Things Fall Apart: Chapters 7,8 "Titles for Days"

Things Fall Apart: Chapters 7,8 "Titles for Days"

“'I think it is good that our clan holds the ozo title in high esteem'”  (Achebe 70)

In Umoufia, The Ozo title is looked upon very highly, and it is not easy to achieve. (although in other villages this title is lowly and very easy to snatch up) High ranked titles may be a thing of controversey once the European Imperialists come into play. Christians believe that everyone is equal, so to have one man with much more authority over others would be a devastating blow to the imperialists views. Also, this title gives the Umuofian men a feeling of importance, if the Europeans bad talk a man with many titles it could start a big clash between the two cultures. Many things can go wrong when one belief noses in anothers. Another thing in this chapter that may come up on the imperialists radar is the fact that these titles are based off of one thing only, Yams. As they realize that yams are the source for most Umuofian culture, the Imperialists may ‘kill the source’ and start downgrading yams with other vegetables and fruits. This would be a huge blow to Okonkwo and his fellow men because that is what their culture has revolved around since before they were born.