Editorial

Editorial

A little note from the editors and writers of These Things Happen

All opinions presented in all articles and editorials are solely the group opinion of all writers, editors, and contributors to These Things Happen Newspaper.  

We have closely followed the events in the life of Okonkwo, who has demonstrated a perfect 


example of what Nigerian life consists of and the culture they are made up of. During his 

life however, another culture of people came into the same space as the Igbo people. These were 

European white men who brought with them their religion. Many of the villagers felt uncomfortable 


dealing with this Christian religion, and were often confused about how three beings could be one 


God and more. During the Christians time here, they were able to convert many people inside the 


clan. In this time, there was a lot of tension building between all the villagers who were loosing 


loved ones to the white Christians. Okonkwo specifically, who starting off had a deep hatred for the 


Christians lost his own son who was fascinated by their religion, making Okonkwo an even more 


angry man. Okonkwo and many of the villagers in the clan feel uncomfortable with the white

men imposing their Christian views and trying to change their culture by converting the

locals to the Christian religion which was wrong for them to force the Nigerians to

assimilate. “We should have killed the white man if you had listen to me” (Achebe 195). This shows

Okonkwo after realizing that they were too far in to do anything useful against the white men.

“Okonkwo did not wish to speak about Nwoye… [The white men] told them that the true God lived

high and that all men when they died went before Him for judgement(Achebe 144-145). This quote

shows that Okonkwo was angered and uncomfortable with Nwoye for abandoning his culture and

converting to Christianity and joining the white men that were imposing their views. “Worthy men

are no more...Isike will never forget how we slaughtered them in that war. We killed twelve of their

men and they killed only two of ours.Before the end of the fourth market week they were suing for

peace. Those were the days men were men” (Achebe 200) This quote talks about how the men and

Okonkwo himself were when they first were apart of the clan and how they would fight with pride.

Not only should all be enraged by how the Christians came and imposed their culture on these people

that were fine living on their own, but also by the fact that so many people were affected by loosing

their loved ones to the Christians.

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.