What Is Chi? Explain The Importance Of Chi In Shaping Okonkwo's Destiny.

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What Is Chi? Explain The Importance Of Chi In Shaping Okonkwo's Destiny.

2 Answers

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Answer 1

Chi is a type of Chinese medicine which has been developed for hundreds of years. Basically the Chinese believe that the organs within our bodies, interact with each other on an holistic level despite them being individual organs. With that in mind Chi aims to help you if you are having trouble with one particular organ in the body, to see what is going on with the rest of the body as a whole.

Okonkwos destiny was shaped by chi because it was his own chi (or personal god as chi is also known), that he ended up fighting against and ultimately he lost. He thought that anything weak needed to be destroyed and he was completely lost in his own masculinity. Through the accidental killing of a clansman he was ordered away from his village. His chi destroed him because he fought against it. The story of Okonkwos is a long one and one which has a lot of importance in African culture.

Answer 2

Chi is the personal god or the inner saviour. Both Chi and Okonkwo are mentioned in Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart. The book deals with the daily life and traditional beliefs and customs of a tribesman from the Ibo tribe. These beliefs and traditions were extremely strong and they governed their daily lives a great extent.

The most important spirit to be revered by the Ibo was the chi or personal god. It was considered to be a protector spirit and can be likened to a guardian angel. It could take the form of a grandfather for males and in the case of females a chi could be a beloved grandmother.

Okonkwo is the central character in Things Fall Apart and his devotion to chi shapes his destiny. Okonowo is very afraid of showing any kind of weakness or failure. After he murders a messenger from the British office his chi cannot change what lies ahead. He then realizes that he will neither get support from his fellow tribesman nor will he be able to prevent the British from colonising his village. Ashamed and disgraced he committed suicide.