Things Fall Apart Symbolism

The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe discusses the rise of an Igbo chieftain who came from great poverty to power and the eventual loss of Igbo traditions, rites, and the influence of his clan through his eyes due to western imperialism and colonialism. The intended audience for this novel is very broad, but if we tried to define it would primarily be people who have not experienced the Igbo culture and westerners or people who speak English. In this essay I will be focusing on the last six chapters: chapters 20 to 25. These chapters highlight the loss of power and customs of the Igbo people who have succumb to colonial rule. I fell Achebe is rhetorically effective and

he narrative tone in the book Things Fall Apart is more indicative of an explanatory approach especially when describing the Igbo culture. The style of the diction suggests a familiarity with the subject that is not necessarily purposefully shown, but is evident in the way Achebe chooses his words and how he describes events throughout the book.

Many people see others fairly balanced than others. In the Novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, states that their Igbo culture is important to them. Men focus on taking titles to show supremacy and admiration, their culture runs on tradition, respect, and reputation. The novel takes place in a small village called Umuofia, Nigeria in the twentieth century. Therefore, social groups in the novel are represented by their successfulness, power, and credibility towards their role in the Igbo culture.

In the novel Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, religion, an indispensable tradition is celebrated within the Igbo people. The Igbo people, hosts gatherings, worship, and celebrate their ancestors. They are polytheistic, in other words, they believe in many gods. The Igbo people also believe in sacrifices to their ancestors and crimes are considered as sins. Their ancestors and gods serve as a role model, or a sculpture, to whom they worship and sacrifice in Igbo society. However, the arrival of the European Missionaries not only brings tremendous changes to Igbo religion and culture, but also creates conflicts among them.

A proverb can be defined as “A short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought.” From Okonkwo’s dominance in the beginning of Things Fall Apart, to the fall of the Igbo culture, proverbs are a recurring topic. Throughout Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe repeatedly uses proverbs and aphorisms to portray different characters and build a bridge between African and Igbo culture and the reader. With this stylistic Igbo language, Achebe is able to utilize speech to convey spirituality and cultural values, character development and demonstrate the eventual collapse of Igbo society.

In the novel, “Things Fall Apart’, by Chinua Achebe, proverbs have an important impact on the storyline. All proverbs have some kind of deeper meaning behind them, and this is part of the Nigerian culture. Proverbs are used by people of all ages and statures to tell others about the importance of something. People in the Igbo Tribe use proverbs everyday as they are an important part of their culture and traditions, and the art of conversation is regarded very highly throughout the clan.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a story about personal beliefs and customs, and also a story about conflict. There is struggle between family, culture, and the religion of the Ibo, which is all brought on by a difference in personal beliefs and customs of the Igbo and the British. There are also strong opinions of the main character, Okonkwo. We are then introduced to the views of his village, Umuofia. We see how things fall apart when these beliefs and customs are confronted by those of the white missionaries.

Things Fall Apart is a story about personal beliefs and customs and also a story about conflict. There is struggle between family, culture, and religion of the Ibo people which is all brought on by a difference in personal beliefs and customs. There are the strong opinions of the main character, Okonkwo. We are also introduced to the views of his village, Umuofia. Finally, we see how things fall apart when these beliefs and customs are confronted by those of the white missionaries. Chinua Achebe is a product of both native and European cultures. This has a great effect on the telling of the story. When he tells the story with an understanding and personal experiences in both cultures. He does not portray the African culture and their

The novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe, is a tale based on the traditional beliefs and customs of an Ibo village during late 1800’s Africa. Through the telling of this story, we witness the remarkable depth of Igbo culture through its functions of religion, politics, judiciary and entertainment.

The Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a straight to the point story, embedded with interesting elements that capture readers’ attention. In my view, when I read the story, I found many interesting things about the theme of the book. But The Masculinity Okonkwo was what captures my attention. The story opens up to a Traditional Igbo lifestyle, a theme which is highly stylized from its ritual to the actions performed for certain ceremonies. Most of the action Igbo tribe has been an attempt to show respect to the gods, for example, when ikemefuna became sick and his stomach swelled up their traditions says that he take them to the evil forest and kill him. The story also seems to focus on gender,

In his novel “Things fall apart,” Chinua Achebe details the custom and traditions the people had when a feast was taking place; thus, revealing their traditions and challenges they faced as they tried to hold onto their traditions. As Okonkwo gets ready to leave Mbanto, he decides to throw a feast because it “is good for Kinsmen to meet,” indicating that he feared that their traditions would diminish. Through Achebe’s use of symbolism, proverbs, dialogue, and detail it is clear that their traditions faced challenges as the missionaries arrived. Through Achebe’s use of symbolism he reveals the traditions they had whenever a feast took place.

The self is the one who has more power such as the colonizers dominated the world and the other is the opposite of the self that has less power like controlled by the self.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel written to highlight the intriguing lives and misconceptions that are often identified with African culture. Achebe writes Things Fall Apart from the African view, a foreign perspective that sees westerners as the outsiders and Africans as the insiders. Focusing on a clan in lower Nigeria, Achebe profiles the clash of cultures that erupts when white Christians colonize and spread their religious ideals. Achebe is able to make his book so popular to the entire world because of his expert use of symbols like drums, locusts, and fire. These common symbols in which drums represent the beat of all civilization, locusts represent invasion by an outsider, and fire represents destruction, all aid

Chinua Achebe wrote an entire novel explaining his extraordinary culture. Things Fall Apart is a story about the Igbo lifestyle. The Igbo culture is considered to be the customs, practices, and traditions of the African people of southeastern Nigeria. Throughout the tale, Achebe presents the many aspects that make up the structure of this African culture. His story directly relates to actuality of the Nigerian people.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was wrote in 1958 as a response to European Literature viewing Africans as savages who were then enlightened and found peace and safety by the Europeans. Chinua describes the Igbo people and showed the culture and showing the way of life of the Igbo people. This book shows this powerful and eye opening look into the complex society of these tribes and villages and how law and order is run. The major theme that is I will focus is that traditional development of the Igbo tribe alone and with the influence of the Europeans.