"'That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog . . .'" (Achebe 208).
Part 1: According to the text(s), what effect did imperialism have on people who lived through it?
When the white men came to Umuofia, some people in the tribes found solace in their ways and appreciated their presence. As a result, the white men took them in and treated them fairly well. However, those who did not appreciate the white men's ways were not treated as nicely. Okonkwo in particular was angered by the white men, and was very defiant. He refused to accept their presence and forbid his other sons to be like Nwoye and change to follow their beliefs and customs. Since he was so defiant, the white men eventually got tired of him and arrested Okonkwo with five other village leaders. While he was arrested, he was beaten, starved, and not even allowed to go outside to use the bathroom. When Okonkwo was finally released, he was angered by the fact that Umuofia was not preparing for war. He was so damaged by his time in prison, and so upset that no one else wanted to fight, that he beheaded the head court messenger of the five that just arrived in the village. When he saw that even this did not make his people want to go to war, he walked away and was later found hanging from a tree. Imperialism affected the people who lived through it because their presence led to the suicide of Okonkwo.
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