Things Fall Apart - review

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Albert Chinualumogu Achebe was born the son of Isaiah Okafo, a Christian churchman, and Janet N. Achebe November 16, 1930 in Ogidi, Nigeria. He married Christie Chinwe Okoli, September 10, 1961, and now has four children: Chinelo, Ikechukwu, Chidi, and Nwando. He attended Government College in Umuahia from 1944 to 1947 and University College in Ibadan from 1948 to 1953. He then received a B.A. from London University in 1953 and studied broadcasting at the British Broadcasting Corp. in London in 1956.The novel is set during the late 1800s/early 1900s in a small village called Umuofia situated in the southeastern part of Nigeria. The time period is important, as it was a period in colonial history when the British were expanding their influence in Africa, economically, culturally, and politically. Achebe provides the readers with a window through which they can view the reality of life during the British colonization of African villages. Such a novel in which Achebe presents his unique viewpoints is one of his most famous works, Things Fall Apart.

The novel portrays the experiences of colonization through the tragic life of a well-respected Ibo villager called Okonkwo, who struggles with his constantly arising confrontations with the colonists. Throughout the recurring disputes between the two major opposing forces within the novel stands a unique event, which is the destruction of the village of Abame. In the novel, the village of Abame serves as a targeted colony for the white man, who initially appears as a messenger sent to explore the village. Alarmed, the Ibos act distressfully by attacking and executing the white man, causing the colonists to seek revenge through the destruction of Abame. This event acts as a spark that ignites a giant blaze, and soon, the colonists and colonized find themselves locked in a prolonged battle. As a result, the destruction of Abame analyzes the experience of colonization through a neutral point of view by exposing the impressions, expectations, and reactions of the colonists and colonized towards each other. Despite that it is not only the issue of the invasion, disrupting or destroying of the British that occur in the village but there are many other complex issue that is been discuss. The situation among the society itself have brought up a lot of issues such as the protagonist’s own character, their treatment towards women and how their go about their life addressing to the “chi” or “oracle” and some other cultural beliefs that they have to obey and adapt it their daily life. I’m going to discuss all the complexity of these issues in the society also in conjunction to the colonizer.  

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. As a background to the novel, the author views the world of the Ibos as a modest, simple, and yet a unified and cultured civilization, where the Ibos are satisfied with their circumstances and living conditions. As described by the author, the Ibos live their daily lives with little complications while operating on a well-organized and lawfully stable community.

Okonkwo emerges as a traditional hero of the Igbo Village. However, his hidden desire to be the antithesis of his unsuccessful, “feminine” father elicits his own volatile, self-destruction. It is Okonkwo's inner, psychological fear that compels him to commit ...

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