RUNNING HEAD: THE SIMPLE VIEW OF THE BOOK THINGS FALL APART - BY CHINUA ACHEBE

Western Vs African Cultures                                                      

ROSE EMMANUEL TURUKA

KALAMAZOO CHRISTIANS HIGH SCHOOL         CLASS OF 2012

                         

The book things fall apart, is written by an intellectual author Chinua Achebe. It is written based on most of the African cultures. African cultures are way more different than western culture; the two places are based on different interests and tastes. If this story was to be made into a movie or read by the westernized people, some things would be changed in that story. Things that would be changed would be like;

                 

The names. The names in this story are mostly the tribal names used in Africa, and when changing this story these names would be changed because they are not used in the Western part and they are hard to speak out. So instead of Okonkwo, Ekwefi, Nyowe, it could be changed to Harry, James and so on. So names would be one of the things to be eliminated.

                 

The long stories within the story. There were long fairy stories told within the main story which makes the story long and somehow boring. Like the Vultures story, the tortoise story and so on. Such stories would be cut because it would make the Westernized audiences bored and totally completely not interested in the movie or the book.

                  

The contradictions in the story. The story somehow contradicts itself when we don’t know how to define Okonkwo`s character, is he the hero of the movie or the enemy in the movie. If this story would be changed to fit the western audiences, it would have less contradiction, which means making Okonkwo either the hero or the enemy so as it may not confuse the audiences on how to interpret Okonkwo.

                 

How the story ends. The story ending is kind of boring and it makes no sense. The way Okonkwo killed one of the messengers and then killed himself. It somehow shoos the weakness of him that maybe he was afraid of what will happen next or maybe he was not ready to face the village once again. So if we would make him the hero, we would also make the ending heroic and likewise.

                

We would also make action at the center of the movie. Since most of the Westernized people like more of action into a movie or a story, it makes the whole thing so interesting and it brings your attention.

                

The things above are what could have been changed from the story things fall apart so as to make it better for the Westernized people to watch according to the taste and interest of the people. And the movie or story transformed would be so great and enjoyed by the westernized people.