Alfonso Corona
1/30/14
D Block
Mrs. Hawkins
English II
Lion
In the novel
[RJ1] Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe,
Achebe provides a complete story of the African Ibo tribe in the same way that
Tavis Smiley disproves stereotypes about Latinos in America.In Things Fall Apart, both the happy and
somber aspects of African culture, namely those of the Ibo tribe, are exposed.
As Achebe reveals the Ibo tribe’s way of life before and after the effects of
imperialism by the “white
men”(Achebe 174), [RJ2] the
invasion of foreigners does not seem beneficial to the natives of the land. These
foreigners had uneducated assumptions of African tribes, assuming that they are all savages, or that there is no
structure to the African way of life[RJ3] .
Likewise, there are many stereotypes about Latinos in the United States. A common misconception about the Latino
population is that Latinos are all illegals and detrimental to society. As Achebe [RJ4] disproved
stereotypes about Africans through a story that addresses misconceptions, a
symposium hosted by PBS Broadcaster Tavis Smiley called “Latino Nation”
interviewed many Latino leaders of today to dispel some of these notions.
Achebe reveals
that imperialism hurt the Ibo people more than it helped them. This is
contradicting to what missionaries believed, that it was their duty to change
the ways of people that they viewed as inferior. However, Achebe’s account
shows how being imperialized disintegrated the lives of many and disrupted the
preexisting order. Because Things Fall
Apart illustrates a more complete canvas of the situation that the Ibo
people were in, Achebe subdues any uneducated judgments or stereotypes.
Tavis Smiley
showed Latinos can be influential because the speakers at his discussion were
successful Latino individuals that had left an imprint on the organization that
they are a part of. In this convention, the speakers were asked about their
thoughts on how Latinos are viewed in America. Maria Durazo addressed a common stereotype
immediately, saying, “...we are what everybody else in this country is. We work
hard, we want to raise our families, have a good education…(Durazo, Maria.
Interview with Tavis Smiley. “Latino Nation: Beyond the Numbers”.2013,Web.).
Tavis Smiley’s symposium strives to justify Latinos against stereotypes the
same way that Achebe does, by spotlighting actions by the group in question
that disprove stereotypes.
Achebe sets out to
show that the Ibo people had structure before missionaries came by narrating
the tribe’s hierarchy. The Ibo’s main crop is the yam, and a man’s worth is
measured in part by his success in farming yams. The tribe also values the
accomplishments of an individual man and does not judge a man based on the
accomplishments of those who came before, as Achebe explains, “Fortunately,
among these people a man was judged according to his worth and not according to
the worth of his father.”(Achebe 8). And since Okonkwo, the man in question[RJ5] ,
was a wealthy farmer with two barns full of yams, 3 wives, and great victories
in war, he was a very well respected man[RJ6] .
However, the arrival of foreigners also brought a change to the social
hierarchy, as
men who were not respected before could speak as an equal (Because of the
Christian belief that every man is equal.[RJ7]
Achebe displays
how diplomatic the Ibo people are, opposed to the savages that they are thought
to be. When an opposing tribe kills an Ibo citizen, the Ibo people do not react
harshly and create a slaughter. The Ibo people make it a point to be reasonable
in their disagreements, “…it never went to war unless its case was clear and
just…”(Achebe 12). However, when the
missionaries arrive they do not care to investigate the people that they plan
on conquering and instead walk around demanding change. This causes the Ibo
people to change form their peaceful ways and there is unrest among them, where
before all Ibo people were united, under faith and culture.
During Latino Night, [RJ8] the
role of Latinos in shaping this country is also discussed. Oscar Chacon [RJ9] puts
on emphasis on how influential Latinos can be, saying, “…mainly the fact that
Latinos are, you know, the largest minority and the one growing at the fastest
rate…”(Chacon, Oscar. Interview with Tavis Smiley. “Latino Nation: Beyond the
Numbers”. 2013, Web.). Although Latinos are the largest minority, they are not
necessarily a counterweight to society, as many believe. Maria Durazo explains,“Well,
one thing that I think has always been positive not only of Latinos who’ve come
here as immigrants from different parts of Latin America is the contribution
that we give to the economy … we all have this great contribution that was made
to this nation as working people and really boosting the creation of a middle
class…”(Durazo, Maria. Interview with Tavis Smiley. “Latino Nation: Beyond the
Numbers”. 2013, Web.). The speakers at
the panel discussion are used as shining role models to dispel stereotypes
toward Latinos, just as Achebe uses the Ibo people.
- By
partly ceding to stereotypes, Achebe and Smiley become more credible
sources. Achebe’s story of the Ibo people did not leave out the violence
and wrongdoing that took place. If Achebe had only pointed out the good
sides of Ibo society, the argument would be completely biased and lose
credibility. During Latino Night
Jesus Garcia elaborates on why some Latinos do come into this country
illegally, “The reality is, Latinos just want to be Americans. They want
the American dream.” (Garcia, Jesus. Interview with Tavis Smiley. “Latino
Nation: Beyond the Numbers”.2013,Web.). Admitting to wrongdoings as well
as showcasing the best of each group is what made both Achebe’s and
Smiley’s accounts complete.
Both Achebe and
Tavis set out to dissolve stereotypes through education. Achebe’s account of
the Ibo people shows that the Ibo people are very different from what their
stereotypes suggest. The complete story was shown in Things Fall Apart because Achebe also talked about Ibo traits that
were unflattering; not only about the traits that disproved stereotypes. Tavis
Smiley gave important Latinos a voice in his symposium, and they went on to provide
a complete story. As Achebe and Smiley both strove to provide a complete story
of groups that have been stereotyped, they left it in the hands of the people
to best represent themselves.
After reading it, I understood that
you were trying to tell us how those authors dispelled their respective
stereotype. However, the organization, and frankly the lack of an introduction
paragraph, confuses me. Also, when you
referred to your second text in the sixth paragraph as “Latino Night” is threw
me off a bit because I was unaware of the additional text’s name. Nevertheless,
the evidence you provide is informative.
Alfonso Corona
4/6/14
Mrs. Hawkins
English II
D Block
Bibliography
- Interview with Tavis Smiley. “Latino
Nation: Beyond the Numbers”.2013,Web.)
·
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart.
New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.
[RJ1]Not
a book, it’s a novel!
[RJ2]Even
though this is an appropriate quote insertion, it provides little information
in the introduction.
[RJ3]I
don’t know where your thesis is.
[RJ4]Good
job, here , creating ways to talk about both texts at the same
[RJ5]What
does that mean?
[RJ6]Evidence?
[RJ7]This
is a confusing sentence.
[RJ8]Is
this a different text than the one mentioned before?
[RJ9]Who
is this guy?
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