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What does Chinua Achebe mean by his comments on the use of English as a medium for conveying African experience? Why does Achebe detail Chike's parents' marriage in "Chike's School Days"?
- Chinua Achebe World Literature Analysis
Essays and criticism on Chinua Achebe, including the works...
- Chinua Achebe World Literature Analysis
- Themes in Things Fall Apart
- Analysis of Key Events in Things Fall Apart
- Style, Tone, and Figurative Language of Things Fall Apart
- Analysis of Key Symbols in Things Fall Apart
The Humanity of African Societies
Achebe was motivated to write ‘Things Fall Apart’ because he wanted to re-tell the story of the Africans who European imperialists and their enablers in the arts had depicted in unfair one-dimensional representations. Achebe creates a fairly sophisticated and self-sufficient society with organized institutions. His aim was not to create a perfect society, but one more true to the facts of the situation. In Umuofia, we see disputes settled between members fairly, as seen in the case between Mg...
Clash of Cultures
‘Things Fall Apart’chronicles the great tragedy of the displacement of traditional African societies by encroaching Westerners with imperialist ambitions. The community of Umuofia had ruled itself and observed its customs, and preserved its institutions for years. The worldview every community member learned from birth, all systems and institutions they came to accept without question, were suddenly threatened by the arrival of the white man with his religion and political system. The British...
Patriarchy
Umuofia’s society is highly patriarchal, and Okonkwo’s behaviors and motivations are, in part, informed by his society’s gender roles and expectations. Okonkwo measures his success according to the fulfillment of his society’s ideal of masculinity. He strove to be a valiant wrestler and a hard physical laborer on his farm because these activities represent peak male performance and demonstration of physical strength. Okonkwo’s desire for an unquestionably dominant status in his family often m...
Okonkwo throws Amalinze the Cat and establishes himself as a man of talent and strength.Okonkwo comes to care for Ikemefuna, the gesture marking his status as one of the leading men of the community.Okonkwo participates in the killing of Ikemefuna, demonstrating his fear of being seen as weak.Okonkwo is banished from Umuofia after accidentally killing the son of Ezeudo.‘Things Fall Apart’is divided into three parts, with the first part being much longer and slower-paced than the remaining two parts. The first part employs a circumlocutory narrative technique that shifts between the present and the past. This represents the Igbo rhetorical technique of initially skirting around a subject before directly addressing...
Yams
Yam is the primary crop in Umuofia society. Called the king of crops, it is associated with manliness and is an important status symbol. Okonkwo considers yams to be the only crop worth personally growing, leaving the other crops for his wives and children. The number of yams in a man’s barn is a definitive indicator of his level of success in life. Yams symbolize wealth and abundance.
Egwugwu Masks
The Egwugwu masks symbolize the villagers’ ties to the spirit realm, or rather to the land of their ancestors. The scary nature of the designs and carvings on the masks as well as the secrecy and anonymity with which its wearers operate, allows certain individuals to act on behalf of or with the unquestionable authority of the clan’s gods or ancestors.
Essays for Things Fall Apart. Things Fall Apart essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Chinua Achebe's Portrayal of Pre-Colonial Africa: The Destructive Clash of Cultures; The Role of Women
A short summary of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of Things Fall Apart.
- Chinua Achebe
- 1958
From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes Things Fall Apart Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.
Essays and criticism on Chinua Achebe, including the works Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease, Home and Exile - Magill's Survey of World Literature.
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Dive deep into Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion
