Tag Archives: Christianity

Shift from Local to Western Culture

Uncategorized, , ,

I always thought Chinua Achebe was a novelist, not known for his short stories. This story in particular is the shortest one I ever read. In “Chike’s School Days” by Achebe, although it is about Chike it emphasizes more on the hardships his father Amos had to go through to the fortunate situation Chike is in now. I think he tries to fuse Chike with Western religion, culture and education to protect him from the ignorance of the Igbo tribe.Achebe’s quote at the beginning of the story “Chike was brought up” in the ways of the white man” which meant the opposite of traditional”(Achebe 827) emphasizes the needed to eradicate the old tradition of the Nigerians to the new Western culture.

Also, he was often critized for marrying an Osu (lowest ranking in the Igbo society). Amos didn’t see nothing wrong with it because through education and cultural diffusion he sees everyone equal.”an Osu child could even look down his nose at a free-born…..The white man had indeed accomplished many things”(Achebe 828), from the perspective of traditional ways people from higher ranking couldn’t marry an Osu, the quote reveals Amos glorifying the white man for bringing a sense of equality in his society.

Finally, during the mid 20th century the time Achebe wrote this story, religion was transitioning from old idol worshiping to Christianity. People tend to rely on their diviner and traditional ways of idol worships to solve situations. “Elizabeth appeared…. she had come to see him about.” Your son has joined the white man’s religion”(Achebe 828). This quote by the Diviner also suggest how fed up he is with the introduction of Christianity by the whites. All these phases of education, religion and cultural shifts show the effects of imperialism by the British years before Nigeria had independence. The local people at that time didn’t like it but when you look at Nigerian culture today, its a fusion of their tradition and some Western culture, religion and methods of education.

All Because of the White Man’s Religion

Uncategorized, , , , , ,

While reading Chinua Achebe’s short story, I noticed the frequent digressions in “Chike’s School Days.” The most important tangent to understanding how Chike was raised was the backstory of Amos and Sarah’s marriage. This union, which was socially forbidden, portrayed Chike’s complex dual identity as a Christian and an Osu, an untouchable in the Igbo class system. Within this digression, Achebe illustrated the differences between the kinds of education and knowledge Chike will eventually learn. The two main differences pertinent to the digression is the character development of Mr. Brown and Elizabeth.

The white missionary, Mr. Brown, was the only person to support Amos in his seemingly “mad marriage venture.” Interesting to note that the only reason Mr. Brown was a respected figure in the town was due to the medication he provided and NOT because of his religious sermons. This further displayed the cultural divide in Nigeria, as the townspeople did not accept Mr. Brown or “the white man’s religion” but instead needed the dispensary and medical treatment.

Elizabeth, Amos’s mother, resorts to divination, which is considered an African sacred science, after pleading with Amos to call off the marriage. Using snail shells as a device for fortune telling, the diviner is described as “a man of great power and wisdom.” Achebe immediately illustrates a culturally traditional Igbo scene, where the diviner procures a ritual for Elizabeth to perform to prevent the marriage of Amos and Sarah. Elizabeth, a recent Christian convert, renounced Christianity and returned to the faith of the Igbo people.

Although the ritual the diviner set forth for Elizabeth was unsuccessful, this digression was important to the story overall because readers were able to gauge the cultural differences occurring in Nigeria at the time (1960) and better understand why Chike has three different names. I also thought it was interesting that all the characters had English names except for Chike…