Saturday, May 18, 2019

Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines Essay

had three huge barns, nine wives and thirty children. (Achebe, 15) These men held titles which gave them a higher office in society. It was the responsibility of the clansmen to watch out for another(prenominal) individuals in their society. We do not ask for wealth because he that has health and children will also decl be wealth. We do not pray to have to a greater extent money still to have more kinsmen. We are better than animals because we have kinsmen. An animal rubs its itching annexe against a tree, a man asks his kinsmen to scratch him. (Achebe, 145)This exemplifies the values of a traditional Igbo society where the bond surrounded by fellow members of the society as well as health was greatly cherished. They held the life of their kinsmen very high. Achebe goes a step further in describing the elaborate family system of the natives. Unlike skeletals previously discussed erudition implying the underestimated value of money, agriculture played an important role in supp orting the polygamous household. The natives grew crops and also reared and meek animals such as chicken and goats.Achebes attitude discretely explains that the native society in the mid nineteenth century was civilized contrary to the image established by Sir Henry Rider Haggard. Africa is known for its exceptional beauty, flora and fauna. King Solomons Mines offers wondrous explanations of the landscape and wilderness found in the untamed, uncivilized, unadulterated land. there are the deep kloofs cut in the hills by the rushing rains of centuries, down which the rivers sparkle there is the deepest thou of the bush, growing as God planted it (Haggard, 32) The possibility of untold treasures still to be discovered deep down the hidden parts of the land naturally sparks ideas of heroic adventures. Haggard considers the unexplored land as beingness dark and evil. But here and there you meet make out a little component of history of this dark land. (Haggard, 18) On the other hand, Achebes novel is embedded with multitudes of descriptions of the natural environment as well as how people have modeled their economy around it The last big rains of the category were falling. It was the time for treading red earth with which to build walls.It was not done earlier because the rains were too heavy and would have washed away the heap of trodden earth and it could not be done later because harvesting would in brief set in, and after that the dry season. (Achebe, 142) Similar to Haggard, Achebe has depicted Africans as living in mud huts, but the distinction in their attitude can be easily made through analyzing the following description Oknonkwos prosperity was visible in the household. He had a large compound enclosed by a thick wall of red earth. His own hut, or obi, stood immediately behind the only admittance in the red wallsThe barn was built against one end of the red walls, and long stacks of yam stood out prosperously in it. (Achebe, 11) Things Fall Apart describes the homes were the representation of the owners prosperity and winner in the society. The attitudes exhibited by both writers towards the topography of the land are similar, even though Achebe describes the significance of seasons and climatic changes in the natives lives. Sir Henry Rider Haggards King Solomons Mines and Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart are concise novels which offer insightful descriptions of Africa and Africans as discussed above.They elaborate upon the beliefs, values and harmony of the people with their native land. Haggards description of Africa and Africans shows that his attitude is not completely detached from the stereotypical European beliefs. Achebe is successful in offering a credible and historically accurate description of the rich land, diverse culture and singular traditions. His attitude cannot be considered completely just nor unbiased as he is discussing the history of his own people. However, the analysis of the two novels bring s out an interesting pattern.The perceptions presented in the novels preserve the thinking of the society when the two novels were each written. The lieu colonial society of today is much more accepting of the diversity present in autochthonous cultures. This acceptance and appreciation was suppressed in the colonial era when strong nations such as Britain were colonizing other parts of the world. Overtime, our global society has prodigiously evolved and continues this progression implicating a growth of acceptance and appreciation of cultural diversity.

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