Position of the intellectual society in the anthills of the savannah Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe deals with positions of power in society and the true role of government in this hierarchy of power. It explores the intersection of power with social roles, gender and education, showing how knowledge is both closely related to power and incredibly distant from it. Through the lenses of Chris, Beatrice, and Ikem, as well as sometimes Sam, Achebe shows how intellectuals behave differently in postcolonial society, and yet how they all share many commonalities. For example, Franz Fanon in “On National Culture” explains that all natives “…must take part in the struggle if, quite simply, they wish to continue to exist…” (36). Each of these characters fights in their own way, demonstrating their position as native intellectuals. Their role as storytellers highlights their intellectual position and the power they hold. This article will argue that the Native intellectual characters examined in Anthills of the Savannah can all be broadly defined in terms of Franz Fanon's ideas in "On National Culture" through their many traits as narrators. First, it is important to note where each narrator of Achebe's Fall falls within the stages of the native intellectual, as described by Fanon. Fanon argues that the native narrator in colonial or postcolonial society goes through three different phases: “In the first phase, the native intellectual gives evidence of having assimilated the culture of the occupying power,” “In the second phase we find that the native is disturbed; he decides to remember what he is", and, "Finally, in the third phase, which is called the struggle phase, the native, after having attempted to lose himself in people and with people, on the contrary will shake people. ” (Fanon 40-41). In the postcolonial society of Kangan, created by Achebe, the characters of Chris, Beatrice, and Ikem all seem stuck in these different phases. Over the course of events in the novel, the characters evolve slightly, but mainly Chris is in the first phase, Beatrice in the second, and Ikem in the third. Sam is arguably outside these guidelines, but is perhaps more native-like in the first phase. Chris appears to remain in the first phase for at least much of the novel, as he succumbs to Sam's authoritarian regime and dutifully does his job, "[assimilating] the culture of the occupying power" through a government that is closely modeled on that of their former colonizers . However, just because it falls within the rules of the corrupt government does not discredit its importance. His beliefs remain firmly opposed to Sam's rule. He firmly states the reasons why he remains loyal to the government and his resolute aim appears to be for the common good. He says: “…I couldn't write this if I hadn't stood there observing everything. And no one else would do it” (Achebe 2). This speaks to his role as a storyteller, to his understanding of the importance of public information. Chris believes that if he openly opposed the government, he would be persecuted immediately and would do no good to anyone, so he is submissive and pleasing to Sam. So, Chris's role in society is to be a double agent, creating a sort of neutral ground between the people and the government, allowing for a compromise if it ever comes. Beatrice appears to reside in the second phase, remaining categorically disturbed. from references to white and Western culture. She is horrified by Chris' story about Sam and a white girl's intimacy and fixates on his "Desdemona complex." “So I found myselfagain engaged in a fight with Desdemona, this time itinerant and, worse still, not for some useless black rubbish in England but for the sacred symbol of my nation's pride, such as it was” (Achebe 74). Beatrice is constantly aware of her position in society, showing disgust at her many forced roles. She connects very strongly with her identity, the only one of the three narrators to do so completely. Fanon explains this second-stage phenomenon: “The past events of the bygone days of [his] childhood will be brought up from the depths of [his] memory; ancient legends will be reinterpreted in the light of a borrowed aestheticism and a conception of the world discovered under other skies” (41). Beatrice uses references to her past to demonstrate her very specific role in society. For Beatrice, gender hinders her intellectual potential, as she is constantly seen in a female-specific role. Many times she is referred to as a priestess or prophetess of some kind, playing a role of majesty and beauty, but she is also shown as nothing more than a woman, as if she were inferior to any other role. Her real name, Nwanyibuife, means “Even a female is something” (Achebe 79). At the party with Sam and the other government officials, she notes that she was led to provide “the woman's point of view,” rather than giving actual input into any issue at hand (Achebe 69). In fact, it seems that Beatrice's role in society as an intellectual is that of a woman who will “come down and sweep away the pieces” (Achebe 89), just as she does during the naming ceremony at the end of the novel, as a last resort. Beatrice's references to the past and tradition are highlighted with the legend of Idemili, which only reinforces Beatrice's obligatory role as the one who repairs the things that men break. It is important to note, however, that Beatrice is not necessarily aware of her own parallel with Idemili. “Beatrice Nwanyibuife did not know these traditions and legends of her people because they played only a small part in her education” (Achebe 96). But Beatrice is constantly searching for these meanings, for small pieces of herself, which she has yet to find. Fanon reinforces this idea with his description of the second stage of native intellectualism: "But since the native is not part of his people, since he has only external relations with his people, he is content to remember only their life" (40 -41 ).Ikem is the most radical of the three, the most revolutionary and the one who fights most openly. He «becomes an awakener of the people; hence a combative literature, a revolutionary literature, and a national literature” (Fanon 41). Ikem is not afraid to fight, and he is not afraid to use his powerful words and his position as editor of the National Gazette as leverage in that situation. Ikem's determination is probably why he is disliked by so many government officials, as Ikem points out, saying, "'The reason for our little disagreement is because I have not attempted to hide my opinion of them as mere parasites.'" (Achebe 145). Ikem's speech with the university students was perhaps his most important action in his social role, which was, in fact, that of awakening people. Since Ikem hails from Abazon, a place seemingly plagued by poverty and disconnected from the rest of Kangan, he can identify with the larger scheme of people. Through his education and career as a writer, he can then reach out to these people and relate radical ideas to them with much acceptance from ordinary people. Then, Ikem uses this leverage to thwart their agreement, distorting their opinions to create his own, so that ultimately the.