Moral Values American and African Literature in Post Colonial Era

Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” was published in 1958. The late Achebe (1930-2013) was a renowned Nigerian writer whose literal works has shaped African literature to a great extent. The setting of the story is in a small fictional village Umuofia, on the outskirts of Nigeria (Shea, 24). The story depicts the way of life of the Nigerians in this village before the coming of white missionaries into their land. The villagers are not able to prepare on the sudden cultural change as they had not expected the white visitors (Shea, 32). The novel offers a highly realistic and moving account of the African societies in the colonial times. It also explains the plight of Africans in ruling themselves after the end of colonialism. The novel also shows the plight of many Africans after the end of colonialism.

This is underpinned by the fact that colonial masters still hold an upper hand in making crucial decisions affecting the people. On the other hand, Harriet Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” helps the readers see the need for love for people. On the one hand, there are those in support of it as a way of improving the economies of regions that upheld it. On the other hand, other authors such as Harriet Stowe reveal the horrific nature of life under slavery in the south, something that was not the case in the north. According to the author, it was inhumane for the states in the south to subject Africans, which are fellow humans to such conditions of life. From this understanding, the research seeks to examine the extent to which these writers made an influence in the post-colonial era.

It is evident that with time, a lot has been achieved in improving human freedoms and the ability to live as they expect. At the same time, through literature, it is always possible to articulate different worlds in stories in a way that gives voice to the diverse subjective and collective truths emerging from them. Literature is credited for providing the historical and social conditions that have given way for the particular forms of representation. The colonial times in Africa and the United States were a time when the colonial masters held the citizens captive. They forced them to work under harsh conditions and used their efforts to enrich themselves. In some cases such as Africa, the Africans were forced to abandon their culture and adopt the way of life of their colonial masters, particularly from Europe.

This understanding made it hard for the two parties to achieve common grounds over several matters. In the end, the whites had to impose themselves on the locals, forcing them to accept their way of life while abandoning their cultures. In America, the end of colonialism was expected to usher in a time of freedom for the people that and endured a harsh life under the colonial masters. However, there was a transformation into something that had been unprecedented, slavery. Achebe and Stowe explanation of these events play an important role in influencing meaningful change in society. Inasmuch as the war claimed the lives of many, it changed the history of Americans, ending slavery and bringing a new phase of life where everyone was considered to be an equal and guaranteed stake in the American Dream.

According to Bloom, Stowe made the understanding that love should be extended to the states of the South and that all Africans under slavery should be allowed to walk into freedom (75). This is was the path of post-slavery life. In Africa, Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” blames the missionaries for having changed their tune from spreading Christianity to undermining the rights of fellow human beings (Shea 61). What seems right in the traditional culture of the Igbo people is disqualified by the missionaries. In the end, the people are conquered and made to submit under the rule of the British Christian missionaries. It is worth noting that the success of white missionaries begins a new era of colonialism and harsh rule. However, the end of colonialism means that the Africans have to embrace the new culture of the Europeans.

“Things Fall Apart” details the life of an individual that was raised under the colonial times. Achebe writes in reply to the European writers in the post-colonial era, pointing at how they had taken so much time misrepresenting Africa in the way they reported the lives of Africans. Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” and Harriet Stowe’s “uncle tom's cabin” remain some of the important pieces whose moral lessons shared the way of life in the post-colonial era. So far, much has been achieved in Africa and America as a result of the moral lessons depicted by these and other literal works they have done in the past. Works Cited Bloom Harold. Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Infobase Publishing.