Raylyna Aguiar
Mrs. Allen
AP Lit Per. 5
30 October, 2017
Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe a Nigerian author who was a successful activist, novelist, poet and an English and Literature professor at the University of Nigeria, Massachusetts. Connecticut and some ivy league schools including Stanford, Dartmouth and many more. Achebe was born in Ogidi, Nigeria on November 16, 1930. He was born into the Igbo tribe and was the fifth of six children. The British government controlled Nigeria and they converted the people of the villages to Christians. Achebe grew up believing and preaching Christian faith however, he always was mysterious about what his Nigerian culture and traditions were like and why he was being taught something different. British authors often wrote books about how disrespectful and untraditional Africans were. False statements and judgement disappointed Achebe because he did not believe in what the authors described them like. In 1961 he joined the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation which was the federal government of Nigeria. Achebe was the director of external broadcasting. He went and met with other Nigerian authors who wanted to succeed. Achebe also met his wife Christie Chinwe Okoli and had four children with her.
Five weeks after seceding from Nigeria the Republic of Biafra attacked the Nigerian government. In 1960 Nigeria gained its independence from Britain. This made people like Achebe very eager, they did not have to be controlled by a group of people who was not them and tried to convert. During the 70’s he published children's stories. Achebe in 1990 was celebrating his sixtieth birthday where he was on a dangerous road and got into a terrible car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life. Doctors insisted on him going to the United States to receive better medical treatment and he agreed. Achebe died March 21, 2013 at age 82. Some literary theories Things Fall Apart included were Historical and Psychoanalytic. Achebe breaks down what the African Culture and tribes demonstrate as a whole group and how they develop success within each other no matter what group of people tries to demolish their customs and beliefs.
Chinua Achebe uses this exact time period and examples of the British Government to show how unrealistic they could be sometimes
Things Fall Apart connects to How to Read like a Professor by Thomas Foster by using symbolism. The author Achebe uses comparison and symbolism. The setting of the novel often portrayed visuals in that envisioned the scenes. For example, Okonkwo represented a “burning fire” it portrayed his character as an angry, strong individual and everything he came in contact with or had possession of he destroyed. Anger was an emotion Okonkwo faced he was mentally and physically worn out. Okonkwo had to deal with criticism from his fellow village neighbors, his lazy father Unoka gave his family a bad representation. Okonkwo strived to be better than his dad and to prove everyone wrong. He did not want to be known as the guy who had a loser father and would probably end up being just like his father. As the flames of the “fire” got larger and larger it began to eventually role out the way okonkwo wanted, good life, no drama and things slowly got better for him. Okonkwo did what he could to succeed he never added fire to the flames however when he was upset or things did not turn out the way he wanted the fire got harder to maintain.
In Chapter 14 “Yes, she is a Christ figure Too” of How To Read Like a Professor. The novel had religion being a huge conflict. As the British government decided to convert the Nigerians customs and religion to Christianity. This was influenced upon by Whites, this confused tribes, and original beliefs. A locusts appears in the villages and symbolized religious missionaries that spread their religion around Africa. In the novels repetition like the words such as settled and every elaborate on the presence of insects as well as showing the way in which white settlers arrived to take the Igbo off guard. Locusts were so strong and steady that the would even break the tree branches that symbolized a Igbo traditions and culture as white settlers decided where they would stay. They would not go down without a fight or stating for what they wanted or believed in. “The Oracle . . . said that other white men were on their way. They were locusts. . . .” Achebe was trying to portray to his readers that
Works Cited Page
“Civil War in Nigeria.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/civil-war-in-nigeria. "After diplomatic efforts by Nigeria failed to reunite the country, war between Nigeria and Biafra broke out in July 1967. Ojukwu’s forces made some initial advances, but Nigeria’s superior military strength gradually reduced Biafran territory. The state lost its oil fields–its main source of revenue–and without the funds to import food, an estimated one million of its civilians died as a result of severe malnutrition…"
“Chinua Achebe Biography.” Encyclopedia of World Biography, www.notablebiographies.com/A-An/Achebe-Chinua.html. "Chinua Achebe was born on November 15, 1930, in Ogidi in Eastern Nigeria. His family belonged to the Igbo tribe, and he was the fifth of six children. Representatives of the British government that controlled Nigeria convinced his parents, Isaiah Okafor Achebe and Janet Ileogbunam, to abandon their traditional religion and follow Christianity. Achebe was brought up as a Christian…"
“Chinua Achebe .” Chinua Achebe, faculty.atu.edu/cbrucker/Achebe.html. " …tells the tragic story of Okonkwo, who, determined to overcome the example of his lazy and imprudent father, elevates himself to a position of respect in the lgbo community of Umuofia through acts of strength, courage, and endurance. Unfortunately, Okonkwo's obsessive fear of failure makes him a humorless and short-tempered man whose pride and violence undercut his reputation in the community. By erasing the effeminate from his character, Okonkwo makes himself into a man who is unable to fully enjoy his success, and by focusing for so long on his individual struggle to be successful, he distances himself from the communal life of Umuofia."
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading between the Lines. Harper, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2017.Chapter 12,14, and 19