Table of contentsSummary1. Introduction2. Materials and methods3. Orientalism, stereotype and image of colonized Africa 4. Binary relationship between the characters5. Diffusion of European culture6. The role of linguistic works citedSummaryThe following article, based on Chinua Achebe's work No Longer at Ease (1960), highlights the way in which the Nigerian community is organized and how the binary opposition of white and black is perceived everywhere. Obi Okonkwo, the male protagonist born and raised in Nigeria, struggles with his cultural identity and loyalties as he travels to Europe to pursue his higher education, but returns to his homeland, torn between the practices and values ​​of two different nations and cultures. . The West is always shown in a better light than the East and how Western life and culture are considered superior to the indigenous belief system also grabs our attention. Religion also plays an important role in the protagonist's life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay1. IntroductionNo Longer at Ease is the story of a civil servant who ultimately finds himself hooked into the clutches of corruption, which has plagued Lagos society since time immemorial. Several attempts have been made before to tempt him, but he does not fall prey to them. The protagonist of the novel is Obi Okonkwo, grandson of Achebe's first protagonist in Things Fall Apart, Obi struggles against many obstacles. He tries to live a decent life and make ends meet while trying to satisfy his family, his hometown, his girlfriend, and society as a whole. Unable to find a balance between his values ​​and society's expectations, Obi experiences a total breakdown. If it hadn't been for the constraints of religion, culture and nationality, his life would have taken a completely different direction. Being a postcolonial text, each situation is scrutinized through a filter of colonialism and orientalism. He experiences the culture, values ​​and belief system of two completely different nations and finds himself in the middle of both, unable to choose one. The novel is somewhat symptomatic of Achebe's life itself. The author's parents also converted to Christianity and he too was accepted on a scholarship to the University College of Nigeria. At first he studied medicine, but he changed his mind and opted for English, like the protagonist of the novel.2. Materials and MethodsThrough the theories of critics such as Edward Said and Franz Fanon, the article shows how colonizers indirectly and often directly influence the identity and culture of their colonized nations. Fanon's notion of "inferiority complex" could be well demonstrated in the situations where the people of Umofia ruthlessly imposed themselves to send one of their sons to Europe. The idea behind this action was that people in the West were well educated and the use of the English language undoubtedly gave a "civilized" appearance. They also wanted to show their superiority over other villages, among “their” men. To quote the text: They wanted him to read the law so that when he returned, he could take care of all their land affairs against their neighbors. Even if he would not be a lawyer, he would obtain a “European position” in the civil service. The enthusiasm that gripped the people was filled with curiosity and fantasy about the foreign land. Even when Obi returned from London, the natives were all ears to hear the stories of the landthat they could only imagine in their dreams. Obi's departure for England caused a stir in Umuofia. These critiques attempt to examine colonized peoples as victims of Western culture and hegemony and examine how colonial discourse acted as an instrument of power to rule over natives. Western writings on the Orient have always represented it (the Orient) as weak, irrational and feminine in contrast to the strong, rational and masculine West. The East has always been on the periphery and the West has been the center of everything as the master to lead and guide. Tired of being represented by the “other,” Achebe took on the responsibility of representing the “self.” Another important factor that pushes the Black to accept superiority over white culture is the colonizers' own perceived models and the models already constructed. stereotypical images of Africans. Fanon states: “I begin to suffer from not being a white man to the extent that the white man imposes discrimination on me, makes me a colonized native, deprives me of all value, of all individuality, tells me that I am a parasite of the world. world, that I must bring myself as quickly as possible into line with the white world, that I am a brute beast, that my people and I are like a walking pile of dung which disgustingly fertilizes sweet sugar cane and silky cotton , that I have it is of no use in the world. 3. Orientalism, stereotype and image of colonized Africa During the process of colonization, the colonizers had already created the image of the Orient or non-Europeans in different ways. They always perceive them as inferior to themselves. Said, in Orientalism, says: "the Orient (third world countries) helped define Europe (or the West) as its contrasting image, ideas, personality, experience...The Orient is part integral part of European material civilization and culture. He asserts that the history and culture of Eastern countries depend on their links with the West; therefore, this addiction shapes their self-image. The colonizers situate the colonized in their own way and according to their needs. Therefore, the colonized never identify with the colonizers, which allows them to broaden their culture and attitude. They first define the West, what the West represents, and contrary to that, they define the East. Simply put, the West is the good thing and the East is its complete opposite because we never had the chance to write our own history, to represent ourselves, because the West has done it for us forever. An important aspect of Achebe's novel is the depiction of the attitude of the British colonialists towards Nigeria and Nigerians. To quote the text: “I don’t understand why he did it,” said the British Council man thoughtfully… “I can,” said Mr. Green simply. “What I don’t understand is why people like you refuse to face the facts.” Mr. Green was famous for speaking his mind. He wiped his red face with the white towel on his neck. “The African is corrupt through and through.” They are very proud of its past, when it was the terror of their neighbors before the white man came and leveled everyone. “But he was weakened mentally and physically. We brought him Western education. But what good does that do him? Achebe compares Mr. Green, Obi's boss, to an iconic representative of the British colonialists in Nigeria. As Obi, the novel's leading man takes Mr. Green as the British character in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. By reminding Obi of his debts, Mr. Green here attempts to play the role of a protector or guide to his adopted child. According to Said, the accidents imagined by the Orientalsas lazy, inefficient and incapable of fulfilling their duty to justify their own role as colonizer. As Said argues in many cases, "irrationality" and "laziness" are among the attributes that Orientalists usually attach to Orientals. So, in trying to manage Obi's financial affairs, or in Achebe's words: "A year ago, for a brief moment, Mr. Green took an interest in Obi's personal affairs," Mr. Green fulfills his role as benefactor. He thus justifies his stay in Nigeria. In other words, he believes that Nigerians need him and other colonizers for their well-being because they cannot fend for themselves. Corruption and guilt are the characteristics of the colonized. On the other hand, the colonizers are right and just in everything they do or pursue, and “the native is always presumed guilty”. Achebe skillfully depicts the feeling of guilt among the Igbo people. Obi, accused of corruption, shows no mercy in court. The courtroom is filled with people who left their jobs to attend the hearing and hear the vote; some of them pay money to doctors to get sick papers for this special day. Such corruption, like bribery, payment of certificate papers and abortion, are closely related in a colonized nation, justifying that they deserve to be punished. In the eyes of Obi's friend Christopher, bribing money is not the same as sleeping with someone for one night. He encourages and supports sleeping with girls to gain benefits, but strongly opposes the idea of ​​marrying into a different tribe or community. The hypocrisy was at its peak.4. Binary relationship between the charactersThe protagonist of the novel, Obi is a typical representative of a collaboration between his native country and the foreign country where his native country being part of the African continent is considered a "dark continent", there, on the other hand, l Europe is considered a land of knowledge and power. According to Hegel, for every group of slaves there should be a master. Because the existence of one is null without the other. As Obi tells readers, Mr. Green's time is different from the early days of colonization, when a British official was free to treat Africans as he saw fit. However, Mr. Green is blind to the changes in present-day Nigeria and continues to use his typical colonialist attitude prism to view the colonized world. For example, when ordering beer in the club, he tells one of the men near him to bring "a beer for this master." The profound master-slave expressions implicitly coded in his character highlight his colonial mentality and alleged misrepresentation of the Nigerian community. This way of expressing itself corresponds to Edward Said's definition of orientalism as a kind of knowledge that remains blind to historical changes over the years. Even the division of a nucleus is described in terms of binary oppositions. To quote: “Sometimes one core was shiny black and alive, the other powdery white and dead. "Time and again, comparisons have been made in terms of black and white and dark and light, which depicts the idea of ​​"self" and "other" where one automatically ascends to a higher position. Rev. Samuel Ikedi of St. Mark's Anglican Church in Umofia says in his prophecy: The people who sat in darkness saw a great light, and for those who sat in the region and the shadow of death , the light appeared. Green is condescending and proud of his origins. His treatment of the Nigerian people reminds Obi of a certain British man, a school inspector, Mr. Jones, whom Obi had met. Obi remembers aday at school when the British school inspector slapped a Nigerian headmaster in front of students and teachers as punishment for the headmaster's failure in an official matter. For Obi, Nigeria has changed and white men can no longer act as boldly as they used to. in those ancient times. “It was twenty years ago. Today, few white men would dream of slapping a school principal and none would actually do it. “It’s the tragedy of men like William Green, Obi’s boss.” At that time, “old Africans” were submissive and easy to mold because they worshiped white men as gods. The new generation of Nigerians have greater self-respect and a greater sense of dignity and no longer accept the English as their masters. To quote the text: The second generation of educated Nigerians had returned to eating pounded yams or garri with their fingers for the simple reason that it tasted better that way. And for an even better reason: they weren't as afraid as the first generation of being labeled uncivilized. The above example blames the fact that the second generation, unlike the first, did not care about being judged and autonomous.5. Diffusion of European culture Each nation has a set of beliefs and customs that bind its citizens and represent its nationality. European culture, not only in text but across nations, was kept on a higher pedestal. Until today, after several years of independence, we have not managed to completely decolonize our hearts and minds. Their ways and mindset are so deeply ingrained and ingrained in us that we fall into the trap unknowingly. Obi is a typical educated young man. On several occasions, the people of Umofia, in their broken English, call him “the man of the books”. He believes in the European education system and finds it enriching. He has no tolerance for “old Africans” who he considers to be the source of corruption and all problems in general in Nigeria. According to him, the term "old Africans" refers to Africans who are still in certain positions for years and who lack education and skills to deal with the circumstances of modern Nigeria: Obi's theory was that the civil service of Nigeria would remain corrupt until the old Africans at the top were replaced by young men from universities, it was first formulated in an article read at the Nigerian Students' Union in London. But unlike most of the theories formulated by the London students, this one survived the first impacts of returning home. In some ways, Obi is more like the Europeans than the Igbo, in his beliefs and mindset. He does not allow the Umuofia Progressive Union, his father or his tradition to speak on his decisions. He decides on his education and marriage. His European education alienates him from his own people. He avoids the idea of ​​sending thunder to his enemies unlike the Umofians, he likes to exchange the ring with Clara, a European marriage tradition and even he finds no problem in marrying a daughter born to an outcast. He continues to have an affair considered strictly forbidden in the Igbo community and later, towards the end of the novel, we learn that he continues to have sex with girls in order to get them a scholarship. This is due to their westernized education and European lifestyle. The novel presents a record of instances of conflicts between Igbo society and colonial rule that attack the personality, psyche and identity of an African mentality.6. The role of languageNgugi wa Thiong'o. 4, 2016.