Discussion Questions
- What is the authors attitude towards Michael and his wife Nancy?
- In the end, the school is the “ruins of his work.” Why has this happened? What is Chinua Achebe suggesting with this ending to the story?
- How is the path used as a symbol in the story?
Thesis
An analysis of the British colonization of Nigeria reveals that education was used as a tool in an attempt to improve the lives of citizens yet destroyed African culture by establishing the foundations for a modern world.
“People go to Africa and confirm what they already have in their heads and so they fail to see what is there in front of them. This is what people have come to expect. It's not viewed as a serious continent. It's a place of strange, bizarre and illogical things, where people don't do what common sense demands.” -Chinua Achebe
Conflict
- Cultural conflict between British government and traditional Nigerian beliefs led to a revolution
"Dead Men's Path"
by Chinua Achebe
Colonial Period in Nigeria
MaryLynn Eddington
- Around 1850-1960
- British came to Africa in order to ensure an efficient exploitation of Nigeria’s resources in order to benefit the British Finance industry
- Nigeria was economically very important to the British because of its natural resources
- British had no respect for Nigeria's traditions and culture
- More than 250 tribes lived in the area and had their own histories and philosophies
- British wanted to destroy corruption and bring structure to Nigeria for their own benefit but failed
- Education was used as a tool to further dominate and oppress Nigerians
- "Things fall apart" another story by Chinua Achebe deals with the colonial conquest of Igbo society
Colonial Education in Nigeria
- First form of Western education in Nigeria was lead by the missionaries
- They used the schools as a means of converting the people to Christianity
- British used education as a tool to cultivate religious and cultural domination in Nigeria
- Colonial education was also designed to undermine confidence, patriotism of the educated elites in the country, in their culture, language and religion
- Western Education ultimately alienated the Nigerian's from their cultural roots