Things Fall Apart Background Notes

An Introduction to

Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe
(Shin’wa Ach-ab-ba)

•Born 1930 in Nigeria

•Died March 21, 2013

•Writes about the breakdown of
traditional African Culture in the face
of European Colonization in the 1800s.

•Sought to educate his fellow Nigerians
about their culture and traditions.

Multiple Choice

What social issues did Achebe mainly write about?

• The destruction of the British Imperial Empire across the entire world.

• The destruction of the Nigerian culture by European Colonization.

• The rise of the Nigerian culture following European colonization.

• The destruction of the Nigerian culture by the African slave trade.

Author’s Purpose

•His first novel, Things Fall Apart, depicts the
confrontation between the Igbo people of Southeast Nigeria and the British who came to colonize them.

•“Achebe tells the story from an African point of view,
showing that the Igbo were not "savages” needing to be civilized, as the European conquerors believed, but
intelligent human beings with a stable, ordered society
and rich tradition.”

Multiple Choice

What was Achebe's main purpose for writing Things Fall Apart?

• He wanted to show the history of the Nigerian culture.

• He wanted to show the harm of European colonization.

• He wanted to show the benefits of European colonization.

• He wanted to show that Nigerians were not the savages that Europeans believed them to be.

Author’s Background

•Achebe was raised as a devout Christian.
•His father was a teacher in a missionary school.

Author’s Background Cont.

• Achebe recalls that his family called themselves “the people of the church” and thought of non-Christians – including Achebe’s uncle, who still practiced traditional religion – as “heathen” or “the people of nothing.”

•Achebe later rejected this thought, along with his European name “Albert.”

Multiple Choice

Based on your understanding of Achebe's purpose for writing Things Fall Apart, why might he have rejected his birth name?

• His birth name was tied to Christianity and colonization, and he wanted to reject those ideals since they did not accurately reflect his Nigerian culture.

• He did not like the name because it reminded him of a bad school experience.

• He wanted to reject his birth name as a way to stand up for his Uncle, who his parents called a "heathen."

• He wanted to show that he could throw off the European influence as a way to inspire others to do the same.

Author’s Work

•Achebe left during the Nigerian Civil War of
Independence (1967) to travel Europe and America to educate people about the cause.

•In 1990, a car accident in Nigeria leaves Achebe
paralyzed. He accepts a position to teach college in
New York state.

•He extends his stay in the U.S., due to the military
coups in Nigeria in 1993 and recent corruption in the
government.

Achebe’s Style

•Achebe blends a formal European style of writing (the novel) with African story-telling

•He influenced other African writers and pioneered a new
literary style using

-Traditional idioms

-Folk tales

-Proverbs

•Achebe is a “social novelist.” He believes in the power of
literature to create social change.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT one of the new writing styles Achebe used that influenced other African writers?

• Traditional idioms

• Folk Tales

• Novels

• Proverbs

Background on Nigeria

•History dates to Nok culture of 400 B.C.

•The Niger River divides country into three major regions.

•The country is as large as Texas,
Louisiana and Mississippi combined.

Multiple Choice

How large is Nigeria?

• Larger than Alaska and Texas combined.

• Larger than the entire midwest of the U.S.

• Larger than Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi combined.

• Larger than Rhode island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut combined.

Nigeria Maps

Background on Nigeria

•There are over 100 million people in
Nigeria today.

•The Igbo people are the third largest ethnic group.

•The Igbo people live in the eastern
region – where Things Fall Apart is
set – near town of Onitsha.
•The Yoruba live in the west and the Hausa-Fulani, an Islamic people, live in the north.

Multiple Choice

How many people live in Nigeria today?

• More than 50 million

• More than 200 million

• More than 1 billion

• More than 100 millon

Background on Nigeria

•Nigeria was a center of the
European slave trade for many years
– a dangerous and lucrative
business.
•It was colonized by Great Britain
during the time of imperialism (18th
and 19th centuries) and finally
granted its independence by Great
Britain in 1960.

Europe Colonizes Africa

Multiple Choice

Which two countries colonized most of Africa?

• France and Spain

• France and Great Britain

• Spain and Great Britain

• Great Britain and Belgium

Historical Context - The Spread of
Christianity

•Christianity took its strongest hold in Africa when the
majority of the missionaries arrived in the late 1800’s

•Missionaries provided education and attempted to
convert tribes from their “heathanistic” beliefs

•Africans were distrustful of European Christians at first, but many eventually converted

•As more members adopted European values, the clans divided and conflicts arose

•When violence involved missionaries or bureaucrats,
British soldiers would often slaughter entire villages
instead of punishing guilty individuals

•Africa changed from a society determined by common language and cultures to a land divided by political borders that divided it into at least 50 nation states

Historical Context- English
Colonization

•After the arrival of the British, conflicts between
villages were resolved by white governmental rules

Colonization (continued)

•The divisions split ethnic groups which led to tension
and sometimes violence

•British colonial rule in Nigeria lasted from 1903 to 1960

•On October 1, 1960, Nigeria was granted status as a
sovereign state and member of the British
Commonwealth, but was still under the rule of the
British monarchy

•In 1963 a new constitution replaced the British monarch with a Nigerian president

Compare & Contrast

•1800’s- before colonization, language & geography
separate African societies

•Colonial Africa- Africa is divided into more the 50
nation-states with no regard to common languages or
traditions

•Today- Societies are no longer clear cut. There is more
opportunity for education & improved means of
transportation & communication. Societies have become
mixed, but ethnic conflicts still sometimes lead to
violence

Multiple Choice

How did colonization change the borders between people in Nigeria?

• It relaxed and dissolved the borders so that everything was more fluid.

• It created strict, rigid borders between areas that were not previously there.

• It created fluid borders based on what the different Nigerian tribes wanted.

• It didn't change anything; the borders stayed exactly the same.

Compare & Contrast

•1800’s- religion varies, but most Africans share
some common beliefs and practices

•Colonial Africa-Missionaries arrive and introduce Christianity; many tribesmen convert

•Today- more than 25% of Africa is Christian, but
traditional African religion is still practiced, as
well as Islam

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements is the best representation of current religious practices in Nigeria following the end of colonization?

• While some Nigerians still practice Christianity, traditional Nigerian religion is practiced again, too.

• No more Nigerians practice Christianity as a way to completely remove the effects of colonization.

• Only Christianity and Islam are practiced today.

• Nigeria is mostly an agnostic country with no religious practices.

Compare & Contrast

•1800’s- Africans have their own identities and cultures;
there is little interest in participating in the modern
world

•Colonial Africa-African children are taught European
history so they can compete in the modern world; their
own heritage is ignored

•Today- There is a renewed interest in cultural heritage,
and traditional customs are being taught to African
children

Multiple Choice

How did colonization change what Nigerian children were taught?

• Children were taught a combination of European and Nigerian history.

• Children were only taught their own history as a way to protect their culture during colonization.

• Children were only taught European history, and none of their own history.

• Children were given a choice of which history they wished to learn.

Major Characters

•Unoka- Okonkwo’s father and the root of all his fears and problems; represents all the
characteristics the Igbo abhor (gentleness, lack
of ambition, sensitivity to people & nature)

•Okonkwo- the protagonist; “the roaring flame”- Strong, proud and driven; despises anything he regards as weakness; his strengths become his weakness and lead to his ultimate downfall

Multiple Choice

What does the characterization of Okonkwo as "his strengths become his weakness and lead to his ultimate downfall" suggest about his literary role?

• He could be a tragic hero.

• He could be the antagonist.

• He is a dynamic protagonist.

• He will be foil to another character.

Major Characters (continued)

•Okonkwo’s first wife is never mentioned by
name; she is wise, compassionate, peaceful, and
adheres to tribal traditions

•Ekwefe- Okonkwo’s second wife; courageous and strong willed

•Ojiugo- Okonkwo’s third and youngest wife;
makes her husband angry and prompts him to
break the sacred Week of Peace

Catharsis

•The goal of the Greek tragedy was not to
entertain, but to provide emotional
cleansing (catharsis) for the audience.
•The downfall of the hero provided a safe
and controlled space to release otherwise
pent-up emotions of pity and fear.

Major Characters (continued)

•Nwoye- Okonkwo’s son; disappoints him by
showing signs of his grandfather’s sensitivity and laziness
•Ikemefuna- comes to live with Okonkwo’s family as a peace offering from another tribe; fills the void in Okonkwo’s life that his own son cannot
•Obierika- Okonkwo’s best friend, more of a
thinking man

Multiple Choice

Which son is Okonkwo constantly disappointed in?

• Nwoye

• Ikemefuna

Themes

•Customs and Traditions

•Choices and Consequences

•Alienation and Loneliness

Themes Cont.

•Betrayal

•Change and Transformation

•Good and Evil

•Culture Clash

The Igbo

•Third most populous ethnic group in Nigeria (16% of
population)

•Live in southeastern part of country in tropical rain
forests (deal with rainy season and dry winds)

•Subsistence farmers – raise their own crops:

•Yam, cassava, taro, corn, etc.
•Palm trees for oil and fiber
•Crafts and manual labor also provide income

Igbo Culture

•It is a patriarchal society. Decision making involves
males only

•Men grow yams and women grow other crops

•Live in villages based on male lineage – male heads of
household all related on father’s side (approximately
5,000 people per clan)

•Women go to live with husbands; prosperous men have 2 or 3 wives

•Each wife lives in her own hut in the family compound

Multiple Choice

Who is considered most important in the Igbo society?

• Men

• Women

• Elders

• Children

Igbo Images

Traditional Obi – hut or family compound
under construction

Igbo Society

•No single leader

•Elders lead as a group/committee

•Social mobility: Titles earned (not inherited).

•High value placed on individual achievement.

•Hospitality is very important.

Multiple Choice

True or False: The Igbo society believes in one leader to guide them all.

• True

• False

Igbo Society Cont.

•Some Igbos owned slaves captured in war or as payment for debt.

•Proximity to West African ports means many Igbo were taken in slave trade

Igbo Religion

•Chukwu – supreme god, creator of world

•The will of gods was revealed through oracles.
•Each clan, village, and household had protective ancestral spirits

• Chi – personal guardian spirit – affects one’s destiny,
can be influenced through individual actions and rituals.

•Egwugwu – masked, ancestral spirits of the clan who appear during certain rituals.

Multiple Choice

What type of religion do the Igbo practice?

• Monotheism

• Polytheism

Igbo Images

Villager performing role of egwugwu

Igbo Images

Traditional dibia, a medicine

man or healer.