Things Fall Apart Essays (1849 words) - Postcolonial Literature

Things Fall Apart The Ibo society in Africa is very different from the American society that I am used to. One of the major differences is the way women are treated. On page 37 of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo conveys that ?no matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and children (and especially his women) he was not really a man.? On page 94 Okonkwo's uncle says ?we all know that a man is the head of the family and his wives do his bidding.? This shows us that women in the Ibo society are considered subservient to the men of the society and are sometimes mistreated, however they are still very important to society. This is evident in many other places throughout the book Things Fall Apart. The way women are referred to in the book tells about their social standing as well. Many times women are referred to by their relationship to a man. There are many references to ?Nyowe's mother? and? Okonkwo's first wife,? but Ekwefi is seldom called by her name. The same goes with ?the wife of Ogbuefi Udo? who was murdered by the members of another African village near Umofia. In the first chapter of the book we see how women are expected to do what their husbands say with no questions asked. When Ikemefuna comes to Umofia and is put under Okonkwo's care he (Okonkwo) immediately calls for his first wife and says ?look after him,? when she asks a question regarding the boy, Okonkwo says ?do what you are told woman? to which his first wife responds by taking Ikemefuna into her hut, asking no more questions. The only two women who are consistently referred to by their name throughout the book are Ezinma and Chielo. That is because Ezinma is very special to her father, Okonkwo, and Chielo is the priestess of the oracle. On pages 122 and 123, Okonkwo thinks to himself that Ezinma is special because ?of all his children she alone understood his every mood.? On many occasions throughout the book, Okonkwo says, ?I wish she were a boy.? Sons are more respected in the Ibo society than daughters. There is a special bond between Ezinma and Okonkwo because, according to him, she has the ?right spirit.? When Ekwefi wakes Okonkwo up in the middle of the night, he is upset because he doesn't want to be bothered, but when he finds out that it is because Ezinma is dying, he springs up from bed and rushes out to get her some medicine. This shows that daughters are not without value in the Ibo society. Ezinma is special not only to her father, but to her mother as well. I think it is because Ekwefi had nine miscarriages before she had Ezinma and since the girl was considered an obanje, Ekwefi was extremely happy when her iyi-uwa was found so she would no longer die and be reborn in a horrible cycle. Although Okonkwo looks down on showing emotions (or weakness as he considers it) he is quick to follow his wife when she follows Chielo and Ezinma to the shrine of the oracle, and he tells her to go home and rest and he will wait for them to come out of the cave. The next morning he makes four trips to and from that same spot worried about Ezinma (although he is too proud to admit it). Chielo is well respected and feared throughout the village of Umofia because she holds a religious position that is very important to all members of the Ibo society. As the priestess of the oracle, the entire village depends upon her to relay messages of the gods and to do their (the gods) bidding. An example of this is when she takes Ezinma in the middle of the night out to the cave where the oracle lives, despite Ezinma's parents protest. Although women are somewhat looked down upon they are also portrayed as brave and important to their society, they are trusted with responsibilities, such as gathering firewood, cooking, cleaning, and child rearing. Women weed the farms three times during the growing season of the yams. They also

Principle of Equality before the Law in Nigerian Government and Politics

Principle of Equality before the Law in Nigerian Government and Politics Free Online Research Papers The application of the rule of law is the principle that governmental authority is legitimately exercised only in accordance with written, publicly disclosed laws adopted and enforced in accordance with established procedural steps that are referred to as due process. The principle of the rule of law is intended to be a safeguard against arbitrary governance, whether by a totalitarian leader or democratic leader. Samuel Rutherford was one of the first modern authors to give the principle theoretical foundations, in Lex, Rex (1644), and later Montesquieu in The Spirit of the Laws (1748). In his Law of the Constitution, Dicey identified three principles which together establish the rule of law: (1) the absolute supremacy or predominance of regular law as opposed to the influence of arbitrary power; (2) equality before the law or the equal subjection of all classes to the ordinary law of the land administered by the ordinary courts; and (3) the law of the constitution is a consequence of the rights of individuals as defined and enforced by the courts. This is the fundamental rules governing the conduct of government business. The emphasis here is on the principle of equality before the law. Every citizen – irrespective of educational qualification, social status, position, gender, religion, and age is expected to be treated equally in the event of breach of the law of the land. For example, if the president c of Nigeria stole a Goat, and an ordinary man on the street stole a Goat, the duo should receive similar punishment for the offence. In fact, the president should receive a more severe punishment their economic status and social placement. Many Americans might have been involved in raping unnoticed. But when the former American president, Bill Clinton was alleged of sexual harassment in the famous Monica Lewinsky saga, he was called for open interrogation and defense. This scenario is literally impossible in Nigeria. Here, contracts are awarded after close door ‘meetings’ in Sheraton Hotel, Bolingo Hotel, Hotel Presidential, or any other popular hotel in town. The same mess takes place in our institutions of higher learning where passing an examination is a function of meeting-up with the sexual and/or financial desire of lectures both male and female alike. In Nigeria, the atrocities of the leaders are covered by presidential and parliamentary immunities while the common man on the street is exposed to untold harassment in the name of law enforcement. Equality before the law has been and will remain illusory in Nigeria. It is in Nigeria that governance is to the interest of few individuals and to the detriment of the ever-increasing mass of greatly impoverished, oppressed and depressed people. It is a point that has caused and will continue to cause mass exodus of people in search of greener aperture hence aggravating brain drain in the country. Some people are living as second class citizen in there country. Recently, I was traveling from Abuja to Lokoja and a man frankly told me that he prefers being a slave in somebody’s country that being a slave in his own country. That is the thinking of many Nigerians because of the ever-increasing misery and deprivation. When some people are sacred cows and others suffer for their mischief, the inevitable consequence may be the accelerating spate of armed rubbery and organized crime. For instance, an administration that introduced the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) shouldn’t have been enmeshed in a deep rooted crisis of $16 billion power sector scandal. But my worry with Nigeria and Nigerians is that such fellow will still escape the eagle eye of both the legislators, executives and even those ‘crime fighting institutions’. Somebody may ask why? Well you can answer the question yourself. What has happened to the likes of General Ibrahim Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and a whole lot of others that looted our treasury and send Nigeria to the comity of Highly Indebted Poor Countries of the World (HIPC). The truth is that Nigeria is not poor but has been impoverished by it l eaders. That reminds me of the comment made by Professor C. Achebe as far back as the 80s that the problem of Nigeria is the â€Å"problem of leadership.† The trial of Ministers involved in the sharing of N300 million is another trying period for Nigeria the Lawmakers and other stakeholders who partook in this unholy act should be brought to book as well. This is an onerous task of the administration of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. I do hope that fairness, due process, accountability, respect for the rule of law will be vigorously pursued. The enforcement of the principle of equality before the law through an expression of dogged political will is expedient of a stable political system. We believed that as the present administration musters the desire political will and commitment, the whole notion of sacred cow which has hitherto privilege some few individuals above the avalanche greatly impoverished people will be drastically reduced. The declarations of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and his action hitherto have clearly proved that there is hope for Nigeria and Nigerians. PETER, Abraham, Ojoarome2003@yahoo.com, Nsukka, Nigeria. Research Papers on Principle of Equality before the Law in Nigerian Government and PoliticsUnreasonable Searches and Seizures19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBringing Democracy to AfricaNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaCapital PunishmentThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and