Things Fall Apart Essay Topics

THINGS FALL APART Essay
Summary and Analysis of: Things Fall Apart      There are many
lessons that we learn in life. Chinua Achebe?s Things Fall Apart teaches one of life?s greatest
lesson. True, lasting happiness matters more than ones social rank or ones rank of wealth.
Okonkwo, who is the main character in this book, is trying his best to be the man that is father
was not. His father was a well known bum and a man who owed a lot of debts. Okonkwo felt that
men are always suppose to be strong, leaders, and do what people perceive are typical male tasks.
But his father, Unoka, did not fit his description of what he felt a real man should be. He was
ashamed of his father.      Okonkwo had an obsession. His...show
more content...
He lost everything including his titles and his standing within the Ibo tribe. He had to live with
his mother?s tribe, and eventually seven years later he went back to the Ibo tribe to start his life
all over again, only to in find out that things had changed. The arrivals of missionaries in Africa
started a new way of living. The people who the Africans believed were outcast were accepted by
the missionaries. They felt that no one should be turned away. The Africans thought that the
outcasts would bring the missionaries nothing but bad luck.
     The missionaries were given the evil forest to build their
churches. The missionaries and the outcast were able to live and function very well in the forest.
And when the Africans saw this they began to convert to Christianity. They felt that the God of
the missionaries was more powerful than their ancestors and their gods. Okonkwo developed as
dislike for these missionaries. In his opinion he felt that they should be killed and driven out of
Africa. But he was the only person in the Ibo tribe that felt that way. He tried his best to persuade
other fellow tribesmen to follow his lead and stray away from the missionaries, but they would not.
And this caused his to kill a clansman who was a guard and eventually he killed himself. Because
Okonkwo could not accept the changes that the missionaries brought, his rage led to murder. The
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

Things Fall Apart Essay
The book "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe is a fictional look at the social and cultural life
of an African tribe of the lower Niger River region. It depicts the every day life of the tribe and its
members. It also shows the culture and customs of the tribe.
     The book focuses on one of the tribe members, Okonkwo. He
is a well respected member of the tribe. Okonkwo is a good example of a respected member of the
tribe who also has great renown. He is known as a great wrestler and warrior of the nine villages of
the tribe. He is a very powerful and influential member.
     Throughout the story, certain unfortunate events occur,
preventing Okonkwo's rise to the top. Those who knew his...show more content...
Eventually though, Okonkwo realizes that the boy must die. Though it is obvious that he is
disturbed by this, he does not show it, and even slays the boy himself, lest he should be thought
weak.      This is one example of Okonkwo's character. He is
willing to put aside all feelings he has for the boy in order to do what he feels must be done to
retain his sense of strength.      During a burial ceremony for one
of the tribesmen, Okonkwo accidentally kills the dead man's son. The prescribed punishment for
this is exile for seven years. Okonkwo and his family then move to his mother's old tribe to serve
his exile.      This accidental death is just one of many crushing
incidences Okonkwo has to deal with. He serves out his seven years as he is supposed to, with
grand ideas of his return to his village. When the seven years are up Okonkwo does not necessarily
return in triumph. Though his daughters are beautiful and worthy of marriage to a king, he is unable
to immediately induct his sons into the group that he wishes.
     When Okonkwo returns to the village, he finds that the white
man has moved in, bringing Christianity with him. This is a struggle that shows Okonkwo's
inflexibility and objection to change from tradition. Eventually, Okonkwo slay's a man working for
the British and ends up hanging himself as a result of his actions. Suicide is forbidden by the clan,

Things fall apart essay
Things fall apart
In Things Fall Apart there are many cultural collisions created by the introduction of Western ideas
into Ibo culture. One example of a cultural collision caused by the introduction of Western ideas
into Ibo culture is when Okonkwo's first son, Nwoye converts to Christianity. This causes a cultural
collision between Okonkwo and Nwoye because Nwoye wants to become a Christian, but
Okonkwo doesn't like the white men or Christianity. This cultural collision is caused by the white
men bringing in western ideas to Ibo culture. This collision is very important to the book because it
leads to the destruction of Okonkwo and fuels his anger. This collision shapes the meaning of the
novel as a whole by symbolizing many things...show more content...
His anger is anger is symbolized as the fire and therefore it helped to destroy Okonkwo by fueling
his fire. "Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was
dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the
fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of nature, malevolent, red
in tooth and claw. Okonkwo's fear was greater than these. It was not external, but lay deep within
himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father. Even as a little
boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness, and even now he still remembered how he
had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala. That was how Okonkwo
first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman, it could also mean a man
who had taken to title. And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion – to hate everything that his
father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness" (13). This
quote describes Okonkwo's fear and how his life was dominated by fear, Okonkwo feared
change, failure and weakness. So when the white men showed up and tried to convert people
Okonkwo feared for the failure of his clan to stay together and fight as one. He also feared change,
so he did not like the new religion or the fact that it said that all of his

Things Fall Apart
Characters are the heart of a book. They make the story interesting and help explain the theme
and plot. Without a strong list of characters a book becomes dull. In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall
Apart the characters help explain the lost Ibo culture, from strong to lazy, to women and a
sacrifice to prevent war. The main character sets up the plot of a book, through their life and point
of view the story is told. The main character in Things Fall Apart is a strong and culture hearted
man named Okonkwo. He can be described as a tragic hero from his journey and life told in the
book. As a sacrifice to prevent war in Umuofia a boy named Ikemefuna is traded to the village he is
given to Okonkwo's family and he becomes apart of their family. Mr....show more content...
He is the greatest wrestler in the land and has four wives and a large land size and farm all of this
and no thanks to his father Unoka. Growing up his father was poor and gave him no land and no
wife and Okonkwo was forced to start his adult life from scratch. Because of his father Okonkwo
fears laziness and everything his father enjoyed. "Even as a little boy he had resented his father's
failure and weakness,[...] a playmate had told him that his father was agbala. That was how
Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman, it could also
mean a man who had taken to title" (Things Fall Apart 12). If he see a sign of laziness in his
children a punishment is followed. Because of his father's laziness it motivates him to succeed.
This flaw of the fear of weakness and being like his father is one characteristic that makes him a
tragic hero. He is a dedicated to the tradition of the Ibo culture and follows the traditions of his
culture(reword this). Okonkwo is also ill–tempered he tends to beat his wife's if they do something
wrong, once he threaten to get his gun. This can be seen from a statement in the book "Okonkwo
ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of
his fiery temper" (12). Okonkwo can be described as a tragic

Things fall apart
Reflection on the novel Things Fall Apart The Idea of Culture in Things Fall Apart The novel
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe is a story about personal beliefs, customs and also about
conflict. There is struggle between family and within culture and it also deals with the concept of
culture and the notion of the values and traditions within a culture. The word culture is Latin and
means to cultivate. To cultivate has several meanings; it can mean to plow, fertilize, raise and plant,
to win someone's friendship, woo and take favor with, to ingratiate oneself with, to better, refine,
elevate, educate, develop and enrich. In Things Fall Apart all these words are accurate in describing
the culture of Umuofia. A culture is an...show more content...
Okonkwo's culture tells him to beat what he cannot fix, this idea evolved from his father, his
mother culture and the lazy ways that came with it. The major factors that shape Nwoye's view on
a culture are his father, his mother culture and the white man. Along with Christianity he completely
destroys the values of Okonkwo's culture. " Nwoye had been attracted to the new faith from the
very first day, but he kept it a secret"(Achebe 149). Nwoye is too afraid of his father, as is,
symbolically the clashing culture afraid of the mother culture and the outcome of the clash. The
notion of the white man, along with Christianity assimilates Nwoye and his culture. And the factors
above shape the view of what he wants a culture to be.
Each individual culture; Unoka, Okonkwo and Nwoye's culture, and the factors; Christianity and the
white man, in the end, lead back to the mother culture of the culture, Unoka's culture. No matter how
hard they try to deny and avoid the mother culture, they still end up with the same traits, beliefs and
customs as the mother culture does. In the novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe draws on three
generations to demonstrate the progress and change the culture undergoes. Unoka, Okonkwo and
Nwoye are symbolic of three successive generations and therefore, each represents a part within a
culture. The parent generation shapes the child generation's views

Things Fall Apart Essay
The Relationship between Okonkwo and Nwoye falls apart.
A relationship between a father and son can have a decidedly profound impact on each other's lives.
Whether this relationship is bifurcated, the psychological effects of having an intimate or inadequate
parenting skills can have a nurturing or depriving effect on a child's personality from birth all
throughout adulthood. This relationship although sustained has the potential to be either beneficial
or untenable. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, we see a breakdown between a father and son
relationship which created a very detrimental effect. The carved figure of a son that Okonkwo had
predicted was erased due to his egoistic character and his terrible parenting skills....show more
content...
According to Achebe, the main character detested his father at a very young age, "Even as a little
boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness, and even now he still remembered how he
had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala."(28) The Igbo tribe in
Things Fall Apart uses the term an "agbala" which is used to describe "woman". Okonkwo
considered his father to be weak, effeminate, poor, disgraceful, and always in debt to his fellow
tribes people. Okonkwo's life revolves around the deep fear of becoming a failure and adopting the
image of his father. Due to this self rooted perception of failure there are indications that he tries to
rise above his father's legacy.
The breakdown of Okonkwo's relationship with his son is evident throughout this novel. The
reason for this tumultuous relationship is, Okonkwo is too engrossed in maintaining his status
quo, and his relationship was governed by his own beliefs, principles and his own "right way to do
right things". He treated his family very strictly as he believed that showing affection revealed a
sign of social weakness; thus the disheartening lack of respect and love was a mal nourishing factor
with in the family.
This story maintained a constant theme of conflict. Nwoye, lives in perpetual fear of his father.
Okonkwo constantly chastises his son and finds a fault with everything he

Things Fall Apart
Okonkwo is a tragic hero in "Things Fall Apart" Question ( 2 ): Discuss Okonkwo in Chinua
Achebe 's "Things Fall Apart" is a tragic hero. Answer: In Chinua Achebe's novel "Things Fall
Apart" Okonkwo is a tragic hero. Aristotle's Poetics defines a Tragic Hero as a good man of high
status who displays a tragic flaw 'hamartia' and experiences a dramatic reversal 'peripeteia', as
well as an intense moment of recognition 'anagnorisis'. Okonkwo is a leader and hardworking
member of the Igbo community of Umuofia whose tragic flaw is his great fear of weakness and
failure. Okonkwo's fall from grace in the Igbo community and eventual suicide, makes Okonkwo a
tragic hero by Aristotle's definition. Okonkwo is a man of action, a man of war and a...show more
content...
Okonkwo things that, "No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women
and his children ... he was not really a man" Okonkwo wrestles with his fear that any sign of
weakness will cause him to lose control of his family, position in the village, and even himself.
Like many heroes of classical tragedy, Okonkwo's tragic flaw, fear, also makes him excessively
proud. Okonkwo's downfall is a result of the changes created by the coming of the British
Colonisers to Igbo. The introduction of the Colonisers into the novel causes Okonkwo's tragic flaw
to be exacerbated. Okonkwo construes change as weakness, and as a result of his interpretation,
Okonkwo only knows how to react to change through anger and strength. He derives great
satisfaction, "hubris" or proud arrogance, from the fact that he is a traditional, self made man and
thinks that to change would mean submitting to an outside force (Christianity). Following
Okonkwo's seven year exile, the village Okonkwo once knew has changed due to the influence of
Christianity and the influence of the British missionaries and officers. Okonkwo's initial reaction is
to arm the clan against the Colonisers and drive the British people out of Igbo. "He has put a knife
on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart" (152). Okonkwo has always used his
strength and courage to protect the community from destabilizing forces, and as

Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart The theme of the book Things Fall Apart, which focuses on the breakdown of a
society as well as the main character's personal breakdown, stems from many conflicts of interests
and misunderstandings throughout the book. There is not one single moment in the book where
everything falls apart, but many times throughout. In the beginning a lot of problems arise from
Okonkwo's anger problems, and his inability to see other's views. His ignorance is what ultimately
leads to his exile from his clan. It's not just the fact that he accidently killed a fellow clan member,
but many other events that had angered the village. One of the first problems was when he
disregarded the week of peace by savagely beating his wife. Wife...show more content...
The only emotion that he ever showed was anger; he hardly ever showed compassion towards
those around him, including his three wives or many children. His temper and his longing for
respect from those around him get him into trouble throughout the book. The first time being
when he beat his wife during their week of peace, in which no violence is supposed to take place.
Okonkwo makes sacrifices, pays his debt and he feels that all is forgiven; however his pattern of
violence continues. He attempts to shoot his wife Ojiubo after she makes a remark about his
inability to use his gun, once again giving in to his anger and insecurity. Okonkwo sees
compassion as weakness and this drives him to constantly respond to things that upset him with
anger. When he is told that Ikemefuna, a young boy who was placed into the care of Okonkwo's
family, is to be killed, he is also told that he must not interfere or take part in the killing. But when it
comes time for the boy to be killed Okonkwo is so afraid of looking weak that he himself stabs and
kills Ikemefuna. Later in the book, Okonkwo accidently shoots and kills a fellow tribe member, who
is a young boy. Okonkwo is then exiled from his tribe for seven years, and is overcome with
depression because he can never be in a place of power in his tribe. When he realizes that he will
never get the respect he deserves Okonkwo fully falls apart and takes his own

Things Fall Apart
The Place of Women in Igbo Society (Things Fall Apart)
Women are often thought of as the weaker, more vulnerable of the two sexes. Thus, women's roles in
literature are often subdued and subordinate. In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, women are
repressed by an entrenched structure of the social repression. Women suffer great losses in this novel
but, also in certain circumstances, hold tremendous power. Achebe provides progressively changing
attitudes towards women's role. At first glance, the women in Things Fall Apart may seem to be an
oppressed group with little power and this characterization is true to some extent. However, this
characterization of Igbo women reveals itself to be prematurely simplistic as well as limiting, once
...show more content...
In addition, it is an insult to a man or boy if they possess any female qualities. Guilt ridden after
murdering Ikemefuna, his surrogate son, Okonkwo sternly reprimands himself not to "become like a
shivering old woman" – this he considers the worst insult (65). Okonkwo also relates negatively to
his oldest son Nwoye, who according to Okonkwo possess weak qualities and thus acts like a
woman. He wanted Nwoye to listen to "masculine stories of violence and bloodshed" rather than
the stories told by women which were for "foolish women and children" (54). The stories that men
told were about bravery and war and young men were expected to listen to this instead of fairy tales
that women told. "So Okonkwo encouraged the boys to sit with him in his obi, and he told them
stories of the land" – while Nwoye feigned that he liked the stories his father told him to make him a
man, he preferred his mother's that he heard while growing up that kept his spirit gentle.
Okonkwo has three wives, who are the primary female figures in Things Fall Apart. His three wives
each hold varying roles of importance in the household just as they do in the novel. The
characterization of Ekwefi, Okonkwo's second wife, almost seems insignificant to one reading from
a patriarchal standpoint, but when reevaluated, one will find that she is a well of knowledge, love,
and fierce independence. Although she was married to another

Things Fall Apart Essay Topics

More Related Content

Similar to Things Fall Apart Essay Topics

More from Papers Writing Service

Recently uploaded

Things Fall Apart Essay Topics