“Things Fall Apart” a postcolonial novel written by the late Chinua Achebe who was known to be the father of modern African literature. As well having the best-known book in African Literature. Things Fall Apart was written two years before Nigeria was declared independent from the British on October 1, 1960. He intended for this book to give an understanding to outsiders on precolonial Africa. This story takes place in a tribal village of Umuofia where Achebe is portraying Nigerians as they are and not the stereotypical portraits that others see them as.
Before Nigeria was independent there was a lot of conflict with the British and the villages. Messengers were sent by white direct commissioners to bring in any person to break the white man’s law. If laws were broken, they found punishment in slaughtering an entire village instead of punishing the individual who broke the law. This practice was legalized. More than 40 natives would be killed in response to one dead or wounded British soldier. After slave trade was outlawed, missionaries went out to convert Africans to Christianity. The missionaries targeted the tribesmen with less power because they were easier to convert. They convinced them that the tribesmen were following false gods and they couldn’t punish them if they converted into Christians. By converting to Christianity, Africans were provided with an education. They also had access to hospitals and better job opportunities. “Government is closely linked to religion and literacy.” This caused clans to divide as more converted.
In previous weeks we’ve learned about “The Danger of a Single Story” by Adichie. She is also a novelist from Nigeria. She was inspired by Chinua Achebe and his book “Things Fall Apart”. When she came to the United States people looked at her when they ask about Africa because of her race. They gave her the identity of just being African even when she did not identify as that. Chinua Achebe wanted his novel to perceive the African society as it is and not the single story that it is portrayed. His novel illustrates indifferences of white colonial government and the traditional culture of the Igo people.
LitCharts. (n.d.). Things Fall Apart Study Guide. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://www.litcharts.com/lit/things-fall-apart
Achebe, C. (n.d.). Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe – Teacher’s Guide: 9780385474542 – PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/565351/things-fall-apart-by-chinua-achebe/9780385474542/teachers-guide/
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020, March 17). Chinua Achebe. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chinua-Achebe
Historical Context: Things Fall Apart – barefootk.weebly.com. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://barefootk.weebly.com/uploads/6/3/6/0/6360254/things_fall_apart_colonization_background_notes.pdf
I find it interesting how Achebe chose to write this novel in English. I read that he received a lot of backlash regarding his choice to write this book in English. He stands up for his decision and explains that Nigerians know many languages but the one that they most commonly share is English.
Hi Megan, I found your post to be very intriguing. I really liked that you gave some examples of some of the extremely harsh and unfair treatment taking place in Nigeria due to British colonial rule. It really set up a preface to what I can expect from the book. I also liked that you connected the themes in the past of the single story concept to tie together everything that we have been talking about thus far in the course.
Hi Megan!
I really enjoyed reading your post about pre and post colonial Nigeria and how the Nigerian’s life was often portrayed as something it is not. I knew that Nigeria was a harsh country during the time of colonial rule because, honestly, the westerners had no sympathy for the natives and their cultures. It was shocking to read how on persons actions, which might’ve not been for such bad reasons, would result in entire villages killed. It was also intriguing to read about how religion played such a big role in the post colonial rule. This was really deceiving to me to somewhat “trick” the head of village into believing in Christianity. What was even worse was that just because of their religion change, that they could have a better “life”. Overall, your post was very interesting and informative! Thank you!
Thank you for providing some insight on the reading “Things Fall Apart”. I have grown up in the USA and unfortunately there is many misconceptions on how every country lives based on biased perspectives. For Achebe to write about the problems in the world and to tell a side that hasn’t been seen it pretty incredible. Reading about how the society pressures their views to see others as different brings in the problems of judgement on any certain cultural. I like that you gave examples of different readings like Adichie because it is just another example of the struggle to get out of that stigma of judging based on what others who haven’t even had experience say about one another. Unfortunately I have seen many cases of people having to change their lifestyle or what they believe in to find sanctuary and peace, which should never happen. With readings like this hopefully it will let us evolve in the world and grow.
Hi Megan. Thanks for the insight on Nigerian colonialism. I knew very little about Nigerian history before this class and had no idea how violent colonial England was towards the native people. It really puts into better perspective Achebe’s writing on African society as a whole and not just a single story. I also appreciate your call back to Adichie as connecting our lessons helps us understand the class better.
Megan,
Thank you for sharing this thoughtful piece of your work. I had always known the colonizing countries were unfair, but the details you give are shocking. I think these details need to be known by every citizen of a powerful country that took part in this process. Unfortunately, this is not the case. There are many like me who were unaware of just how heinous some actions taken during this time were. Like Adichie points to, we make our assumptions based on limited knowledge. We need to be taught our mistakes so that they are not committed again.
Hi Megan! I really appreciate your presentation and how clearly you were able to explain “Things Fall Apart.” I am so glad this book was written because it brings light to the true people in Nigeria and what they face, and not the stereotypical versions. It pains me that so much thought was put into purposely dismantling communities to be able to take control. I love how we can connect our readings to the week prior, and continue to learn and implement those things in my life to better it and society and a whole. Thanks again for the great presentation!
Thank you for this well-articulated background on some of the history of Nigeria and other context behind the novel for this week! I liked your point in the first paragraph about portraying Nigerians how they are and not through stereotypes other perceive them through. This reminds me of our reading on the subaltern. I definitely think Nigerians in this time period are a good example, as much of their history and culture has been described by British historians and writers during their imperial control of the country.
Megan,
I really appreciate you essentially giving the hard facts as to how colonialism affected African society. The quote you included “Government is closely linked to religion and literacy,” is even more explicitly true after reading about the information you disclosed about how Africans were treated by the British. I also appreciate you tying in Adichie and the things we’ve learned from her as well to our current reading.
Hey Megan! I loved reading your post about Things Fall Apart as you had some great insight that has really expanded my knowledge! While reading the novel, I never really thought about relating it to Danger of a Single Story until you mentioned it so I appreciate you making the connection for me. I can totally see how Chinua Achebe did not want a stereotypical single story to portray former Nigeria civilization by producing this wonderful novel. Thank you for the incredible insight!