A Man of the People (Essay Sample)

A Man of the People
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A Man of the People
My favorite novel is one of the best novels of renowned writer Chinua Achebe. A Man of the People is a novel from the late Nigerian novelist that has had a great impact in my life to date. I came across the novel when I visited South Africa during my summer holiday. Chinua Achebe is arguably the best novelist that Africa has ever produced (Emenyonu, 2003). The book is a relatively short read that offers satire to complement its strong themes. The book influenced me because it shows that sticking to one’s beliefs prevails over greed and corruption.
The main theme highlighted in the novel is greed and corruption. The book presents a hypothetical situation that represents what happened to Africa, post the colonial era. Poverty plagues African nations due to greed and corruption. People in power receive and give bribes to oppress the poor. In the book, public figures like Chief Nanga and the police get bribes so as to oppress the poor (Achebe, 1967). Africa is considered a poor continent regardless of the vast resources available. Uneven resource distribution due to corruption makes the rich, richer and poor, poorer. The book made me understand corruption and how it destroys a resourceful nation.
Odili is one of the characters in the book that stood up against corruption (Achebe, 1967). The book taught me to be courageous and stand up for what is right. Members of the society accepted corruption and considered it normal. The police who are public servants, lack the moral strength to fight corruption due to the poor pay they are given. The book taught me that it to make a difference in a corrupt society, it is vital that the few strong-willed citizens to fight for what they believe. I learnt that it is not always easy to go against the mob mentality, but it is important to the survival of the society.
The book show’s a strong contrast between the views of the old and the views of the young. The African culture dictates that the young should respect the old in every aspect. In this case, the old generation is in power and shows the young bad examples of governance. Odili has strong values compared to his father, who was an interpreter. His father got bribes from those in need of his services. The book ta...