Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe takes his title "Things Fall Apart" from William Butler Yeats' poem, "The Second Coming". The poem states that in the state of anarchy, things fall apart. Achede substitutes colonialism for anarchy and the death of the Ibo culture and religion by missionaries, who replaced their native values with Christianity for "The ceremony of Innocence drowned" in Yeat's poem.

He feels they should be done well, and with lots of meat.

Ojiugo is beat by Okonkwo for failing to prepare meals for Okonkwo and her children.

Women have no rights: A woman who is frequently beat by her husband is protected by the tribe.

Villages have no law: The tribal councils show the working of law.

The villagers follow false gods: There is a brief exchange which draws many parallels between Christianity and the Nigerian religion.

The villagers are lazy: Okonkwo is respected for both his hard work and wrestling prowess.

As mentioned in chapter 24, page 176 of the novel.

Egonwanne is referred to as a "coward" by Okonkwo. Egonwanne is apparently "sweet toungued" and for that, Okonkwo despises Egonwanne, a man whose silver tongue usually convinces the Umuofia not to go to war against the white man.

What is the meaning of "Mother is Supreme?"

"Why is a dead woman buried with her own kinsmen?"

because okonkwo was heading for the pacific ocean.

• "There are many good and prosperous people here, but I shall be happy if you marry in Umuofia when we return home. Your half-sister, Obiageli, will not understand me, but you can explain to her."

One of the folk tales Achebe divulges in Things Fall Apart is a tale which explains why turtles have bumpy shells. It goes into a story where he was a very greedy man, who wanted to be in the sky with the birds. They didn't trust him at first, but eventually they all gave him a feather to get up there. He was the spokes person, so he said he was going to eat first. Eventually everyone was mad at him and took their feathers back. He asked one of them to tell his wife to put all the soft things out side of his house, so that he could jump down in safety. However, the bird told his wife to put all the hard things out. As the turtle jumped out of the sky, he fell upon the hard object and broke his shell. Eventually it healed, but was extremely bumpy because of the cracks in it.

Nwoye is in one metaphor represented by cold lifeless ash.

Wrestling was the major sport in Things Fall Apart.

Yams, Cola-nuts, and palm-wine thats what I know

Rank is observed in the drinking of palm wine, because the people who drink it are the ones who have jobs in hand.

Answer this question…

Because the tenants have left them vacant

Okonkwo treats Ezinma's illness very seriously. He takes his aid of Ezinma very seriously as well.

The people are taught by their culture to be respectful of outsiders. Further, people have heard of the slaughter of Abame, and are fearful of accosting a white man. Finally, Mr. Brown himself is respectful of the Igbo and their culture. He is self-assured and confident, paying regular visits to the Christians in each community. He makes friends with some of the great men of the Igbo clan, and has been presented with a carved elephant tusk, a sign of dignity and rank. A man of great rank, Akunna, gave permission for his son to be taught in Mr. Brown's school.

Mr. Brown was persistent in getting the Umuofians to attend school. He appealed to the villagers self-interest in having their children be successful. The villagers too, could see the power of the new government in other villages such as Umuru, where the district commissioner resided. People who went to the school gained position in the new government, becoming court messengers court clerks, or teachers. All in all, he had provided opportunity and success to those he helped.

Wrestling

The egwugwu was the "system of government", but was also associated with religion. Not only was it sacred and thought to be a spirit, but it would help people with their every day problems.

The egwugwu is similar to the Grand Jury mixed with a priest.

It was not proven that Enoch killed the Sacred Python in Things Fall Apart nor were his reasons given. His father was the leader of the snake cult, so Enoch may have killed the snake to defy his father.

Okoli killed the sacred python in Mbanta.

A ceremony of the African tribe Igbo, during which a soon-to-be bride

swears that she is a virgin or that she has not slept with another men

since she had been "engaged" to be married.

The ceremony is mentioned in the novel "Thing Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe.

Ekwefi means that she prays that Ezinma will remain alive, now that she is ten years old. Many of Ekwefi's children have died during their infancy, and Ezinma had bouts of sickness as a child including one serious bout when she was 9.

This is an opinion question.

Choose your own character!

An osu is people that are seen as outcasts in the clan, but who Mr. Kiaga accepts into the church.

Obi's response to the priest and his proverb is disdain.

"Okonkwo was a man."

"Did you see that man, Okonkwo?"

"You are my son. Okonkwo, I am your father!"