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Things Falling Apart biography, Things Falling Apart discography
The novel concerns the life of Okonkwo, a leader and local wrestling champion throughout the nine villages of the Igbo ethnic group of Umuofia in Nigeria, his three wives, his children (mainly concerning his oldest son Nwoye and his favorite daughter Ezinma), and the influences of British colonialism and Christian missionaries on his traditional Igbo (archaically spelled "Ibo") community during an unspecified time in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.Achebe states that his two later novels, A Man of the People (1966) and Anthills of the Savannah (1987), while not featuring Okonkwo's descendants and indeed set in completely fictional African countries, are spiritual successors to the previous novels in chronicling African history.Plot summary
The bulk of the novel takes place in Umuofia, one of nine villages on the lower River Niger.Okonkwo has risen from nothing to a high position.He is also a champion wrestler.He has taken three wives, has several children, and has built substantial wealth through his farming of yams, the staple crop of his village.One day, a neighboring clan commits an offense against Umuofia.He lives in Umuofia for several years, and during that time he lives under Okonkwo's roof.In particular, Nwoye, Okonkwo's oldest son, loves Ikemefuna like a brother.Okonkwo is shaken as well, but he continues with his drive to become a lord of his clan.He is constantly disappointed by Nwoye, but he has great love for his daughter Ezinma, his child by his second wife Ekwefi.Ekwefi bore nine children, but only Ezinma has survived.Later, during a funeral for one of the great men of the clan, Okonkwo's gun explodes, killing a boy.In accordance with Umuofia's law, Okonkwo and his family are exiled to the village of Mbanta for seven years.Nwoye becomes a convert after realizing that the new religion will provide him a remedy for the death of Ikemefuna and the twin born children (who are killed as part of tribe's culture).When Okonkwo learns of Nwoye's conversion, he beats the boy.Okonkwo returns to Umuofia to find the clan sadly changed.The church has won some converts, some of whom are fanatical and disrespectful of clan custom.Worse, the white man's government has come to Umuofia.The clan is no longer free to judge its own; a District Commissioner, backed by armed power, judges cases in ignorance.They burn the building down.Soon afterward, the District Commissioner asks the leaders of the clan, Okonkwo among them, to come see him for a peaceful meeting.In prison, they are humiliated and beaten, and they are held until the clan pays a heavy fine.During the meeting, court messengers come to order the men to break up their gathering.The clan meetings are the heart of Umuofia's government; all decisions are reached democratically, and an interference with this institution means the end of the last vestiges of Umuofia's independence.The other court messengers escape, and because the other people of his clan did not seize them, Okonkwo knows that his people will not choose war.The Commissioner plans to write a book about his experiences dealing with undignified behavior in the area, titled The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger, which might include a small section about Okonkwo.Culture
Culture in Umuofia is far different from culture in the western world, especially in terms of religion.Previous to the arrival of Christianity in Part Two, much of the novel deals with the characters' polytheistic religion, consisting of many gods under one commanding god.Religion consists of worshipping a combination of ancestors, spirits, and a god, Chukwu.The religion contains animistic aspects that are common to other ancient religions such as those in Mesopotamia.The religion is very ritualistic, and not as concerned with morality as modern religions today.The society of Umoufia is patriarchal (males are the dominant gender).In fact, to not have power over ones wife is to be considered weak or effeminate.When Ikemefuna cries out to Okonkwo as he is about to be murdered, Okonkwo finishes the deed to show his masculinity.He also displays these traits in his wrestling matches and tribal wars in which he is the leader.Please help improve this section by expanding it.Okonkwo is the main character in Things Fall Apart.The story follows him and his fall from greatness.He has three wives, a mark of wealth and status in the Ibo culture.He fears being seen as weak, and this fear drives him.Hence, his love and affection are lacking, which directs Nwoye's later decision.Okonkwo sees his father as lazy and useless and therefore fears turning into his equal.Unoka dies alone without a proper burial in the forest, playing his flute.But his name remains circulating around the village, even if not in the best connotation.Ekwefi is Okonkwo's second wife who has had trouble having children.She did so as she was in love with Okonkwo.Okonkwo frequently laments that Ezinma should have been a boy).She is held in high priority with her mother, as Ezinma is her one and only child surviving after many failed attempts and miscarriages.Ikemefuma lived with Okonkwo and his family for three years, becoming very much a part of the family and even referring to Okonkwo as father.Nwoye looked up to him greatly.He was taken out and killed by the men of the village, including Okonkwo, in the novel.He is a Christ figure in the novel and also a symbol of the story of Abraham and Isaac in the novel.He is not very much like his father and is more interested in the stories his mother tells than in the stories of war.In fact, it is the way Okonkwo treated Nwoye that had created hatred in the young man's heart.He hates and fears his father, finally leaving to join the church and taking the name "Isaac."He plans to one day come back and save his mother and sisters.The death of Ikemefuna had impelled him the most to leave his father.Ogbuefi Ezeugo is among the oldest members in his clan and is therefore considered very wise.He is described as, not only a strong figure of authority, but also a superb orator and friend to Okonkwo.Okonkwo ignores his advice and later regrets it, especially once this powerful individual perishes.Obierika' is Okonkwo's closest friend.The latter is depicted by Okonkwo's uncle, Uchendu: "We are better than animals because we have kinsmen.The following are respected theme statements connected to Things Fall Apart.Individuals derive strength from the societies they belong to, and societies derive strength from the individuals who belong to them.When new cultures and religions meet, there is likely to be a struggle for dominance.For example, Okonkwo and his son, Nwoye, speak the same language, but have a difficult time understanding one another because they are so different.For example, Okonkwo values tradition so highly that he cannot accept change.The struggle between change and tradition is constant.It has achieved similar repute in India and Australia.African society is intended to extinguish the misconception that African culture had been savage and primitive by telling the story of the colonization of the Igbo from an African point of view.African culture needed a leader.Things Fall Apart has been called a modern Greek tragedy.It has the same plot elements as a Greek tragedy, including the use of a tragic hero, the following of the string model, etc.Okonkwo is a classic tragic hero, even if the story is set in more modern times.He shows multiple hamartia, including hubris (pride) and ate (rashness), and these character traits do lead to his peripeteia, or reversal of fortune, and his downfall at the end of the novel.Achebe, in response, pointed out that English was his language as well and that he was free to use it as he pleased, "even as a tool against the same British who brought the language to Africa."Proverbs play in irreplaceable role in Ibgo culture.The stories that were shared with Nyome by his mother were whimsical stories that explained everyday occurrences such as why mosquitoes attack the ears or stories of the conflict between the Earth and Sky.Although Nyome enjoyed the stories of his mother more than the violent ones of his father, he didn't dare admit it as the stories of women were meant for "children and fools."Through the understanding of the underlying meanings of the stories one can demonstrate knowledge.Things such as the Evil Forest as well as customs such as getting rid of twins or using sticks to demonstrate the bride's dowry have all stemmed from stories told.This is reflected even in the Igbo ways of farming.Though the women in the Ibo culture are critical to the need for bearing sons to carry on the family name, women have little to no value on their own.Nevertheless, the Ibo men did not hesitate to reprimand their wives, even using corporal punishment if deemed necessary.Okonkwo fled to the land of his mother, Mbanta, because a man finds refuge with his mother.But when there is sorrow and bitterness, he finds refuge in his motherland.References to history
The events of the novel unfold around the 1890s.The customs described in the novel mirror those of the actual Onitsha people, who lived near Ogidi, and with whom Achebe was familiar.Achebe himself was an orphan, so it can safely be said the character of Nwoye, who joins the church because of a conflict with his father, is not meant to represent the author.His grandfather, far from opposing Achebe's conversion to Christianity, allowed Achebe's Christian marriage to be celebrated in his compound.Political structures in the novel
Prior to British colonization, the Igbo people as featured in Things Fall Apart, lived in a patriarchal collective political system.Decisions were not made by a chief or by any individual but were rather decided by a counsel of male elders.Though the Portuguese are not mentioned by Achebe, the remaining influence of the Portuguese can be seen in many Nigerian surnames.The arrival of the British slowly began to deteriorate the traditional society.The British government would intervene in tribal disputes rather than allowing the Igbo to settle issues in a traditional manner.The frustration caused by these shifts in power is illustrated by the struggle of the protagonist Okonkwo in the second half of the novel Things Fall Apart.Film, television, and theatrical adaptations
A dramatic radio program called Okonkwo was made of the novel in April 1961 by the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.It starred movie veterans like Pete Edochie, Nkem Owoh and Sam Loco.His rise to prominence and his eventual fall acts as a metaphor reflecting the plight of the Umuofia native people.African culture entirely subordinate to Western influence, and the scope and reach of the book is revealed.Chinua Achebe: A Biography Bloomington: Indiana University Press.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.How do I cite this SparkNote?Message BoardsAsk a question or start a discussion on the community boards.Printable PDFDownload a printable version of this SparkNote.Listen on Your iPodDownload and listen to this SparkNote at audible.Yeats was attracted to the spiritual and occult world and fashioned for himself an elaborate mythology to explain human experience.Spiral, making the figure of a cone.Second Coming refers to the promised return of Christ on Doomsday, the end of the world; but in Revelation 13 Doomsday is also marked by the appearance of a monstrous beast.As you read this novel, try to understand how Achebe's work is in part an answer to this poem.Although there were earlier examples, notably by Achebe's fellow Nigerian, Amos Tutuola, none has been so influential, not only on African literature, but on literature around the world.All too many Africans in his time were ready to accept the European judgment that Africa had no history or culture worth considering.Throughout the novel he shows how African cultures vary among themselves and how they change over time.Look for instances of these variations as you read.Europeans about Africa, such as Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Joyce Cary's Mister Johnson, which portrays a comic African who slavishly adores his white colonist boss, to the point of gladly being shot to death by him.Achebe has said that it was his indignation at this latter novel that inspired the writing of Things Fall Apart.Try to see in what ways his novel answers Cary's.What are Okonkwo's main characteristics as he is depicted in the first few chapters?List as many as you can, being as specific as possible.What were the characteristics of his father which affect him so powerfully?Why do you think Achebe does this?As with the Potlatch Indians of our region and many other peoples, this is an expensive proposition which involves the dispersing most of one's painfully accumulated wealth.What do you think are the social functions of such a system?Palm oil is a rich yellow oil pressed from the fruit of certain palm trees and used both for fuel and cooking.Look for other proverbs as you read.What effect does night have on the people?How do they deal with their fear of snakes at night?What is the cause and nature of the conflict with Mbaino?Beginning with this chapter, trace how women are related to the religious beliefs of the people.Note how Achebe foreshadows the boy's doom even as he introduces him.Why does he dislike his son Nwoye so much?In this polygamous culture each household is enclosed in a compound.What do you think the advantages and disadvantages of this form of social structure are?What seems to be Achebe's attitude toward this culture so far?Is his depicting it as an ideal one?Can you cite any passages which imply a critical attitude?The chi or personal spirit (rather like the daemon of Socrates) is a recurring theme in the book.How is awareness of rank observed in the drinking of the palm wine?What is the relationship of women to agriculture?What is the crime that causes Okonkwo's to be reprimanded?Achebe portrays this aspect of traditional Nigerian life in a very different fashion from Buchi Emecheta, who we will read later.Note Nwoye's affection for Ikemefuna.What is Okonkwo's attitude toward feasts?Note that it is women who are chiefly responsible for decorating the houses.In many African cultures they are also the chief domestic architects, and the mud walls are shaped by them into pleasing patterns.Saharan Africa early on by Muslim merchants, but would have been fairly unusual.Briefly summarize the story of Ikwefi.What do you think is the significance of women having to sit with their legs together?They tended to be apprehensive about new children until they seemed to be likely to survive, thus proving themselves not to be feared ogbanje.What roles does Chielo play in the village?How does Nwoye relate to these values?How does the village react to the coming of the locusts?Why do you suppose they have decided to kill the boy?Most traditional cultures have considered twins magical or cursed.Twins are in fact unusually common among the Ibo, and some subgroups value them highly.Note how the introduction of this bit of knowledge is introduced on the heels of Ikemefuna's death.Nwoye serves as a point of view character to criticize some of the more negative aspects of Umuofia culture.This incident will have a powerful influence on his reaction to changes in the culture later.It is worth noting that European women commonly married between 15 and 18 in earlier times.Note the continued treatment of the theme of the variability of values.Why does Ekwefi prize her daughter Ezinma so highly?Does Achebe seem to validate the belief in ogbanje?The women clearly know on some level that these mysterious beings are their men folk in disguise, yet they are terrified of them.What seem to be the main functions of the ceremony?How does Evil Forest refute the argument of Uzowulu that he beat his wife because she was unfaithful to him?What is the moral of the fable of the tortoise?What does the incident involving the priestess of Agbala reflect about the values of the culture?Notice the traditional attitudes of all small villagers toward large marketplaces like Umuike.Notice that the song sung at the end of the chapter is a new one.Achebe often reminds us that this is not a frozen, timeless culture, but a constantly changing one.We are being systematically introduced to the major rituals of Ibo life.Okonkwo has killed people before this.It may have had its faults, and it accommodated deviants like Okonkwo with some difficulty, but it still worked as an organic whole.What is the significance of comparing Okonkwo to a fish out of water?Thus families are prone to assert a good deal of authority over their unmarried daughters to prevent early love affairs.Note that although the people of Abame acted rashly, they had a good deal of insight into the significance of the arrival of the whites.What sorts of stories had Okonkwo heard about white men before?Thus the new power structures meshed badly with the old.Note how Achebe inverts the traditional dialect humor of Europeans which satirizes the inability of natives to speak proper English by having the missionary mangle Ibo.What is the first act of the missionaries which evokes a positive response in some of the Ibo?What mutual misunderstandings are evident in this chapter between the missionaries and the people of the village?The outcaste osu are introduced in this chapter.Their plight was indeed a difficult one, and is treated by Achebe elsewhere.What does the final speaker say is the main threat posed by Christianity?The fact that he has not been able gradually to accustom himself to the new ways helps to explain his extreme reaction.The missionaries have brought British colonial government with them.Missionaries were often viewed as agents of imperialism.Now we have the Bible and they have the land.This sort of oversimplification was a constant theme of Christian arguments against traditional faiths throughout the world as the British assumed that the natives were fools pursuing childish beliefs who needed only a little enlightenment to be converted.What does the District Commissioner say is the motive of the British in colonizing the Africans?Once again Okonkwo uses his matchet rashly, bringing disaster on his head.But he could be viewed as a defiant hero defending his people's way of life.What do you think of his act?Achebe went on to write two sequels to Things Fall Apart featuring descendants of Okonkwo.Visit a MOO based on the novel at "Village of Umuofia."This page has been accessed
times since June 6, 1997.Sell Your Books For Cash!MonkeyNotes Study Guide by TheBestNotes.Men lose their manliness and their very lives.Africans of both their past and their future.BS 69, Fall, 1985 and Winter, 1986, pp.Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and is funded by Annenberg Media.It definitely should be on there!!Where is Ayn Rand and John Irving?Instead of being treated as onlookers to the arrival of the colonial power, either passive or menacing, here the Africans are center stage, capable all the while of nobility but also cruelty, wisdom and bewilderment.Okonkwo is an ambitious man within the Umuofia clan of the Igbo tribe.
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