What does the title of Things Fall Apart mean?

The phrase “things fall apart” is taken from the poem, The Second Coming by W.B Yeats, which Achebe quotes more extensively in the epigraph. The title Things Fall Apart refers to the fact that without proper balance, things do fall apart. The notion of balance in the novel is an important theme throughout the book.

What are the themes in things fall apart?

Major Themes. Things Fall Apart is a book that contains a ton of ideas, but three of the big ones are manliness, tradition, and fate. Okonkwo grows up very concerned about being a man, probably because his father was such a loser. The Ibo measure a man by his yams, wives, titles, and accomplishments in war.

What is the Ozo title in things fall apart?

Osugo The name means a low-ranked person. ozo a class of men holding an ozo title; it also refers to the ritual which accompanies the granting of a title to a person.

Why did things fall apart in things fall apart?

Things Fall Apart is about the tragic fall of the protagonist, Okonkwo, and the Igbo culture. Okonkwo determines to gain titles for himself and become a powerful and wealthy man in spite of his father’s weaknesses. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, was a lazy and wasteful man.

Is things fall apart a true story?

“Things Fall Apart” is not a literal true story; it may be considered allegorical or perhaps closer to historical fiction.

Why did Okonkwo kill ikemefuna?

Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna because he doesn’t want to appear weak in front of his fellow clansmen. Ogbuefi Ezeudu, a village elder, informs Okonkwo that the Oracle has decreed that Ikemefuna must be killed but that Okonkwo should not be the one to kill him, since Ikemefuna regards Okonkwo as a father.

Who did Okonkwo kill?

Okonkwo’s gun accidentally goes off and kills Ezeudu’s sixteen-year-old son. Killing a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess, so Okonkwo must atone by taking his family into exile for seven years. Okonkwo gathers his most valuable belongings and takes his family to his mother’s natal village, Mbanta.

Why Things Fall Apart is important?

In 1959, he published Things Fall Apart as a response to novels, such as Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, that treat Africa as a primordial and cultureless foil for Europe. Achebe wanted this novel to respond to earlier colonial accounts of Africa; his choice of language was thus political.

What is the moral lesson of things fall apart?

The lessons of Things Fall Apart are not generally uplifting or optimistic. It is, after all, a book about the degeneration and destruction of a society. One of its grimmest lessons is that force, not virtue, generally triumphs. Okonkwo is initially a success because of his strength and physical violence.

What does nwoye symbolize?

More than any other character, Nwoye encapsulates an innocent child who is very sensitive to his surroundings and is baffled by the seemingly arbitrary cruelties being committed around him. His dominant characteristic is his incredible ability to feel and sympathize, even more so than some of the female characters.

How is things fall apart a response to Heart of Darkness?

Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart illustrate the different ways of presenting Africa in literature. In response to Conrad’s stereotypical depiction of Africans, Chinua Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart through the point of view of the natives to show Africans, not as primitives, but as members of a thriving society.

Why is things fall apart so controversial?

“Things Fall Apart” is a famous novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It’s considered an important work in world literature, albeit a controversial one—the book has been banned in some places for its critical portrayal of European colonialism. It is seen as an archetype for the modern African novel.

What is Achebe’s thesis?

Achebe asserts that while Conrad was not himself responsible for the xenophobic “image of Africa” that appears in Heart of Darkness, his novel continues to perpetuate the damaging stereotypes of black peoples by its inclusion in the literary canon of the modern Western world.

Why is Things Fall Apart divided into 3 parts?

The novel Things Fall Apart is divided into three parts, the first is the longest, and the third, the shortest. The first part deals with the vindication of tribal life in Africa and the rise in power and authority of Okonkwo.

What is the main conflict in things fall apart?

major conflict On one level, the conflict is between the traditional society of Umuofia and the new customs brought by the whites, which are in turn adopted by many of the villagers. Okonkwo also struggles to be as different from his deceased father as possible.

What is the structure of things fall apart?

The narrative structure of Things Fall Apart follows a cyclical pattern that chronicles Okonkwo’s youth in Umuofia, his seven-year exile in Mbanta, and his eventual return home. Each of the novel’s three parts covers one of these periods of Okonkwo’s life.

Is Okonkwo a tragic hero?

The protagonist of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is also considered a tragic hero. A tragic hero holds a position of power and prestige, chooses his course of action, possesses a tragic flaw, and gains awareness of circumstances that lead to his fall. Okonkwo’s tragic flaw is his fear of weakness and failure.

Why is Okonkwo a bad person?

He beats his wives and doesn’t have a good handle on his emotions. He is driven by fear, and that leads to destructive behavior, like killing Ikemefuna and disowning his oldest son. Okonkwo holds his children to high standards.

Is Okonkwo a tragic hero essay?

Okonkwo is a tragic hero because he exhibits all the qualities that a tragic hero should have, a rise to fame and a tragic flaw in the character that leads to their demise.