Things Fall Apart

It is hard to imagine being invaded and forced to change virtually all of our
ways by a foreign nation. Unfortunately for the Ibo society, imperialism was
forced upon them. All they could do was sit back and watch as the English
changed all aspects of their life. Everything from religion to family life was
changed by imperialism. The title, Things Fall Apart, suits the book very well
because that is essentially what happened to the Umuofia village. The
cultural traditions of Umuofia eventually fell apart. The main points of focus in
Things Fall Apart are life inside the Ibo tribe, the struggle of one mans desire
to succeed, and imperialism.
During part one of the story, Achebe takes the reader through the daily lives
of the Ibo people. The reader is exposed to different aspects of Ibo culture like
the role of women in society and the process of growing food. The role of
women in the Ibo tribe was very specific and minimal. When a man wanted to
marry a woman, he had to pay the bride price to her relatives only if they
accepted him. My daughters suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch
the matter of the bride-price (Achebe 65). This is from a conversation
between Okonkwo and a friend. Women were given virtually no rights and
their only purpose was to give birth, cook, and clean. Women had no say in
tribe meetings and never allowed to talk back to their husbands. The
agriculture of the Ibo society was also a main focus in Things Fall Apart. Yams
were the main nourishment through every meal and they called these yams
"the king of crops." Furthermore, people used the yams for every traditional
celebration and used kola nuts to offer their "chi" or personal god. These
foods, as Achebe had described, were sometimes related to or involved with
the religion or ancestral spirits of the Ibo tribe.
The main character of this book, Okonkwo, is a truly hardworking and
ambitious man, but these characteristics are mainly driven by hatred and
resentment for his father. His father was a lazy man who held no title in
society and owed many debts. In fear of ending up like his father, Okonkwo
makes a concerted effort to work hard and earn respect among his peers.
Okonkwo earned respect through his farming and wrestling. "His fame rested
on personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor
to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat...Okonkwo was as slippery as a
fish in water" (Achebe 1). Despite all of his personal achievements, things
begin to go downhill for Okonkwo as the book goes on. He is banished from
the tribe for seven years for a terrible accident caused by him and it was
during this time imperialism begins. Okonkwo returns only to find his tribe
overrun by the English. Okonkwo was a troubled character with a fear of
failure and an inability to control his anger and swallow his pride. He was so

focused on success he failed to realize his own personal flaws. This is what
ultimately led to his demise. Okonkwo is outraged to find out that even his
own son Nwoye is taken in by the new religion being introduced to his tribe.
This is when Okonkwos anger gets the best of him and he kills the district
commissioner. When he finds out no one is in support of him, he commits
suicide. Okonkwo can be considered a tragic hero driven by the fear of failure
and also the fear of change.
When the white missionaries came to colonize the Ibo tribe, many believed
that they would not stay long. Christianity, among other things, was forced
upon the tribe. However, some of the natives were not opposed to this new
religion and found it rather intriguing. Others were pressured into converting
to Christianity. The interesting thing about European imperialism during this
time is that the Ibo culture did not lack religion and structure before the white
missionaries came. In fact, their religion was quite intricate and they believed
in a number of gods. Also, in Umuofia there was a democratic system of
government with no one ruler and a complex system by which people could
gain political power through economic success. The people of Umuofia were
not as savage as the Europeans perceived them to be. They had their own
currency, a structured government, and religion. In other words, the Ibo had a
thriving culture and economy in pre-colonial Umuofia. However, they did not
possess the military power or technology needed to stop the white
missionaries.
Things Fall Apart does a very good job of showing what life was like in Africa
during imperialism. In a very short time, major changes to the Ibo way of life
took place. The new religion that was forced upon the natives made the claim
that all men are created equal yet the missionaries viewed them as
uncivilized and sub-human. The European desire for social and economic
dominance is displayed in Things Fall Apart. Traditional family and religious
values were lost when the missionaries came. Achebe shows the reader what
effects these had through the character, Okonkwo. He would rather kill
himself than be killed by his self-proclaimed enemy, which is exactly what he
did. Things Fall Apart is a tale of tragedy and the despair of a fallen hero.
Transcript of Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart
LANGUAGE
Title and the
Significance
MAIN

DISCUSSIONS
Achebe's use of language is used to illustrate, to a wide range of audiences,
how the Ibo view their world.
Traditional Language
Language Use:
Formalities
Language Use: Speech Patterns and Rhythms
THESIS
by Chinua Achebe
The Title and the Significance

"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." (W.B. Yeats)

Creates a dark mood and relates to the tragic conclusion of the novel
Describes change, chaos, and apocalypse

"He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking and falling apart... for the
warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women."
(183)

Language used by the Characters

Speech Patterns and Rhythms
Calls were used to unite a group

"At last Ogbuefi Ezeugo stood up in the midst of them and bellowed four
times, "
Umuofia kwenu
," and on each occasion he faced a different direction and seemed to push
the air with a clenched fist." (10)
Some are used to show emotion
"'Agbala do-o-o-o! Agbala ekeneo-o-o-o-o,' came the voice like a sharp knife
cutting through the night. 'Okonkwo! Agbala ekene gio-o-o-o! "Agbala cholu
ifu ada ya Ezinmao-o-o-o-o!'" (100)
Mentioning of drums
"The metal gong beat continuously now and the flute, shrill and powerful,
floated on the chaos,
And then the egwugwu appeared." (89)
Chants and Rhythmic responses were used as part of a ritual
"'We are giving you our daughter today. She will be a good wife to you. She
will bear you nine sons like the mother of our town.'
'Ee-e-e!'" (117)

Traditional Language
Achebe uses Ibo words in the novel
Achebe shows that some Ibo words cannot be translated
"Everyone knew then that she would live because her bond with the world of
ogbanje had been broken." (80)
The meaning of the characters' name has affects on their character
development
Ezinma

-Good path; the future will be good

"The birth of her children, which should be a woman's crowning glory,
became for Ekwefi were physical agony devoid of promise." (77)
Unoka
-Home is better
Obierika
-A person with a great heart: a person who shows compassion
KATRINA, SONIA, MICHELLE, & SNEHA.

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Ikemefuna
-Let my efforts/strengths not be forgotten
"Okonkwo did not taste food for two days...He did not sleep at night. He tried
to think about Ikemefuna, but the more he tried the more he thought about
him." (63)
Chielo
-a short form of Chinelonma meaning the thought of God is good
There are different dialects in the Ibo language

"Surely the Second Coming is at hand." (W.B. Yeats)

The apocalypse contrasts to the traditional Christian belief, written in the

book of Revelation.

"He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen
apart." (176)

"And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards
Bethlehem to be born?" (W.B. Yeats)

Awaiting the Second Coming

Who is the "rough beast" ?

Thanks for listening!

Fables, stories, and tales were part of the culture
"His shell broke into pieces. But there was a great medicine man in the
neighbourhood. Tortoise's wife sent for him and he gathered in all the bits of
shell and stuck them together. That is why Tortoise's shell is not smooth."
(98)
Songs were part of the everyday life
"Children no longer stayed indoors but ran about singing:
'The rain is falling, the sun is shining,
Alone Nnadi is cooking and eating." (35)

Language used by the Characters

Formalities
Language spoken is different depending on social status.
Men talked to women with no respect
''No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women
and children (especially his women), he was not really a man.'' (53)

Elders are spoken to with great respect, used many proverbs and sayings.

"Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As
elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings." (8)

Spirits and priests were spoken to with great fear; Achebe uses chants often

" A women fled as soon as an egwugwu came in sight." (89)

Note that Ezinma spoke informally to her mother, Ekwefi

"Ezinma did not call her mother Nne like all the children. She called her by
her name, Ekwefi, as her father and other grown-up people did. The
relationship between them was not only that of mother and child. There was
something in it like the companionship of equals, which was strengthened by
such little conspiracies as eating eggs in the bedroom." (76-77)