"Now that he had time to think of it, his son’s crime stood out in its stark enormity. To abandon the gods of one’s father and go about with a lot of effeminate men clucking like old hens was the very depth of abomination. Suppose when he died all his male children decided to follow Nwoye’s steps and abandon their ancestors? Okonkwo felt a cold shudder run through him at the terrible prospect, like the prospect of annihilation. He saw himself and his fathers crowding round their ancestral shrine waiting in vain for worship and sacrifice and finding nothing but ashes of bygone days, and his children the while praying to the white man's god" (Achebe 153).
Part I - According to the text(s), what effect did imperialism have on people who lived through it?
In this excerpt, Okonkwo fears that his family’s Ibo beliefs will be vanished by the influence and imperialism of the white men. There are many effects of imperialism in in the Ibo families. For example, Okonkwo believes that his views and his culture will make him an ancestor. However, this is tested as the white men convert his son, Nwoye, into Christianity. Another effect of imperialism is how the white men instantly expunge past traditions that were ancient to the Ibo culture. Okonkwo feels immediately betrayed and disrespected by his own children.
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