Sample Response – Analyze the ambiguity, subtlety,
complexity, or irony of a significant passage.
“Unoka, the grown-up, was a failure. He was poor and his wife
and children had barely enough to eat. People laughed at him
because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him any
more money because he never paid back. But Unoka was such
a man that he always succeeded in borrowing more, and piling
up his debts (5).”
Context
Thesis
Character
Analysis
Specific
Example
Cultural
Analysis
In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Unoka is the father of Okonkwo, who
despises him because his father is a coward and failure. Unoka squandered his
money on wine, was unable to support his family, and had never earned any
titles. But Unoka entertained people by playing the flute, and he was successful
at borrowing money, even though he could never pay his debts. This passage
shows the irony of Unoka’s position in Ibo society; despite his poor reputation
and inability to pay debts, he succeeded in continuously borrowing money.
Unoka had a way with words; he was able to charm and manipulate people to
acquire money. He won people over by offering food, drink, and entertaining
stories and music. For example, when Okoye came to collect a payment, Unoka
offered him a drink from the kola nut and laughingly displayed his many debts
saying, “You see, I owe that man a thousand cowries. But he has not come to
wake me up in the morning for it. I shall pay you, but not today….I shall pay my
big debts first (7-8).” It is clear that Unoka was easily able to convince his friend
of the futility in collecting on the debt. If the other man could not bother to awaken
Unoka in order to get his money back, how could Okoye expect anything? It was
obvious that even the other man had given up on Unoka.
Even though Okonkwo loathed his father’s irresponsibility and cowardice, others
in the community must have valued Unoka enough to loan him money. It is
possible that they enjoyed the joyful music and playful laughter that Unoka
brought to every occasion. This reveals the irony in Ibo culture as well; while the
Ibo people revered hard working, brave men, and despised failures, they also
appreciated artistic talent.