Images of Africans in Things Fall Apart and Heart of DarknessIn my reading of Things Fall Apart, it better informed me of a culture that I didn't know. before, and my reading helped me correct some misconceptions I previously had about the people and their cultures of Africa. Reading the novel also gave me another perspective on the effects of European imperialism/colonialism on Africans. I believe that Achebe succeeded in giving the West the opportunity to "listen to the weak" (Achebe interview), but whether or not Western society decides to listen will depend on the individual within society - if he chooses to do so. listen to the call of the “weak”. In this essay, I will share the realizations I gained from reading Achebe's novel and how I came to perceive the Igbo and African people and not so different as I had previously thought. The distinct writing style that Achebe used to tell his novel led me, as a reader, to feel as if I was a tribesman of the Igbo people. This different perspective, rather than being an outsider interested in the people, led me to understand that the Igbos are a people with strong beliefs, culture and identity. An example of their identity is the description of one of their dwellings, more precisely the Okonkwo compound; it is described as a “large enclosure surrounded by a thick wall of red earth” and we read further of Okonkwo's barn for yams and shed for his goats (1429). The Igbo people are obviously agrarian, and led me to ask the question: how different are they from us? My answer is that there isn't much difference. From my experience -- my father grew up on a farm -- I see striking similarities between us and them... middle of paper ... the people of Umuofia could not have predicted, at Except for the oracle, that they fell because of the white man and his religion, but I believe we can deduce some reasons why they fell and apply them to our own society. In conclusion, I really enjoyed Achebe's novel and liked the contrast between it and Conrad's work from Heart of Darkness. I believe there are times when, to see the extremes of something, you have to compare it to its opposite extreme. As a former moderate in his beliefs about colonialism and those who proselytize others, I now realize the disastrous impact these actions can have on a naive or vulnerable culture, and I now disagree with these practices. Finally, I listen to “the call of the weak” because I hear the gentle but powerful voice that says: “We are also a people…” and I know the truth of the message.!