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The depiction of environment in literary texts: An eco- linguistic study of

Chinua Achebe's things fall apart

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 Journal of Education Research and Behavioral Sciences Vol. 10(1), pp. 001-007, March, 2021
Available online at http://www.apexjournal.org
ISSN 2315-8735© 2020 Apex Journal International

Full Length Research

The depiction of environment in literary texts: An eco-

linguistic study of Chinua Achebe’s things fall apart
Matthew Abua Ebim

Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Calabar, Nigeria. E-mail: meabua@yahoo.com.
Tel: +234-803-8881284.

Accepted 11 March, 2021; Published 16 March, 2021.

The African landscape is eco-friendly. Nature in African culture frowns on immorality or even unfairness
in relation to treatment of the earth. The ambience of the African natural ecology is clearly depicted in the
friendliness to the inhabitants. Achebe gives prominence to the land in his epic novel, Things Fall Apart,
henceforth (TFA) dwelling on the process of cultivation, cultural practices and the reactions of nature to
some of the practices alien to the supremacy of “mother” earth. This study takes an Eco- Linguistic look
at the depiction of these attributes of nature in TFA by accounting for nature’s reactions to the African
colonial experience as exemplified in TFA; where Achebe portrays Africa as a society that had its bond
intact prior to the advent of colonialism. This study identifies, describes and interprets those events that
portray the environment as forms of texts in a discursive situation from the perspective of Eco-
Linguistics. Through the application of Ruth Wodak’s (89) Discourse-Historical Approach and Halliday’s
(86) Eco- linguistics, the study retraces the historical developments to African environmental concerns
to underscore the applicability of Eco linguistics in examining those issues that make TFA a novel with
environmentalism as a sub thematic focus among others.

Key words: Environment, eco-linguistics, Chinua Achebe, TFA.

INTRODUCTION

Halliday's paper on New Ways of Meaning: The Challenge
to Applied Linguistics laid the foundation for research in
Eco-linguistics, where linguists consider the ecological
context and the consequences of language. The term Eco-
linguistics emerged in the 1990s as a new paradigm of
linguistic research which takes into account not only the
social context in which language is embedded, but also the
ecological context in which societies are embedded. The
major concern of Halliday in this area of language study
was to make linguistics relevant to the issues and
concerns of the 21st century, particularly the widespread
destruction of ecosystems and he gave the example
'economic growth', where he described how the orientation
of the English language with regard to unmarked terms
such as large, grow, tall, and good gives growth a positive
aspect, despite the negative ecological consequences.
This area of language study has developed considerably,
primarily in the direction of analysing the ecological impact
of specific discourses rather than languages in general.
This approach to language basically has to do with the
application of CDA to texts in relation to the environment
to uncover the belief that there are hidden messages in
such texts (Stibbe, 2012; Harré et al., 1999). Eco-critical
approach to linguistic analysis includes analysis of any
discourse which has potential consequences for the future
of ecosystems, such as neoliberal economic discourse
and discursive constructions of consumerism, gender,
politics, agriculture and nature (Goatly, 2000; Stibbe,
2004). The approach does not just focus on exposing
potentially damaging ideologies, but also searches for
discursive representations which can contribute to a more
ecologically sustainable society. Approaches such as eco-
semiotics (Selvamony, 2007), environmental
communication and eco-criticism have broadly similar
aims and techniques to Eco-CDA.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: ECOLINGUISTICS
Ecolinguistics emerged in the 1990s as a new paradigm of
linguistic research which took into account not only the
social context in which language is embedded, but also the
 002 J. Edu. Res. Behav. Sci
ecological context in which societies are embedded.
Ecolinguistics examines the influence of language on the
life-sustaining relationships of humans with each other,
with other organisms and with the natural environment.
Research ranges from the impact of advertising discourse
in encouraging ecologically damaging consumption to the
power of nature poetry to encourage respect for the natural
world." There are two main approaches which use the term
'ecolinguistics' and they can be glossed as 'eco-critical
discourse analysis' and 'linguistic ecology'. The theory
relies on the application of critical discourse analysis to
texts about the environment and environmentalism, in
order to reveal hidden assumptions and hidden messages
and comment on the effectiveness of these in achieving
environmental aims (e.g. Stibbe, 2012; Harré et al., 1999).
In its fullest formation, it includes analysis of any discourse
which has potential consequences for the future of
ecosystems, such as neoliberal economic discourse and
discursive constructions of consumerism, gender, politics,
agriculture and nature (e.g. Goatly, 2000; Stibbe, 2004).
Eco-critical discourse analysis does not just focus on
exposing potentially damaging ideologies, but also
searches for discursive representations which can
contribute to a more ecologically sustainable society.
Approaches such as ecosemiotics (Selvamony, 2007),
environmental communication and ecocriticism have
broadly similar aims and techniques to eco-critical
LINGUISTIC ECOLOGY
The term was first used in an article on the "language
situation" in Arizona (Voegelin et al., 1967). It was taken
up by Einar Haugen, who pioneered a form of linguistics
which used the metaphor of an ecosystem to describe the
relationships among the diverse forms of language found
in the world, and the groups of people who speak them.
Whether Linguistic Ecology is a form of ecolinguistics or is
more suitably characterised as sociolinguistics is a
controversial issue. Linguistic Ecology looks at how
languages interact with each other and the places they are
spoken in, and frequently argues for the preservation of
endangered languages as an analogy of the preservation
of biological species. Some claim that this is not
ecolinguistics because the focus is on language rather
than the impact of language on actual biological/physical
ecosystems. However, others have argued that separation
of the metaphorical 'linguistic ecology' from ecolinguistics
would be reductionist (Steffensen, 2007), because high
linguistic diversity is associated with high biological
diversity (Bastardas-Boada, 2002). The relationship
between linguistic diversity and biodiversity is claimed to
arise since local ecological knowledge is built into local
language varieties and threatened if the local language is
threatened by a more dominant language (see
Mühlhäusler, 1995). A compromise position is that
Linguistic Ecology is a form of ecolinguistics if the 'end'
being sought is the preservation of the actual ecosystems
that support life and the 'means' is through preserving
language diversity, but a form of sociolinguistics if
language diversity itself is the only 'end' sought (Stibbe,
2010).
REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE
Considering the level of environmental despoliation in the
world, a number of studies that focus on eco-linguistic
study have been carried out. William Slaymaker in his
essay ―Ecoing the Other(s): The Call of Global Green and
Black African Responses perceives that many African
writers’ resistance or avoidance of eco-critical paradigms
is caused by their suspicion of a Western theory which
appears as one hegemonic discourse from the
metropolitan West (Slaymaker, 2001) and because African
writers do not expect any Western theory to solve their
environmental problems. A number of studies have been
carried out to explicate the environmental degradation in
Africa, especially in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria as a
result of oil exploration (Ebim, 2015). Niyi Osundare and
Ken Saro Wiwa, are famous for their writings which have
displayed resonances of eco-activism. Arising from this
position, there is the need to study the effects and levels
of environmental discourses observable in Achebe’s TFA
as exemplified in the text. Though Achebe has not shown
any apparent awareness towards ecological crisis in his
writings, his text TFA reveals instances of his focusing on
the theme of nature and the environment. TFA therefore
paints a picture of nature and the environment in its
composition as a result of colonial invasion.
Eco-CDA AND CHINUA ACHEBE’S TFA
Chinua Achebe explores the relationship between the
environment and society as well as the various characters
in his epic novel, TFA. The land plays a significant role in
the novel by revealing the attitude, belief system and
occupation of Africans and the consequences of not
adhering to the rules that regulate the various activities
relating to the cultural values placed on the land. Nature
becomes a persona in TFA as Achebe presents it as a
living entity which acts along with the human characters in
the novel. That the idea of exploiting nature for their own
benefit is unimaginable in the novel is apparent in their
physical activities and mental thinking which are shaped
by the surrounding environment as Achebe portrays the
agrarian posturing of Africans in the novel through:
sacrifices, religious beliefs, ideological positioning,
festivities and the general world view of the people.
Various ritualistic renditions are offered to the gods or
deities especially at the commencement of the planting
season in order to have a bumper harvest. On the contrary,
when such rituals are not performed, the harvest tends to

be very poor thus placing nature at the centre of all
activities in TFA. The ancestors were not left out in the
scheme of things as they are placed at the epicentre of the
various activities that regulate the lives of the living. And
for these ancestors to be reached, the earth played a
significant role. This the people achieved through the
evidence of their great love for the land. Their ancestors
were the very part of the land. In describing the burial
ground of the community, Achebe narrates: The land of the
living was not far removed from the domain of the
ancestors. There was coming and going between them . .
. (122). By this assertion, the dead members of the
community became a part of the land. This dynamic model
of the land extends genealogically from the past to the
future. Instances of nature playing a significant role in the
lives of the people abound in Achebe’s TFA.
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
Achebe’s first encounter, mention and reference to the
environment is the use of a linguistic concept simile to
describe the effect of destruction of the ecosystem in a
manner that captures the African socio-political
landscape…during this time Okonkwo’s fame had grown
like a bush-fire in the harmattan (TFA: 3).Through the use
of this metaphoric reference to the major character,
Okonkwo’s fame, Achebe deploys exaggeration to
describe the fortune acquired by a man whose family
background is bedevilled by unfortunate circumstances.
With this reference, there is a swift movement to the
visibility of happiness among children as they adore the
natural ambience of the earth:
On a moonlight night it would be different. The happy
voices of children playing in open fields would then be
heard. And perhaps those not so young would be playing
in pairs in less open places, and old men and women
would remember their youth. As the Ibo say: "When the
moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk."
(8)
In the above extract, nature plays a significant role through
its portrayal as a divinity. The friendly nature of the fields
attract children to play even at night and even provide an
opportunity for the elderly to remember their youthful days-
--a longing for a return to the younger days. The crippled
are even projected as people looking forward to walking
even in their incapacitation. This projection of nature in its
pure state therefore places it in a position of influencing
human life, and any violation of the natural setting meant
to disrupt the flow of life could lead to a catastrophic
consequence. We are also told that the planting season is
a period of hard work as Okonkwo is always in the farm to
ensure a bumper harvest. He is also motivated by the fact
that his father was less successful and less fortunate so
his persistent striving is to avoid the calamity that befell his
Ebim 003
father:
During the planting season Okonkwo worked daily on his
farms from cock-crow until the chickens went to roost. He
was a very strong man and rarely felt fatigue. But his wives
and young children were not as strong, and so they
suffered. But they dared not complain openly. Okonkwo's
first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was
already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient
laziness. At any rate, that was how it looked to his father,
and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and
beating. And so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced
youth. Okonkwo's prosperity was visible in his household.
He had a large compound enclosed by a thick wall of red
earth. His own hut, or obi, stood immediately behind the
only gate in the red walls. Each of his three wives had her
own hut, which together formed a half moon behind the
obi. The barn was built against one end of the red walls,
and long stacks of yam stood out prosperously in it. (TFA:
11-12).
Okonkwo’s hard work is however aided by the constant
sacrifices he made to the gods to assist him in achieving
his aim: At the opposite end of the compound was a shed
for the goats, and each wife built a small attachment to her
hut for the hens. Near the barn was a small house, the
"medicine house" or shrine where Okonkwo kept the
wooden symbols of his personal god and of his ancestral
spirits. He worshipped them with sacrifices of kola nut,
food and palm-wine, and offered prayers to them on behalf
of himself, his three wives and eight children (TFA:12).
This is a clear indication of reliance on the environment to
achieve certain things as epitomised in the extract above.
This therefore shows the relevance of the environment to
human achievements which can hardly be separated from
the two. The prayers offered are forms of libation to the
earth that take the messages to the gods for appropriate
answers. Okonwkwo accedes to this position as he
asserts:
…"before I put any crop in the earth, I sacrifice a cock to
Ani, the owner of all land. It is the law of our fathers. I also
kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku, the god of yams. I clear
the bush and set fire to it when it is dry. I sow the yarns
when the first rain has fallen, and stake them when the
young tendrils appear. I weed—" Hold your peace!"
screamed the priestess, her voice terrible as it echoed
through the dark void. "You have offended neither the gods
nor your fathers. And when a man is at peace with his gods
and his ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad
according to the strength of his arm. You, Unoka, are
known in all the clan for the weakness of your machete and
your hoe. When your neighbours go out with their axe to
cut down virgin forests, you sow your yams on exhausted
farms that take no labour to clear. They cross seven rivers
to make their farms, – you stay at home and offer sacrifices
to a reluctant soil. Go home and work like a man." (TFA:
 004 J. Edu. Res. Behav. Sci
13-14).
Ani, as portrayed in the above extract, becomes a
metaphor for the creator of the earth whose constant
worship is required to ensure a successful harvest. Any
offence committed against the god is punishable by poor
harvest: "You have offended neither the gods nor your
fathers. And when a man is at peace with his gods and his
ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the
strength of his arm (TFA: 13). There are those whose
prayers are still not answered due to their laxity in carrying
out their functions to ensure a bumper harvest: You,
Unoka, are known in all the clan for the weakness of your
machete and your hoe. When your neighbours go out with
their axe to cut down virgin forests, you sow your yams on
exhausted farms that take no labour to clear (TFA: 14).
This also is a clear indication of the partnership between
the living, the dead and those in transition. The living
perform their functions, the dead listen to their prayers and
those in transition carry the result either positive or
negative to the living depending on their efforts. As for
Unoka, his effort falls short of a positive response hence
his poor harvest at the end of the season. This clearly
brings nature closely to man and gives him the opportunity
to choose---either to succeed or to fail depending on his
efforts. But for Okonkwo, there was no inheritance so he
had to resort to borrowing crops from Nwakibie, a great
farmer:
"It pleases me to see a young man like you these days
when our youth has gone so soft. Many young men have
come to me to ask for yams but I have refused because I
knew they would just dump them in the earth and leave
them to be choked by weeds. When I say no to them they
think I am hard hearted. But it is not so. Eneke the bird
says that since men have learned to shoot without missing,
he has learned to fly without perching. I have learned to be
stingy with my yams (TFA: 16).
It is not the process of borrowing crops that is of
importance to us in this tended but the process of ensuring
a good return that is involved. The earth needs to be
tended in order to stet a good harvest, as Nwakibie
observes: …they would just dump them in the earth and
leave them to be choked by weeds. By this means the
environment becomes a metaphor for affection without
which the result will be a poor and negative result. This
means that the importance of the role played by the
environment cannot be underrated as it plays a pivotal role
in the lives of human beings. This importance is re-echoed
by Nwakibie as he alludes to the wise disposition of a
hunter whose skills in hunting down a wise bird are likened
to a persistent, monitoring of the bird’s movement: Eneke
the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without
missing, he has learned to fly without perching. And for
those who are not patient enough to pamper the
environment in order to yield a good harvest, the
character’s attitude towards them is stinginess with his
yams or crops. Sadly, for Okonkwo, the yams borrowed
from Nwakibie did not yield a bumper harvest not because
of his laziness but because of the unfavourable response
from nature. The environment did not respond in a friendly
manner despite his hard work and the result is a woeful
harvest as we are told:
Nothing happened at its proper time; – it was either too
early or too late. It seemed as if the world had gone mad.
The first rains were light, and, when they came, lasted only
a brief moment. The blazing sun returned, fiercer than it
had ever been known, and scorched all the green that had
appeared with the rains. The earth burned like hot coals
and roasted the entire yams had been sown. Like all good
farmers, Okonkwo had begun to sow with the first rains.
He had sown four hundred seeds when the rains dried up
and the heat returned. He watched the sky all day for signs
of rain clouds and lay awake all night. In the morning he
went back to his farm and saw the withering tendrils. He
had tried to protect them from the smouldering earth by
making rings of thick sisal leaves around them. But by the
end of the day the sisal rings were burned dry and grey.
He changed them every day, and prayed that the rain
might fall in the night. But the drought continued for eight
market weeks and the yams were killed (TFA: 16-19).
Achebe presents nature as a living entity which acts along
with the human characters. That the idea of exploiting
nature for their own benefit is unimaginable for the Igbos
is apparent in their physical activities and mental thinking
which are shaped by the surrounding environment.
Achebe shows how the Igbos’ agricultural life, religious
beliefs, festivals, their ideas about the world and human
life are all intertwined with nature. This he did by using the
different individual and community activities observed in
different seasons. Igbos maintained strict rules during the
planting and harvest seasons. They believed that any
violation of the nature‘s course would dissatisfy the earth.
The above text sounds like a conspiracy towards
Okonkwo’s efforts. Nature in its entirety projected itself in
a manner that everything worked against the farmer for
that particular season. Nature epitomised in time,
becomes a symbol of confusion as a result, the actual
planting season was misrepresented and misread. The
rain, the sun and the harsh weather conspired to unleash
terror on the crops and by extension on the protagonist of
the novel, Okonkwo; for his effort were thwarted in the
process:
Nothing happened at its proper time; – it was either too
early or too late. It seemed as if the world had gone mad.
The first rains were light, and, when they came, lasted only
a brief moment. The blazing sun returned, fiercer than it
had ever been known, and scorched all the green that had
appeared with the rains (TFA: 69).
His efforts in ensuring that nature did not prevent him

from being exposed proved abortive and at the end: ---the
drought continued for eight market weeks and the yams
were killed (TFA: 19). This idea of nature playing a role in
the activities of men is captured in the reaction of Ezeani,
the priest of the earth to Okonkwo’sdesecration of the
peace week by beating up his wife whose acts of
insubordination {he} Okonkwo could not condone. This
reaction was in the form of a riot act to the man who has
offended the gods:
"Listen to me," he said when Okonkwo had spoken. "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 neighbour. We live
in peace with our fellows to honour our great goddess of
the earth without whose blessing our crops will not grow.
You have committed a great evil." He brought down his
staff heavily on the floor. "Your wife was at fault, but even
if you came into your obi and found her lover on top of her,
you would still have committed a great evil to beat her." His
staff came down again. "The evil you have done can ruin
the whole clan. The earth goddess whom you have
insulted may refuse to give us her increase, and we shall
all perish." His tone now changed from anger to command.
"You will bring to the shrine of Ani tomorrow one she-goat,
one hen, a length of cloth and a hundred cowries." He rose
and left the hut (TFA: 24).
Okonkwo’s insubordination to the gods is seen as an act
of insolence to a deity that ensures a rich harvest to the
people. Achebe makes his readers realise that the people
of Umuofia live in peace as neighbours and protectors of
one another. Sadly the major character fails to live up to
his obligations and he is quickly reminded:
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
neighbour. We live in peace with our fellows to honour our
great goddess of the earth without whose blessing our
crops will not grow (TFA: 24).
The potency of the powers of the gods of the earth viz-a-
viz nature are reflected in Ezeani’s speech to Okonkwo
whose inability to control his temper could lead to the
destruction of an entire clan. All the repercussions
associated with the offence(s) could be washed away if
certain rituals are performed. The process of cleansing a
land cannot be done in anger as Ezeani switches from
anger to the imperative in his speech: "You will bring to the
shrine of Ani tomorrow one she-goat, one hen, a length of
cloth and a hundred cowries (TFA:24). This is an indication
that the earth is human and needs to be appeased to
respond to human promptings. The feast of the new yam
is an example of how nature, the earth and all the gods
and goddesses are held in high esteem so as to receive
favours from them:
Ebim 005
The Feast of the New Yam was held every year before the
harvest began, to honour the earth goddess and the
ancestral spirits of the clan. New yams could not be eaten
until some had first been offered to these powers. Men and
women, young and old, looked forward to the New Yam
Festival because it began the season of plenty—the new
year.(TFA: 29).
Okonkwo’s reverence to nature and mother earth is
climaxed in his reaction to the destruction of the leaf of a
banana tree. To him nature must be preserved in order to
continue to serve humanity. Although the tree was still
alive but Okonkwo is of the view that “any damage done to
any part of the tree is aimed at destroying the entire tree
hence there is the need to preserve the ecosystem for the
benefit of humanity:
"Who killed this banana tree?" he asked.
A hush fell on the compound immediately.
"Who killed this tree? Or are you all deaf and dumb?"
(TFA: 30)
The beating he gave his wife as a result of the destruction
of the ecosystem can be compared to the punishment
given to those who destroy the forests these days. Thus
ecocriticism is based on the idea that the physical world
and the human culture are connected and are affected by
each other by examining the relationship between the
human and the non-human represented in literary texts.
Therefore Eccritics study the ways nature is portrayed in
the body of the text and attempt to analyze their relevance
with environmental crises. Hence the study of nature is
directed towards an understanding of the imbalance of the
eco system in the contemporary world. The present day
environmental predicament is a sure result of the age old
practice of exploitation of nature and abuse of the
environment for the benefit of humans. This therefore calls
for analysis of ecological concepts in literature from an
eco-critical linguistic perspective. However, the irony is
that the same Okonkwo was a farmer whose business was
the cultivation of land by burning bushes:---after the week
of peace every man and his family began to clear the bush
to make new farms. The cut bush was left to dry and fire
was then set to it as the smoke rose into the sky kites
appear from different directions and hovered over the
burning field in silent valediction (TFA: 26),
a sign of destruction to the ecological arrangement of the
universe. And just like the present day policy formulators
whose business is to dish out laws without keeping to
them, Okonkwo destroys the ecosystem himself but
prevents his wives from doing so through “beating”. The
tree was not actually dead as we are made to understand:
As a matter of fact the tree was very much alive.
Okonkwo's second wife had merely cut a few leaves off it
to wrap some food, and she said so. Without further
 006 J. Edu. Res. Behav. Sci
argument Okonkwo gave her a sound beating and left her
and her only daughter weeping. Neither of the other wives
dared to interfere beyond an occasional and tentative, "It
is enough, Okonkwo," pleaded from a reasonable distance
(TFA: 32).
The end of the novel is more dramatic in relation to the
treatment of the earth (nature) and its aftermath. The land
was said to have been desecrated through the suicide
committed by Okonkwo and for that reason he could not
be buried by his kinsmen; rather strangers were contracted
to bury him before the necessary rituals were performed
on him. The conversation between Obierika and the
colonial representative of the imperialist powers is
engaging:
"Perhaps your men can help us bring him down and bury
him," said Obierika. "We have sent for strangers from
another village to do it for us, but they may be a long time
coming.""Why can't you take him down yourselves?" he
asked."It is against our custom," said one of the men. "It is
an abomination for a man to take his own life. It is an
offense against the Earth, and a man who commits it will
not be buried by his clansmen. His body is evil, and only
strangers may touch it. That is why we ask your people to
bring him down, because you are strangers."(TFA:
165)."We cannot bury him. Only strangers can. We shall
pay your men to do it. When he has been buried we will
then do our duty by him. We shall make sacrifices to
cleanse the desecrated land.""That man was one of the
greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself/ and
now he will be buried like a dog…" He could not say any
more. His voice trembled and choked his words."Shut up!"
shouted one of the messengers, quite
unnecessarily."Take down the body," the Commissioner
ordered his chief messenger, "and bring it and all these
people to the court." (TFA: 164-165).
What interests us here is the metaphor of a dog which is
used to demonstrate the lack of value for that creature as
epitomised in the purported burial of Okonkwo. The dignity
of Okonkwo is relegated to the background as Achebe
posits: 'Okonkwo will be buried like a dog'. For Obierika to
say that Okonkwo’s body should be cut down from the tree
by a stranger means that an indigene cannot touch a man
who has committed sacrilege…it is an offense against the
Earth…. We shall make sacrifices to cleanse the
desecrated land." A man whose personal efforts had
brought fame not only to his household but to the entire
clan becomes an object of disdain, ridicule and an
abomination due to the societal pressures that pushed him
into “acting contrary to the wish of the earth”. In this last
extract, we see Achebe as a master of his craft; by using
Obierika as his mouthpiece, Achebe exhibits his power as
a writer to fight colonialism by painting a balanced picture
of the power relation, through his depiction of the two
groups: the colonial administrator and his associates on
the one hand and Obierika and his men on the other hand
(that is, colonized Africans). However, Achebe shifts
between the two groups: as it is clear that the first part of
the District commissioner - Obierka's conversation was in
favour of the colonial power and both verbal and non-
verbal expressions have been deployed by the writer as
means of coercion. It is clear that the powerful control the
less powerful. However, power shifts to the less powerful
in the second part of the encounter; this is attributable to
the power of African beliefs, which partly have
strengthened the position of Africans but weakened the
position of the District Commissioner and his associates.
CONCLUSION
This article has demonstrated that there is indeed an
inseparable relationship between Language and the
physical environment as demonstrated by Achebe in T. F.
A. The African culture is indeed eco-friendly as exhibited
in the various activities of the people of Umuofia and their
neighbours in relation to their respect for nature. The
environment is preserved and protected and the people
are meant to appease the earth wherever a desecration
occurs. Activities such as farming, planting and tending of
crops sacrifice to Ani, the earth goddess appeasement to
the earth are all aimed at demonstrating the people’s
reverence to the environment; and these are performed
through the use of language.
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