In part two, we see two different missionaries, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith, with very different approaches to sharing the gospel.
Briefly describe each one, highlighting the differences between them. Knowing that Achebe was a Christian, raised by a father in the ministry, what do you think he was trying to accomplish with these two characters? If you think they could be a metaphor for something larger, explain your thoughts.
In "Things Fall Apart", the missionaries, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith, are incredibly distinct and polar opposites. Mr. Brown took a very "Christ-like" approach. He held his ground when needed, but learned from the tribe and tried to find a common ground. He helped them with education and protection, and learned how to help them best by listening to their culture and traditions. Mr. Smith was different. Smith was bound and determined to do things violently because he say the tribe as "savage" and one that needed to be civilized.
ReplyDeleteI think Achebe was trying to show the different approaches to ministry: love and force. Typically in Christian ministry people have a hard time separating the idea of sin with sinners. They don't understand that you are supposed to love people, not what they do. When colonization was taking place, this idea was lost and religion was forced onto tribes instead of being voluntary.
I agree with your post. Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith are distinct opposites and explain the different approaches to ministry. Mr. Brown is an example of love, while Mr. Smith is an example of force.
DeleteI also agree that this idea was lost during colonization, a person who uses fear to get someone to concur with their beliefs isn't going to show the concept of their religion nor are they going to get many people who truly believe.
DeleteMr. Brown was a much kinder missionary than Mr. Smith because he treated everyone equally and graciously whereas Mr. Smith condemned everyone who refused his teachings. Mr. Brown always did what he could to make Christianity look like the desirable alternative and Mr. Smith was much crueler towards the natives, not keeping in mind that this was their first exposure to a religion other than their own; Mr. Brown was very conscious of that.
ReplyDeleteAchebe, in my opinion, used the missionary's plot as a device to explore both the point of view of the people being converted as well as demonstrating the different types of Christians doing the converting. Achebe being a Christian knew very well that not all Christians are Mr. Brown's and there are frequently Mr. Smith's present attempting to force their corrupted ideas of truth on the rest of the world.
Emma~
DeleteI completely agree with your thoughts regarding the differences between Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith. Unfortunately, often times Christian get a bad rap because of people like Mr. Smith who force their personal beliefs on others with no respect.
Achebe uses a lot of symbolism through this novel. I too agree that he uses these missionaries to explore different perspectives.
I think it is also showing the two perspectives on the colonization. Some thought that the conversions were genuine, as shown with Mr. Brown. Others thought that they were being forced, as Mr. Smith was doing.
DeleteIn part II of "Things Fall Apart" we see two different missionaries, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith, with very different views in regards to sharing the gospel. Mr. Brown is the first white missionary to travel to Umuofia while Mr. Smith replaces him later on. Mr. Brown seeks to demonstrate the heart of Christ in reaching out to these villages. He institutes a policy of compromise, understanding, and non-aggression between his flock and the clan. Brown desires to find a common ground with the people first. He models the saying that you cannot share the truth with someone until they know that you love them.
ReplyDeleteMr. Smith on the other hand, is very forceful and condemning in his approach to sharing the gospel. He is very 'hot-headed' and concerns himself only with his own desires and pride. Many times he intentionally provokes the congregation. The heart of a minister should resemble the acts of Christ- walking all things out in a peaceable manner and with love and respect.
Knowing that Achebe was a Christian, raised by a father in the ministry, I think he used these missionaries to bring to light the stark differences between walking out in the Spirit and walking in the flesh. Achebe's purpose in writing this novel was to reveal the truth about African culture and religion. These missionaries just serve to further demonstrate the truth that Achebe sought to illustrate.
I really like what your wrote, Lindsey. Your explanation is excellent. You are right, these two characters show the difference between walking in the Spirit vs. in the flesh. I wonder how Mr. Smith was chosen to replace Mr. Brown. His doctrine is even wrong. His character is truly ironic. If he does not love and care for the people, why is he a missionary? Shouldn't he be helping people, rather than kicking them out of the church? And, why does he try to solve his problem with the natives by going to the governing authority that they do not like? It is almost as if he wants to ruin the church.
DeleteVery true Lindsy, Mr. Smith was a strong contrast to the gospel he came to preach.
DeleteMr. Brown and Mr. Smith were extreme opposites. Mr. Brown was very kind and treated people equally. He put himself in their shoes and realized what they are going through. Mr. Smith was more cruel towards the natives and did not think about what could be going through these first timers' minds. Smith was more violent an Brown was more gracious.
ReplyDeleteI think Achebe tried to show the different ways you can approach ministry. There is the "Mr. Brown way" and the "Mr. Smith way", otherwise known as with care and kindness, or with force and violence. The author used the device of point of view to show the different people who are being converted and their point of view.
I agree with the overall concept of your post that Achebe was showing different sides of the same goal, but I tend to think that he came from a point of view that dealt with imperialism more the different kinds of religious people and missionaries. Still, that's a really important point you made about the different sides of ministry and a very insightful analysis.
DeleteI agree with with your idea that Achebe is showing to paths to the same goal, by having two characters that approach the situation entirely differently.
DeleteMr. Brown and Mr. Smith are polar opposites. Mr. Brown's character was kind and sympathetic, not treating the villagers with ill respect, and he tried to talk to the villagers about his religion, not imposing or forcing them to follow his customs and his God. Mr. Smith, on the other hand, is strict and harsh, he demands that the village people convert to what he believes, and shows no respect for these people or what they believe.
ReplyDeleteI think by including these two character, Achebe was trying to show imperialism in it's different forms. The kind of imperialism Smith represents is the kind that unfortunately, from what I know of history, is the more common kind. Europeans treated people in different cultures from them like dirt, disrespected their beliefs, and imposed their culture and religion on them. Smith however, represents a better face, he attempts to convert the villagers respectfully and peacefully, and acts as somewhat of a missionary, he represents what imperialists thought they were doing. Imperialists believed they were helping the cultures and people they came in contact with, which was far from the truth.
Mr. Brown is very much liked and respected by those from the village and those from the surrounding villages (ch. 21, p. 178-179). He actively engages in debate with Akunna (179). He also meets with every family and encourages education (181). He showed that "religion and education went hand in hand" (182). Mr. Brown genuinely loved each villager and only wanted the best for them.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Mr. Smith wants to end the ignorance of the new Christians, but ironically takes Scripture out of context (Ch. 22; p. 184). He is even quick to suspend a church member for sticking to an old belief (p. 185). Mr. Smith can actually be blamed for the destruction of the church building. Instead of holding "over-zealous converts" back like Mr. Brown did, Mr. Smith encourages them (184). This encouragement only creates tension between the village and the Christians that leads to the burning of the church building.
Instead of having a genuine concern for each individual like Mr. Brown, Mr. Smith hurts the ignorant converts and encourages the foolish ones. Instead of building bridges between the church and the village, Mr. Smith burns them. Mr. Smith ends up hurting the church instead of helping it.
Ultimately, Achebe shows the danger of missionaries who lack love. He also uses them as a metaphor for the dangers of the selfish foreigners who care nothing about the native people: foreigners who lack love for others.
I agree. Like how Achebe uses Okonkwo as a foil to Ibo society's beliefs, Mr. Brown is a contrasting foil to Mr. Smith's methods, that of which many Europeans follow after as they don't consider the African people amongst their equals.
DeleteOn the other hand, I appreciate that you added reference points.
Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith are opposites. Mr. Brown tried to understand the natives and their way of life so that he could make his religion apply and matter to the locals. Mr. Smith did not care for the natives or their ways of life, and stuck to his own understanding of his gospel. These two missionaries show what the colonization should have been like, but ultimately was. I think it also shows how the colonizer's home country was different. The two different missionaries showed how they differed in faith, but the colonization was proof that they were united in government and culture. While the natives were united in faith, there were many points in the story where the government and culture varied from tribe to tribe.
ReplyDeleteThe differences between Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith is their interpretation, and execution, especially in regards to religion. We can say that Mr. Brown takes a pacifistic approach, while Mr. Smith's approach is more like "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Mr. Brown likes to connect with the people he preaches to. Mr. Smith, on the other hand, forces his views on them. Mr. Brown respects the Ibo society's culture. Mr. Smith is strict, in which he turns it into two choices, either to completely believe or not believe at all. Mr. Brown likes to think of the Niger villagers as equals. Mr. Smith looks down on them like many Americans. Mr. Brown takes a more evangelist approach, while Mr. Smith comes down on the villagers like a Medieval Crusader.
ReplyDeleteMr. Brown and Mr. Smith have completely different ways of integrating the new religion into the clan. Mr. Brown is the first to come, and treats the native people with respect and has an understanding of their situation, therefore he is patient with them. He willingly learns about their culture and advocates for peace between the white and Igbo men. Using this method of kindness, he is able to get more people to listen to him and try to absorb his message.
ReplyDeleteMr. Smith, on the other hand, who replaces Mr. Brown, has a very different way of going about things. He is harsh and disrespectful toward their rituals and customs. He is unable to see the good in their religion, and forces his own Christianity upon people, adamantly claiming they must be one or the other and there is no in-between. He is not open-minded, as Mr. Brown was and does have any compassion as Mr. Brown did.
I believe Achebe was trying to demonstrate the different ways of teaching people religion, and how some do it more lovingly and others are less forgiving and more pushy.
Mr. Brown is a kind man, he is soft and gently but not in a weak way. He shows love to the natives by respecting their culture and treats them as equals.
ReplyDeleteMr. Smith is a hard man that interprets righteousness as following the letter of the law, he has good intentions but goes about things all wrong. Instead of respecting the people he is a harsh judge does not try and work within their society.
The author used these two ministers as a contrast for the ways that people can share the gospel, and the way that religion is taught. Both men practiced the same religion but were vastly different in approach.
Mr. Smith is more harsh and not very respectful. He forces himself and his religion onto other people. He claims that people cannot be in between they have to be either all in or all out. He is very close minded.
ReplyDeleteMr. Brown is a lot kinder than Mr. Smith. He is soft and gentle in his ways that make people enjoy him and think that maybe what he believes in isn't so bad.
Achebe is showing the different ways you can teach people things.
Mr. Brown was the one who played the kind role. He was gentle and patient with who he preached to. He shows love to the natives by respecting their culture and treats them as equals. He is able to get more people to listen to him and try to practice the message he sharing with them.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Mr. Smith is less kind. He isn't really prudent with his actions. What he preaches isn't what he practices. He can confuse both himself at times and his followers.