Search all of SparkNotes Search. (including. The novel's title is a quote from a poem by the Irish poet W.B. Language. Quote: He was a man of action, a man of war…On great occasions such as the funeral of a village celebrity he drank his palm-wine from his first human head (10). At several points in the novel, the narrator, who otherwise seems fully immersed in Igbo culture, takes a step back in order to explain certain aspects of the Igbo world to the reader. Many of the villagers are excited about the new opportunities and techniques that the missionaries bring. The first divide separates Okonkwo from his father, Unoka. Things Fall Apart Themes Memory/Documentary. Religion represents order in both societies, but they manifest differently. Take the Themes, Motifs, & Symbols Quick Quiz. ...In Chinua Achebe’s acclaimed novel, Things Fall Apart, there are various themes which make up the complexity and richness of the story. Things Fall Apart. Things Fall Apart One of the 20th century's great novelists, Chinua Achebe, was Nigerian, and his masterpiece, Things Fall Apart, tells the story of a traditional tribesman … Things Fall Apart spotlights two significant generational divides. A Custom and Tradition. In-depth explanations of Things Fall Apart's themes. But the Ibo people…, Language is a vital part of Umuofia society. Obierika, unlike Okonkwo, “was a man who thought about things.” Whereas Obierika refuses to accompany the men on the trip to kill Ikemefuna, Okonkwo not only volunteers to join the party that will execute his surrogate son but also violently stabs him with his machete simply because he is afraid of appearing weak. In Things Fall Apart, the tension between tradition and change is one of the major themes. Okonkwo’s greatest weakness is his pride, which is constantly under threat both from within his community and from without. Unlike his son, Unoka is not a warrior, nor has he distinguished himself as a man in any other way. Doing so required the use of English, the language of those colonial writers. Achebe also points out that Africa has many different languages: the villagers of Umuofia, for example, make fun of Mr. Brown’s translator because his language is slightly different from their own. Drums often signal the initiation of a ceremony. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, Easy-to-use guides to literature, poetry, literary terms, and more, Super-helpful explanations and citation info for over 30,000 important quotes, Unrestricted access to all 50,000+ pages of our website and mobile app. A summary of Chapters 1–3 in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Things Fall Apart; Themes. As a story about a culture on the verge of change, ThingsFall Apart deals with Okonkwo’s relationship with his late father shapes much of his violent and ambitious demeanor. This act deepens an already-existing wound between Okonkwo and Nwoye, one that never gets healed. He associates masculinity with aggression and feels that anger is the only emotion that he should display. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." His principal character cannot accept the new order, even though the old has already collapsed. Things Fall Apart is a groundbreaking work for many reasons, but particularly because Achebe's controlled use of the Igbo language in an English novel extends the boundaries of what is considered English fiction. Greatness and ambition. 9. He wants to rise above his father’s legacy of spendthrift, indolent behavior, which he views as weak and therefore effeminate. 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