Summary of a chapter - Essay Example

of the The Clans Beliefs and Christian Beliefs This page continues to explain how the clan has problems understanding the Christian’s beliefs and this is unfair when the missionaries declare the clan’s beliefs as false. This is because; the missionaries hardly understand the culture of the community. When taking a keen look at the words Achebe chooses for Mr. Brown to use and the context, there is disrespectfulness especially when Mr. Brown constantly disagrees with Akunna and does not accept anything he suggests (Whittaker and Msiska, pg 129).

This is clearly seen when Akunna tries to say that there are similar features between Mr. Brown’s God and Igbo gods but Mr. Brown responds as if he does not feel the need to support the claim. This response shows that he believes community’s religion does not require an explanation and is just correct. For instance, when Akunna says: “…or Chuckwu (Whittaker and Msiska, pg 129). He appoints the smaller gods to help him because his work is too much for one person.” which Mr. Brown replies angrily and becomes disrespectful to Akunna.

Hence, Mr. Brown’s disrespectfulness is not intentional but to persuade the people to change to Christianity. The villagers do not understand the Christian faith since they did not know more about the white men.This happens Okonkwo is resistant to the onset of the missionaries as they tend to undermine the community’s life long culture to please it gods and ancestors. This feeling of absolute betrayal is seen in Okonkwo when his son Nwoye transfers and joins the missionaries. This is evident by the quote, “The white man is very clever.

He came quietly and peacefully with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart” (Whittaker and Msiska, pg129), Nwoye however, sees the whites as more compassionate so he finds understanding them easy. Therefore, the new converts are seen as outcasts and that lack of understanding between the remaining people of the tribe is seen as the matter holding the community apart.

If both groups were willing to agree and comprehend one another then there would be more improvement (Whittaker and Msiska, pg129). But this cannot happen since; both the tribe and the missionaries have diverse perceptions on the one true god. Eventually, the clan has a big problem in understanding the Christian beliefs because they have conformed to untouched tribal existence for a long time. In addition, they are only aware of their own culture that makes it hard for them to adjust accordingly to the Christian views.

Work CitedDavid Whittaker, Mpalive-Hanson Msiska; Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart: Taylor and Francis2007, Pg129.