Things Fall Apart
Essay Response. Select three for response. Include textual support in your welldeveloped responses. Responses should be typed in MLA format. Essays are due by
Thursday, January 21 at 11:45 am.
Q1. The Ibo religious structure consists of chi- the personal god- and many other gods
and goddesses. What advantages and disadvantages does such a religion provide when
compared to the missionaries’ Christianity?
Q2. There is an issue here of fate versus personal control over destiny. How does
Okonkwo’s behaviors reflect an understanding of both these issues?
Q3. The villagers believe –or pretend to believe- that the “Supreme Court” of nine
egwugwu are ancestral spirits. In fact, they are men of the village in disguise. What does
this say about the nature of justice in general, and this village in particular?
Q4. While the traditional figure of Okonkwo can in no doubt be seen as the central figure
in the tale, Achebe chooses to relate his story in the third person rather than the first
person narrative style. What benefits does he reap by adopting this approach?
Q5. The title of this story is derived from the William Butler Yeats poem titled “The
Second Coming”. This poem is concerned with the second coming of Christ. The
completed line reads: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold” (line 3). What layers of
meaning are discernible when this completed line is applied to the story?
Q6. Many critics have read Things Fall Apart and have compared Okinkwo to other
tragic heroes in literature. In what ways do you see the plot of Things Fall Apart and the
character of its protagonist Okonkwo as adhering to the conventions of a tragedy and
tragic hero?