Chinua Achebe’s insight into the mind and culture of the African man makes Things Fall Apart very real and even relatable to Western readers. Achebe was born into a Christian family in Ogidi, Igboland, a part of Easter Nigeria. He was born only a few generations after the events in Things Fall Apart occur. Chinua Achebe grew up listening to his parents’ and grandparents’ stories about the history of the Igbo people and what happened when the Europeans came into their region. Although Achebe was surrounded by the stories of his family, he was also influenced by his faith.…
In Chinua Achebe’s novel “things fall apart” because the characters lack the ability to empathize. The main character, Okonkwo, is tough and powerful, but he is also a resentful man. Okonkwo “Had no patience with unsuccessful men.” (4) Throughout the story Okonkwo is quick to judge another without considering the causes of the outcome. His relationship with his son, Nwoye, is a prime example of his inability to empathize.…
First of all, the author helped the readers get a deeper understanding of the Igbo culture from the terminology and the Igbo language. Achebe incorporated the culture’s concepts and vocabulary to let the reader relate to society. For instance, the author used context clues to hint the definitions of words such as “chi” or “ekwe”, which means personal god and a wooden drum used as an instrument for music. To add, the author stated, “the entire neighborhood wore a festive air because Okonkwo’s friend, Obierika, was celebrating his daughter’s uri. It was the day on which her suitor (having already paid the greater part of her bride-price) would bring palm-wine not only to her parents and immediate relatives but to the wide and extensive group of kinsmen called umunna.” (p. 110). Achebe’s context clues let the readers infer that “uri” means an Igbo ceremony, where a dowry is paid. Not to mention, the author clearly stated that “umunna” means a large group of kinsmen. Other than Achebe’s use of diction, personification, and proverbs, the writer also greatly used imagery and metaphors. For example, Achebe said, “sometimes it poured down in such thick sheets of water that earth and the sky seemed merged in one grey wetness,” (p. 35) to describe imagery for the readers to visualize the novel’s setting. Additionally, Achebe also incorporated metaphors such as “he knew that he was a fierce fighter, but that year had been enough to break the heart of a lion.” (p. 24), which was used to help the readers understand Okonkwo through dark times. To conclude, Achebe conveyed a sense of the society through language and helped contribute the use of word choice and structure to the…
The book things fall apart successfully expresses how Chinua Achebe had succeeded in writing a different story. It pointed out the conflict of one’s self, the traditional beliefs, and the religious matters of the Africans. Throughout the book Chinua Achebe used simple words and unlike other books he also included some flash backs to make the book more interesting. Things fall apart was about a man named Okonkwo, who was always struggling with his inner fear although he was known for being a very strong, powerful, and fearless warrior.…
Women are often thought of as the weaker, more vulnerable of the two sexes. Thus, women’s roles in literature are often subdued and subordinate. In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, women are repressed by an entrenched structure of the social repression. Women suffer great losses in this novel but, also in certain circumstances, hold tremendous power. Achebe provides progressively changing attitudes towards women’s role. At first glance, the women in Things Fall Apart may seem to be an oppressed group with little power and this characterization is true to some extent. However, this characterization of Igbo women reveals itself to be prematurely simplistic as well as limiting, once the reader uncovers the diverse roles of the Igbo women throughout the novel. The recurring themes of gender conflicts help drive the novel by showing how important women are to the men, yet they don’t receive the treatment they deserve. Although the women in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart are viewed in an inferior light by the Igbo men, there are also occurrences which showcase their strength and importance in the society.…
In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe literary devices reveals the Igbo tradition and the challenges of continuing the tradition using symbolism, proverbs, details, and dialogue. Achebe in the text provides goes into detail on how the Igbo people get together in an “ummna” or clan to celebrate their tradition. The text also indicates that the younger generation will not understand the tradition; hence, when one of the oldest members shared how he “fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship.” Achebe uses these four devices to describe the Igbo tradition and its importance.…
Antonio Church March 21, 2013 Things Fall Apart Analysis The purpose of this paper is to provide the audience with my analysis of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.” I am going to start off by explaining the setting of the book. I feel that these types of facts are important to the story in making it readable to the audience. If you understand where and when the story is taking place, you will get a good understanding of what the story is actually symbolizing. Once I finish that, I am going to discuss some of the key characters in the book along with some of the problems they faced. After that, I plan to fully analyze Chinua Achebe’s book that includes key themes, maybe some important symbols that make you dig deeper into the point of the book itself. This also includes the decisions of the main character that lead to rising action and/or falling action in the book. This is pretty much the meaning behind the book and helps the reader understand what the author wanted us, as readers, to know as far as the main point of writing about the subject he or she chose. Then I am going to end it off with an ending statement of what I actually thought about the book summarizing what was talked about previously. Chinua Achebe’s, “Things Fall Apart”, take place in the lower villages of Nigeria, Africa. Further reading states these could possibly be the villages of Mbanta, Iguedo, and Umuofia (where it is most of the time) in the time period of the 1890s. The setting shows that the story could be about an African successor of some sort before even starting to read. The setting also sets the narrator’s tone for the story. It seems, by reading on, that the narrator is or was possibly a native of the villages by the way he talked and discussed…
With the unique perception Achebe takes to tell this story, he reveals the significance of being versatile. This is the first story told from the Igbo perspective. Making such an innovative story, Achebe knew he had to attack it with a purpose, which is what he did. “He wanted to show a truer picture of Africa and African people, one that would contradict the stereotypes and racist judgments held by many Europeans. ”(Achebe xvi).…
By combining English and Igbo words in his novel, Achebe brings the two cultures closer together and he puts them on an equal footing by showing that the Igbo culture is legitimate and has its own traditions, history,…
Despite being written in 1959 and set in Nigeria, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe reads much like a Greek tragedy. AmidstPrinciples from Aristotle’s theory of tragedy in the Poetics are evident throughout the novel, and contribute to the development of the protagonist and the incidents of the plot. Amid the images of slaves, missionaries, and western colonialism, Achebe uses these principles to create a tragic character and plot that carrypropel his story.…
Things Fall Apart, a novel by African native Chinua Achebe, introduces an unusual culture to the reader. He shares a strange new way of life not customary to popular beliefs. Through a detailed description of the Ibo culture such as role, political ideologies and unique rituals, Achebe shows humanity in a different perspective.…
In Chinua Achebe’s acclaimed novel, Things Fall Apart, there are various themes which make up the complexity and richness of the story. Although it is a work of fiction, Achebe touches upon contemporary issues involving Africa and colonialism. Colonialism is defined as political control over another country. Often this means exploiting its resources and tampering with the precious culture of the people. Post-colonial Africa is still trying to recover, by trying to adapt a mindset of what it truly means to be an African. Achebe explores these issues through his own African roots and portrays what he believes is the true essence of African culture.…
In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe tells the masterful story of an Igbo farmer living in Nigeria in the nineteenth century. Through physical strength, determination, and personal achievement, Achebe’s main character, Okonkwo, has risen to a prominent position in his clan. He is projected as a heroic figure and a wrestler who is constantly at war with others. In his tribe he is both feared and honoured, his world consisted of “nine villages and beyond” from Umuofia to Mbaino, where he is known to have brought “honour to his tribe by throwing the Amalinze cat”. In his society,” “He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife. To crown it all he had taken two titles and had shown incredible prowess in two intertribal wars”. He was a self-made man who passed through a modest childhood to become a prosperous and respected leader.…
Bibliography: Achebe, Ch. 1964 (ed. 1980). Arrow of God. London: Heineman Bogers, K. 1985. Ideologie en de Nigeriaanse Engelstalige roman, in: Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen, Gent 3:232-239. Bogers, K. 1985b. Achebe 's Sacrifice to the Gods. in: Leids Tijdschrift voor Literatuur en Literatuurwetenschap, Leiden 1(1):4-12. Bogers, K. 1987. Thematische aspekten van de Engelstalige Igbo roman. Brussel: ASDOC. Chinweizu, J. Onwuchekwa & I. Madubuike. 1983. Towards the Decolonization of African Literature. Vol. I. Washington: Howard University Press. Gates, H.L.Jr. (ed.). 1984. Black Literature & Literary Theory. New York: Methuen. Ikenga-Metuh, E. 1985. Religious Symbolisms in Igbo Life Crisis Rituals, in: Africana Marburgensia 18(2):59-80. Killam, G.D. 1977. The Writings of Chinua Achebe. London: Heinemann. Nwoga, D.I. 1981. The Igbo World of Achebe 's "Arrow of God". Research in African Literatures 12(l):14-42. Obiechina, Em. 1973. An African Popular Literature: A Study of Onitsha Market Pamphlets. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Wymeersch, P. 1986. Afrikaanse socio-culturele systemen. Traditie en verandering. Brussel: Algemeen Bestuur van de Ontwikkelingssamenwerking. Dienst "Werving - Opleiding Volontariaat" (D. 86).…
Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ is written in English and belongs to the European form . Some words in the novel are left untranslated. This is a common trait of Achebe’s work. These words are meant to represent ideas and these ideas could not be translated properly into English in fear of becoming ‘lost’ in translation.(1) As I will mention further down in my essay, the art of oral storytelling features strong in how we might read Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’. The early parts of the novel belong to oral storytelling, however it does not read very well and what we see is scenes and repetition of lines. As the novel progresses, this oral tradition becomes something ‘they have lost’ (the natives) and the novel begins to read as a narrative. As the European colonisers intervene more into African society, the form of the text intervenes more. The move of register in tone is that of European intervention. The main protagonist in the novel, Okonkwo becomes a typical classical and tragic hero. He is depicted as a good man but his flaws ultimately cost him his…