Civil peace is a short story written by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe in 1971. The story takes place in a small village in Nigeria shortly after the Nigerian Civil War. The main character, Jonathan Iwegbu, is a man who has survived the war and is now trying to rebuild his life and make a living. Despite the difficulties he faces, Jonathan is determined to live in peace and avoid any further conflict.
One of the themes of the story is the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation in the aftermath of war. Jonathan is a man who has suffered greatly during the conflict and has lost many loved ones. However, he refuses to let his anger and resentment consume him. Instead, he works hard to rebuild his life and make a living, and he is willing to forgive those who have wronged him in the past. This is exemplified in the way that he handles the thief who steals his bike. Rather than seeking revenge or trying to punish the thief, Jonathan simply buys a new bike and moves on with his life.
Another theme of the story is the importance of resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Despite the many challenges he faces, Jonathan remains optimistic and determined to make a better life for himself and his family. He is willing to work hard and take risks in order to succeed, and he refuses to be discouraged by setbacks or failures.
A third theme of the story is the value of peace and the dangers of violence. Throughout the story, Jonathan is determined to live in peace and avoid any further conflict. He recognizes that violence and conflict bring only destruction and suffering, and he is determined to do whatever he can to avoid it. This is exemplified in the way that he handles the thief who steals his bike, as well as in the way that he deals with the soldiers who come to his house looking for his stolen rifle. In both cases, Jonathan chooses to resolve the situation peacefully rather than resorting to violence.
In conclusion, "Civil Peace" is a powerful and thought-provoking story that highlights the importance of forgiveness, resilience, and peace in the aftermath of war. It is a reminder that even in the face of great adversity, it is possible to find hope and rebuild one's life.
Short Story Analysis Civil Peace Essay Example
Yakubu Danjuma Gowon in power. Some assignments come with a short deadline that requires you to leave everything you are doing to complete them. The next morning, neighbors visit to express their sympathy. The end of the story is also interesting as Achebe continues to explore the theme of optimism. Indeed nothing puzzles God! Reference is made to British products like Biro pens or Bournvita drinks. He finally does so, only to be awakened by violent pounding on the front door.
In both the countryside and the city, the Iwegbus carry out business dealings. This payment - which is "like Christmas for him and many others" - is known as an ex-gratia award, or an award given not out of legal obligation, but as a gift. A Separate Peace Character Analysis Essay 769 Words 4 Pages A loving friend turns murderer after his retched jealousness and overanalyzing pushes him to new lows. He overcame many challenges because he was determined to provide for his family. That comes to a surprised for him because some men come back and their whole family has been killed. You are free to use any of the samples provided here to write your paper with proper citation. Characters 'Change In The Novel A Separate Peace' 1178 Words 5 Pages In literature, mostly all of the central characters undergo a meaningful change because of a choice he or she made.
As a child, Achebe learned Igbo stories and read European literature. Jonathan had no recourse but to pay the man the two pounds as there was nobody he could report the stealing of his bike to. The Biafran capital of Enugu fell to federal troops in October 1967. Achebe personalizes Jonathan's tragedy through details that surface despite Jonathan's optimistic outlook. If the thieves represent the same forces that Jonathan faced during the war, then he reacts to their disappearance in the same way he acted after it: he gets back to work.
At the end of the Civil War, his bike is kept safe and he is able to sell, and then afford a taxi drive back to Enugu to search for his home. They called it since few could manage its proper official name egg-rasher. This passage also gives some indication of who the thieves might be. This could be important as Achebe could be using the mine to mirror or symbolize the difficulties that one can occur through civil war or any type of war. Altering from the historical ancient and modern analysis, the poet is depicted lamenting that the heroic nature in the Contemporary America has been eroded. Today: In 2000, about 74 babies per 1,000 live births in Nigeria die. So Jonathan's family would have most certainly been immersed by the war, the men possibly enlisted to fight as 'rebels', or all surviving as refugees.
He is happy to come out of it alive with his wife, his bike, and three out of four of his children; one child has died. But moments later the thief and his gang begin to mock Jonathan and his family by imitating their calls for help—and it becomes clear that no help is coming. You are not able to complete your assignments because of a health issue. This passage also demonstrates the continued breakdown of structures of authority through the confusion and delay in receiving the money. I say, let egg-rasher perish in the flames! He stops thinking about it and instead of being upset because of the death of his child, he is happy for everyone that has survived.
Authority, in this instance represented by the government-owned coal mine, proves unreliable in the post-war period; the mine is closed indefinitely, and information is not forthcoming. The second half reflects almost everything established about that world through the climactic encounter. Along with heavy military casualties, perhaps as many as one million civilians died during the war, many the result of severe malnutrition. Of course, the government's minimal assistance might reflect its deliberate disinterest in the Igbo people who lived in the state's Southeastern region. The English here is substantially different from that used by Jonathan and the narrator. Stephanie is very inexperienced and receives help from a professional bounty hunter, Ranger.
Chinua Achebe was raised in the Igbo culture in Nigeria, which emphasizes oral storytelling and memorized proverbs. The truth is, we do this confidentially and we ensure that you download the completed paper from your account. They find the family already hard at work preparing for the day - Jonathan strapping a wine jug to his bike, Maria cooking breakfast cakes, and his son cleaning old wine bottles. In the face of such difficulties, Gowon came to increasingly depend on a small group of advisers. In his final address, Jonathan expresses once again the central conflict of the story, that between grief and persistence. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates.
Short Story Analysis: Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe
The West, iconized by its Cowboys, gunfights, and horses in the years that followed the Civil War, made its way to the silver screen as one of the first genres of movies to be produced. Your assignment is in good hands if the writer assigned to work on it is well trained, and with over 3-7 years experience. Gene Forrester is a relatable ever changing, humanistic, and someone who is always in contention. Similarly, the family hears their machine gun, but never sees it. Jonathan would have been willing to give up the bike, despite its value to him, but he was suspicious of the soldier who was trying to take it.
After he falls asleep, he is suddenly awakened by someone knocking on the front door. Jonathans character is a great use of conflict supportation, but his character also enhances the plot, which in the end directly reflects the main theme. Why, because you are busy! This limited point of view, however, does not share how the rest of the Iwegbu family regard their new life and the hard work that it requires. I would try to do hard labour keeping faith in God for the welfare of my relatives. He becomes good friends with a boy named Phineas, Finny for short.
Sample English Essay Paper on Civil Peace Character Analysis: Jonathan
If anything with war comes lawlessness. Eventually, Jonathan returns to the city of Enugu, where he and his family had lived before the war and is surprised and delighted to find that their small house is still intact, despite the destruction throughout the city. Additionally, the Nigerian bank refused to issue more than a pittance amount of new currency to former Biafrans, regardless of how much money they had before the war. While we accept unlimited revisions requests from you, we understand that they are time consuming and therefore, ensure that instructions are followed to avoid this scenario. The last date is today's date — the date you are citing the material.
