€Å"women-like.† He quickly noticed the reason of this sudden change and held the British responsible. At this point, the tribe runs down a dark tunnel, one that Okonkwo does not want to see so he performs suicide. Okonkwo’s death symbolizes the Ibo tribe’s downfall and the group that assisted both deaths was the British. The ways that the British aid in the falling apart of the Ibo tribe is by taking away the Ibo culture, belittling their gods, and converting Ibo clan’s folk. When a society gets its traditions taken away, they can assume they have taken the first step towards assimilation, for without their culture, they have nothing proving who they are. The same concept can be applied to the situation in Umofia. When the British came and started to change Umofian culture, things started to fall apart. The first action the British did was change the Umofian Judicial system. Instead of meeting in front of the Egwugwu, as cu... ...nsidered a being to fear, however, Mr. Brown implies that Chukwu is a â€Å"Loving father† and â€Å"Not feared by those who do his will† (Achebe 181). By saying this, Mr. Brown alters the way the Umofian people believe in God which may make them confused for never hearing of another religion before. In the novel, things started to fall apart because the British came and took away the Umofia people’s culture which includes their right of jurisdiction, belief in their own God and, converting the clans folk. This shows that nothing, however big, or small can flourish forever. Even if the British had not of come, something would have caused the Umofian downfall. Everything must come to an end, in this case it was the Umofian clan. However Okonkwo sums it all up the best â€Å"The [British] has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart† (Achebe 176).

Beowulf Embodies the Values of Anglo Saxon Society

The Anglo-Saxon people, who ruled England up until the Norman conquest, were composed of warlike Nordic and Germanic peoples. They descended from the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. They valued courage, strength and desire for fame and glory and commitment to obtaining it (similar to the ideals regarding fame and honor espoused by Homers Achilles). They also valued generosity and the protection of others. The first value, courage, is constantly put to the test in the dark and dangerous world of Beowulf. This world was filled with monsters and obstacles to slay or overcome. Beowulf himself is said to be the strongest man on earth at that time, and the way he wrestled Grendel almost effortlessly, while so many others had failed, proved that he had a kind of superhuman physical strength. His desire for fame and his commitment to obtaining it was also very strong, he had an enormous amount of willpower and was determined to win himself a name. Even after he was famous throughout the known world for his deeds, he still was not yet satisfied. After he had fought in many battles and saved the Danes from Grendel and Grendel's mother he was still not content. He battled the dragon, which was his greatest accomplishment, and proof of his courage and sheer heroism. Although it can be interpreted as a proof of courage, one could also look at it as foolishness, a man's selfish desire to gain glory, even after he has been saturated with it. However, the Anglo-Saxon concept of selfishness was far less abstruse than our own. Their idea of generosity was helping friends and allies, especially in form of gifts for chivalric acts. He did slay the dragon and Grendel partially because he wanted to protect the Danes and his own people from these two atrocities, but he was also motivated by a desire for glory. Beowulf himself was apathetic to the notion of death, he stated it many times throughout the poem, a fine example is his speech prior to fighting Grendel. However, he is obsessed with his legacy and his name, which is more important than life itself to him and the other Anglo-Saxons. For example, the slave in Beowulf's expedition to slay the dragon is not even in the headcount due to his lineage and rank. Fame is part of building the noble family name and rank. Social mobility was fairly high among the warrior class in Beowulfs times, much like it was in the Roman legions. A good name and the amount of gold determines a warrior's rank, the world of Beowulf, for the warriors at least, is a meritocracy.

The Types of Business Ownership Essay examples - 840 Words

The Types of Business Ownership This report is about the advantages and disadvantages of different types of business ownerships. Introduction I am going to write about the advantages and disadvantages of different business ownerships including: * Sole Trader * Partnership * Franchise I will include the definitions of some of the business ownerships. Main Body SOLE TRADER Sole trader, as the name suggests, is where an individual is the sole owner of a business. The business is often quite small in terms of size (as measured, for example, by sales generated, or number of staff employed) however the number of these businesses is very large indeed.†¦show more content†¦However, as the expansion of the business depends on the amount of capital you are personally able to inject, you may find as a sole trader that investing in the growth of the business very difficult, as capital is often not easy to find. DISADVANTAGES * As a result of the inability to assist expansion, your competitors would have the edge over your sole trader business; for example, businesses with greater access to investment would be able to adapt more quickly to market demands leaving you struggling to compete. * The pressure put upon the sole trader must not be ignored, and if you are thinking of becoming self-employed as a sole trader you must address this issue as it could ultimately threaten the survival of your business. * Apart from the pressures placed on the sole trader by the larger organisations, you are also fully liable financially, and the need for your business to examine the implications and consequences of bankruptcy or loss of personal possessions due to the individual accepting unlimited liability must also be considered. The larger your business becomes the great risk will be undertaking in operating as a sole trader. PARTNERSHPS A partnership is a relationship existing between two or more persons who join together to carry on a trade or business. Each partner contributes money, property, labour, or skill to the partnership and inShow MoreRelatedTypes Of Business Ownership And Ownership Essay1327 Words   |  6 Pages Types of Business Ownership Name Institutional Affiliation â€Æ' Business Ownership Introduction Business ownership refers to having control over a business enterprise and exercising this power by dictating its operations, functioning, and management. Ownership can be acquired either through franchising or purchasing an existing business. There are three types of business ownership, namely sole proprietorship, corporation, and partnership. A single entrepreneur can own several businesses underRead MoreTypes of Business Ownership1072 Words   |  5 PagesThe sole proprietorship is the simplest form of business organization. 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