Resistance and collaborations are specific terms devised to classify the respective modes towards colonialism; there are those to openly collaborating with the occupying forces, while others employed several other …show more content…
“Through the use of proverbs, African writers try to express the wealth of philosophy; wisdom and perception of life as they affect and control their communities.” Much of the philosophical statements were handed over from the respective ancestors, and its use is connected from their past to the present, and relevant from the future.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is one such book. The author continuously incorporates elements of the Igbo language and tradition, to bridge the cultural divide as westerns come into the village.
Achebe considers conversations and the use of the Igbo language to be a gem in all his writings. Proverbs are viewed as, “Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten” (Asika, 2012). He uses the famous palm oil references due to its ability to be used for cooking, or as a digestive ailment for Igbo men. The Igbo people place a great significance on food as the sustenance of life, therefore proverbs can be coined to be the sustenance of interaction for the community. This comparison of proverbs to palm oil, shows the immense dependence placed on conversations by the Umofian village as an everyday part of their …show more content…
If one says no to the other, let his wing beak” (Ch. 3.p.19). The proverb as mentioned by Nwakibie shows the appreciating he has Okonkwo for his visit and assuring that men need to accommodate one another (Alimi, 2012). Before Nwakibie lends Okonkwo the yams he requested, he lets him know, “Eneke the bird says that since men have learnt to shoot without missing, he has learnt to fly without perching” (Ch. 3.p.22). The Igbo proverb explains how times have changed, and the young men of the community are not deserving of his generosity because of their inadequacy to work. However, Okonkwo is an exception because of his continued diligence and is given the seed-yams to work in his