Things Fall Apart –As The Title Say

After reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, I finally understand the core meaning of the title. Throughout the story, the author had rounded through small and large conflicts faced by Okonkwo and his clan. Okonkwo’s world was always unstable, going back and forth from being well and unwell. These situations happen in both Okonkwo’s internal and external relationship. His internal relationship is specifically the relationship between him and Nwoye, though from the start, it was unstable to begin with, and things finally fell apart for them after Okonkwo killed Ikemefuna. As for his clan, when the “white men” established their church in their village area, they influenced the people. Soon afterwards, the white men have brought their government rule upon the people, who eventually lose their traditional customs and beliefs. It’s rather upsetting to see how everything around Okonkwo, from his private family affairs to his public affairs, breaks down. Like a bridge that once stood firm, it is eroded by time and weather, and will eventually fall apart.

What is Gentle, he loved - What is Otherwise, I adored

-Poem of Okonkwo and Unoka-

A bird who sings in the morning when the first dew forms
He loved
He sings along, or takes his flute to add to the tune
How he loved dearly

A bird who sings in the morning when the first dew forms
Is a nuisance
I longed to spring from my bamboo bed
And kill it with a stone

Money comes and goes
He spends it merrily
Never worrying as his pouch grows small
Nor that his family cries

Money comes and goes
I take them into consideration
What is earned should be used well
Nothing comes without a price

Blood and cries of agonies on the battlefield
He shed his eyes away
Longing for his ears to only hear music
He turns a blind eye to the world

Blood and cries of agonies on the battlefield
I meet them with my own
I withstand the most horrifying
I have no fear

Author - Chinua Achebe

To know the author’s background help readers understand the author’s works better. We have done small research about the authors in class for our previous readings, specifically Shakespeare, Homer, and Kamala Markandaya. For our latest class book, Things Fall Apart, I searched up on its author, Chinua Achebe. Achebe was born in Ogidi, Nigeria. From that piece of information alone, readers can understand how well he connects to the story (in this case, Things Fall Apart) that he wrote. A common person may be able to write a story taken in a specific place even if he or she had never been there before. However, that author would not be able to capture all the details and feelings of the characters without the experience of being in that kind of society. Achebe learned the values and traditions of his society and was able to pass it on in his books.

I searched in several websites about Chinua Achebe in order to get a better understanding of his book Things Fall Apart. Below are a few links to the websites that I looked up information from:

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/achebe.htm
http://www.thecore.nus.edu.sg/post/achebe/achebebio.html
http://www.english.vt.edu/~carlisle/Postcolonial/Chinua_Achebe/ChinuaAchebe.html

Magic of Medicine

One very confusing thing I noticed in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is the “medicine” that was mentioned. The “medicine” was first mentioned in Chapter Two, it was referred as an incredibly powerful and fearsome weapon of the village. When I read that, I assumed that the “medicine” literally meant medicine. I assumed that the author was using a metaphor when he called the potent war-medicine an old woman. However, as I read further into the book, I began to doubt whether it’s really a medicine or not. I went back to the previous text and reread them. After going back again, I wondered why a medicine would be called “fearsome”. I would understand if the author called the medicine helpful or powerful, but to describe it as “fearsome” was strange. I also noticed in the later passages that a man had said a village can be strong because its “medicine” is powerful. I analyzed this and conclude that the “medicine” couldn’t have been a real medicine. It most likely refers to a form of “magic” or “spiritualism” of the villages.

Kola Nut

Things Fall Apart is a story in the setting of Africa. The text uses many African terms as well as the native African traditions and customs. Although the author was quite detailed in describing the method of each customs, he did not go in depths explaining all the significances of the tools and materials used in those customs. The author seems to try to let the readers figure the significances out on their own instead of giving it away all at once. For example, from the start of the story, the author mentioned the use of the kola nut (Chapter One, Page Six) but he did not explain the meaning behind the breaking of the kola nut, which leaves the readers confused. I brushed it aside at first, deciding that it was an insignificant matter. But as I read on, I observed that whenever a guest comes over to one’s house, there was always the practice of breaking the kola nut. This led me to assume that the breaking of kola nut is a common practice for whenever guests come over.

“In Things Fall Apart by Achibe, the kola nut had special significance in Nigeria. It was used as a gesture of peace, friendship and hospitality. It was offered to guests when they entered a house. The use of kola nuts symbolized everything that was civilized and peaceful in their world. (This was in sharp comparison to the white men's ways later in the novel.) It can be compared to the traditional Indian peace pipe or the religious idea of breaking bread.”

From: http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Sundjata/Kola_Nut.html

Father and Son

After reading Things Fall Apart chapter three, I noticed how the author emphasizes on the relationship between the father and son. I think the author wanted to let the readers see how the relationships of the main character deeply affected his later characteristics. The author spent many parts of the story dedicating to Unoka, the father of Okonkwo. By looking at the relationship between Unoka and Okonkwo, the readers can understand the reason behind Okonkwo’s hard and tough personality. As the story move on, the author also began to focus on the boy Ikemefuna, who is slowly becoming a son-like character to Okonkwo. The author probably wanted to emphasize on his role because Okonkwo seemed to favor Ikemefuna over his own children. From what I’ve read so far, I predict that Ikemefuna will be very affective towards Okonkwo’s personality. This may bring changes to Okonkwo and alter his views about things.