Chinua Achebe has produced noteworthy work in not only his novels, but also stories, poetry, and essays. In one of his best-known novels, Things Fall Apart, the main focus is a struggle between the traditional clan society and the effects of British colonialism on a small Nigerian village.
             The pre-colonial Ibo society is far from primitive as one might think. Rather, it has a developed economic system, a complex social grouping, and a rich oral tradition. They have an advanced system of agricultural production. Social status and influence depend on multiple factors. A person's wealth, demonstrated by the number of wives and children he can support, is one factor.
             The Ibo people in Things Fall Apart are not blood- thirsty, savages like the Europeans portray them to be. Instead they are extremely religious. Their religious beliefs influence every part of their lives. Their beliefs explain and give meaning to their lives, much like Christian beliefs explain and give meaning to Christians lives.
             The civilized men move in and appear to have no respect for the traditions and culture of the natives. They took over everything and left nothing for the Ibo people. They threw people in jail and didn't tell them what they did wrong. They forgot that the Ibo's have feelings to.
             Although there were many downfalls to the colonial man coming in and changing things there were also many positive points about it. The missionaries had set up a school to teach young Christians to read and write. Ultimately, Achebe wants to show that the natives were not this uncultured, uncivilized group of people, but that they could use improvement in many areas of their lives. He shows that both cultures have their own ways and does not set one apart from the other. In his view of the traditional, the natives are not underdeveloped because they are different; they are simply different.
             ...