I‭n‬‭the‬‭novel‬‭Things‬‭Fall‬‭Apart‬‭by‬‭Chinua‬‭Achebe‬‭and‬‭the‬‭film‬‭“Black‬‭Panther”,‬‭both‬
‭novels‬‭center‬‭on‬‭tragic‬‭heroes‬‭who‬‭suffer‬‭the‬‭same‬‭flaws‬‭and‬‭share‬‭many‬‭characteristics.‬‭The‬
‭novel‬‭Things‬‭Fall‬‭Apart‬‭is‬‭set‬‭in‬‭pre-colonial‬‭Nigeria‬‭and‬‭depicts‬‭the‬‭conflicts‬‭between‬‭the‬‭Igbi‬
‭culture‬‭and‬‭European‬‭colonialism,‬‭while‬‭“Black‬‭Panther”‬‭is‬‭set‬‭in‬‭an‬‭African‬‭nation‬‭called‬
‭Wakanda‬‭that‬‭possesses‬‭power‬‭because‬‭of‬‭a‬‭magical‬‭element.‬‭The‬‭tragic‬‭heroes‬‭present‬‭in‬
‭these‬‭works‬‭include‬‭Killmonger‬‭from‬‭“Black‬‭Panther”‬‭and‬‭Okonkwo‬‭from‬‭Things‬‭Fall‬‭Apart‬‭.‬‭Both‬
‭Okonkwo‬‭and‬‭Killmonger‬‭are‬‭raised‬‭in‬‭an‬‭impoverished‬‭area‬‭in‬‭which‬‭they‬‭suffer‬‭from‬
‭oppression‬‭but‬‭they‬‭overcome‬‭this‬‭through‬‭their‬‭intellect‬‭and‬‭strength.‬‭In‬‭both‬‭Achebe’s‬‭Things‬
‭Fall‬‭Apart‬‭,‬‭the‬‭tragic‬‭heroes,‬‭Okonkwo‬‭and‬‭Killmonger,‬‭try‬‭to‬‭fix‬‭injustices‬‭within‬‭their‬‭societies,‬
‭especially‬‭the‬‭oppression‬‭of‬‭their‬‭people.‬‭However,‬‭their‬‭tragic‬‭flaws‬‭of‬‭excessive‬‭pride‬‭and‬
‭ambitions‬‭for‬‭power‬‭prevent‬‭them‬‭from‬‭achieving‬‭their‬‭goals‬‭which‬‭ultimately‬‭lead‬‭to‬‭their‬
‭downfall.‬
‭Both‬‭Okonkwo‬‭and‬‭Killmonger‬‭strive‬‭to‬‭confront‬‭the‬‭oppression‬‭present‬‭in‬‭their‬‭societies‬
‭by‬‭challenging‬‭the‬‭societal‬‭state‬‭and‬‭seeking‬‭power‬‭to‬‭enact‬‭change.‬‭In‬‭Things‬‭Fall‬‭Apart‬‭,‬
‭Okonkwo’s‬‭actions‬‭are‬‭driven‬‭by‬‭his‬‭desire‬‭to‬‭be‬‭unlike‬‭his‬‭father‬‭while‬‭upholding‬‭Igbo‬‭traditions‬
‭during‬‭Western‬‭colonialism.‬‭Achebe‬‭writes‬‭that‬‭Okonkwo‬‭was‬‭very‬‭grieved‬‭when‬‭he‬‭saw‬‭his‬
‭clan‬‭breaking‬‭up‬‭and‬‭falling‬‭apart.‬‭Okonkwo,‬‭here,‬‭is‬‭trying‬‭to‬‭combat‬‭the‬‭inequalities‬‭brought‬
‭by‬‭colonialism‬‭by‬‭preserving‬‭the‬‭traditions‬‭of‬‭his‬‭tribe.‬‭Similarly,‬‭in‬‭“Black‬‭Panther”,‬‭Killmonger‬
‭seeks‬‭to‬‭use‬‭Wakanda’s‬‭magical‬‭element‬‭to‬‭empower‬‭oppressed‬‭neighborhoods‬‭globally.‬‭This‬
‭depicts‬‭the‬‭spirit‬‭of‬‭trying‬‭to‬‭uplift‬‭marginalized‬‭groups‬‭from‬‭Killmonger.‬‭Both‬‭Killmonger‬‭and‬
‭Okonkwo‬‭try‬‭to‬‭battle‬‭marginalization‬‭by‬‭rising‬‭to‬‭power.‬‭However,‬‭this‬‭will‬‭reveal‬‭their‬‭tragic‬
‭flaws,‬‭which‬‭will‬‭ultimately‬‭lead‬‭to‬‭their‬‭downfall.‬
‭Even‬‭though‬‭Okonkwo‬‭and‬‭Killmonger‬‭tried‬‭to‬‭confront‬‭oppression,‬‭both‬‭struggled‬‭with‬
‭adapting‬‭to‬‭cultural‬‭change‬‭which‬‭revealed‬‭their‬‭tragic‬‭flaws‬‭which‬‭contributed‬‭to‬‭their‬‭downfall.‬
‭In‬‭Things‬‭Fall‬‭Apart‬‭,‬‭Okonkwo‬‭resists‬‭the‬‭change‬‭by‬‭colonization‬‭by‬‭rejecting‬‭Christian‬‭ideals‬
‭while‬‭staunchly‬‭supporting‬‭Igbo‬‭values.‬‭This‬‭refusal‬‭results‬‭in‬‭a‬‭hindrance‬‭for‬‭addressing‬
‭oppression‬‭as‬‭his‬‭ability‬‭to‬‭converse‬‭and‬‭negotiate‬‭decreases‬‭which‬‭lead‬‭to‬‭his‬‭downfall.‬
‭Similarly,‬‭in‬‭“Black‬‭Panther”,‬‭Killmonger’s‬‭approach‬‭to‬‭distributing‬‭resources‬‭escalated‬‭the‬
‭conflicts‬‭and‬‭cut‬‭ties‬‭with‬‭possible‬‭alliances.‬‭This‬‭shows‬‭his‬‭inability‬‭to‬‭compromise‬‭which‬
‭hampered‬‭his‬‭goal‬‭which‬‭ultimately‬‭led‬‭to‬‭his‬‭downfall.‬‭Both‬‭Killmonger‬‭and‬‭Okonkwo‬‭showed‬
‭acts‬‭of‬‭inflexibility‬‭and‬‭other‬‭similar‬‭tragic‬‭flaws‬‭which‬‭led‬‭to‬‭both‬‭of‬‭their‬‭downfall.‬
‭In‬‭conclusion,‬‭Killmonger‬‭and‬‭Okonkwo‬‭try‬‭to‬‭confront‬‭oppression‬‭in‬‭their‬‭society‬‭but‬‭fail‬
‭because‬‭of‬‭their‬‭tragic‬‭hero‬‭flaws.‬‭By‬‭comparing‬‭these‬‭two‬‭characters,‬‭I‬‭found‬‭that‬‭it‬‭is‬
‭extremely‬‭important‬‭to‬‭understand‬‭one’s‬‭own‬‭cultural‬‭context‬‭when‬‭learning‬‭or‬‭making‬‭an‬
‭opinion‬‭about‬‭someone.‬‭This‬‭is‬‭relevant‬‭to‬‭the‬‭stories‬‭as‬‭it‬‭reveals‬‭the‬‭importance‬‭of‬
‭understanding‬‭the‬‭Igbo‬‭and‬‭Wakanda‬‭culture‬‭to‬‭analyze‬‭both‬‭Okonkwo‬‭and‬‭Killmonger.‬‭This‬
‭matters‬‭to‬‭us‬‭in‬‭the‬‭real‬‭world‬‭because‬‭many‬‭people‬‭mistakenly‬‭created‬‭opinions‬‭without‬
‭learning‬‭about‬‭the‬‭person’s‬‭cultural‬‭background‬‭and‬‭identity.‬‭Culture‬‭is‬‭very‬‭complex‬‭and‬‭it‬‭is‬
‭extremely‬‭important‬‭to‬‭look‬‭at‬‭something‬‭as‬‭a‬‭whole.‬‭This‬‭can‬‭create‬‭better‬‭understanding‬
‭among‬‭people‬‭and‬‭resolve‬‭potential‬‭conflicts.‬