Things Fall Apart, Chapter 1-2, You Must Choose
"An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between war on the one hand, and on the other the offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation. Umuofia was feared by all its neighbors. It was powerful in war and in magic, and its priests and medicine men were feared in all the surrounding country" (Achebe 11).
Prompt Part II- How is imperialismencouraged by patriotism, religion, &/or a sense of cultural/
racial superiority in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart / the past?
The Mbaino tribe had just killed a woman from the Umuofia tribe, the Umuofia tribe wanted to avenge their lost daughter's life through their superiority and patriotism. To show how much more power they have over the Mbaino tribe they gave them an ultimatum of going to war with them which they probably would not win or sacrifice a young male and a virgin to pay back for their indiscretion. This shows the Umuofia's power and influence through military force with their superiority because they clearly frighten the other tribes with their strength in war and if the Mbaino tribe decides to go to war with Umuofia they would most likely lose. But on the other hand Umuofia is saddened by the loss of one of their daughter's so they show remorse to the Mbaino tribe by allowing them to choose to either go to war with them or to bring them a young male and a virgin to replace the daughter that the Umuofia lost. These factors shows how much more imperial power the Umuofia tribe has over the Mbaino tribe.
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