Name: ___________________________
Due Date: February 12th (MP3)
English Things Fall Apart Take Home Essay
Task: You will write an essay in which you Compare/Contrast the civilized and
uncivilized practices of the IBO CULTURE (as described in Things Fall Apart by
Chinua Achebe) to the civilized and uncivilized practices of your community.
You will consider what practices are important for a civilized society to prosper,
and what factors cause a community to fall apart.
Learning Targets:
 I can write an informative piece that examines and conveys complex ideas clearly
and accurately by selecting, organizing, and analyzing content:
1. Determine the idea to be examined
2. Select the details from Things Fall Apart and from my community, to
support the topic
3. Organize the details to explain the topic
4. Analyze the details to explain the topic
 I can use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major ideas of the text,
create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
 I can use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the
complexity of the topic.
 I can provide a concluding section that articulates my position on what it means to
be civilized.
Guidelines:
 Find an AFRICAN proverb that relates to the idea of civilized societies.
 Find two – three details that illustrate a civilized society from Things Fall Apart
 Draw from your own experience and/or an elder’s ideas about 2-3 practices
that make your community civilized
 Find two – three details that illustrate an uncivilized society from Things Fall
Apart
 Draw from your own experience and/or an elder’s ideas about 2-3 practices
that make your community uncivilized.
 Develop your Thesis statement.
 Use the outline on the following pages to organize your essay.
 Use the C4 strategy to organize your body paragraphs.
 Include direct and indirect quotations, use in-text citations.
 Type your essay (Double Space, MLA Heading-this includes page numbers,
12 point font)
 After you write your essay, edit it and revise to include Tier 2 vocabulary and
correct grammar and spelling.
 Turn your final essay in by February 12th.
Page 1
CULTURE
Introductory Paragraph:
Hook- Begin with a Proverb from Things Fall Apart that will connect to your Thesis
Statement.
Interpretation: Explain what this proverb means:
Validity: State the validity of this interpretation and how it is supported in the
novel Things Fall Apart, by the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, and also in your
community.
Thesis Statement: Topic + Opinion= Thesis
The early IBO culture of Umuofia and the present-day culture of Rochester are
civilized because each culture respects (A), (B), and/or (C), however these
cultures can also be considered uncivilized because of (D), (E), and/or (F).
Body Paragraph One: Use the C4 strategy for EXPLOSIVE writing
1ST Claim: Write a topic sentence about what makes a society CIVILIZED (A,B,
and/or C) from Thesis.
Cite and Clarify Each Detail: Provide Supporting Details from the NOVEL and
your community about how both cultures are civilized. You should have
evidence for at least 2 to 3 areas (A, B and C above) from both cultures.
Possible order:
1. Cite A-IBO and Clarify. T, Cite B-IBO and Clarify, T, Cite C-IBO and Clarify,
TRANSITION, Cite A-Rochester and Clarify, T, Cite B-Rochester and Clarify,
T, Cite C-Rochester and Clarify.
2. Cite A-IBO and Clarify, T, Cite A-Rochester and Clarify, TRANSITION, Cite BIBO and Clarify, T, Cite B-Rochester and Clarify, TRANSITION, Cite C-IBO
and Clarify, T, Cite C-Rochester and Clarify.
(*T vs TRANSITION – USE transition words that will create flow between your
details.)
Clinch: From your DETAILS, consider how a past civilization helped to create a
present-day civilized society.
Page 2
CULTURE
Body Paragraph Two: Use the C4 strategy for EXPLOSIVE writing
Claim Statement: Write a topic sentence about what makes a society
UNCIVILIZED (D, E, and/or F from Thesis)
Cite and Clarify Each Detail: Provide Supporting Details from the NOVEL and
your community about how both cultures while civilized, may have uncivilized
practices. You should have evidence for at least 2 areas (D, E, and/or F) from
both cultures.
Possible order:
3. Cite A-IBO and Clarify. T, Cite B-IBO and Clarify, T, Cite C-IBO and Clarify,
TRANSITION, Cite A-Rochester and Clarify, T, Cite B-Rochester and Clarify,
T, Cite C-Rochester and Clarify.
4. Cite A-IBO and Clarify, T, Cite A-Rochester and Clarify, TRANSITION, Cite BIBO and Clarify, T, Cite B-Rochester and Clarify, TRANSITION, Cite C-IBO
and Clarify, T, Cite C-Rochester and Clarify.
Clinch: From your details, consider what can be learned from uncivilized
actions.
Body Paragraph Three:
Claim Statement: Write a topic sentence about the one most important factor
needed for a civilized society.
Cite and Clarify: Explain why you feel this is the most important factor:
Analysis: Explain what happens when this factor is not in place for society.
Page 3
CULTURE
Conclusion:
Describe how knowledge of a different culture, hundreds of years before your
own, provides you with an insight as to why civilizations fall apart.
Describe one area of the IBO culture that you wish was still part of culture today.
Explain how you will use the lessons from this novel to be a person who sees
yourself, others/elders, and nature as sacred for our society to be truly civilized.
RESOURCES:
Transition Words
African Proverbs
MLA Guidelines
Vocabulary from Things Fall Apart
Page 4