ipl-logo

Things Fall Apart

749 Words3 Pages

Things Fall Apart: Literary Analysis In Things Fall Apart, a realistic fiction novel authored by Chinua Achebe, literary devices are used in numerous ways. Imagery, Allusions, Metaphors, and many others are used to develop several essential themes and ideas throughout the extent of the story. One key, elaborate, idea maintained throughout Things Fall Apart is the idea of masculinity and femininity as perceived by the main character, Okonkwo, and the whole of Umuofian culture. In summary, Achebe uses several literary devices and techniques to express many views on the abstract, subjective, concepts of masculinity and femininity. In Things Fall Apart, direct characterization, as well as indirect characterization, are key tools in defining masculinity …show more content…

Okonkwo falls under the hero archetype present in many works of literature throughout history. A few of the qualities and actions that are cause for his inclusion into this category include his reputation as a great wrestler, saying “he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat,” (Achebe 1) a great warrior, “[Okonkwo] had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars,” (Achebe 8) and his willing to act upon his duties such as receiving Ikemefuna in chapter four and travelling to the village to acquire Ikemefuna in chapter two. This idea of Okonkwo, a prime example of manliness, being a hero expresses that Umuofian culture views masculinity as synonymous with many traits of characters who fall under the hero archetype. In conclusion, Chinua Achebe, in his novel Things Fall Apart, uses both indirect and direct characterization, anecdotes, and foils, as well as archetypes to express the strict views Okonkwo and Umuofian culture possess regarding masculinity and femininity. Characterization types show these themes by expressing the traits involved with these ideas, while anecdotes and foils play on these characterizations to create an addition to them. Finally, archetypes express Umuofian views by showing how people with these characterizations are viewed by the Umuofian

Show More
Related

Masculinity In Things Fall Apart

306 Words | 2 Pages

Ikemefuna’s character and tremendous effect on the clan illuminate the central concept of opposing views of masculinity throughout different generations present in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. To begin, Ikemefuna helps Nwoye realize how proud his father becomes when he no longer cares for women’s stories. Nwoye understands the notion that as a man in Umuofia he should be masculine and violent, yet he still prefers the feminine stories that his mother tells (Achebe 53). In addition, Nwoye even fakes his interest in masculine stories to impress Okonkwo: who in return stops beating Nwoye (Achebe 54). The generation gap proves that Okonkwo values a man’s strength but Nwoye sees staying true to himself and interests as more important.

Read More

Cultural Collision In Things Fall Apart Essay

924 Words | 4 Pages

In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo reacts to cultural collision in his society by having a closed mind and attempting to retaliate, which ultimately leads to his suicide, contributing to the novel’s theme that one

Read More

Is Okonkwo A Tragic Hero Essay

1488 Words | 6 Pages

ENG 220 Assignment Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe 1.2 Discuss Okonkwo as the tragic hero of the novel Things Fall Apart Shawné Anderson 13012909 11 September 2014 (Groenkloof Campus)   A tragic hero is a man of noble stature. He is not an ordinary man, but a man with outstanding quality and greatness about him. He is a person who is seen to be "better than we are" (Abrams & Harpham, 2012)

Read More

Things Fall Apart Analysis

2191 Words | 9 Pages

“Things Fall Apart”, published in 1958, is a novel written by Chinua Achebe designed to challenge the colonial myths of Africa’s recurrent cycle of creation of order from chaos and the dissolution of order into chaos. The novel is set in a traditional Ibo village community in Nigeria at the turn of the century when the first European missionaries and administrative officials were beginning to penetrate inland. It is a story based on the village “egwugwu” Okonkwo, a wrestler who gained fame after defeating “Amalinze the Cat” in one of the fiercest fights Umuofia had seen since “the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights”. Throughout the novel the reader sees the dichotomy of the protagonist who in order to not fall into the footsteps of his weak and lazy father, Unoka, does everything in his power to gain power and prestige in the Ibo society. This was done so that his ideals of masculinity and devotion to the village and its religious customs were seen as unwavering and devoted.

Read More

Summary: Okonkwo Falls Apart

1027 Words | 5 Pages

Okonkwo Falls Apart Chinua Achebe offers a rare look at the natives perspective during colonialism in his work Things Fall Apart. The central struggle in the main character Okonkwo is that he is beginning to lose his way of life, and he is not able to do anything about it. Conflicts in religious beliefs with the arrival of the missionaries heightens Okonkwo 's internal aggression, and his inability to adapt leads to his downfall.

Read More

Analysis Of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

1248 Words | 5 Pages

Things Fall Apart Essay By:Brendadette Lopez~ Paiz In Chinua Achebe’s masterpiece Things Fall Apart, he portrays the evolution of Okonkwo, a tribal leader, struggle to get out of poverty, and the colonization of Africa. Due to the colonization of his country and the changes it had brought caused the tear in Okonkwo’s tribe leaving him with nothing, and leading to his fate.

Read More

Things Fall Apart Okonkwo Analysis

755 Words | 4 Pages

China Achebe demonstrates the disrespect the Ibo men had for woman in Things Fall Apart by depicting verbal and physical abuse within the community. The men have control over a woman through power of authority. This physical and verbal abuse lets the men of the society feel empowerment over the woman. “ Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper” Achebe 12.

Read More

Femininity In Things Fall Apart

895 Words | 4 Pages

In the Ibo hierarchal society, women are the subject of unequal treatment and patronization. They are considered weak and are not given any power. As the novel, Things Fall Apart unravels, the author, Chinua Achebe reveals the distinct attributes of femininity. Feminine traits are also viewed with disdain in Umuofian society, especially by the protagonist of the novel, Okonkwo. His past experiences shape his disposition and give rise to his stereotypical mentality; however, several events contradict the prevalent perspective of women, leading to Okonkwo facing conflicts within himself.

Read More

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

662 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is an ideal representation of a tragic hero because he experiences a tragic misfortune and he is an admirable, but flawed leader. A calamitous event occurs, which leads to Okonkwo’s banishment from Umuofia, his native land. Through the influence of his father, Okonkwo strives to be an accomplished and respected man, unlike his father, Unoka. Overall, Okonkwo evinces a tragic flaw and undergoes an uncontrollable tragedy. A tragic hero typically experiences peripeteia and Okonkwo suffers by his change of fate.

Read More

Things Fall Apart

473 Words | 2 Pages

In the essay I created about Umuofia having both civilized and uncivilized attributes, my strength, includes a complex thesis, and my weakness, includes use of passive voice, illustrated my various developments in essay writing. The strength that I exhibited in my essay was a complex thesis. The improvement in my theses can be seen in my most recent thesis from the essay about Umuofia. The thesis was filled with rich vocabulary and strong language in order to convey my opinion with correct examples.

Read More

Importance Of Education In Things Fall Apart

1252 Words | 6 Pages

Things 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.

Read More

Things Fall Apart Post Colonialism Analysis

1837 Words | 8 Pages

S. Naipaul and J. M. Coetzee these Post-colonial writers have all dealt with Africa in their own individual and unique ways. Achebe does not treat the African culture and ways of life as something hybrid, complex, dependant for its significance on the Western style of perceiving things or neither has he shown Africa to be existing only in relation to its difference from or consonance with the Western form of religion, culture, identity, and discourse. The major theme of the novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ centers around the destruction of Africa’s intricate, almost incomprehensible but unique way of life and culture in the wake of British colonization and forced or maneuvered conversion to Christianity. The administrative as well as religious changes that the British tries to impose upon the native Africans has the disastrous effects of uprooting the indigenous people from their original root and tradition and can be seen as some instruments of subjugation, subordination and subservience which starts with creating distrust, doubts and insecurity in the minds of people for their Igbo tradition, and its cultural and religious practices and ends with making them internalize the Christian way of life and British administrative apparatuses. Another theme that is explored in this novel is the inherent fault of the central character Okonkwo, who is ambitious, industrious, honest, masculine but is rash, and unthinking and his sense of self and identity is wholly dependent on the approval of others in his community and he thinks of anything that intrudes into it as a threat and he tries hard to be a man though in a flawed manner.

Read More

Things Fall Apart Feminist Analysis

878 Words | 4 Pages

Feminist 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.

Read More

Things Fall Apart

478 Words | 2 Pages

A tradition is an important set of beliefs being circulated from one generation to another or even the act of it being inherited through one’s acts, thoughts and behaviour. There are importances towards the idea of practicing one’s traditions; throughout the novel, Things Fall Apart, the author Chinua Achebe, uses the Ibo culture as a way of depicting their traditions. Traditions are also a major part of my life because it shows special significances towards origins of the past. Holidays mean a lot to my family, they help reunite us with family members we have not seen in a while and also it helps build endless memories.

Read More

Things Fall Apart

850 Words | 4 Pages

Some historical figures argue that people stripped of its native culture is people stripped of its soul. According to society, outstanding invading influences, such as missionaries and colonialism, affect a native, indigenous culture as well as traditional beliefs. This idea is shown in Things Fall Apart, a novel written by Chinua Achebe. However, another vidal belief is that some benefits can be brought to a society when other cultures arrive this is also presented in the novel and other instances throughout history. “Obierika, who had been gazing sadly at his friend’s dangling body, turned suddenly to the District Commissioner and said ferociously: “That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia.

Read More

More about Things Fall Apart

Related Topics

Open Document