*GROUP C*

*THINGS FALL APART*

*THE TITLE OF THE BOOK*

Achebe uses this opening stanza of William Butler Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming,”
from which title of the novel is taken, as an epigraph to the novel. In invoking
these lines, Achebe hints at the chaos that arises when a system collapses. That
“the center cannot hold” is an ironic reference to both the imminent collapse of
the African tribal system, threatened by the rise of imperialist bureaucracies, and
the imminent disintegration of the British Empire. Achebe, writing in 1959, had the
benefit of retrospection in depicting Nigerian society and British colonialism in
the 1890s.

Yet Achebe’s allusion is not simply political, nor is it ironic on only one level.
Yeats’s poem is about the Second Coming, a return and revelation of sorts. In
Things Fall Apart, this revelation refers to the advent of the Christian
missionaries (and the alleged revelation of their teachings), further satirizing
their supposed benevolence in converting the Igbo. For an agricultural society
accustomed to a series of cycles, including that of the locusts, the notion of
return would be quite credible and familiar.
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.

*ABSTRACT OF THE NOVEL THINGS FALL APART*

Okonkwo is a wealthy and respected warrior of the Umuofia clan, a lower Nigerian
tribe that is part of a consortium of nine connected villages. He is haunted by the
actions of Unoka, his cowardly and spendthrift father, who died in disrepute,
leaving many village debts unsettled. In response, Okonkwo became a clansman,
warrior, farmer, and family provider extraordinaire. He has a twelve-year-old son
named Nwoye whom he finds lazy; Okonkwo worries that Nwoye will end up a failure
like Unoka.

In a settlement with a neighboring tribe, Umuofia wins a virgin and a fifteen-year-

old boy. Okonkwo takes charge of the boy, Ikemefuna, and finds an ideal son in him.
Nwoye likewise forms a strong attachment to the newcomer. Despite his fondness for
Ikemefuna and despite the fact that the boy begins to call him “father,” Okonkwo
does not let himself show any affection for him.

During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo accuses his youngest wife, Ojiugo, of negligence.
He severely beats her, breaking the peace of the sacred week. He makes some
sacrifices to show his repentance, but he has shocked his community irreparably.

Ikemefuna stays with Okonkwo’s family for three years. Nwoye looks up to him as an
older brother and, much to Okonkwo’s pleasure, develops a more masculine attitude.
One day, the locusts come to Umuofia—they will come every year for seven years
before disappearing for another generation. The village excitedly collects them
because they are good to eat when cooked.
Ogbuefi Ezeudu, a respected village elder, informs Okonkwo in private that the
Oracle has said that Ikemefuna must be killed. He tells Okonkwo that because
Ikemefuna calls him “father,” Okonkwo should not take part in the boy’s death.
Okonkwo lies to Ikemefuna, telling him that they must return him to his home
village. Nwoye bursts into tears.

As he walks with the men of Umuofia, Ikemefuna thinks about seeing his mother.
After several hours of walking, some of Okonkwo’s clansmen attack the boy with
machetes. Ikemefuna runs to Okonkwo for help. But Okonkwo, who doesn’t wish to look
weak in front of his fellow tribesmen, cuts the boy down despite the Oracle’s
admonishment. When Okonkwo returns home, Nwoye deduces that his friend is dead.

INTRODUCTION OF THE BOOK

The story of Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart takes place in the Nigerian
village of Umuofia in the late 1880s, before missionaries and other outsiders have
arrived. The Ibo clan practices common tribal traditions-worship of gods,
sacrifice, communal living, war, and magic. Leadership is based on a man’s personal
worth and his contribution to the good of the tribe. Okonkwo stands out as a great
leader of the Ibo tribe. Tribesmen respect Okonkwo for his many achievements.

Even though the tribe reveres Okonkwo, he must be punished for his accidental
shooting of a young tribesman. The Ibo ban Okonkwo from the clan for seven years.
Upon his return to the village, Okonkwo finds a tribe divided by the influence of
missionaries and English bureaucrats who have interrupted the routine of tradition.
Only when Okonkwo commits the ultimate sin against the tribe does the tribe come
back together to honor custom.

Critics appreciate Achebe’s development of the conflict that arises when tradition
clashes with change. He uses his Characters and their unique language to portray
the double tragedies that occur in the story. Readers identify not only with
Okonkwo and his personal hardships but also with the Ibo culture and its
disintegration. Chinua Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart not for his fellow Nigerians,
but for people beyond his native country. He wanted to explain the truth about the
effects of losing one’s culture. Published in 1958, the book was not widely read by
Nigerians or by Africans in general. When Nigeria became independent in 1960,
however, Africans appreciated the novel for its important contribution to Nigerian
history.

PLOT OF THE BOOK

Achebe's *Things fall apart* describes the tragic demise of an Igbo Man named
Okonkwo. Initially, Okonkwo rises from humble origin to become a powerful leader in
Umuofia, a rural village in southern Nigeria. As Okonkwo climbs the ladder to
success, however, it becomes apparent that his strength are also his weakness, his
self confidence becomes his pride, his manliness develops into authoritarianism and
his physical strength eventually turns into uncontrolled rage. The first section of
the novel describes Okonkwo's rise to a position of power. He was determined to
overcome the unsuccessful example of his father, Unoka. Okonkwo develops a strength
and determination unmatched among his peers. These attributes enabled him to become
a great wrestler, strong warrior, wealthy famer and prestigious member of his
community.Okonkwo's success, however, quickly led to his ultimate downfall, because
he is so successful, he has little patience with unsuccessful and unmanly men like
his father. In fact, he publicly insults Osugo, a less successful man by calling
him a woman during a kindreds meeting. His success did not only lead to conflict
with the members of the community, but also with his family members who feared him
greatly. His own son, Nwoye, eventually rejects him for being excessively
masculine.

THEMES

Colonization and Its Impact

Things Fall Apart is considered one of the greatest and most powerful depictions of
colonization to date. Colonization is the act of settling in an area and taking
control of the indigenous people there. This novel follows the British colonization
of Igbo culture in Africa. As Okonkwo encounters white missionaries who start to
appear in his community, he begins to watch the slow destruction of his culture and
traditions. The British men travel to Okonkwo's community, imposing their own
religious teachings, education and prison systems, laws, and customs until Okonkwo
cannot see his own Igbo culture in the community. This complete loss of culture and
identity causes Okonkwo to take his own life before the end of the novel.

Family

Things Fall Apart places a large focus on family and examines the relationships in
Okonkwo's own family. Okonkwo grew up with a father that was commonly considered
lazy and weak and was not respected in the community. Okonkwo often went hungry,
which led to his own desire to be a better father to his children than his father
was to him. This desire to be the opposite of his father helped Okonkwo to be
successful in providing for his family and helped him to become highly respected in
his community. As Okonkwo despises his father's softness, he is obsessed with being
manly. This desire to be manly leads him to be overly insensitive and controlling
towards his wives and children, which causes him to struggle with close
relationships in his own life.

Religion

As Chinua Achebe depicts colonization in his novel, he puts a focus on religion and
the impact religion has on this colonization. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo grows
up in the Igbo religion, which focuses on ancestors and agriculture. This religion
plays a huge role in Okonkwo's daily life, just as it does for every Umuofian
(which is what others in Okonkwo's village of Umuofia are called). This religion
largely governs each Umuofian's life until the introduction of Christian
missionaries to their community. Once these missionaries are introduced, the
western religion of Christianity begins to impose and break down the Igbo religion.

Tradition

Tradition plays a large role in Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo feels very strongly
about the traditions in his community, particularly gender-based traditions. Chinua
Achebe portrays a very strict image of gender roles in the book. For example,
Okonkwo is obsessed with being perceived as manly, even at the cost of his
relationship with members of his family. Okonkwo views being manly as being very
strict and dominating. For example, Okonkwo beats one of his wives when they do not
have dinner prepared as this wasd the typical role of women.
This depiction of tradition contrasts with the modernity shown by the British
colonizers. As the British are colonizing Okonkwo's community, they impose their
own traditions upon the community and punish or imprison those that do not conform
with the new traditions. Showing this modernity allows Achebe to showcase the
British government's attempts to annihilate native traditions. This modernity is a
threat to Igbo tradition, and erasing Igbo tradition is a vital part of the
colonization process.

Language

Language plays an important role in Things Fall Apart and Igbo culture. In the Igbo
culture, language is celebrated, and skilled speakers are put in leadership roles.
Chinua Achebe shows that the Igbo language is highly formal, complex, and
imaginative, which Western conception ignores. This language also poses a barrier
when British missionaries come to their community. Achebe uses language to show one
of the major effects colonization had on communities within Africa.

NARRATIVE

Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" begins as a story about life in the Igbo tribe
in Nigeria. Later, white missionaries come to Igbo society to try to convert the
tribe to Christianity, and the Igbo face off against each other over whether to
fight the missionaries. The narrative techniques used in the novel help to paint a
vivid picture of Igbo life and to fight against the corrupting influence of
colonizationinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" begins as a story about life in the
Igbo tribe in Nigeria. Later, white missionaries come to Igbo society to try to
convert the tribe to Christianity, and the Igbo face off against each other over
whether to fight the missionaries. The narrative techniques used in the novel help
to paint a vivid picture of Igbo life and to fight against the corrupting influence
of colonization

Point of View

The novel is written in the third-person omniscient point of view. It can share the
thoughts of any character, though it often focuses on just the main characters,
including Okonkwo, Ikemefuna, Nwoye and Ekwefi. This style of narration helps to
provide more insights into the Igbo people, their values and their social customs.
It also helps to paint them as more three-dimensional characters, instead of the
simple stereotypes that the missionaries see. It also shows them as a diverse cast
of characters instead of a single, homogenous tribe.

Dialect and Proverbs

The narrative makes liberal use of Igbo dialect outside of the dialogue. Igbo words
are sprinkled throughout the narration, making it more authentic and giving a
better sense of Igbo culture. Proverbs and tiny stories are also used throughout
the narrative to provide more understanding of the Igbo people. For example, when
the locusts descend on the village, allegorical terms are used to describe the
event to make it symbolic of the colonization by Christianity. The Igbo do not seem
to think of the locusts as a threat, just as they do not understand the damage that
the missionaries will cause to their culture. Using proverbs helps to enhance
themes in the story, provide greater understanding of Igbo culture and continue to
create a more complex portrait of the Igbo people.

Conclusion
The conclusion of Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" is marked by a sense of
tragedy and the dismantling of the protagonist's world.Okonkwo, a proud and strong-
willed warrior, tragically ends his own life following the arrival of colonial
powers and the subsequent breakdown of his Igbo community.

The novel portrays Okonkwo's struggle to maintain traditional Igbo values in the
face of changing times. However, his overwhelming desire to preserve his
masculinity and power ultimately drives him to commit an act of violence against a
messenger of the British government. This act leads to a chain of destruction of
the Igbo people's way of life.The conclusion reflects the ruination of Okonkwo's
dreams and aspirations, as well as the devastating consequences of colonization on
indigenous cultures. Achebe emphasizes the clash between traditions and the
encroachment of Western Influences, conveying a powerful commentary on the
destructive impact of colonialism.
Through Okonkwo's story,Achebe invites readers to reflect on the fragility of
cultural identities in the face of external forces, and the importance of
preserving and understanding one's heritage. Things Fall Apart ends with two
related tragedies. The first tragedy is Okonkwo’s death. Following an outburst of
unsanctioned violence in which he kills a European messenger who tries to stop a
meeting among clan elders, Okonkwo realizes that he is no longer in sync with his
society. No one applauds his action, and Okonkwo sees that he alone wishes to go to
war with the Europeans. Caught between his rage that the nine villages would
succumb to European rule and the futility of fighting the Europeans alone, Okonkwo
retreats to his compound and hangs himself. With this act, Okonkwo lives up to his
role as a tragic hero whose struggles with society ultimately lead to death.
Okonkwo’s death also has another, culturally specific implication. As the narrator
explains, the Igbo consider suicide a “feminine” rather than a “masculine” crime.
Okonkwo’s suicide is an unspeakable act that strips him of all honor and denies him
the right to an honorable burial. Okonkwo dies an outcast, banished from the very
society he fought to protect.The novel’s second tragedy occurs on the broader level
of history. Achebe signals this second tragedy by ending the novel with a shift
from an African to a European perspective. In the novel’s final two pages, the
District Commissioner reflects on how he will depict the events surrounding
Okonkwo’s death in the book he’s working on, titled The Pacification of the Tribes
of the Lower Niger. The District Commissioner threatens to erase the specificity of
Okonkwo’s tragedy by removing the events from their context and simplifying them
into a tale meant to entertain his readers: “The story of this man who had killed a
messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading.” Even more troubling,
the District Commissioner threatens to reduce Okonkwo’s story to a fleeting
anecdote in the European history of conquest: “One could almost write a whole
chapter on [this man]. Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at
any rate.” Decontextualized and stripped of all complexity and nuance, Okonkwo’s
story will be tragically lost to history.
*References Of Things Fall apart*

Achebe, C(1959), Things Fall Apart New York Astor-Honor

Agamben G (1993) Infancy and history. Essays on the destruction of experience.

Ahmed S (1998). Differences that matter: Feminist theory and postmodernism.

Cambridge; Cambridge university press

Apple, M(1980) Ideology and curriculum. Boston Routledge.

Apple M (1982) Education and power. Boston Routledge

Apple M(1988) Teachers and Text: A political economy of class and gender relations
in education. New York Routledge.