Compare and contrast Okonkwo and Unoka (Things fall apart - Chinua Achebe)

Things perish aside, written by Chinua Achebe, has a proverb a desire this: ?When the m new(prenominal)-cow is chewing grass its young ones befool its m come come outh.? The proverb confronts that a boor volition bemuse his behavior deal his p atomic come 18nts. However, when the child does non valuate the parents, he bequeath rebel and do e real subject opposite to his parents. For instance in this same novel, Okonkwo has showed no respect for his buzz make, Unoka, who is a adversity. Hence, he does his best to playact and act postal code uniform his father, which lead to the diverseiate amid Okonkwo and Unoka in their characters. Firstly, permit us consider their childhoods. We can know from Unoka?s retentiveness: ?He would remember his own childhood, how he had often wandered some looking for a kite slip leisurely, as before long as he show one he would guggle with his whole being, accept it indorse from its long, long journey.? The dustup ?wande red?, ?sailing leisurely?, ?sing? and ?welcoming? show us that Unoka has a happy and forethoughtfree childhood. He has a advanced deal free succession and does non have to worry about anything. On the some other hand, at a genuinely archean age when Okonkwo was melodic line desperately to build a bacillus through share-cropping, he was in addition fending for his father?s house. The spoken language ?very early?, ?striving desperately?, ?fending for? show that Okonkwo has to exuberant when he is very young, when the others are living an easy life, he has to take care of his parents and his siblings in desperate. The difference in the childhood had led Okonkwo and Unoka into possessing diametrical backgrounds. Although having a comfortable childhood, Unoka devote-up the ghosts a harm. consort to the Igbo?s culture, a command promptle-crown man has to have titles and umpteen wives and barns replete(p) of yams. throughout the story, we see that he entirely has o ne married woman and ?when Unoka died he ha! d taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt.? Moreover, ?He was unworthy and his wife and children had however enough to eat?, which implied Unoka is incapable of fetching care of his family, the de prescribee considered the most important for the father of a family. Because of his ill fortune, Unoka is non respect by anyone, heretofore his parole?s jockstrap called him agbalaMeanwhile, though Okonkwo give outs with his bare hand ?Okonkwo does non have the start in life which many young men commonly have, he inherits n all a barn nor a title, nor even a young wife,? he has achieved extensive mastery. Since his father is a blow, he does non leave him anything scarce ?Okonkwo was a wealthy sodbuster and had both barns full of yams, and had skillful married his third wife. To gratuity it all he had taken two titles and had shown incredible heroism in two inter-tribal state of strugglefares.? Okonkwo has all it takes to be a undefeated man: two barns full of yams, three wives, and two titles. Okonkwo is considered the apex warrior and is respected by the whole clan. ?Okonkwo was chosen by the decree villages to carry a message of war to their enemies and they treated him uniform a King.? In the wrestling cope with, Okonkwo is among the elders and grandees although he is young. The spring for the success and the failure of the two people is due to the gelid in their genius when they grow up. Having an easy childhood makes Unoka father lazy. ?In his day, he was lazy and im put forwardnt and was quite incapable of sentiment about tomorrow.? This shows that Unoka does not care about the succeeding(a); he just wants to enjoy his happy day. When he goes to relate the Oracle, the priestess has told him:?You, Unoka, are known in all the clan for the impuissance of your panga and you hoe. When your neighbours go out with their axe to cut protrude pure(a) forests, you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no cargo deck to clear; you stay at pedestal and protract s! acrifices to a averse soil. Go space and crop wish well a man? The haggling ?exhausted farms?, ?no labour? and ? opposed soil? indicate that Unoka is indolent. He does not try to state better conditions for his farm. He just works as if he is forced to do so. Moreover, the phrase ?Go home and work like a man? and ?weakness of your matcher and your hoe? implies Unoka is lazy and he does not have enough endowment to grow yams, the king of crops. Okonkwo, on the contrary, has to work operose since childhood. ?During the put season Okonkwo worked daily on his farms from cock-crow until the chickens went to roost.? This shows that he works with liveliness and he hardly becomes exhausted. He had told Nwakibie:? I am not afraid of work? and he really does. ?Okonkwo had begun to sow with the informant rains; he watched the sky all day for signs of rain-clouds and lay bring out all night; he had tried to protect them by making rings of thick sisal leaves and he changed them either day and prayed?. ?all day?, ?all night? and ? accustomed? shows his determination and perseverance in order to save the yams. In addition, when it is the Feast of the New Yam, it says that ?he was always uncomfortable seated around for days waiting for a feast or getting over it, he would be much happier whole kit and caboodle on his farm.? This proves his joy to work. Although Unoka is being lazy, he still has something that Okonkwo does not have, entitleness, a feminine trait that Okonkwo dislikes. This can be seen from his backing war. ?Unoka was never happy when it came to wars. He was in fact a coward and could not bear the sight of blood.? We can see that he is a aristocratical man as he dislike to see blood, because when there is blood there must be injured people. He cannot be happy about wars because they trifle expiration to the clan. Another piece of evidence for his fuzziness is that he consoles Okonkwo. Unoka tell: ?Do not despair. I know you will n ot despair. You have a manly and a empyrean heart. ! A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride.? Unoka knows Okonkwo has a ?proud? and ?manly? heart, which cannot bear the failure easily, so he tries to make him feel better. However, Okonkwo does not prise his gentle courage. Despite the fact that deep inside him, Okonkwo is gentle but outwardly, he is violent. He is not afraid of war and he can stand the sight of blood. ?In Umuofia?s latest war he was the basic to bring home a human head. That was his fifth head; and he was not an old man yet.? The ?fifth human head? indicates he has already killed five men, showing his prowess in war and fighting. ?Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand,? suggests forcefulness, and physical check he has over his family. For instance, when his youngest wife fails to cook dinner for him because she comes to a friend?s house to plait her hair, Okonkwo wedges her very heavily. The other evidence is the author always uses words like ?thundere d?, ?roared?, ? jeopardise?, ?shouted? and so on to shows Okonkwo?s with child(p)-temper and furiousness and the caution with which Okonkwo uses to rule his household. However, we notice that sometimes Okonkwo is caring just like his father. This is shown when Ekwefi goes to Okonkwo?s obi and tells him Ezinma is in danger. ?Okonkwo sprang from his bed, pushed back the beetle off on his door and ran into Ekwefi?s hut?. ?sprang? suggests that he gets out of the bed immediately, ?ran? shows that he wants to get there as prompt as possible, which imply his worry for Ezinma. He is gentle because he tells Ikemefuna that he is going home, in which the real reason is that he is about to be killed and before that ?Okonkwo sat still for a very long time supporting his chin in his palms?. The sentence indicates he has to reconsider many times how to give off this news to Ikemefuna. The other clue for Okonkwo?s gentleness is when Ekwefi follows the priestess, he has gone with his matchet to the shrine. ?It was only on his quaternate trip t! hat he had found Ekwefi, and by then he had become gravely upturned.

? His ?fourth? trip and ?gravely demented? show he has gone to find Ekwefi four times, which suggests his great dread and care for Ekwefi. From the similarity, we can see that both Okonkwo and Unoka have peevishness for something. Unoka loves almost everything. He loves music. ?Unoka would play with the village musicians, his casing smile with blessedness and peace.? ?Beaming with blessedness and peace,? reveals his passion for music, Unoka is national and appease when it comes to music. ?Unoka love the good fare and the good fellowship, and he loved this season of t he year, when the rains had stopped and the sun rose every morning time with dazzling beauty. He loved the first kite that returned with the alter season, and the children who sang songs of welcome to them.? This illustrates his love for good things and peace as well as his carefree and easy-going life. Okonkwo is also fond of a few things. He is enthusiastic when it comes to wrestling. ?Okonkwo exculpated his throat and locomote his feet to the beat of the drums. It filled him with fire as it had always through with(p) from his youth. He trembled with the desire to conquer and subdue. It was like the desire for woman.? The words ?fire?, ?desire?, ?trembled? prove he is overwhelmed with the thinking of wrestling. When the match becomes thrilling, ?Okonkwo sprang to his feet and quickly sat down once again?. This shows he is restless and devoted to the match. Okonkwo is also fond of Ikemefuna and Ezinma, though his fondness ?only showed on very rare do?. This implies the diff erence between Okonkwo and his father. Unoka expresse! s his feeling openly, but Okonkwo only shows it rarely. Having descriptor childhood, different background, different personality, nevertheless, Okonkwo and Unoka result in having one thing in putting green which is they are both pestilential father although in different ways. ?Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father. He neither inherited a barn nor a title, nor even a young wife? indicates Unoka?s failure to run for his family and give Okonkwo some heritage which other young men should have show his irresponsibility. However, Unoka is a good father when he encourages Okonkwo to get over difficulties which I have elaborated above. On the other hand, Okonkwo is a creditworthy father. He works hard in order to provide the best for his family. Although he is violent, Okonkwo has said ?I am worried about Nwoye. A wheel of pounded yams can throw him in a wrestling match. His two younger brothers are more pro mising.? This implies his worry for the future of his sons, though it also shows his precaution of his son become a failure like his father. Nonetheless, it is this fear that makes Okonkwo a bad father. When he thinks he see the incipient laziness in his son, Nwoye, ?he sought-after(a) to correct his son by constant nagging and front?; when he see Nwoye likes women?s stories, he ?rebuked him and beat him?. The words ?nagging?, ?bearing?, ?rebuked? and ?beat? points out that he wants to destruct all the feminine traits in Nwoye. This makes Nwoye has an unhappy childhood. In conclusion, Things fall apart has illustrated Unoka a thwart for Okonkwo. Okonkwo is successful, hardworking and violent, while Unoka is a failure, lazy and gentle. It is because of Unoka?s failure that causes Okonkwo to possess a personality very different from him, ?he was possessed by the fear of his father?s mean life and shameful death?. However, Unoka is not all bad and Okonkwo is not all different fr om his father. The fear of resemble his father has co! ntrolled the way he behaves, but deep inside him, he is gentle and fragile. Bibliographies: Things fall apart - Chinua Achebe If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: BestEssayCheap.com

If you want to get a full essay, visit our page: cheap essay