Okonkwo as a classical Greek hero in Things Fall Apart A sense of foreboding envelops us from the first moment. We feel that not everything will end well for Umuofia. The thrill of fear grips us as the world of Okonkwo and his clan truly falls apart. Okonkwo will need all his power to fight the forces that oppose his world, but tragically he is paralyzed by the most destructive disease of all, the fear of himself. Achebe uses the form of classical Greek tragedy to tell his African story of the rise and fall of Okonkwo. This fearsome warrior proved himself worthy of honor and respect from a young age. He is driven by his father's legacy of shame and has no use for unsuccessful men. But as he projects his image of strength, we discover that "his whole life has been dominated by fear, by fear of failure and weakness." (p. 13) The roots of fear run deep. "It wasn't external but it lay deep within him. It was fear of himself, for fear of looking like his father." (p. 13) For Okonkwo, all things are measured by the characteristics of his father. To be successful is to be virile. And manliness involves action, physicality, structure and seeing things in black and white. He is respected for his accomplishments and hard work, but others note "Okonkwo's brusqueness in dealing with less successful men." (p. 26) For him they are not men at all. They are weak; weak like women. And everything that has to do with idleness and pleasure is equivalent to weakness. "And so Okonkwo was governed by one passion: to hate everything his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was kindness and another was idleness." (p. 13) On purpose, Okonkwo has formed the formidable fortress with which he faces the world.Or...... middle of paper...... his strength. In conclusion, there is a bitter irony, the district commissioner will write his book, Okonkwo's life will only deserve one paragraph. With Okonkwo, Achebe created the classical hero, a man exalted far above others, seemingly destined for greatness. His use of Okonkwo and tragic form heightens the impact of the tale, as we move through the essential elements of dramatic form. Okonkwo's rise and fall generates the pity and fear we are meant to feel, and the catharsis when his unbearable torment ends. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Culross, Melissa. “Chinua Achebe and things fall apart.” Available: www.postcolonialweb.orgSmith, Peter. “The characteristics of an “archetypal” tragic hero”. Characteristics of a tragic hero. 2002. University of Kentucky. February 7, 2014. .

Topic > Okonkwo as a classical Greek hero in Things Fall Apart A sense of foreboding envelops us from the first moment. We feel that not everything will end well for Umuofia. The thrill of fear grips us as the world of Okonkwo and his clan truly falls apart. Okonkwo will need all his power to fight the forces that oppose his world, but tragically he is paralyzed by the most destructive disease of all, the fear of himself. Achebe uses the form of classical Greek tragedy to tell his African story of the rise and fall of Okonkwo. This fearsome warrior proved himself worthy of honor and respect from a young age. He is driven by his father's legacy of shame and has no use for unsuccessful men. But as he projects his image of strength, we discover that "his whole life has been dominated by fear, by fear of failure and weakness." (p. 13) The roots of fear run deep. "It wasn't external but it lay deep within him. It was fear of himself, for fear of looking like his father." (p. 13) For Okonkwo, all things are measured by the characteristics of his father. To be successful is to be virile. And manliness involves action, physicality, structure and seeing things in black and white. He is respected for his accomplishments and hard work, but others note "Okonkwo's brusqueness in dealing with less successful men." (p. 26) For him they are not men at all. They are weak; weak like women. And everything that has to do with idleness and pleasure is equivalent to weakness. "And so Okonkwo was governed by one passion: to hate everything his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was kindness and another was idleness." (p. 13) On purpose, Okonkwo has formed the formidable fortress with which he faces the world.Or...... middle of paper...... his strength. In conclusion, there is a bitter irony, the district commissioner will write his book, Okonkwo's life will only deserve one paragraph. With Okonkwo, Achebe created the classical hero, a man exalted far above others, seemingly destined for greatness. His use of Okonkwo and tragic form heightens the impact of the tale, as we move through the essential elements of dramatic form. Okonkwo's rise and fall generates the pity and fear we are meant to feel, and the catharsis when his unbearable torment ends. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Culross, Melissa. “Chinua Achebe and things fall apart.” Available: www.postcolonialweb.orgSmith, Peter. “The characteristics of an “archetypal” tragic hero”. Characteristics of a tragic hero. 2002. University of Kentucky. February 7, 2014. .