Things+Fall+Apart

Things Fall Apart- Ellen Bigelow Things Fall Apart By: Chinua Achebe

Novel Study Assignment – Part A By: Ellen Bigelow

Chinua Achebe says in chapter fifteen of his article __Writer, Writing, and Function__, from the textbook //African Literature: an Anthology of Criticism and Theory// “We invent different fictions to help us out of particular problems we encounter in living.” The novel by Chinua Achebe __Things Fall Apart__ and my proposed novel study plan is intended for the grade ten academic English classrooms. The text however is a versatile one and can be used in academic or applied classrooms as well as in senior levels. I also believe this text would be of great use in a social studies classroom because it discusses topics regarding social status The novel contains themes of class, tradition, culture race/ racism, religion, suicide and sex all packed into one story. It is also a very important historical story because it shows the destruction of society as well an individual man the colonizers had. What is exciting about this novel is that it is a break from the preconceived norm that students have come to expect when a teacher introduces a novel to the class. Many social topics that are not present in “regular” books are present in this book. There is a lot of opportunity for student to engage in critical thinking, like the feminist critique, homosexuality, and African literature. These strands are often proven to be too "ghetto" by some teachers. They are cast into a separate or specialized study. When we only consider these viewpoints once in a semester as a specialized strain we unfortunately program students to consider them unique cases. It is an add-on, when in actuality it should be continually considered in the classroom. Chinua Achebe's novel is excellent because it puts to the forefront themes that are more identifiable to students and allows them to think critically. Some ideas and issues I would emphasize would be oral tradition of African culture and how it has transferred and affected African literature, usually translating to fables. Also as the colonial presents in the book is important to talk about. The conflict between racism and religion is brought to the forefront toward the second half of the novel. The feminist critique of this book is also of importance. The primary reason why I choose to use this book is because of its potential to engage critically with social structure and justice. Everyone can form a passionate perspective of this novel because both the writer and protagonist are passionate. The first theme to be discussed would be African culture and the oral tradition. Before colonies came and imposed their ideas of “proper civilization” Africans practiced oral traditions. This is still practiced today and is reflected in written work. The storyteller in a clan used to have the important job of telling their historical events orally. The storyteller had a high rank in society and had to be extremely wise and knowledgeable. One aspect of African oral tradition that is hard for western society to grasp is that it is not what the story is about, but how it is told. According to Harold Scheub's video, __The Story Teller__, if at the end of a story you have to ask, “What does it mean?” the storyteller cannot simply explain the moral, but has to go back and retell it. The rhythm, words and body movement is as much as part of the story as the plot. He also shows that some stories can take days to tell. Achebe uses oral tradition in literary devices as well as demonstrating it, he depicts it as a cultural practice in scenes in his novel. He also represents the oral tradition through the fables he puts in his novel. The fables are a very important part of this novel and how the story is told. Being able to utilize these oral stories or fables in the novel and being able to study them as an individual story as well as within the context of the novel is important. The fable Ekwefi tells in chapter twelve has parallel s to what is happening in the novel. This type of engagement with the novel is important and I think interesting to the student. Liz Gunner’s publication, __Africa and Orality__ the textbook //African Literature: an Anthology of Criticism and Theory// discusses the importance and accuracy of the oral tradition. “If it is language which has a role in the production and reproduction of society, then in the case of orality it is often language combined with the performativity of the body and enacted in both the public and private space.” The importance’s of language, social structure and culture of Africa is in the forefront of this novel. The novel demonstrates in-depth the class system of a clan in Umuofia. Their religion, worth, and respectful edict are very prevalent in the novel. The story is about the protagonists Okonkwo struggle and failures as he tries to rise to the top of his clan with in the structure of his society. There is a clear custom and understood behaviors and goals a man from the Umuofia tribe must obey. It also exospores the social structure of the Europeans and how they broke down and destroyed a whole culture as well as a man. Okonkwo kills himself in the end because his land is no longer a place he can live and relate to. The death at his own hand is a more bearable fate then being destroyed by the hand of the white man. Okonkwo represents the old tradition of Umuofia he is a faltered character but also has some good qualities. African culture before colonizers was not perfect, it had its great quality and had its flaws as well, but its culture was destroyed beyond recover by colonizers. The colonial factor in Africa is present in the novel and an ongoing issue in Africa and African literature. Postcolonial writers have two man frames of thought. Many writers feel like they should abandon the European languages to decolonize the culture. Other has taken the education of language opposed on them through western education and has used it to there advantage. Chinua Achebe has used both throughout his writing career. He first wrote in English but by keeping certain words in his language, he brought awareness of the African voice to the world. Also language reflects a culture, many words could not translate in meaning. __Things Fall Apar__t is the first international African literature. Simon Gikandi’s publication __African Literature and the Colonial Facto__r in the textbook //African Literature: an Anthology of Criticism and Theory//, talks about the importance of recognizing the theme of colonialism in modern African literature. Gikandi states, “ The political and cultural force of colonialism in Africa was so enduring that writers concerned with the nature of Africa society could not avoid the trauma and drama that accompanied the imposition of Europeans rule on the continent.” The third theme discussed with the class would be women’s roles in the novel and African culture. Achebe portrays women as being perfectly content with making yam dishes for her children and husband. The condescending language toward women through the novel is so prevalent that students will easily identify it. Women’s role in African literature is often oppressive. Achebe cast women in a lower class and not equal to men. The women are considered objects; an example of this is the fact the Achebe does not at any point refer to his first wife by name. The fourth theme is racism and religion. Religion is fairly easy to teach through this particular text. There is a strong conflict between religions in the novel. A challenge would be discussing the theme of racism. To deal with this I would allow the students to express how they feel. The clash between religions is strong and prevalent in the novel as well. To deal with these sensitive subjects one would have to first lay down the facts so that they are understood then talk about how this makes students feel. It would be a challenge to teach, however I think it’s very important that students are aware we are dealing with the same issues today. Many students might feel like others do not understand their religion or have prejudice toward their race and want to talk about it. I think it is an eye opener that a book about colonization in Africa is so close to many issues we have in present day. Some issues I might face while teaching the text is that many of the themes we deal with, equity in race, class, and gender are all sensitive themes. They require students to feel safe in order to learn and discuss them. While learning about the topic involving equity there is often emotional responses. There has to be a certain level of sensitivity. These are, however topics that require conversation and that students need to be educated about. According to an estimation from a number of cites eight percent of the population consists of western white males. What about the other ninety-two percent of the population that cannot relate to the eight percent dominated perspective? This novel allows all genders and races to engage with it. The colonial era is often hard to discuss with a class because white students often feel guilty, and other cultures often feel wronged as they learn about this history. Although, this is a challenge, it is so important for students to become educated, form there own opinions, and express their point of view in this topic. Another issue will be vocabulary and reading out loud. When reading out loud many of the words are hard to sound out, and might be intimidating to shy readers. I think however, if one provides a vocabulary list and works through it with the class with an open mind, the class can easily overcome this. The novel ends with Okonkwo committing suicide. This is also a challenging theme to discuss with teenagers. Education and discussion of this theme and creating a safe environment for the students should help. Suicide is also a controversial subject where open discussion and/or personal reflection would be the best way for students to express their feelings around this sensitive subject. With suicide rates increasing among teens and being publicized it cannot be ignored. Curriculum expectations are oral communication, reading and literature studies, writing and media studies. Oral communication is to listen, to understand, speaking, to communicate, and reflect on skills and strategies. When talking about oral story telling this could be link to public speaking. The assignments allow students to hear others and speak in front of the class informally so that they may apply the feedback to other greater projects. The areas in reading and literature studies are all addressed in this project. Both projects require students to engage with the text and demonstrate understanding of it. These assignments require students to write creatively and justify their writing in a more formal format. These assignments would reflect media studies if alternative material I used in lecture was reflected in their work. ** • Assign Nwoyes mother a name ** ** • Decide what type of person you imagine her to be and allow those characteristics to come through in your writing ** ** • Choose one significant event in the novel and have her reflect on how it made her feel, or her perspective on an event. ** Bibliography Achebe, Chinua. //Things Fall Apart//. New York: Knopf, 1992. Print. Olaniyan, Tejumola, and Ato Quayson. //African Literature: an Anthology of Criticism and Theory//. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2007. Print. "YouTube - The Storyteller with Professor Harold Scheub." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// Web. 5 Nov. 2010. .
 * Assignment: **
 * Choose one of the following and use the text to help you along. Either assignments chosen by students will require a brief presentation of what they have written. Group A will read there entry while group B will read their fable and sum up the meanings and justifications. **
 * A) Who is Nwoye ’ s Mother? **
 * Chinua Achebe refers to Okonkwo's first wife as Nwoyes ’ mother the entire novel. We know how Okonkwo and the other men in the clan feel. Women in this novel are not given a voice. You are going to give Nwoyes ’ mother a voice. Write a journal entry from Nwoyes ’ mother point of view (first person). Include the following in your entr é e: **
 * Keep a consistent voice and personality through your entr é e; I want to feel like I know her and how she feels. (Minimum 2 pages in length, double spaced) **
 * Or **
 * B) In chapter 11 Ekwefi tells a fable (pg 96-99). Write your own fable using this one as an example. The voice of your fable should match the voice of __Things Fall Apart__, and should reflect an issue that is present in the novel. Think of this as being in the style of oral tradition, just like we have discussed. This must be a minimum of two paragraphs in length. Write a one-page justification for your characters, the plot and what it means. **