An 8 page essay that addresses this short story by Achebe. Roughly the first three pages of this paper are a research proposal that discusses the essay and what it will address. The remainder of the paper is the essay which looks at Achebe's short story "Dead Men's Path," which tells the narrative of a young, diligent educator, Michael Obi, who is appointed to be headmaster at Ndume Central School. Examination of this story shows the influence that Western, so-called "modern ideas" have had on Obi, which demonstrates the influence of colonialism. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
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of African life and the lingering influence of European colonialism (Loveday 1). His writing frequently reflects Achebes deeply felt sense of responsibility in regards to educating Africas youth in the
ways of traditional African cultures, particularly the native Igbo culture of Nigeria. This brief biographical information offers the reader insight into Achebes short story "Dead Mens Path," which addresses the
influence of Western, so-called "modern" forces on the career of an educator, Michael Obi. Sources on Achebe indicate clearly the focus that the legacy of colonialism has had in
his work. In 1958, his first and most famous novel, Things Fall Apart, focused on the Igbo tribe and the cultural conflicts that arose with colonization of Nigeria by the
British (Loveday 1). Since that time, the colonization of Africa by Europeans has been an ongoing theme in Achebes work. According to Loveday, the goal of Achebes orientation and his
work was to offer counterpoint to the erroneous stereotypes offered by British writers (Loveday 2). Furthermore, it is clear from this short story that Achebes also considers the effects that
Western ideas and influence has had on Nigerians, such as Obi. Considering this, the question arises as to what message is Achebe conveying about colonialism in his short story
"Dead Mens Path." It seems at first glance to be a very straightforward tale. However, as one critic points out, "In the post-Foucauldian era, the innocence of all discourse is
suspect, especially patriarchal, racist and colonial western discourse" (Bhattacharji 1). This observation refers to the insightful political philosophy of Michel Foucault who has written extensively on the relationship between societal
power and knowledge. According to Bhattacharji, Achebe falls into the category of "all African genius," who were "proselytized and educated in the model schools" that have been referred to as
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