Setting in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart - Literature Essay Samples

Perhaps one of the most influential elements of literature, a setting may potentially dictate the plotline of a story, establishing culture, tradition, and a backstory. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart sees an African world that largely revolves around the geographical location of Nigeria; this agricultural society serves as the vast foundation for a polytheistic religion and a reverence for the land itself. Not only are the values of the community of Umuofia meaningfully constructed upon this locational guideline, but the very essence of the protagonist, Okonkwo, and his unparalleled mindset, originates from this venerable attitude. In turn, the author himself, Chinua Achebe, brilliantly shares a traditional culture that is inherently dependent on the land itself, and how it inevitably leads to a clash of civilization where things truly â€Å"Fall Apart†. Chinua Achebe attempts, and succeeds, to share a unique African culture that is inevitably and blatantly based on an agricultural society. Within this culture, the great value of yams, palm oil, and the kola nut are demonstrated as forms of wealth. In the first chapter of the book, Okonkwo is described as, â€Å"still young[,] but he had won fame as the greatest wrestler in the nine villages. He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife† (Achebe 3), which shows that his wealth is accompanied by his status as a farmer, and the amount of yams he possesses. Thus, the high social standing of an individual is dictated by the amount of land he possesses, and the fruitfulness of his agricultural labor. Because the weather and climate serves as a key defining factor in one’s economic prosperity, a polytheistic religion revolving around the elements of nature prevails as well. A fear of the gods of nature are instilled within the me mbers of this community, ultimately affecting the very meaning of life: to please the gods for one’s own welfare. This strength of culture and value results in the creation of the protagonist, whose very ambitions would be rendered obsolete and worthless without the underlying culture that is made possible by this land. From the onset of the novel, Okonkwo establishes himself as a man of uncontested strength. He strives to the fullest to become the very opposite of what his father once was: a man who was a â€Å"failure† in Okonkwo’s eyes. What constitutes as â€Å"failure†? In the context of this novel, Okonkwo’s father is poor and lacks the wealth that is measured in yams. This very wealth is only made possible by the ability of the land to produce yams. When Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, consulted a priestess back in the day, he mourns of his misery, â€Å"I also kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku, the god of yams. I clear the bush and set fire to it when it is dry. I sow the yams when the first rain has fallen, and stake them when the young tendrils appear [] when a man is at peace with his gods and his ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm† (Achebe 6). The display of sacrifice towards the god of yams shows the omn ipresence of their religion. Moreover, the Umuofian community avoids angering the gods at all costs and makes their fear blatant. When Okonkwo beats his wife during the Week of Peace, he is reprimanded, but not for the assumed reasons of his abuse. Okonkwo is forced to repent, to prevent his wrongdoing in spurring the gods to unleash their wrath on the community as a whole. This demonstrates a seemingly interconnected nature of each and every individual for the welfare of the whole tribe, in efforts to preserve the very essence of the land and the life that reaps benefit and wealth from it. Thus a clashing of two vastly different cultures leads to the inevitable downfall of Umuofia when the Christian missionaries make their long-lived and vastly detrimental impact on an already thriving society. Without the origin of an agricultural society, the European missionaries do not understand the greatness of a culture that is established upon foreign roots, as demonstrated by an interaction between Reverend Smith and Oberieka. The Christian missionary is unable to understand this polytheistic religion and ways of life; had he been brought up in this physical environment, he would not have disregarded and demeaned the spiritual essence of nature as foolish. Thus it is noted that as Umuofia is located in Nigeria, the missionaries originate from Europe. The outcomes of these contrasting settings are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Achebe’s very intent is founded upon the greatness of a culture that is ultimately destroyed by foreign powers who are unable to initiate any form of cultural diffusion. He details on this potent destruction, and how it destroys Okonkwo’s spirit and character at the end, rendering him hopeless and to his untimely death. This country setting of yams and gods of nature ultimately sets a unique warrior culture that Achebe effectively shares, justly glorifying a unique African community that is faithful at no ends to its very origins.

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Symbolic References in Eudora Weltys A Worn Path

Symbolism is used in many ways and writers use symbolism to â€Å"enhance their writing.† It can give their work â€Å"more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper.† In literary work the actions of the characters, words, action, place, or event has a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story. The reader needs to look see the little things like a dove symbolizes peace, or like the red rose stands for romance. Mostly everything can have a symbolism meaning to it. For instance the flag symbolizes freedom and the stars represent the states. Even some signs are symbols like when a beaker has a skull with a bones placed like an ‘x’ behind it symbolizes that it’s toxic or bad. When people see the red light when driving that’s†¦show more content†¦Not only is Phoenix selflessness she has endurance, in the article â€Å"A Worn Path† Analysis at Yahoo Inc. it explains that â€Å"she falls, gets back up and keeps on toward the goal of getting her grandson’ medicine†, even though she could have gotten killed she knew that her grandson needed her and she was the only one that could care for him. Nothing was going to stop her from getting to where she was going. Phoenix also symbolizes a mythical bird; she has â€Å"the regenerative qualities of the bird are seen in Phoenix’s determination each time she suffers a setback,† Like the bird how it gets reborn again Phoenix keeps on getting up from the challenges and keeps on going just like getting reborn again. That is why the author named the main character Phoenix because she is like the mythical bird the phoenix in many ways even the description of Phoenix gives symbolism of her being like the bird. Phoenix wears a red rag to tie her hair and running underneath her skin â€Å"a golden color† [welty1274]. The image of the bird is shown in Phoenix’s face â€Å"the two knobs of her cheeks were illumi nated by a yellow burning under the dark† [Welty 1274]. Her golden tone skin represents the fiery golden red feathers the bird has. Symbolism is also found in the white hunter he symbolizes racism. The website of Writing Rock declares that â€Å"theShow MoreRelatedDecoding The Symbolism Used in A Worn Path by Eudora Welty1276 Words   |  6 PagesToday we will be talking about the different literary references used throughout Eudora Welty’s â€Å"A Worn Path†. I will explain and decode different techniques used by the author throughout her story. The story is of an old southern African American woman, named Phoenix Jackson, making her way into to town to pick up her grandsons medication from the doctor’s office. But this is no normal old woman. She cannot see and is picking her way with a cane to make her way across a barrage of obstaclesRead MoreA Worn Path841 Words   |  4 PagesA â€Å"A Worn Path â€Å" ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Instructor: Katie Newbanks 4/25/2011 The Worn Path In the short story, â€Å" A Worn Path â€Å" written by Eudora Welty it can be interpreted that Phoenix Jackson is suffering from dementia or some other form of mental illness, and that her grandson that she so lovingly speaks of has been deceased for some time. The analytical approach that was used to enhanceRead MoreSymbolism in A Worn Path By Eudora Welty1096 Words   |  5 Pagesjust weren’t advancing economically. A Worn Path by Eudora Welty is a story about an old African American woman named Phoenix Jackson who takes a journey along a path with manifold of dangerous objects. Phoenix Jackson takes the journey thru the path because her grandson drank liquid named lye and got sick from his throat. Phoenix Jackson makes her journey thru the path to go to the doctor’s office to get some medicine. As Phoenix Jackson walks thru the path she encounters a lot of animals like foxesRead MoreEudora Welty a Worn Path12166 Words   |  49 PagesA Worn Path by Eudora Welty Copyright Notice  ©1998−2002;  ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design ® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.  ©2007 eNotes.com LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storageRead MoreEudora Welty a Worn Path12173 Words   |  49 PagesA Worn Path by Eudora Welty Copyright Notice  ©1998−2002;  ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design ® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.  ©2007 eNotes.com LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storageRead MoreThe Journey: Symbolism of â€Å"a Worn Path† and â€Å"the Road Not Taken† Final2218 Words   |  9 PagesThe Journey: Symbolism of â€Å"A Worn Path† and â€Å"The Road Not Taken† Expedition. Voyage. Excursion. Pilgrimage. There are many words that are used to describe the word journey but what does it really mean? Many people consider the word journey as merely a distance in which they have traveled or will eventually travel; often they fail to recognize that there can be great meaning beyond each step that is taken. Too often, people become more focused on the destination rather than the processRead MoreThe Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost and A Worn Path, by Eudora Welty2347 Words   |  10 Pagesforms. For this assignment, I have chosen to compare and contrast two separate literary works from â€Å"Journey into Literature† (Clugston, 2010), with similar themes. . The poems I will discuss are â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, by Robert Frost and â€Å"A Worn Path†, by Eudora Welty. I have chosen these works over the others in our course text because they both offer a deeper look at life, from an outside perspective, as the reader looks into the lives of the main characters and relates with the journeys they areRead MoreEudora Welty s A Worn Path854 Words   |  4 Pages Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path portrays an elderly woman, Phoenix, who endures a regular, strenuous journey into town to receive medicine for her grandson from a charitable pharmacy. She encounters difficulty aroused by nature and disapproving townspeople but triumphs and succeeds her goal. The use of characterization and symbolism creates A Worn Path by representing a strong and significant protagonist, as well as offering a symbolic meaning of life and courage when faced with love. The short storyRead MoreSymbolism : A Warn Path, And Shirley Jackson s `` The Lottery ``1636 Words   |  7 Pagesexpress different elements of their work. Katherine Mansfield the author of â€Å"Miss Brill,† Eudora Welty author of the short story â€Å"A Warn Path,† and Shirley Jackson author of â€Å"The Lottery† all use symbolism wonderfull y in their work. They all use symbolism in a different way but they all use this process to help describe a deeper thought or meaning behind elements of their work. Symbolism is putting a symbolic meaning behind a natural object thoughts or facts. This process is used by a lot of the mostRead MoreLiterature Compare and Contrast1948 Words   |  8 Pagesdeeper into the symbolization and the descriptive language in the writing to develop a further connection with the piece. â€Å"A Worn Path, â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and â€Å"Used to Live Here† are three literary pieces that share the same theme but, have different writing styles. The theme behind these literary pieces suggest that the choices and decisions we make, along with our paths in life have barring on how it will end but we control our destiny. Each literary piece tells of a single journey for example

Case Chataux free essay sample

1. How does the Bordeaux wine distribution system work? Who benefits and how? there are 400 hundred merchants in the Bordeaux, who taste the wine first to get the information about the surface, volume and harvest. Then they provide with the information the largest buyers. So merchants get the primeur cheaper, but then chataux can ask for higher process on the bottled markets, which the merchants accept, to get the primeur price for the next year. the merchants allocated wine to their buyers. this makes wine available to their customers. From this system profits averybody. For wine industry it’s goo because they get the payment yearlier and they do not have to worry about distribution. As for merchants they are as well paid early. Customers benefit because they get a high quantity. 2. How is price set? Trace the process from the sale of the first tranche to the sale of a bottle in a wine store for ,200. We will write a custom essay sample on Case Chataux or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Why is the process so complicated? 3. Is Chateau Margaux a luxury brand or a connoisseur’s brand? There is a wide distribution of small amounts of this wine all over the world.This creates a scarsity on the market and helps for raising the price. This is done for the reason to make customer feel that this is not widely available. That makes sense that this is a luxury brand according to experts for its high quality. 4. What problems face Corinne Mentzelopoulos? What, if anything, should she do? should she extend into the mass market or maintain their exclusivity? In order to draw a conclusion one must investigate alternative ways of expanding, marketing and distributing her brand. There is an idea to begin mass marketing with a new wine brand. The idea would be to use different grapes in order to be more accessible to the younger generation. Some of the issues with this suggestion are: maintaining the exclusivity of the original brand, ensuring that consumers still feel motivated to pay the higher price point, and they will also now need a distributor, marketing team, and an ability to focus on more than one brand of wine. In this particular case, the Margaux business has a close-tie who is very familiar with the distributorship and marketing of wine.At the same time Chateau de Margaux should purchase inexpensive Bordeaux region land where they can produce 1million bottles per year. These bottles should be used to penetrate the European, North American and South American markets, as suggested by Vivek Kochikar, associate vice president and principal researcher, Infosys Technologies. These markets are easier to penetrate and lack the ability to as easily effect the reputation of the Grand Vin as the demand for mid-range win es is higher.