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An African Tragedy

In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is a tragic hero. Aristotle’s Poetics defines a Tragic Hero as a good man of high status who displays a tragic flaw (“hamartia�) and experiences a dramatic reversal (“peripeteia�), as well as an intense moment of recognition (“anagnorisis�). Okonkwo is a leader and hardworking member of the Igbo community of Umuofia whose tragic flaw is his great fear of weakness and failure. Okonkwo’s fall from grace in the Igbo community and eventual suicide, makes Okonkwo a tragic hero by Aristotle’s definition.
Okonkwo is “a man of action, a man of war� (7) and a member of high status in the Igbo village. He holds the prominent position of village clansman due to the fact that he had “shown incredible prowess in two intertribal wars� (5). Okonkwo’s hard work had made him a “wealthy farmer� (5) and a recognized individual amongst the nine villages of Umuofia and beyond. Okonkwo’s......

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Approximate Word Count: 975
Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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