The Impact of British Colonialism on Umuofia in Chinua Achebe's Novel

This essay examines Chinua Achebe's novel, 'Things Fall Apart,' focusing on the decline of Umuofia due to the arrival of European missionaries and the aggressive actions of the British. The essay discusses how the British, with their sense of cultural superiority, undermined the traditions and belief...Read More

The Ignorant and
Aggressive Actions of
The White Missionaries
Cause Umuofias
Downfall in Achebes
Novel

Contents
INRTODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
TASK...............................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INRTODUCTION
The Things fall apart is a novel written by Chinua Achebe which was published in 1958.
In that novel, the writer has portrayed the pre-colonial life of Umosfia, a state which is located in
the south of Nigeria and the atmosphere or condition of the state after the arrival of Europeans
during the late 19th century (McCarthy, 2012). The novel basic plot was how a man Okonkwo
with his hard work earns the name and frame, but it all ended up with the death sentence of
Okonko by Britishers. This report discuss about how the ignorant and aggressive decisions by
the Britishers had led to the downfall to the state Umosfia.
TASK
According to the novel, in the second apart the writer introduces the Europeans people
into the scene. The part tells about how slowly and steadily the Britishers. As the Europeans
number start increasing into the state their influence on the local people also was getting
increase. The white people were very arrogant as they feel proud of their culture, values and
believes which they hold. They consider Umosfia’s people culture as false values and believe to
be followed. Although the Christianity did comes with hospitals, schools, getting farmers a job
as a court clerks, teachers and some other developments. Apart from this British people also
were very wicked in their ways to get people attract to their culture and their god. The situation
of villages were such that they had more number of British dominance rather than the dominance
of their own local people (Miller, 2012). By seeing such popularity of Christianity, the Britishers
started acting like a superior caste and considered the other local caste as an inferior one.
According to the novel, there was also a time where the local people by getting influence of
Christianity were ready to change their religion and culture from Umosfia’s religion too
Christianity. It is from this time, the Umosfia village started falling apart. Although development
was brought was European people but apart from this they also falling back with their own
culture. It is also been said that the village fall apart from its own internal issues but it did got
affected more by the British invasion (Von Hellermann, 2013). The Britishers gets residence into
the village by claiming the other villages that their collaboration would be a “civilizing mission”
in which they can help the state I bringing education, schools, infrastructure and other amenities
which would bring development into the state. But it all wrapped with utter violence.
After some time when Britishers realizes that they had acquired enough power and
position that they can hold the all 9 or 10 prominent villages, they started acting totally opposite
of what they have claimed to the village dominant. The Britishers considering themselves as a
prominent people can make the black people as there slaves. They put these people as a prisoner
and make them work. Apart from this, after a while, Britishers had stop considering them as a
human and started comparing the all with not less than an animal. By seeing such, the village
heads started raising voice and fight against the Britishers to make them left the villages. But
such fight got its speed as the European people too decided to fight back rather to leave the
village. The novel also high lights the arrogant and aggressive actions which they did with black

people. They destroyed their homes, slaughtered the men, made hostages to women and children.
It was very clear from their actions that their plan was not be build a “ Civilizing mission” with
the collaboration with these people but to actually acquiring the black people place or state for
their own filthy greed and wish. There after plan was to rule over all the villages and use the
resources of their region for trading purpose to earn money (Wehrs, 2016). The Britishers were
so aggressive and violent for black people that they started treating them as no lesser than an
animal. The novel also tells about the fights which took between the blacks and white to gain the
rule over territory. But as the white people had advance arms, equipment and resources they
always manages to win most of the fights from black. That’s how slowly but steadily the British
invasion into the country had caused the things falling down in Umosfia. The country lost their
culture, their people and their freedom.
CONCLUSION
From the easy discussed above, the changes and effects country, Umosfia faces after the
invasion of European people. The Britishers invade into the country primarily for trading
purpose but with time their needs and greed had increased so much that they had planned to rule
over the whole state and make the people as their salves. The invasion was based upon a mission
called “ civilized mission” in which Britishers promises to bring schools, education, amenities,
development into the state but actually it wrapped up as a violent mission where numerous
people lost their lives along with freedom.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
McCarthy, D., 2012. A manual of dynamic play therapy: Helping things fall apart, the paradox
of play. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Miller, J., 2012. Things fall apart: South Africa and the collapse of the Portuguese Empire,
1973–74. Cold War History. 12(2). pp.183-204.
Von Hellermann, P., 2013. Things fall apart?: the political ecology of forest governance in
southern Nigeria (Vol. 18). Berghahn Books.
Wehrs, D. R., 2016. Pre-Colonial Africa in Colonial African Narratives: From Ethiopia
Unbound to Things Fall Apart, 1911–1958. Routledge.