Things Fall Apart
Patricia Ann L. Gabo
BSTTM 2-1
Things Fall Apart
By : Chinua Achebe
7 literary standards
Artistry - Achebe brings to life an African culture with a religion, a government, a system of money, and an artistic tradition, as well as a judicial system. While technologically unsophisticated, the Igbo culture is revealed to the reader as remarkably complex. Achebe stereotypes the white colonialists as rigid, most with imperialistic intentions, whereas the Igbos are highly individual, many of them open to new ideas. But readers should note that Achebe is not presenting Igbo culture as faultless and idyllic. Indeed, Achebe would contest such a romantic portrayal of his native people. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe depicts negative as well as positive elements of Igbo culture, and he is sometimes as critical of his own people as he is of the colonizers.
Intellectual value - As an Ibo writer, Achebe is interested in the effects of Western customs and values on traditional African society. In simple and dignified language, Things Fall Apart describes a complex and sympathetic portrait of a traditional Ibo village. It shows us a society that contains much of value and undermines Conrad’s vision of Africa as the heart of darkness.
Although it does not paint a vision of an ideal society, the novel, nevertheless, introduces us to a range of timeless and empathetic characters, and portrays them in a way that makes them instantly recognizable to us over both time and space.
Suggestiveness/Emotional Value – From Achebe's own statements, we know that one of his themes is the complexity of Igbo society before the arrival of the Europeans. To support this theme, he includes detailed descriptions of the justice codes and the trial process, the social and family rituals, the marriage customs, food production and preparation processes, the process of shared leadership for the community, religious beliefs and practices, and the opportunities for virtually every man to climb the
BSTTM 2-1
Things Fall Apart
By : Chinua Achebe
7 literary standards
Artistry - Achebe brings to life an African culture with a religion, a government, a system of money, and an artistic tradition, as well as a judicial system. While technologically unsophisticated, the Igbo culture is revealed to the reader as remarkably complex. Achebe stereotypes the white colonialists as rigid, most with imperialistic intentions, whereas the Igbos are highly individual, many of them open to new ideas. But readers should note that Achebe is not presenting Igbo culture as faultless and idyllic. Indeed, Achebe would contest such a romantic portrayal of his native people. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe depicts negative as well as positive elements of Igbo culture, and he is sometimes as critical of his own people as he is of the colonizers.
Intellectual value - As an Ibo writer, Achebe is interested in the effects of Western customs and values on traditional African society. In simple and dignified language, Things Fall Apart describes a complex and sympathetic portrait of a traditional Ibo village. It shows us a society that contains much of value and undermines Conrad’s vision of Africa as the heart of darkness.
Although it does not paint a vision of an ideal society, the novel, nevertheless, introduces us to a range of timeless and empathetic characters, and portrays them in a way that makes them instantly recognizable to us over both time and space.
Suggestiveness/Emotional Value – From Achebe's own statements, we know that one of his themes is the complexity of Igbo society before the arrival of the Europeans. To support this theme, he includes detailed descriptions of the justice codes and the trial process, the social and family rituals, the marriage customs, food production and preparation processes, the process of shared leadership for the community, religious beliefs and practices, and the opportunities for virtually every man to climb the