Civilized Society In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart Essay Sample

Many societies are civilized, while others are not. In the case of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the British and Igbo societies are very different. One dictionary defines a “civilized society” as one that has “a well-developed culture and an effective government, and which treats people who live there fairly.” Both societies have a well-developed culture, even though they have contrasting ideas. Yet, while the British are a civilized society, they do not treat people fairly. The Igbo, on the other hand, are not civilized because they also do not treat people fairly or have an effective government.

The British and Igbo have varied ways of culture, that are both well-developed and advanced for their time. The British are advanced due to their mechanisms, including the “iron horse” (138). On the contrary, the Igbo have ceremonies like the “Egwugwu” (89) ceremony, which means a great deal to the people of the Igbo clans. The British use their advanced mechanical skills to travel faster around the land that they own or are trying to gain control of. Whereas, the Igbo use their ancestors’ ways to thrive, which they learned growing up. They use these ideas to worship their gods and family members through the ceremonial meetings. The two of these societies both have a well-developed culture in their own unique ways.

Next in line, the British have a very effective government, while the Igbo do not. When the British start to set up their religion (Christianity), they also bring their government. While the Igbo are fighting over the missionaries being on their land, the British “build a piece of judgment in Umofia to protect [their] followers” (155). On the contrary, the Igbo have a very corrupt government that is very unfair, and unusual. When Okonkwo breaks “the Week of Peace” (29), which is a very dishonorable act, he gets punished very lightly. On the other hand, when Okonkwo’s gun breaks and kills a clan member on accident, he is banished for 7 years in exile. These two governments are very different, and the British government is way more effective than the Igbo’s.

Finally, neither the British nor the Igbo clans treat people fairly. The British treat the Igbo with little respect and force them to follow their new rules. For example, when the British take Okonkwo into custody because he breaks their rules, they give him “a few blows to the head and back” (208) with a “strong stick” (208) leaving him bruised and battered. Similarly, the Igbo treat their own wives and children unfairly, by beating them and many other horrific events. Both of these clans treat others very poorly, making their land less fair for outsiders to live in.

Based on the dictionary that defines a “civilized society” as one that has “a well-developed culture and an effective government, and [one] which treats the people who live there fairly,” the British are more civilized than the Igbo. The British and Igbo are set apart by their differences; from different perspectives, each can be considered a better society.