Things Fall Apart
Presenters: Hilary Deuser, Shelby
Ritchie, and Sam Watkins
Albert Chinualumogu
Achebe
 November 16, 1930: Born in Ogidi, Nigeria to
Isaiah Okafo and Janet N. Achebe.
 September 10, 1961: Married Christie Chinwe
Okoli.
 Four children
 Parents were devout Protestants.
 Christened him after Prince Albert.
 Paralyzed from waist down in 1990.
Achebe
 Attended
Government College
 Founder of new
literature.
 The finest of the
Nigerian novelists.
 Among the best
novelists now writing
in the English
language.
 Able to avoid
imitating the trends in
English literature.
Achebe
 Believes any good
story should have a
message.
 Feel for African
context influence
him.
 First Nigerian writer
to successfully
transmute the
conventions of the
novel into African
literature.
Ibo Background
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SE Nigeria
1900-Protectorate of Southern Nigeria
Independence from Britain – 1960
Republic of Biafra – 1967
Civil War – thousands killed
Ibo Culture
 Language
 Niger-Congo
 Kwa
 Holidays
 Family Life
 Food
 Employment
Impact of the Europeans
 Laws and trials
 Rituals
 Marriage
 Food
 Leadership
 Social status
Beliefs


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Chukwu
Chi
Minor Gods
Mmo and Egwugwu
Beliefs
 Titles
 Marriage
 Uri
 Isa-ifi
 Religion
Okonkwo




Leader
Fear of weakness
Tragic hero
“manly” vs. “unmanly”
Themes
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Masculinity
Fate and Freewill
Tribal belief
Fear
Social Disintegration
Struggle between change and tradition
Role of Women
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Perceived as weak lesser people.
Sadly oppressed with no power.
Terribly mistreated and beaten.
No respect outside of role as mother or
wife.
 Played an inferior role in society.
 Priestess
Title
 “The Second
Coming” by William
Butler Yeats
 Chaos brought by
European/Christian
invasion
 Change
https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=CT3mxK-oVgU
“Turning
Title
and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and
everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”
Commentary
 Why is it important?
 World is changing
 Learn to adapt
 Need to adapt to survive
 What makes it good literature?
 Style-tragedy
 Subject
 How successful was Achebe in breaking the
stereotype?
 Gave African Americans a voice
Works Cited
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“Background on the Ibo (historically Igbo) Culture.”4 Nov.
2008.<http://www.monge.net/thingsfallapart/Igbo%20Background.html>.
“Chinua Achebe (1930).”2002.4 Nov. 2008.<http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/achebe.htm>.
“Chinua Achebe’s Biography and Style.”4 Nov.
2008.<http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/post/achebe/achebebio.html>.
Hiatt, Kimberly.”The Role of Women in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.”5 June 2006.4 Nov.
2008.<http://www.assaciatedcontent.com/article/35752/the_role_of_women_in_chinua_acheb
es.html?cat=4>.
“Igbo.”World Cultures.2008.4 Nov. 2008.<http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Mauritania-toNigeria/Igbo.html>.
Lystad, Robert A.“Ibo.”Encyclpedia Americana.2001.
“Major Themes.”GradeSaver.2008.5 Nov.
2008.<http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/things/themes.html>.
Papers on Things Fall Apart and European Influence and similar term paper
topics.”AcaDemon.7 Nov.
2008.<http://www.academon.com/lib/paper/100780.html>.
“Things Fall Apart.”Sparknotes.2008.4 Nov.
2008.<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/things/canalysis.html>.
“Things Fall Apart.”Sparknotes.2008.4 Nov. 2008.<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/things/themes.html>.
“Title: Things Fall Apart.”2008.4 Nov.
2008.<http://www.cheathouse.com/essay/essay_view.php?p_essay_id=68927>.
“What is the Origin of the Term Things Fall Apart?”WiseGeek.2008.4 Nov.
2008.<http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-things-fall-apart.html>.