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Dead Men's Path Analysis

(1) The story is set in 1949 and explores the conflict between tradition and modernity in a Nigerian village. (2) Michael Obi, the newly appointed headmaster, wants to modernize the local school but faces resistance from the village priest who wants to preserve local customs. (3) Their disagreement over Obi's plan to close the ancestral village path to build a new school building comes to symbolize the larger clash between Western influences and traditional African ways of life.

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188 views

Dead Men's Path Analysis

(1) The story is set in 1949 and explores the conflict between tradition and modernity in a Nigerian village. (2) Michael Obi, the newly appointed headmaster, wants to modernize the local school but faces resistance from the village priest who wants to preserve local customs. (3) Their disagreement over Obi's plan to close the ancestral village path to build a new school building comes to symbolize the larger clash between Western influences and traditional African ways of life.

Uploaded by

chaimaa.bouyadda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Extensive Reading

“Attempting to force radical change is a fool’s errand. One must let it happen naturally”

Dead men’s path by Chinua Achebe

Vocabulary:

-Condemnation: the act of saying that something or someone is very bad and
unacceptable.
-Denigration: the action of unfairly criticizing someone or something.
-Outspoken
-Superannuation
-set the fashion in everything - insisted upon -the usual exchange of cordialities
-shrug of the shoulders. -walking with a slight stoop
-thoroughfare
-burdensome

Setting:
Emotional setting: stable and joyful at the beginning but at the same time
there was a palpable disquiet in the room, a sense that something was about to
give way.
Physical setting: Ndume Central School in January 1949. First published
in 1953, the story is set in 1949 and shows the social conflict between modernity
and tradition.

Characters’ sketches:
Obi: The main character and the protagonist of the story, young,
enthusiastic and arrogant. He believes extremely in the correctness of modernity.
recently appointed headmaster, passionate for modern methods. Highly
educated. Frail but energetic penetrative look. Recently appointed as headmaster
in Ndume central school; Obi is excited to put his ideas into practice.
Nancy: A prideful and egotistical person. She is Obi’s young wife. And
she is influenced by his passion for modern methods. She is the stereotypical
character of the naive wife who lives under the shadow of her husband.

The priest: The village’s priest. A man of wisdom. Friendly and


straightforward. He respects Obi’s divergent perspective, yet remains resolute in
his convictions.

Character Foil:

In Chinua Achebe's short story "Dead Men's Path," the character Michael Obi,
the headmaster, and the village priest can be seen as character foils. Michael
Obi is depicted as a young, educated, and idealistic individual who is eager to
bring modern Western education to the village and improve the school's
reputation. He represents progress and change. In contrast, the village priest is a
traditionalist who strongly adheres to the customs and beliefs of the community.
He opposes the changes Michael Obi wants to implement, particularly the
alteration of the ancestral path, and he serves as a guardian of the village's
traditions. The two characters embody opposing perspectives: one symbolizes
the clash between modernity and tradition, while the other represents the
preservation of cultural heritage. Their differing attitudes and approaches create
conflict and serve to highlight the central theme of the story.

Themes: Cultural heritage, Education, colonization, superstition, religion,


modernization and tradition.

Conflict: The conflict is external. It’s person vs person. Explicitly; it's between
Obi and the priest about closing the footpath. Implicitly, it’s about the cultural
clash between western modernity embodied by Obi and his passion for modern
methods. And traditional African customs and beliefs manifested in the priest and
the village community convictions about the path. The conflict arises as these two
worldviews collide.

Point of view: Third person omniscient, the narrator knows all the thoughts
and feelings of all the characters in the story.
Symbolism:
The Ancestral Path: The ancestral path symbolizes the villagers' connection to
their history, traditions, and ancestors. It is a representation of the past and their
cultural heritage. The conflict over the path becomes symbolic of the clash
between traditional values and Western education. the fact that the path is used
by the new born babies too denotes that the future is just an extension of the
past in that village; as kids have to follow the practice of their fathers.

The School: The school is a symbol of change, modernity, and Western


influence. Michael Obi's efforts to improve the school and the subsequent conflict
symbolize the tensions between traditional African ways of life and the influence
of Western education.

The Village Priest: The village priest represents the custodian of traditional
beliefs and practices. His opposition to the changes in the village, especially the
desecration of the ancestral path, symbolizes the resistance to outside influences
and the desire to protect the community's heritage.

The Flowers: The flowers planted by Michael Obi's wife are a symbol of the clash
between beauty and function. The flowers, while aesthetically pleasing,
inadvertently cause damage to the village's crops. This symbolizes the
unintended consequences of the headmaster's well-intentioned but misguided
actions.

Overall, the symbols in "Dead Men's Path" are used to illustrate the themes of
tradition vs. modernity, the clash of cultures, and the consequences of failing to
respect local customs when implementing change.

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