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Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart Essay

In the book Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe has a lot of hidden stories and explanations to certain things. The allegory, The Tortoise and the Feast in the Sky helps decipher the direct meaning, the cultural meaning and the readers meaning. All three of these help relate to the novel’s meaning itself. Direct meaning can also mean the representation of the characters. When Okonkwo kills the white man, his tribe doesn’t do anything to help or back him up. An example is, “Okonkwo stood looking at the dead man. He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messengers escape. They have broken into tumult instead of action. He discerned
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When the white men came into the village is caused some problems. At first they were speaking of religion and drawing some people in, then things went down. Some people got hurt and it destroyed the villagers. An example is, “We liked his brother who was with us before. He was foolish, but we liked him, and for his sake we shall not harm his brother…this shrine…has bred untold abominations and we have come to put an end to it.” (p. 190) In the beginning they liked him, but in the end it just resulted in havoc, so they finally take a stand for them selves. That ends up leading to making the missionaries mad, so they try to take control. When the white men first came to the village destruction was foretold, “The elders consulted their Oracle and it told them that the strange man would break their clan and spread destruction among them.” (p. 138) The people could have done something to stop it, but they didn’t. In relation to the allegory the Tortoise has a “sweet tongue” he was able to persuade others easily and they would listen. This is like the missionaries, bringing talk of new religion, changing the culture. If you didn’t follow their way “god would smite you” or “you’re a sinner” therefore a lot of people listened because it sounded scary, and they didn’t want their gods to be mad at

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