Dissemination of English Culture in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease - Vol. 7 No. 4 - August 2016

Oct 15, 2026

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This paper examines Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease (1960) and its portrayal of how English culture spreads in Nigeria, shaping the life and identity of Obi Okonkwo. The study focuses on the dissemination of English culture and the submission of Nigerian culture to highlight perceived inferiority. Drawing on Edward Said’s Orientalism and Frantz Fanon’s ideas on colonization, it explains how education, religion, and language reshape minds, culture, and identity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

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Pages8

Reading Time12 min

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Abstract

Introduction

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Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 Vol. 7 No. 4; August 2016 Australian International Academic Centre, Australia | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | Flourishing Creativity & Literacy | | | Dissemination of English Culture in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease Bahman Zarrinjooee Faculty of Postgraduate Department of English Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Boroujerd, Iran [E-mail: bahmanzarrinjooee@yahoo.com](E-mail: bahmanzarrinjooee@yahoo.com) Shahla Khatar (Corresponding author) Faculty of Postgraduate Department of English Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Boroujerd, Iran [E-mail: khataar.shahla@gmail.com](E-mail: khataar.shahla@gmail.com) Doi:10 .7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.4p.231 URL: [http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.4p.231](http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.4p.231) Received: 16/04/2016 Accepted: 26/06/2016 Abstract This paper deals with Chinua Achebe’s (1930-2013) No Longer at Ease (1960) which depicts the dissemination of English culture in Nigeria and its effects on the life and identity of Obi Okonkwo, the Western educated male protagonist. The focus of this paper is on the dissemination of English culture and submission of Nigerian culture in order to represent the inferiority of Nigerians. Edward Said’s (1935-2003) attempts regarding Orientalism and Frantz Fanon’s (1925-1961) issues relating inferiority of the indigenous people caused by colonization are used in this paper. The colonisers affect the life, mind, culture, and identity of the colonized through various ways such as education, religion, and language. Such effects cause some cultural transformation and changes in language of the colonized people. Moreover, the colonizer through stereotyping the colonized people assumes them as other. Indeed, the colonizer imposes his/her superiority on the natives who try to assimilate themselves with the colonizer. Achebe in his novel shows how this effort causes some binary relation among the characters. The novel shows the difference between two cultures, and Achebe puts emphasis on the superiority of English culture and depicts how colonialism and Western orientalism produce stereotyped images of Nigerians and Obi as corrupt. Consequently, such features have great impressions on the mind of Nigerians, which results in inferiority complex. Such characteristic invites the Nigerians to follow European’s value and forget their own culture, which is resulted in the rejection of native values. Keywords: Binary Relation, Colonization, Cultural Transformation, Cultural Dissemination, Orientalism, Stereotyping 1. Introduction Albert Chinualumogu Achebe (1930-2013), generally known as Chinua Achebe, was born in Ibo village of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria. Although Achebe’s parents converted to Christianity, but they also admired their traditions. Therefore, his childhood was regarded by rich ambivalence of heritage. He was accepted at the University College in Nigeria on a scholarship. At first, he studied medicine, but he changed it to English-like the protagonist of No Longer at Ease (NLE), Obi. This paper is a review of Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease through the filter of Orientalism. The orientalists’notions about Africa and the colonialist ’s attitude towards Africans are analyzed. In addition, the effect of colonialism and imperialism on the minds of the black characters will be studied and it will be shown how Western orientalist and colonialist education shape the “self image” and identity of the blacks. No Longer at Ease is about a civil servant who is finally corrupted by the corruption of society of Lagos. The protagonist is Obi Okonkwo, a grandson of Achebe’s first protagonist in Things Fall Apart. Obi is struggling against many obstacles. He is trying to live a decent life while he is trying to satisfy his family, his home village, and larger society. Unable to make a balance between his values and

FAQs

What is the paper’s main topic regarding No Longer at Ease?

The paper studies how No Longer at Ease depicts the dissemination of English culture in Nigeria and its effects on Obi Okonkwo’s life and identity.

Which theoretical perspectives are used to analyze colonization and cultural identity?

The analysis relies on Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism and Frantz Fanon’s discussion of how colonization produces feelings of inferiority and altered self-image.

How does the paper explain the cultural changes caused by colonizers?

It argues that colonizers influence the colonized through education, religion, and language, leading to cultural transformation, changes in language, and stereotyping that drives assimilation.

Oct 15, 2026

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