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Alicia Mendez
Mrs. Lawrence
Comp. Lit 4
Period 2
10/11/16
In Patrick Brantlingers essay Victorians and Africans: The Genealogy of the Myth of
the Dark Continent he indicates how Europeans felt that they were obligated to take over the
African continent because of their savage customs. He stressed that the motives behind
colonizing Africa were because of the success of the antislavery movement, the impact of the
great Victorian explorers, and the merger of racist and evolutionary doctrines in the social
sciences(Brantlinger 167). However, Chinua Achebes novel, Things Fall Apart, includes details
about the interactions between white settlers and the Ibo tribes.The novels purpose is to shatter
the myth of the Dark Continent and the idea that their culture was full of savage beliefs. Achebe
shatters the myth by demonstrating they have a richly diverse culture, but he reinforces it by
The myth was reinforced by the abolition of slavery because it lead upper and middle
class Victorians to believe Africans needed to be saved. The imperialist created an idea that there
was a right and wrong in the way civilizations live, stating that the European way of living
was the right one and that everyone should be like them. Knowing Africans only through
slavery, they had a racist view that Africans were a natural laboring class, suited only for
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performing the dirty work of civilization(Brantlinger 181). The Victorians believed Africans
were inferior, only seen for labor working, they did not see them as part of a civilization.
In Achebes novel the reader sees that imperialism is not morally correct because it is
biased and controlling. Europeans thought African culture as primitive and barbaric which was
not the case because they also are full of impressive traditions. In the novel, Things Fall Apart,
the Igbo culture celebrates Week of Peace which is a week in which man does not say harsh
word to his neighbor. [They] live in peace with [their] fellows (Achebe 30) this shows that
the people do not need Europeans to change their way of living. However, the fact that Okonkwo
beats his second wife during the Week of Peace does question the violence that the people are
accustomed to and their strength of overpowering the urge. Yet, Okonkwo is punished for
breaking peace during this yearly tradition, which brings back the integrity. Also, there are
impulsive acts of violence that occur in every society including the European missionaries, as
Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, describes the missionaries arrival as both positive
and negative towards the Igbo people. Brantlingers essay, Victorians and Africans: The
Genealogy of the Myth of the Dark Continent characterizes Africans as amusing or dangerous
obstacles or as object of curiosity, while missionaries usually portray Africans as weak, pitiable,
inferior mortals who need to be shown the light (Brantlinger 176/178). They both have a
negative aspect in describing Africans and both missionaries and explorers believe they are
superior to Africans. Brantlingers essay portrays the Europeans arrival in Africa as positive.
Things Fall Apart both supports and shatters the idea of imperialism. The purpose of imperialism
as described in Brantlingers essay was for it to be beneficial to Africans such as commerce and
Christianity (Brantlinger 178). The Christians were very cruel to the Igbo men and in this
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situation do not seem to be saving them, but instead bullying them. The very reason to their
presence of the Christians is contradictory to the outcome of their influence. Although the
missionaries did set up a church and set a system of currency, the Igbo culture did not need
colonization because they operated their system of currency using yams. The purpose of
imperialism to the Africans was very different than the effects of imperialism. Achebe does
however explain that sometimes colonization can be helpful but not necessarily to everyone
The Igbo culture is a major factor in deciding whether or not Africa is the Dark
Continent. An example where Achebes novel shatters this idea is when describing the
relationship between Okonkwo and Ikemefuna, the reader shows that they have a strong
relationship that also could be described as better than other cultures. Okonkwo treats Ikemefuna
as a son and even loves him as a son. The Igbo people, as surprisingly as it might seem to
Europeans, also have emotions and perform actions of compassion rather than just being
savage.
Many cultures share similar customs; for instance the Ibo and Europeans have a
comparable structure in punishment as they both have a system of justice. The Igbo culture
presents many customs showing the beauty of their culture values the importance of palmwine,
and the feast of new yams, but such like any other culture it also has some negative aspects like