Topic > "Dead Man's Path" by Chinua Achebe

This story by Chinua Achebe presents the conflict between worldviews and value systems. Dead Man's Path is set in Nigeria in 1949. It is about a man named Michael Obi who is the new, enthusiastic and sincere principal of an underprivileged and disadvantaged school. This story explores the effects of European customs and beliefs on traditional African culture. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned ". original essay Michael Obi is the new principal of Ndume Central School. The Mission authorities selected him for the job because they wanted a "young, energetic man" to administer it. Michael is a twenty-six-year-old married man. His wife, of Name Nancy, she is slightly selfish but still very kind and caring towards her husband: "For a few minutes she became skeptical about the new school, but it was only for a few minutes. Her little personal misfortune could blind her husband's happy prospects. "Michael is a very passionate person with many ideas that could help transform the school. He believes in modernization and transformation of old beliefs. He seems to have been 'infected' by European customs. The word 'infected' is used, since in African culture it could be considered bad to believe in modern methods: "In their two years of married life she had been completely infected by his passion for 'modern methods'." Michael had two goals for the school: a high standard of education for the children and that the school complex be transformed into a place of beauty. He also decided what kind of teachers should be employed in the school. He chose that all the teachers would be young and unmarried time, effort and energy to their work and would not be distracted by other commitments and people. His wife Nancy was against this idea as she wanted teachers to marry so that other wives could "envy his position" and " it would define fashion in everything." This is a key example of Michael's wife's self-centeredness. Michael managed to transform the school grounds into a place of beauty. One day, while admiring his work, he saw an elderly woman walking along a disused path that ran through the school complex. This annoyed Michael and he asked a member of his staff about it. He found that this route is apparently very important and blessed as it connects the village shrine to the cemetery. Michael was very altruistic at that time and decided to close the street, as in a few days a "white inspector" was coming to visit the school. Michael felt that the school could not be used as a "passenger". the path was closed and blocked with barbed wire. A few days later the village priest went to see the headmaster. The priest talked with Michael for a while. He wanted Michael to lead the way again. One gets the impression from the priest that he is a very frail, elderly man who does not wish to start an argument, but simply convey his opinion and thoughts to Michael. The priest believed that the path was very sacred as "our dead relatives leave and our ancestors visit us". This is a key example of traditionalist values: the path is ancient and sacred and dates back a long time; it is of great importance to the village as it is a link between dead relatives and the village shrine. Michael responds to the priest with a "satisfied smile" on his face. He tells the priest that the whole idea of ​​a "dead man's path", is exactly what he is teaching the children not to believe. Michael believes the whole idea of ​​a dead man's path is.