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Mar 24, 2019 · Achebe, however, does not allow the elevation of Beatrice into the traditional Igbo role of half woman, half spirit (the Chielo of Things Fall Apart, as Beatrice herself notes), to be the work of the characters alone. In chapter 8, Achebe himself, as omniscient narrator, recounts the Igbo legend of the sun-god who sent his daughter to earth as a harbinger of peace.
- 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.
Achebe creates a dramatic atmosphere in the opening of Things Fall Apart by introducing Okonkwo as a man of action and renown. The narrative highlights Okonkwo's fame and significant achievements ...
Oct 31, 2019 · In “Chinua Achebe and the Invention of African Literature,” I argued that Achebe was the person who invented African literature (Gikandi 2001). This contention has irked other writers of his generation, and it has been vigorously contested by numerous critics who find it unhelpful in positioning Achebe's work “in literary and cultural terms” (Morrison 2014 , 31).
- Simon Gikandi
- 2019
May 19, 2008 · Achebe at home in Annandale-on-Hudson. Photograph by Steve Pyke. In a myth told by the Igbo people of Nigeria, men once decided to send a messenger to ask Chuku, the supreme god, if the dead could ...
- Ruth Franklin
In Things Fall Apart, the first method Achebe used to create “a new English” is the introduction of Igbo words and phrases directly into the text without translation. The meaning of each can be readily grasped from context, but Achebe also included a glossary of Igbo words at the end of the novel. The use of Igbo reminds the reader that ...
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Jun 4, 2017 · This and the other previous statements help explain why Achebe and Ngũgĩ came to be widely regarded as the dueling poles in the debate over language authenticity in African literature. Footnote 1 Achebe, Ngũgĩ, and others have contributed compelling arguments to this debate, but the present chapter, while mindful of these arguments, does not primarily seek to adjudicate between them.
