Things Fall Apart Setting Analysis
Setting and themes in Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Chinua Achebe. It was first published in 1958. The novel is about the Igbo customs and traditions. Moreover, it also shows the African perspective on the British colonisation. For showing this African perspective, the setting is very important. The setting has a huge impact on the central ideas and themes presented in Things Fall Apart, Achebe achieves this through the use of characterisation, placing the novel in a clear context and his style of writing.
Firstly, characterisation and the contrast between characters give a good insight into the Igbo culture. In Things Fall Apart Okonkwo is characterised as powerful and fearless, Nwoye is characterised as weak and
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One of the first things the reader notices is the use of Igbo words throughout the novel. Words as ‘agballa’, ‘obi’ and ‘egwugwu’ make the Western reader realise that they are reading a novel about a completely different culture. Due to the omniscient narrator, customs can also be explained to the reader, an example of this is: ‘’Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.’’ This shows that the Igbo see language as a form of art. Unlike the Western society they take the time for a good conversation. Palm-oil is a frequently used cooking oil, so the quotation is a metaphor for saying that proverbs are necessary for a good conversation. Just like palm-oil is necessary to cook food. Achebe also uses the story of the locusts, which is allegorical for the arrival of the white missionaries: ‘’And at last the locusts did descend. They settled on every tree on every blade of grass; they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground. Mighty tree branches broke away under them, and the whole country became the brown-earth colour of the vast, hungry swarm.’’ This passage is from the beginning of the novel and foreshadows the arrival of the whites and that things are going to fall apart. To conclude, Achebe’s use of language such as Igbo words, metaphors and proverbs introducing Igbo traditions and allegory which foreshadows the arrival of the white missionaries shows the Igbo culture to the
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855 Words | 4 PagesThings Fall Apart Everyone has its own unique perspective on certain things. In doing so, one must interact or collide with another throughout life. In Things Fall Apart, the author, Chinua Achebe, attempts to communicate the concept of cultural collision while depicting the life of the Igbo tribe. He creates two main characters with contradicting characteristics and responses to a cultural collision in order to strengthen the theme:
Things Fall Apart Quote Analysis
746 Words | 3 PagesManliness in some cultures has a big impact on their everyday life and social standing. The idea of manliness has affected the way, the character Okonkwo builds his relationship with his clan and his family. This can change people because if manliness is the only thing important to a person, it could affect his relationships with the people around him. In the novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe is revealing the theme, manliness, through Okonkwo 's actions, thoughts, and speech.
Social Status In Things Fall Apart
1027 Words | 5 PagesThe significance of social status in “Things Fall Apart” is huge in the characterization of key characters, and it provides insight into how the Ibo clan is structured. Achebe further uses the theme of social structure to guide his characters a certain way and to guide the readers through the plot of the novel. From the very beginning of the novel Achebe introduces “social status” to the readers as a very important aspect of the book. From the very first line- “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond” – us readers come to an understanding that the main character, Okonkwo, is of high social status and that this tale will most likely be about him and his personal achievements.
Stereotypes In Things Fall Apart
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Okonkwo's Hatred In Things Fall Apart
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Change In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
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Analysis Of Igbo Culture In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe
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Family Roles In Things Fall Apart
1203 Words | 5 PagesThe novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe talks about the Igbo, an indigenous Nigerian people, and about a culture on the brink of change. Indeed, through the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo leader in the fictional Nigerian village of Umuofia, Achebe describes how the prospect and reality of change affect different characters. In the Igbo culture the family unit plays a fundamental role and the members of a family highly value the mutual respect for each other, a reverence for all past fathers, and unity. The father is considered not only as the head of the family and its provider, but the defender of its honor as well as the teacher of his sons.
Okonkwo And Ezinma, An Unxpressed Love In Things Fall Apart
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Importance Of Education In Things Fall Apart
1252 Words | 6 PagesThings Fall Apart, a book written by the author Chinua Achebe is a story filled with amazing culture. It is about the rise and downfall of the main character, Okonkwo. The book had many different aspects of the African culture and the different time period. For example, characters and their importance throughout the story, and how women were treated in this culture and time period. Topics from religion, family, and the social complexity were very much involved throughout the entire book and portrayed by many of the characters.
Essay On Religion In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
846 Words | 4 PagesReligion in Things Fall Apart Religion is the belief in a greater power, which shapes the way someone lives their life. Religion can bring people together, or it can pull them apart. The novel Things Fall Apart, a work by Chinua Achebe, is about a man named Okonkwo and how he and his village deal with the colonization of Christianity. In the end, it pulled Okonkwo away from his people, leading him to his death.
Things Fall Apart Feminist Analysis
878 Words | 4 PagesFeminist Theory In Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”, they recognize the life of the Igbos which are a tribe in the village of Umuofia during European colonization. There are many topics brought up in this book like the effects of colonization, culture and tradition, religion, race, etc. It is relatively easy to read “Things Fall Apart” as an anti-feminist text due to the face that the Igbo clan’s customs and traditions seem to side towards masculine features, such as power and strength. The novel is told through a male protagonist’s point of view in nineteenth century Nigeria, while women there do not have much rights, they do wield heavy influence over the leaders of the clan.
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Masculinity In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
1794 Words | 8 PagesChinua Achebe’s 1958 literary classic, Things Fall Apart (Achebe, 1958), is renowned for its authentic account of the black African experience. Set in post-colonial Nigeria, the fictional novel discusses the cultural roots of the Igbos and follows the life of the tragic hero, Okonkwo. This acclaimed novel deals with strong patriarchal ideals of masculinity within the Igbo culture and how Okonkwo is a direct manifestation of this. Achebe depicts the relationship between masculinity and both male and female characters, and how this, in turn, has an effect on Okonkwo’s relationships. The strongest relationship in the novel is between father (Okonkwo) and daughter (Ezinma); their bond is strong because Ezinma is everything Okonkwo would want in a son.
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