Okonkwo Characterization

It is indubitable that Chinua Achebe characterized Okonkwo as a classic tragic hero: quite a common, and perhaps clichéd technique, however the way in which he does this and the extent of its effectiveness exceed this basic linguistic convention. In the book Things Fall Apart, the reader watches as the Igbo society falls apart, and in this we are already provided with a tragic story beginning with something that seems to begin so strong but ending with demise due to its method of approaching and ignorance towards the European threat presented to them. Okonkwo mirrors such a development in that at the beginning of the story, we, the reader, are presented a powerful man who was able to overcome adversities to become one of the more successful and prosperous men in the village, however once again, due to the fact that a part of the system (either Okonkwo or Igboland) is overlooked, we observe eventual and inevitable failure. Correlations can be drawn between the society’s treatment of the Europeans, not believing that they could coexist peacefully and hence feeling the need to treat them hostilely, and Okonkwo’s belief that his masculinity and negotiation or non-physical confrontation cannot coexist without the first being compromised, both predispositions tragically causing death (or such to an extent). Both systems experienced fates in similar fashion to their defects, Okonkwo’s being physical death and Umuofia’s being a great cultural loss, perhaps the death of a culture. In this way, the tragic hero archetype is able to personify a society, especially considering the notion of Okonkwo as a product of society.

Guide to the Wilderness - Igboland

7 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN VISITING IGBOLAND

A guide by colonist Damien Delaney

As I boarded the S.S. Anne with my duffel bag and hegemonic mindset as one of the many European explorers of West Africa, I prepared myself to face a herd of savages which I had been informed humbly of, but instead found a rich culture full of community and people not so unlike ourselves. I assume that others like me have been brainwashed to view these people so inferiorly – I saw it among some of my insistent comrades – so I have constructed this list of 7 things to consider when visiting Igboland:

1.     Intelligence – These people are much more intelligent than pioneers before me came to believe from their short-lived relationships with them. In this culture, wisdom is valued above most else. It is vital to consider that although the Igbo people don’t speak the Queen’s tongue, they possess a vast knowledge within their own language which is beyond our own understanding.

2.     Politics – The Igbo people have used such intelligence to formulate a sensible political hierarchy without the assistance of the British Empire. Although they may not act under a federal political system like the British, each village possesses an intricate system headed by a group of Ozo title holders, achieved through action and not inheritance, and subordinate groups below them (such as elders and age groups). They are not savages who kill mercilessly. Criminals are dealt with judiciously by the Ala and given appropriate punishment, hence showing their value of ethics and separating them from the animals they have been made out to be.

3.     Religion – Although the Igbo religion may consist of numerous false deities, it is primarily centered upon the same God that we Christians believe in, only they call theirs Chuckwu. The thing is, it is primarily grounded in the same beliefs, where if they please their god with their actions, they are rewarded with success and happiness (complete fulfillment). These people clearly think like us, with strong beliefs in a higher power, therefore it is important to consider where they gain their knowledge from and the motivations behind a vast majority of their actions, hence allowing us to understand their culture more extensively.

4.     Art – Not only are the people smart, separating them from animals, but I have seen them further distance themselves with their exquisite art, in forms of masks, body art and more. But the greatest spectacle is that of the performing arts. I was fortunate enough to witness several village dances, often dedicated to their religion. Such creativity demonstrates an enhanced humanity like ourselves, not just doing what it takes to survive but mastering the power of expression.

5.     Openness – The Igbo people possess what many of us lack: openness. I was able to sit down with an Igbo elder for hours and, despite our linguistic disparity, learn about their life and he was inclined to reciprocate by learning about us. Because I was willing to learn about their culture rather than treat them like animals, I feel like I was accepted within the village, however there has always been a sense of separation and mistrust due to the actions of those before me.

Such mistrust can only be recovered by taking a new perspective on the Igbo people and the land they live on. The land that we as an empire are attempting to colonize has deep religious significance and connection to the people that inhabit it; they even pay worship to the earth goddess known as Ala. And these people that inhabit it – they are not only people but a culture. Igboland possesses a cultural communital ambience which was foreign to me, and to continue colonizing in the way it is being done now will eventually strip the people of this community and themselves, and hence not only is the Igbo culture lost but part of the world is lost to British greed and ignorance. You have been taught to believe that we provide those victims to our colonization with a better standard of living and a sense of civilization, but what exemplifies civilization and a valuable lifestyle more than the behaviors and interactions of the Igbo people discussed above. As was translated to me from the elder that I spoke to exhaustively, “Never kill a man who says nothing.” Learn about the Igbo people and their culture from their perspective before acting instinctively, or else we are reducing us as great British to less than you make the Igbo out to be. 

Quinoa Achebe

"But it was a profitable business, and so those who were engaged in it began to defend it -- a lobby of people supporting it, justifying it, and excusing it. It was difficult to excuse and justify, and so the steps that were taken to justify it were rather extreme. You had people saying, for instance, that these people weren't really human, they're not like us. Or, that the slave trade was in fact a good thing for them, because the alternative to it was more brutal by far.”

These words from Chinua Achebe really spoke to me while I was reading his interview this week. It is clear, not only through history but in daily life, that people don’t like to be wrong. I don’t. As humans, we like to think that our arguments for what we believe or do could pin the contradictory arguments down and beat them until they’re begging for mercy, but sometimes those counter arguments reverse the pin, and ours are being beaten, yet still the ones yelling “Say mercy!” at their opponents. Seeing an older brother doing this would make him look stupid from an outside standpoint, as it looks when the Europeans mentioned above attempt to justify their historically detrimental actions. They are so used to having their way and being right, like an older brother, that when they are wrong, they don’t realize it in the ignorant mindset they have.

This mindset that we spoke about in class – a one-way (our way) mentality – causes them to think that any way which is not their own is wrong or less in value. The whole idea of slave trade being better than their previous way of life mentioned in the quote brings to mind a hypothetical situation where person A is sitting on a chair and person B on the ground (both comfortable), but the A is stuck believing that they can improve the other’s life, so tells B to be A’s footrest.

This example seems ridiculous, but I guess that’s where personal perspective comes into things: how you see things. I see these two situations alike.

Analysing a Bush

The text presented is George W. Bush’s address to the nation following the 9/11 incident on September 11 2001. It is indubitable that this is a political speech given not only the speaker (being the then-president of the United States) and the description of his own action displaying his power over American authorities, but also due to the linguistic conventions typical of such a format used. Throughout the text, it is seen that Bush employs several rhetorical devices and techniques such as but not limited to metaphors and personal pronouns in order to emphasize the threat at hand but still empower and unite the American people.

Bush consistently refers to America and the American people throughout his speech, therefore it can be concluded that they are the target audience. This can be further supported through the diction he utilizes being very simple, hence allowing common people to understand him and allowing him to reach a broader audience. It can also be inferred that he specifically targets Christians, who comprise the majority of the United States, due to the allusion to the bible towards the end of the speech as well as his final words, “God bless America”, most likely indicating that not only is he Christian, but the majority of America is, and the civilians appreciate the Christian blessing. Through Bush’s acknowledgement of “the many world leaders”, it can also be assumed that this speech was broadcasted worldwide due to the global noteworthiness of the preceding event. As aforementioned, this speech effectively targets a broad audience through the language used, and also through the subtle references made within. In this way, Bush informs a large audience of the event that had taken place and the action that is being taken. He also intends to inspire hope within the people through frequently using “we will” and “we go forward”, as well as show respect to the lives lost, however there may be other secondary purposes such as unifying the American people and people worldwide against a common enemy being “those who are behind these evil acts”, perhaps even to remove some criticism from the government and himself (regarding internal or domestic issues).

The content of this speech itself begins with Bush introducing the events which occurred that day and the emotions as a result. He then describes what is being done in response to the attack, with considerable emphasis on the people’s roles in how the experience is reacted to. This reinforces the discussed purpose of unity, as phrases like “A great people has been moved to defend a great nation” reminds the audience of their power but only if they act together, seen especially through his wording as he refers to people as singular. He continues similarly throughout, hence delineating the theme of strength in numbers and as a nation, as he describes what the authorities are doing, but also frequently refers to the actions of the American people as if he relied on them. He also evokes the theme of combatting terrorism through his descriptive language used to reinforce their suggested antagonism, claiming that they “will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them”, almost acting as an indirect warning to the perpetrators. In this way, Bush uses varying content and themes to instill certain emotions within the wide audience, assisted by his tone and the corresponding mood.

Bush delivers this speech with numerous different tones, however the one that seems to overrule is that of anger, clearly towards the perpetrators of the crime. As previously mentioned, Bush expresses this anger, and to an extent disgust (at humanity), through his descriptive language. Detailed phrases such as “Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror” and “a quiet, unyielding anger” set the tone from the very beginning of the text, the speaker utilizing multiple descriptors as seen in order to amplify the extent of the damage and the emotions as a response. Through this, not only does Bush display his patriotism hence making himself more popular, but also uses pathos to evoke similar emotions in the audience. Towards the end of the speech, he adds to these negative emotions with his grieving tone, as he asks “for your prayers for all those who grieve”, once again making him more relatable and popular, especially through his directness and begging nature, humanizing him and allowing the audience to sympathize for all those involved in the attack. Despite the overall pessimistic tone, Bush attempts to empower the people through frequently turning such emotions around as to motivate the people to fight against these acts of terrorism (supporting the discussed theme) through various actions, and mostly perspectives which he attempts to transfer to them. This motivational tone can be seen through his use of future tense and surety, claiming that “None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom”. With such a futuristic and optimistic view as displayed by words such as “will” and “forward”, Bush evokes a sense of togetherness and a desire to improve. This is further enhanced, as are all the emotions and tones throughout the speech, through Bush’s utilization of personal pronouns; he frequently uses “we” and “our” to make the reader believe that they share the same emotions and perspectives as the speaker, hence making the transition from his tone to the audience’s mood more natural and effective.

Some already being discussed, there is a myriad of literary devices employed within Bush’s speech. The first line states “our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack”. This clearly demonstrates the use of anaphora in conjunction with personal pronouns. Anaphora often emphasizes the words it repeats, therefore repeating “our” highlights the unity of the people with the speaker that he wishes to establish. This also has a greater significance in that it amplifies the situation; Bush begins with what actually came under attack (the citizens), but increased the intensity with each repetition. Some people may have empathized with an attack on the people, but a larger audience’s attention is obtained through ‘raising the stakes’, implying that this attack represents more than just an attack on the people, and through this Bush hooks everyone interested in or frightened of the loss of their own freedom. He continues such personal anaphora later with similar effect, with “Our military is powerful, and it’s prepared. Our emergency teams… Our first priority is to…”, once again repeating the personal pronoun “our” in order to signify shared interests and unity.

Similarly to this anaphoric use of plural personal pronouns, Bush also utilizes pathos similarly with the intention of engaging the audience and making them relate perhaps outside issues to themselves. Such use is seen through his repetitive description of fellow civilians as “friends” or “neighbors” as a means of personal engagement, since the audience is more likely to care about those they call friends and neighbors. The most notable use of this is in the first paragraph where he describes the victims as “secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors”, humanizing these victims and hence increasing their value to the audience, ultimately increasing their emotional involvement and care for the topic.

Bush also uses dramatic pauses in several instances throughout his speech as a way to allow the audience to reflect and create their own understanding and opinions. This can be seen first as he describes the event with planes “flying into buildings, fires burning, huge -- huge structures collapsing”, emphasizing the extent of the attack through once again employing considerably descriptive language. It can be seen further on as he states “Today, our nation saw evil -- the very worst of human nature -- and we responded with the best of America.” This is an expletive once again used to accentuate the seriousness of the situation and remind the audience of their common enemy.

Perhaps the most powerful linguistic technique employed is that of flattery through assimilation. Bush consistently empowers America while simultaneously promoting patriotism. This allows the audience to feel empowered every time their nation is complemented in lines such as “they cannot touch the foundation of America” and “God bless America”, therefore Bush compliments the people indirectly. This relates to the theme of unity in that the American people unite to create a country, and through complimenting the country, Bush compliments their united efforts and thus motivates them, as if he is blessing to the people.

This piece follows a basic yet effective structure, in that Bush provides information as to the problem, then how it was dealt with and how it will be dealt with in the future (although broad). This chronological structure causes the audience to fill with anger, then turn that anger into motivation as he suggests, therefore the structure of the text compliments the speech and its context greatly.

Overall, Bush’s use of linguistic devices and techniques compliment the tone he sets and the themes related, ultimately obtaining the desired mood within the broad audience targeted.