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  • Essay / Misconception about the generation gap

    Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart is set in Nigeria; the novel examines the clash between traditional African culture and Western ideals of the Igbo tribe, through the protagonist Okonkwo. Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel, Purple Hibiscus, is the story of a teenage girl, Kambili, which focuses on family relationships and cultural ethics. Moroccan author Laila Lalami's novel, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, examines the lives of four Moroccans who flee Morocco to Spain in search of greener pastures. Things Fall Apart, Purple Hibiscus, and Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits show that children's disregard for their parents' beliefs is attributed to the generation gap in families, between parent and child, and is influenced by imperialism and society, as the children achieve their socio-cultural identity and this causes confusion between the parent-child relationship. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay The imperialists “overwhelmed and dismantled indigenous institutions, and in their place, foreign domination was established. Previously, traditional institutions were seen not only as political authorities but also as guardians of cultures” (Arowolo 7). The clash between Western and African ideals of African citizens created by Western colonialism in Africa has resulted in a generation gap within families. In Things Fall Apart, Western imperialism affects Okonkwo's family, particularly his relationship with his eldest son, Nwoye. Nwoye grew up in Umuofia village through Igbo culture. Igbo culture consists of its own complex religion and has a number of gods. When the colonialists came to colonize the Igbo tribe, they brought with them a new culture. “We have brought peaceful administration to you and your people so that you will be happy. If someone mistreats you, we will come to your aid. But we will not allow you to mistreat others. We have a court where we judge cases and administer justice as is done in my own country under a great queen…this must not happen under the rule of our queen, the most powerful ruler in the world” (Achebe 137 ). The new culture replaces the already existing Igbo culture. The colonialist culture consisted of Christianity because they came to the village as missionaries and they imposed Christianity on the villagers and they are able to get most of the villagers to join their culture by challenging the beliefs Igbo cultural. At a time when the colonialists were forcing the villagers to adopt Christianity, Nwoye was acquiring his own socio-cultural identity. Children are generally vulnerable at this stage of acquiring their own socio-cultural identity, as Amara Uzoigwe states that "in their attempt to realize themselves, young people are affected and influenced by the social environment and social structure in which they live » (4). . Nwoye doesn't like his father's cultural beliefs because he differs from some of their beliefs, such as throwing away twins, which happened during his childhood, when one day he heard a pair of twins crying in the evil forest and it bothered him because he couldn't understand the cultural belief. He abandons his family's beliefs and joins Western ideals because the Church allows twins, and they answered many questions about religion that he had since childhood. On the other hand, Okonkwo disapproves of the belief ofthe white man and maintains traditional cultural beliefs. The difference in beliefs between Okonkwo and Nwoye causes disunity between their relationships. Okonkwo is aggregated by Nwoye's actions and he exiles Nwoye, which is ironic because he is also in exile from Umuofia village. One of his friends Obierika went to Mbanta to see him, he found that Okonkwo did not want to talk about Nwoye, it was only from Nwoye's mother that he had heard bits of the story » (Achebe, 144 years old). Despite their blood connection, their relationship is weakened and both did not want to be associated with each other. After Nwoye becomes rebellious to his father's beliefs and is exiled, he prepares to go to the mission school in Umuru. The introduction of a new culture by the settlers causes a generational gap between Okonkwo and Nwoye, placing them at different ends of the belief spectrum. Also in Adichie's Purple Hibiscus, the effect of imperialism on family unity is depicted. . Kambili's father, Eugene, is a Catholic who challenged his own father's beliefs because he believes in traditional cultural beliefs. Imperialism affects the relationship between Eugene and his father by causing a generational divide. Eugene is taught by the missionaries and he copies from the missionaries how to do things “the right way, like the white people did, not like our people do now!” » (Adichie, 68 years old). The missionaries lure him into Western ideals and distance him from his father's beliefs. The opposition of ideals between Eugene and his father causes Eugene to become rebellious towards his father and to renounce him. His children are denied a relationship with their grandfather because of the difference in beliefs. Culture is “conceived as the set of human activities and general principles which tend to guide the ideas of a group of people with common traditions, which are transmitted and inculcated”. in the generation and invigorated by the group members” (Aworolo 4). Culture is an important aspect of the unity of a family which is influenced by society and when it is intrigued by beliefs, religion and customs, it brings disunity. a family. Adichie's Purple Hibiscus is set in postcolonial Nigeria, and the reader meets a fifteen-year-old Kambili whose family and country are falling apart. The relationship between Eugene and Kambili's brother Jaja deteriorates due to the cultural gap. “Things started to fall apart at home when my brother Jaja didn't go to communion and Papa threw his heavy missal across the room and broke the figurines on the shelf” (Adichie 3). Jaja decides to challenge his father, who is a strict and religious man, on religious aspects. His father expects his son to follow his religious beliefs, but they are opposed by a cultural divide. Today's society does not respect religion as it did during Eugene's adolescence. Jaja is influenced by the new culture of society and this leads him to challenge his father because the new culture did not parallel his father's beliefs. The influence of society on the relationships between parents and children is depicted in Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits through the character of Noura. relationship with his parents. Noura and her father, Larbi, have an extraordinary parent-child relationship because they share the same beliefs and do not experience a cultural gap. Their relationship takes a turn for the worse when Noura befriends Faten and is exposed to a different culture within his society. Faten is a religious woman who covers her hair with a scarf and, as her relationship with Noura develops, she "becomes a regular visitor to Larbi's house" (Lalami, 25).As Noura spent a lot of time with Faten, she learns about Faten's religious culture. Noura's parents have a liberal culture that differs from Faten's and her father discourages her from Faten once he sees that Noura is distancing herself from his culture. After spending a lot of time with Faten, Noura shocks her parents by announcing that she has “decided to start wearing the hijab” (Lalami 32). Faten's company, which has different cultural beliefs, influenced her to wear the hijab because she was exposed to this type of culture and, as Timyan argues, "a child's daily routine takes place in a social setting populated by members of the community. the community. It is through recurring interaction with these people that the child learns appropriate social behavior, discovers the need and has the opportunity to practice certain behaviors” (7). Lardi does not approve of the hijab because he considers it “peasant” clothing and “the paraphernalia of the new breed of Muslim Brotherhood” (Lalami, 34). Noura's parents had adopted Western ideals with Noura, but the relationship changed each time Faten was introduced to Noura's life and she adopted the old school religious beliefs that her parents had abandoned. The conflict between the two ideals made Noura a rebel against her father's beliefs. The culture inflicted by society influences children as they form their sociocultural identity. When children adopt different beliefs as parents, it causes friction in their relationship. Analyzing the effect of parents and society on children's challenge, Uzoigwe argues that children "depend on the adult and society as a whole for self-realization, but lay bare the necessities for the adult and society to live by example and in accordance with the standard norms and values ​​of society” (3). Before colonization took hold in Africa, society and people played a role in the parent-child relationship. Achebe, Things Fall Apart depicts the relationship Okonkwo had with his father, Unoka, before his death. At that time in Umuofia village, villagers followed cultural beliefs regarding social class. A man was considered rich and strong by the titles he held in the village, the number of yams and wives and his boldness. “In his time he was lazy and improvident and totally incapable of thinking about tomorrow” (Achebe 4). Unoka was considered weak because he was lazy, did not get yams or titles, and had many debts. Unoka's character and cultural beliefs affected Okonkwo on how he formed his socio-cultural identity, as these were the things surrounding him at the time. “Okonkwo did not have the start in life that many young men usually had” (Achebe 16). Okonkwo gave rise to different beliefs than his father because his father's beliefs because his father did not let him own anything, he had to do better in order to make a good reputation for his family. “His fame was based on his personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen, he had brought honor to his village by launching Amalinze the cat... Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water” (Achebe 1). Okonkwo became a hardworking and ambitious man through struggle, fearing he would end up like his father. Society and its citizens have an effect on the formation of children's sociocultural identity. African families describe the negative effects that religion brought to families and created conflict between parents and children's morals, resulting in a dysfunctional family. The conflict was caused by Western colonization, in which it introduced. 2016.