Preview

Things Fall Apart Quote Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
687 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Things Fall Apart Quote Analysis
“Do not despair. I know you will not despair. You have a manly and a proud heart. A proud heart can survive general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone.” (24-25).
Pride and courage, as well as unity among people are the primary virtues in which every character in this book clearly illustrate. Not only the people, but the entire culture of the village of Umuofia is based on these virtues, as seen countless times throughout the novel. The characters are strongly developed on these virtues, and they act accordingly. Okonkwo, the protagonist is swayed by his moral code, (which is based on these virtues), in almost every situation that he is in. This quote supports
…show more content…
One theme that really stands out is the general idea of acceptance. As the protagonist Okonkwo struggles with problems that he has with his son, he realizes that negative things often arise in result of the actions of positive things. Okonkwo then decides to accept this idea, and move on with his life. This signifies an important lesson that he learns, as he grows and develops as a character. Another theme is change. Again, this illustrates the idea of character growth, and maturing. The fire acts as a metaphor for youth and prosperity, which is then developed into the idea of death and the lack of prosperity which is shown by the “impotent ash.”
One of the more questionable ideas seen in this book is the paradoxical idea that with life there is always death. I found this quote interesting because it brought a lot of thought and question to mind, and helped me to accept this idea, similar to Okonkwo. This quote was almost saddening, due to its somber tone, and negative subject matter. Although it was negative, it brought upon some positive thought and realization. I enjoyed this quote quite a bit because it gave Okonkwo an epiphany, and caused a big tone shift in the novel, which furthered its development and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    One of the characteristics that is common amongst tragic heroes is how valued and respected they are. In the village of Umoufia, Okonkwo is one of the most respected men who has gained his fame and respect from his own personal achievements. The narrator introduces this fact in the beginning of the book, stating: “Okonkwo…

    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    - Themes: There are three noticeable themes within this story. The first is the general abuse of power from people of higher authority. Though it may not be evident many high authorities may abuse their powers. Another theme that is definitely showing is that of racism. In the story, Frank would only take advantage of his Native American patients, and many people in the book disregarded Native Americans. One final theme that ran throughout the story was that of whether family loyalty or justice was more important. Wes was forced to choose between these two topics and in the end he chose justice, which was not supported by his own father.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This quote has also taught me that when you are struggling, you should relax and let your heart lead you to…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    there are several themes that can be taken away from the story. The first theme is the theme of…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This book has three main themes, which are love, war, and hope. Through out the book these themes come into play when the author uses things like foreshadowing and flashbacks. Because flashbacks are a huge part of this story it can make it a little difficult to read sometimes. However without them it would be difficult to fully understand his life and story.…

    • 138 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the Ibo culture is depicted as a civilized society…

    • 859 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When I originally read about the traditions and rituals in the book, I thought that it was crazy. I believed that there was nothing in our society that compared to the sacredness of the kola nut. Even though I found the kola nut to be an incredibly interesting symbol, I found it very hard to relate to because our society has lost a sense of our traditions and rituals. For example, we have taken for granted the special relationship of marriage. This was a traditions that was never broken many years ago. However, divorce rates have gone up in the last thirty years. As the country has evolved, we have lost the sense of our old traditions. That is why I found it very hard to believe that we had something as sacred as a kola nut in our society.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Great Gatsby Themes

    • 233 Words
    • 1 Page

    the themes is society and class that is represented throughout the book where it mostly takes…

    • 233 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rikki-Ripson Theme Essay

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The theme is the moral or life-lesson we learn from a short story. Rudyard Kipling, the author of “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” made it obvious that the theme of this story is “greed can lead to negative consequences.” I can support this with loads of evidence. For example, the cobras were greedy, evil, and cruel, and they were punished. On the other hand, Rikki was selfless, content, and courageous, and he was rewarded. Notably, some people think “knowledge can help us prepare for the future” is the theme, but this is not true. I know I have hit the nail on the head with this story’s theme.…

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Jewish Resistance in WWII

    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages

    “Hope. Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective. A lot of hope is dangerously successful.”…

    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Pies Motifs

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The setup of this novel is great and there are many scenarios of themes that are present. The main focus of this book is to make you aware of the main plots,and it does a great job of that.The main topic I'm working on is about the motifs in this novel. Motifs are the repetitiveness of several items throughout the novel. If you pick up on them then you already know what im talking about. The idea of a motif is to allow the reader to understand why this item is so important and what it has relations to in the book. A Motif can stand for many things in a book such as ,it could be major foreshadowing, or even keeping an idea going on throughout the book. So throughout this book you should really pick up on a couple.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Out Of My Mind Theme

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Remember that the theme is the big message that the author wants to convey to the reader.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story ‘’The Road’’ by Cormac Mccarthy, fire is often used as a symbol, and fire is represent survival. From the beginning of human’s civilization, fire has been using by human for live and survive, and the fire in the story was not an exception. In the path of the father and son, there were many obstacles that stand against them, yet they did not give up to live and fire is become their assistance. An example for fire became a symbol of survival was when it states, ’’The night they camped in a ravine and built a fire against a small stone bluff and ate their last food’’(page 80). Fire is what comes to ignite their will, it produces flame to warm their food and keep their life going. Fire also is a symbol of the immortal will when it said, ‘’ They slept through the night in their exhaustion and in the morning the fire was dead and black on the ground’’(page 93), ‘’He got a fire going and walked out to the edge of the woodlot and stood looking over the country. (page 93-94). When the fire of hope slaked, it awoke again; it is mean that the fire of hope will be endlessly protected to father and son.…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Dialectic Journal The Road

    • 1756 Words
    • 8 Pages

    fire” is used in the book to demonstrate that no matter how hungry, powerless, or tired the boy…

    • 1756 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “We have almost grown accustomed to it; was is the cause of death like cancer and tuberculosis, like influenza and dysentery.” (271)…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics