Things Fall Apart
What falls apart and why?

The title of Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart refers mainly to the integrity of the Nigerian tribal cultures: to their customs, traditions, and ways of life, all of which fall apart as the result of internal and external conflicts. In Okonkwo's personal life, a series of unfortunate events lead to his loss of personal integrity and his eventual psychological destruction. The gradual yet dramatic falling apart of Okonkwo parallels the falling apart of his community. Okonkwo's beating his wife during the Week of Peace denoted a clear violation of sacred tradition. Okonkwo's respect for tradition diminishes further throughout the novel and culminates in his killing Ikemefuna. The murder of his foster son was not an ordinary moral transgression, but also an affront to the wisdom of the tribal elders and their spiritual oracles. Things really fall apart for Okonkwo and his family when,…...

The unpolluted picture of Ibo people comes to life with the helps of such things as the detailed description of New Yam Festival that opens Chapter 5. While some things may appear corny and affected such as sentences like this one: "Drums beat violently, and men leaped up and down in a frenzy" [86], most of the comments are meant to highlight the true meaning of these otherwise demeaning observations. The author explains what beating of drums meant for the people and how it resonated with the true spirit and pulse of the village:

The drums were still beating, persistent and unchanging. Their sound was no longer a separate thing from the living village. It was like the pulse of its heart. It throbbed in the air, in the sunshine, and even in the trees, and filled the village with excitement [31].

Achebe also carefully studies tribal myths to understand their meaning…...

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Okonkwo inflexible traditionalism pitted him against his gentle son Nwoye, who joined the Christian European missionaries. In the book, Oknokwo had to participate in a ceremonial human sacrifice and endure a seven-year exile after his gun accidentally killed the son of the deceased warrior Ezeudu. He also lost part of himself when he lost Ikemefuna. Upon returning to the village, he found it torn apart by Western Imperialism. Finally, he commits suicide after decapitating a white messenger who violated his authority.

Okonokwo's demise was brought about by breaking the sacred laws of the clan as well as unsuccessfully fighting against the unjust system of the colonists. He stands as a representation of his entire clan and other similar cultures who, through the centuries, have lost their traditions through the assault of Imperialism. Achebe's book demonstrates that humanity, in both its best and worst cases, is represented in all cultures. Thus, it…...

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References

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Fawcett Press, 1959.

____. "The Role of the Writer in a New Nation." African Writers on African Writing. Ed. G.D. Killam. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1978. 7-13.

Isichei, Elizabeth. Ibo and Christian Beliefs: Some Aspects of a Theological Encounter. African Affairs 68.271 (1969): 121-134.

Leonard, A.G. The Lower Niger and its Tribes. London: MacMillan, 1906.

Therefore, Okonkwo rejected his father, and hence, the womanly element of himself. He turned out to be a leading wrestler and warrior in his people to make available the facilities of life for his family at a very small age. Simultaneously, he established a new farm and began to collect his own riches, and ultimately a name. His uphill struggle confirms itself in his victory, and he rapidly became well-known and appreciated in his tribe for his devotion and leadership qualities. Having achieved wealth, wives and children, he considered that he has controlled over his father's womanly mistakes. His great dream was to develop into one of the influential elders of the tribe and at a point he successfully achieved that goal. Okonkwo felt steady and safe in his way of manliness in its edges.
Nevertheless, it shortly turned out to be obvious that not everything was perfect. His son,…...

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Bibliography

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994.

Iyase-re, Solomon Ogbede. Understanding Things Fall Apart.Troy, N.Y.: Whitston Pub. Co, 1998.

Larson, Charles R. The Emergence of African Fiction. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1972.

Ogede, Ode. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Reader's guides. London: Continuum, 2007.

Things Fall Apart
Hubris and the Suicide of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

This novel by Chinua Achebe was first published in 1958. Set on the continent of Africa this is the story of Okonkwo, a member of the Umuofia clan, one of nine villages of a tribe in Nigeria. Okonkwo is an esteemed tribesman who, despite the stigma of his cowardly father who died in disgrace leaving many unsettled debts behind, has achieved wealth and respect through hard work and self-reliance. Okonkwo worries that his son, Nwoye, will end up a failure like his father. His favorite daughter, Ezinma, is the only child of Ekwefi. She is more like her father in spirit and Okonkwo often wishes she had been born a boy.

The story centers on the events that surround Okonkwo during the course of his life and the self-realizations that lead him to take his own life. The…...

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Works Cited

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.

Asamoah-Gyadu, J. Kwabena. "The Evil You Have Done Can Ruin the Whole Clan: African Cosmology, Community, and Christianity in Achebe's Things Fall Apart." Studies in World Christianity.Vol. 16, Issue 1. 2010: 46- 62. 4 September 2011.

Dannenbeg. Hilary. "The Many Voices of Things Fall Apart." Interventions: The International Journal of Postcolonial Studies.Vol. 11, Issue 2. July 2009: 176- 179. 4 September 2011.

Smith hates the Igbo faith so much that he equates it to the Baal and the followers of Baal in the Biblical Old Testament. He has strict policy over conversion to Christianity such that any elder to decides to get converted to Christian faith must immediately abandon the traditional ways and follow Christianity only. His cruelty and strictness to the abandoning of all Igbo traditional ways is seen when he suspends a woman from the church for having fulfilled the traditional ways of handling a dead Ogbanje child who had to have some rituals conducted in order to avoid another Ogbanje from being born.

From the contributions and character traits of the two preachers, it is seen that Mr. Brown makes a better preacher and influences more people into Christianity without much violence than everend Smith does, hence making Mr. Brown a more successful preacher here.

Who makes a better village Elder,…...

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Reference

Achebe Chinua,(1958). Things Fall Apart. New York: First Anchor Books, 1994.

The best members of African youth are destroyed or ignored. Although he is African, because he is a member of a rival clan, Ikemefuna, is killed, when the energies of the Umuofians would be better spent resisting white influence. Because she is a woman, the noble and stalwart Ezinma is not valued, although her father loves her almost as if she were a son.
A final interpretation might be that the best of any society lack all conviction in the sense that it is better not to embody either extreme, either the hyper-masculinity of Okonkwo or the laziness of Unoka, or the utter certainty that there is only one valid faith like the Reverend Smith. Instead one ought to follow a middle path like Ikemefuna, who is able to see past clan differences from an early age, and find a balanced way of being an African man. Sadly, the passionate…...

For this reason, he is a tragic hero according to Aristotle's definition of the word.
Aristotle believed tragedies must "imitate actions which excite pity and fear" (Aristotle). This involves the hero to suffer a change, which usually means going from good fortune to misfortune through the course of the story. Like real life, all things are not all good or all bad. Aristotle believed "misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty" (Aristotle XIII). In addition, this change is the result of something the hero does. Aristotle believed it was necessary for the hero to comprehend the gravity of what he has done. This forces him to realize his fatal flaw. A catharsis follows this realization and it heightens the drama of the story. Aristotle believed the best effect results from a surprise. In this way, action drives the plot and keeps the…...

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Works Cited

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books. 1959.

Aristotle. "Poetics." S.H. Butcher, Trans. MIT Internet Classics Archive. Site Accessed April 05, 2011.

Moreover, the unquestioned belief in the oracle's word conflicts with Okonkwo's own needs to solidify his family's political leadership and social standing in the tribe. Okonkwo's desire to redeem himself and his family name proves stronger than his respect for the oracle. Thus, Okonkwo at once seeks to preserve the political institutions of Umuofia culture while at the same time subverting core social and spiritual traditions. He wants to retain his position as political leader and establish his adopted son Ikemefuma as his heir. Yet Okonkwo disrespects social traditions like the Week of Peace and religious traditions like obeying the oracle. Interestingly, the oracle's word proves superior to that of Okonkwo. Achebe suggests that the old tribal ways may in fact bear significant wisdom. Umuofia religious traditions were falling apart even before Christianity infiltrated African society with the European missionaries.
Umuofia social structure is tied together by the dual pillars…...

Things Fall Apart
All classical heroes have tragic flaws. In the case of Okonkwo, the protagonist in Chinau Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart, heroism is demonstrated by his position of leadership and power in his community and his allegiance to tradition. However, Okonkwo's flaws haunt him, his family and his clansmen throughout the tale. Okonkwo's key flaws are his intense pride and anger. These tragic flaws lead to the death of two children and to his committing suicide at the end of the book. Okonkwo's excessive need to prove his worth over that of his lazy father and his consequential expectations and projections onto his son and community cause his downfall and are the source of his tragic flaw.

Ironically, it is the young men of his clan, especially his son and Ikemefuna, that most inspire Okonkwo to act as a true leader and hero. Okonkwo hopes to embody an illusory sense…...

This was especially important to the reading because it also showed that the natives wanted to get along with the whites, but the whites were far less interested in getting along with the natives - they simply wanted to dominate and control them.
It was hard not to think about this story after it was done. The Nigerians lived hard lives, but it is clear they were happy. It was hard not to wonder why the whites felt such a need to control them and take over their land and their lives. It was also hard to read what the natives went through, and how they lost people because of misunderstandings and other problems. This certainly was not a happy story to read, but it was very well written, and the images of the natural world were often beautiful. Achebe is doing more than telling a story in this tale,…...

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References

The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Twentieth Century, 1900-the Present. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2003.

Achebe puts it this way, "Okonkwo encouraged the boys to sit with him in his obi, and he told them stories of the land -- masculine stories of violence and bloodshed" (Achebe 52). Okonkwo represents all men in society who are so obsessed with their own manliness that they can never allow themselves any emotion, caring, or concern. Sadly, these archaic attitudes are still not uncommon in today's society, and Okonkwo illustrates just how outdated and ridiculous they really are.
The women of the tribe are often silent, and they play a very minor role in the book. This is true of the society as well. Achebe did not even give some of the women names. Women were simply not as important in Ibo society as men, but they did have some vital roles, and some of the men knew they could learn from the women. Okonkwo did not, and…...

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References

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Fawcett, 1978.

Aji, Aron, and Kirstin Lynne Ellsworth. "Ezinma: the Ogbanje Child in Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart'." College Literature 20.1 (1993): 170-175.

Alidou, Ousseina D., and Alamin M. Mazrui. "Secrets: Farah's 'Things Fall Apart'." Research in African Literatures 31.1 (2000): 122-128.

Begam, Richard. "Achebe's Sense of an Ending: History and Tragedy in 'Things Fall Apart'." Studies in the Novel 29.3 (1997): 396+.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Specifically, it will evaluate how the arrival of the Europeans in Nigeria transformed everyday life for the Nigerian villagers. It will present an argument about whether, overall, these changes improved society as a whole. The arrival of the white man in Nigeria spelled the end of a way of life for the Ibo, and the other native tribes in the area. The white men required strict control over the natives, and wanted to make them "white" in almost every sense. In doing so, they took away the natives natural and simple way of life, and "things fell apart."
Things Fall Apart Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" is the story of the native Ibo people who live in what is now Nigeria, and the invasion of Europeans into their ordered and happy lives. Much of the tale involves the natives endeavoring to interact with the white…...

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References

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Fawcett, 1978.

Things Fall Apart" the author, Chinua Achebe, offers a unique perspective on Africa and the effect of European civilization on Africa. The story is told with a focus on the central character, Okonkwo. This focus gives the book a definite sense of reality, makes the theme of the tragedy of the change more forceful and also says something greater about all societies. We will begin by giving a brief overview of the story, especially the story of Okonkwo. We will then discuss the sense of reality, the themes and the tragedy of the story and finally the greater meaning of the novel.
The Story of Okonkwo

The book starts by telling Okonkwo's story and his rise to the top of his African tribe. At the same time, his story also tells us about African culture. Without needing to lecture on the subject, the reader becomes aware of the traditions of African…...

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and "Tintern Abbey," by William Wordsworth. Specifically, it will analyze imagery (metaphor, simile, symbol, etc.), and discuss the ways in which the imagery of these texts creates relationships either between humans and nature, or between humans and the divine. What kind of relationship is created by the imagery in each case, and how? How do the details of the two texts' imagery create differences and/or similarities in the relationships you're discussing? Imagery in a piece of writing may not be apparent at first, it may hide underneath the theme and structure of the piece, but unlike landscape to a blind eye, imagery can be seen by reading a little more closely, and taking the time to really think about what the author was trying to say with his or her work.
LANDSCAPE TO A BLIND MAN

Imagery plays an important part in much of fiction,…...

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References

Achebe, Chinua. "Things Fall Apart." The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack et al. Expanded edition in one volume. New York W.W. Norton, 1997. 2931-3030.

Wordsworth, William. "Tintern Abbey." The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack et al. Expanded edition in one volume. New York W.W. Norton, 1997. 2273-79.

In order to really understand resistance in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, it is important to look at all of the characters and not just the highlighted European males, such as the protagonist Marlowe, that sit at the center of the story.  That is because resistance is the undercurrent behind all of the action in the story.  The main characters are always acting against the threat of resistance by the African people who are often portrayed as victims, but are consistently offering resistance to the colonizers, as evidenced by the arrow attack by the natives on the ship. ....

The portrayal of traditional leaders and chiefs in Gold Coast in literature has been a topic of interest and debate for many years. Various authors have approached this subject from different perspectives, shedding light on the role and power dynamics of these figures in the society. While some writers have portrayed traditional leaders and chiefs as figures of authority and wisdom, others have highlighted their flaws and challenges in maintaining their position.

One common theme in literature about traditional leaders and chiefs in Gold Coast is their role as custodians of tradition and culture. Authors like Ayi Kwei Armah in....

The Roles of Traditional Leaders and Chiefs in the Gold Coast: A Literary Exploration

Throughout the history of the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana), traditional leaders and chiefs have played a pivotal role in the social, political, and cultural life of the region. From the pre-colonial era to the post-independence period, their influence has left an enduring legacy that has been explored and depicted in various literary works. This literature review examines how traditional leaders and chiefs have been portrayed in Gold Coast literature, focusing on their roles as custodians of culture, mediators of conflict, and agents of change.

Custodians of Culture

Traditional leaders....

1. In Chinua Achebes novel Things Fall Apart, the protagonist Okonkwo faces a tragic fate as he struggles to navigate the changing landscape of his Igbo culture due to the intrusion of colonial forces. Throughout the novel, Achebe employs foreshadowing to hint at Okonkwos ultimate downfall, linking his actions and decisions to his inevitable tragic fate. By examining key instances of foreshadowing in the text, we can gain a deeper understanding of how Achebe weaves a tragic narrative for Okonkwo.

2. One early example of foreshadowing in the novel occurs when Okonkwo is warned by his fathers friend, Obierika, about....