Compare and Contrast Essay: Things Fall Apart and Joys of Motherhood

In both Things Fall Apart and The Joys of Motherhood, it is illustrated that the "modernization" that the British brought to Nigeria was not progress. Modernization is not something that can just be imposed and occur overnight; it must run its own course. The British tried to impress their customs onto Nigeria and considered it modernization. When Great Britain finally did pull out of Nigeria, they left it in much worse condition then when they …

…first entered. From a European point of view, the British modernized a primitive Nigeria. The modernization brought no progress to the country of Nigeria. On the contrary, it brought Nigeria backwards. By forcing Nigerians to amend from their native customs to British customs, many cultures were altered and left without any sense of identity. Nigeria would have been much better off if they had only known the British as trading partners instead of as occupiers.