Things Fall Apart Rhetorical Analysis

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“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (NIV Bible, Matthew 7:3). One would think that imperial Europe, having the bible as their moral compass, would have thought twice before immediately judging others. How could they have ever assumed that the African tribes they encountered were uncivilized when their own actions against them were so brutal and barbaric? Were they really so blind to the complexity of the Ibo culture? No, the stereotyping of African nations was not done out of ignorance but rather in fear. They feared that the African people would rise against them: stop them from taking what was ‘rightfully theirs’. It was their fear of the unknown and the oppressed that led them to stereotyping a whole continent. In order to maintain control over …show more content…
“Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten” (pg. 7). Achebe gives his characters complex vocabulary, sentence structure, and proverbs to emphasize the sophistication of their culture. Conversely, he gives the Europeans simple diction and syntax compared to the Ibo. They mostly speak in plain tones and can rarely understand the proverbs of the Ibo. Achebe uses this subtle, but strong, juxtaposition as an attempt to compare both cultures. The Ibo tribe is more cultured than the Europeans because their day-to-day behavior requires more intellect to navigate than that of Europe’s. The European missionaries could not comprehend the Ibo’s proverbs, jokes, or etiquette, even with an experienced translator. This fact counters the belief that Africans speak in ‘grunts and groans’ and that they don’t have a highly developed language. By giving the Ibo a strong language, Achebe sets the tone of the novel and characterizes the Ibo as an advanced

Things Fall Apart Rhetorical Analysis

have the ability to question their own cultures, religion, and traditions. It is one thing to go on living the life that a person was born into, but the ability to query and challenge the ways of their parents and ancestors is a true mark of intelligence. Throughout history, many people have encouraged transitioning from thinking in a traditional manner to thinking in an individualistic one. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe teaches the reader to contemplate why people question their cultures and…

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