Introductions to World Literature: Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

2. What did we learn? Introductions to World Literature: Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

9. Things Fall Apart is “a tale grounded in folklore rather than a novel.” • M.S. Bynum, Library Journal • Things Fall Apart is “a authentic native document, guiless and unsophisticated.” • R.C. Healy, New York Herald Tribune Book Review • “Here are all the primitive rites, the witchcraft and superstitious savagery as more as the more acceptable facets of heathen existence.” • The Christian Science Monitor • “Primitvism”by style, “Europeanized” in tone.

10. In 1964, Achebe stated his goal for the novel was as follows: “to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of the years of denigration and self-abasement. . . . I would be quite satisfied if my novels . . . did no more than teach my [African] readers that their past — with all its imperfections — was not one long night of savagery from which the first Europeans acting on God's behalf delivered them.”

12. Civilization: • Organized government, language, communication, military, art • On a spectrum from least to most civilized, Africa countries and America were listed. • Social Change: • Results from minority politics, race relations, war, tragedy • Fashion, Sports teams • Gender Roles: • Historically stereotypical; based in ideas of supremacy rather than equality. • Men and women observe separate spaces; boys wear blue, girls wear pink; effeminate men are gay, masculine women are lesbian. • Stereoptypes: • Unfairly help most people judge others. Expose insecurities with identity. • Black people drink Kool-Aid; White people are racist; Can’t give a Jew gold; Asians cannot drive • Nigeria: • Coastal west African country, tropical climate. • Live in huts in the middle of the jungle, clicking noises, sacrifice people, rural with no urbanization

13. Technology, Engineering, & Design • Conferences encouraging the world’s leading thinkers and intellectuals from these three major industries to come together and share their insights • Since its inception in 1984, TED has spread to encompass multiple conferences, initiatives, and programs, attracting some of today’s most influential voices under the motto of sharing “ideas worth spreading.” • TEDtalks grew out of this popularity giving these “ideas” a platform: the speaker must give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. If you could talk to a convention of people for 18 minutes…what would you say?

14. The Danger of a Single Story July 2009 ChimamandaAdichie

15. The Danger of a Single Story July 2009

16. Ideas Worth Spreading: Looking at Adichie’s Message Initial Reactions?! What is Adichie trying to say about stories?

17. Ideas Worth Spreading: Looking at Adichie’s Message Initial Reactions?! What is Adichie trying to say about stories?

18. Ibo (ee- bo) Umuofia(oo-mo-fee-a) Okonkwo(oh-kon-kwo) Unoka(oo-no-ka) Nwoye(n-woy-eh) Ikemefuna(ee-kee-may-foo-nah) Ekwefi(eh-kweh-fee) Ezinma(eh-zin-mah) Obierika(oh-beer-ee-ka) Uchendu(oo-chen-doo) Mbanta(mah-ban-tah)

25. Governing Body- Elders or ndichie, kindred meetings • Holidays- Feast of the New Yam, Week of Peace • Social Hierarchy- titles, marriage customs • Traditions & Customs- kola nut, drinking customs, superstitions, proverbs • Defense Force- Warriors, cosulting oracle about war • Economy- yams, market place, cowries • Religion- oracle, chi • Entertainment- wrestling, music Ch 1-5: Culture

26. Two opposing characters whose traits/personality highlight the strengths/flaws in the other. Debtor, alcoholic, musician

31. “You, Unoka, are known in all the clan for the weakness of your machete and your hoe. When your neighbors go out with their ax to cut down virgin forests, you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labor to clear.” p. 14 Foils: Work Ethic Appearance Status Motivation/Desires Attitude toward war “During the planting season Okonkwo worked daily on his farms from cock-crow until the chickens went to roost. He was a very strong man and rarely felt fatigue.” p. 11

32. Two opposing characters whose traits/personality highlight the strengths/flaws in the other.

33. Define gender • Give an example of gender roles in our society (Lets to avoid single stories please). • Give an of gender roles in Ibo society. Provide page number. • What is Achebe’s attitude toward gender roles? Think about how he discusses concepts of femininity and masculinity within the text. Does he complicate traditional Ibo ideals through his characterization of females in the text? Ch 1-5: Gender

35. Reviewing Character Foils: Okonkwo versus Unoka

36. Ch 6: Analyzing Mood • What is the major topic of this chapter? • What is the mood? • How does Achebe establish this mood? • - Give one example of diction • - Give two examples of figurative language • Why do you think Achebe included this chapter? How could it possibly contribute to his goals for the novel?

40. TFA Ch 7 pg 56 At first a fairly small swarm came. They were harbingers sent to survey the land… Everyone was about now, talking excitedly and praying for the locusts to camp in Umuofia for the night. For although locusts had not visited Umuofia in years, everybody knew by instinct they were good to eat. And at last the locusts did descend. They settled on every tree and on every blade of grass; they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground. Mighty tree branches broke away under them, and the whole country became the brown-earth color of the vast, hungry swarm.

41. Exodus 10:12 – 15 12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. 13 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

42. Revelation 9:1 -11 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh

43. Ch 8 • Okonkwo’s reaction to Ikemefuna’s death • Okonkwo vs. Obierika(Ikemefuna, Ozoemena and Ndulue) • Negotiating Akueke’s bride price • Initial discussion of the white man • Ch 9 • Ogbanje • Characterization of Ekwefi (chi) • Okonkwo’s treatment of Ezinma • Folktales • Ch 10 • Egwugwu • Ibo judicial practices • Treatment of women

45. Complicating the “Single Story” in Chapters 7&8 • Complicating Okonkwo’s Character • guilt over Ikemefuna– societal vs. emotional bond • views on his children versus Obierika’s– love of Ezinma • view on women– story of Ndulue and his wife • Complicating Culture • Enwoye– death of Ikemefuna, twins • Obierika– choice of Okonkwo, views on Ndulue • Men of Umuofia’s views on ozo title and marriage customs in other villages • Complicating Colonization • foreshadowing religious conflicts through symbolic locusts • “white men” as lepers

46. What single stories do we, as Americans, perpetuate about our culture. Are those correct?

47. What language do you speak if you’re American?

48. Ecstatic ek-STAT-ik, versus i-STAT-ik.  Abdomen AB-duh-men. Occasionally, ab-DOH-men. Accessory ak-SES-uh-ree. Do not say uh-SES-uh-ree. Debut day-BYOO; day-BOO Fifth FIFTH or FITH. Gymnast JIM-nast, not JIM-nist. Hundred HUHN-drid, not HUHN-derd of HUHN-did Library LY-brer-ee, not LY-ber-ee

50. What is your article’s claim/argument? • What evidence is provided? Is such evidence effective? • What is the purpose? • Where do you stand in the debate?