Turning and turning in the widening gyre.
The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things
fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy
is loosed upon the world
This is an excerpt from the Poem "The Second Coming", which is the basis for the novel "Things Fall Apart". This title is significant to the many themes that are explored throughout the story. I feel that the story is broken into three different themes in order to arrive at the main theme. The themes of tradition, social appearance and belonging, and fear and anger, are blended in such a way as to bring to light the main theme of the story. This idea is that though throughout life one can train themselves to think that they have absolute control over all things in their lives if they will it to be so, they really don't. The author shows the reality that through these ideas, we brainwash ourselves to believe that if we master these things and gain control over them, life as we know it will always be the same. The danger of thinking in this fashion is that in doing so you never prepare yourself for change, and if you are not prepared for change everything in your life can fall apart. The conflict among these issues shows that though we may have momentary control of ourselves and or family and even our culture, we do not have complete control over change, it is inevitable.
The story is set within the Ibo tribe of Umuofia, which is one of the nine villages that combine to make one large clan in Nigeria. These tribes are ones that hold courage, strength, tradition and customs extremely high. The theme of tradition is examined by
The Dangers 3
showing that they are a prideful people, who rely solely on the will of "their gods" to direct their paths in life, which in turn brings them great strength and prosperity. This is
evident through a dialogue that takes place in the text detailing what happens when a member of the tribe disobeys a law made by the gods, "You are not a stranger in Umuofia. You know as well as I do that our forefathers ordained that before we plant any crops in the earth we should observe a week in which a man does not say a harsh word to his neighbor.
In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Mr. Brown, the first missionary in Umuofia, was a kind and respectful man. Not to say that Reverend James Smith was not, but his degree of kindness and respect were present in a whole different level. They both wanted to convert the lost, all those in Umuofia that were not in the church. Mr. Brown made friends with the clan and “trod softly on his faith,” (pg.178) while Mr. Smith told them how things were in a harsh voice and tried to force his religion on the people of Umuofia. The impacts the two had on the people and the church were exact opposites.
In almost all events that take place in Thing Fall Apart have something to do with religion or superstition. An example of this is Umuofia 's famous Oracle where village residents come to do things from settling disputes to speaking with departed spirits. The book describes the Oracle states “Worshippers and those who came to seek knowledge from the god crawled on their belly through the hole and found themselves in a dark, endless space in the presence of Agbala. No one had ever beheld Agbala, except his priestess. But no one who had ever crawled into his awful shrine had come out without the fear of his power.” (page 16) Umuofia 's oracle acts as the court for most violations made by villagers. It is visited several times by the story as the characters face judgment and punishment. Umuofia 's superstitious nature is also present on the town’s day to day goings on, such as the Kola nut. In the novel, Kola nuts are used as offerings and carry a strong superstitious value. In a gathering between Okoye and Unoka, argue over who should break the kola nut as Okoye states “he who brings kola brings life.” (page 6) later they go on to pray to their ancestors for health and protection before eating. This tradition carries a power equal to that of other ceremonies like the Japanese tea ceremony or the christian act of praying before feasts. It is vital to how the people of Umuofia interact and therefore must not be
Chinua Achebe?s Things Fall Apart is a narrative story that follows the life of an African man called Okonkwo. The setting of the book is in eastern Nigeria, on the eve of British colonialism in Africa. The novel illustrates Okonkwo?s struggles, triumphs, and his eventual downfall, all of which basically coincide with the Igbo?s society?s struggle with the Christian religion and British government. In this essay I will give a biographical account of Okonwo, which will serve to help understand that social, political, and economic institutions of the Igbos.
In the beginning of the book, the Ibo shows their traditions and harmless ways. This peaceful tribe has many traditions. One of the main traditions is their type of respect. The first type of respect we see is the use of Kola nuts when visiting someone’s Obi(hut). Okoye comes to see Unoka. Unoka is Okonkwo’s father. Okonkwo is very ashamed of his father because Unoka is always borrowing money, doesn’t have a job and is weak. So Okoye comes to see Unoka one day and brings a Kola nut. “‘I have Kola,’ he announced when he sat down, and passed the disc over to his guest.”(1.6) To show respect, one brings a Kola nut to a person’s hut. This shows peace and hospitality. Another example of respect is communication. “Among the Ibos the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten. Okoye was a great talker and he spoke for a long time, skirting round the subject and then hitting it finally.” (1.14) The last example of their peaceful traditions are the stories they tell on rainy days.“At such times, in each of the countless thatched huts of Umuofia, children sat around their mother’s cooking fire telling stories, or with their father in his obi warming themselves from a log fire, roasting and eating maize. It was a brief resting ...
The fictional village of Umuofia, created by Chinua Achebe in his 1958 novel, Things Fall Apart, feels very real to readers, who invest in the lives of the protagonist, Okonkwo, and his family members, as they struggle in a pre-colonial Nigerian state. Readers internalize the novel in its three parts: the first being the story of Okonkwo’s rise within the Umuofian clan, the second being his downfall and exile from the clan, and the third being Okonkwo’s return to Umuofia and the impact of white missionaries on the survival of the Ibo culture within the clan. Throughout each section of the novel, readers see how the state leaves its “footprint” on the individuals of the Umuofian clan, and the events of their daily lives. Most present throughout Things Fall Apart, is Chinua’s depiction of religious and magic practices and the ways they shape the lives of the Ibo people of Umuofia. While institutions such as gender roles, government, and use of coercion appear in the novel, all of which are created by the cultural norms established by the state’s religious beliefs, every decision, custom, and routine of the Umuofian clansperson is one of a religious essence.
The story starts in the viewpoint of Ugwu, a young village boy. Ugwu leaves his family and village to become the houseboy of Odenigbo, a university professor, this is a huge opportunity for Ugwu. Odenigbo doesn’t do much, but he does have guests over regularly to talk about the Nigerian government and politics. Eventually,
Chapter 17 of Things Fall Apart, goes in explicit details of the horrible traditions the Umuofia tribe has embedded deeply into the bases of their society. Abnormal events or people were seen as works of the devil and immediately disposed of “She had borne twins, and they had been immediately thrown away” (151). Another instance is when the outcasts or osu go to Church after seeing how they accept “abominations” such as the mother who only bore twins. The only difference between the osu and average people were that they were forbidden to cut their hair “he [Mr. Kiaga] ordered the outcasts to shave off their long, tangled hair. At first they were afraid they might die[...]
They later burned the church down. The tribesmen and women associated the egwugwu to ancestral spirits. The egwugwu were very sacred to Umuofia. Women were afraid and wanted to run away when they saw them. Umuofia established an order of rule and respect that allowed the village to be
The Prevalence of Tragedy in Things Fall Apart Things Fall Apart cries a classical tragedy. It’s a classical tragedy because it possesses catharsis, dramatic irony, and, most essentially, a tragic hero. These elements come and work together in this book very nicely and are why Things Fall Apart is an exceptional example of a classical tragedy.
In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart the characters are faced with the decision to join the new religion that has been brought into the area or to move away from it. Enoch is a man who fits into the new culture, he was an outcast of his original culture and this new group of people brought him in. He has problems too though because he creates conflict between the new religion and the old religion of the tribe. There are different consequences for his mistakes but in the end the all get resolved one way or another even if it is not in the way he would want. Different occurrences cause different problems and whatever happens will change things for the next generation of people.
...ent the total destruction of Umuofia, it is important to remember that it is impossible for societies to stay static. Our world is growing at an exponential rate and it is inevitable that the boundaries of different cultures will someday overlap; but perhaps it is not really a loss after all. In Chinua Achebe's words:
“When two cultures collide is the only time when true suffering exists.” This was once said by Hermann Hesse, a German-Swiss poet. His insight was true wisdom when it comes to the collision of culture. In relation to this thought, when two cultures collide and they ignore eachothers values it results in destruction of these cultures and consequences as seen through Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, slave trade in Nigerian history, and the Indian Ocean Trade.
The Ibo culture is also depicted as primitive and unjust by Achebe. This is noted in the primitive aspects of the Ibo people’s system of belief, which appears uncivilised and unjust. These examples of the Ibo culture are then combined with and redisplayed by the other primary method that Achebe uses to depict the dual aspects of Ibo culture, the two missionaries figures. Firstly Mr. Brown is utilised in a way that acknowledges the sophisticated structure and beliefs of the Ibo culture and improvement brought to the Ibo people through the missionaries involvement in the village.
By examining precolonial, African societies, an illustration of the traditional methods of governance or tribal organization, belief systems, environmental management and external relations can be established. Chinau Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, traces the institutional structures of the Igbo people of Southeast Nigeria in the late 19th century from the precolonial era, while introducing the changes brought about by the start of the imposition of British colonialism. The novel effectively characterizes the Igbo’s tribal organization and subsequent structures that create the basis for legitimacy. The novel consists of a journey through the plight of a village strongman, Okonkwo, of the fictional Igbo village named Umuofia. Okonkwo demonstrates a clear definition of the Igbo patriarchal society in which masculinity and strength are determinants of prestige, gender norms while belief systems dictate law as well as the incompatibility of traditionalism with colonialism.
Information I gleamed from Njoku’s descriptions of Igbo social customs are also evident in the text of the story, perhaps most prominently in the new warrant chief’s scolding of the elders for not showing proper hospitality through the presentation of kola-nut, a ritual which Njoku describes in detail. Additionally I benefited immensely from Njoku’s collection of Igbo proverbs in an appendix to his work. While I eventually choose to not directly insert any of them into the body of the story, I read and reread them to influence my writing style for this story and to gain a better perspective of how my characters might have seen the