The sacrificial Egg Essay -- essays research papers

Chinua Achebes short story The sacrificial lump illustrates the life of a young African primordial Julius Obi, and the arising conflicts between deuce shades. This short story takes place in a actually teeny-weeny crossroads in Africa, called Umuru in the mid 1900s. This young African Native, although no native of Umuru finds himself trapped between his own culture, beliefs and the westernized culture. Although Julius has embraced the western culture, after certain events he eventually finds himself coming back to his own beliefs. Achebe, uses these two very different cultures to demonstrate the clash it produces in this young mens life and, how no matter how hard he has embraced the western culture he was always going to go back to his own beliefs.The dispirited African village in this story has organism taken all over by the western culture. Westernization is paraden in the beginning of the story. Julius Obi sat gazing at his typewriter. There was an empty basket on the giant weighing machine. In these two quotes the typewriter and the weighing machine, odd objects for the African native of this village show perfectly how this town has being westernized. Julius Obi was not a native of Umuru. He had come like countless others from some bush village island. Having passed his Standard Six in a mission school he had come to Umuru to work as a clerk in the offices of the reigning European trading company This quote shows how Julius has himself being westernized. Westernization wasnt welcomed by many of the Umuru natives. The natives had long prayed for their town to prosper and grow. The strangers who came to Umuru came for the trade and money, not in search of duties to perform This shows that people who now came to town, came strictly for business and money, which tells the indorser how the town isnt what it used to be. And as if it did not suffice, the young sons and daughters of Umuru soil, support by schools and churches were behaving no better than the strangers. They neglected all their old tasks and unbroken only the revelries. This show how even the young ones of this village have being westernized to the point, where they completely neglect their own traditions and beliefs. The small African village set(p) on the bank of the river Niger has a story of its own, that only the old and keen-witted are able to des... .... He immediately set out for home, half-walking and half- speedning, for shadow-masks were not matter of superstition they were real. This shows how suddenly Julius, although westernized finds himself face to face with this culture he had decided to put aside. While running, Julius finds himself stepping on to something and realizes that he has stepped onto this nut case, this egg that was brought for offering. short enough Julius finds himself onto the ground hiding from these night-masks fearing for the worst. You can see that Julius who had tried to run away from his old beliefs had finally come ba ck to them and knew that by stepping onto the egg he had wronged Kitikpa.This story in general shows how people more a great deal than we think forget about their origin, where they came from, and what their cultures and traditions are. The trouble was that the disobedient youths had never nevertheless experienced the power of Kitikpa themselves they had only heard of it. Julius being there that night had experienced the power of Kitikpa himself. He knew his life would now be forever changed. Julius was now going to respect these beliefs he had long forgotten about.