Things Fall Apart Rhetorical Analysis
Igbo Metaphysics in Chinua Achebe 's "Things Fall Apart" Author(s): Jude Chudi Okpala Reviewed work(s): Source: Callaloo, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Spring, 2002), pp. 559-566 Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3300586 . Accessed: 14/11/2012 22:35
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Chi ya ekwero=His chi does not agree. Chi ya kegbuluya ekegbu=His chi deformed him. Ebe onye dalu ka chi ya kwatuluya= Where one falls there his chi pushes one down. Ofu nne n 'amu ma ofu chi anaghi eke= Individuals have their respective chi in spite of parentage. Obu etu nya na chie si kwu= That 's the agreement he reached with his chi. Onye kwe chi ya ekwe= If you say yes, your chi will say yes. Onye ka chi ya? = Who is greater than his/her chi? These are full philosophical statements; the translation, of course, does not carry adequate semantic extension. In Morning Yet on CreationDay, Achebe uses one of them to articulate the inferiority of a person to his chi: "The Igbo believe that a man receives his gifts or talents, his character-indeed his portion in life generally-before he comes into the world. It seems there is an element of choice available to him at that point, and that his chi presides over the bargaining: hence the saying Obeetu nya na chie si kwu, which we often hear when a man 's misfortune is somehow beyond comprehension and so can only be attributable to an agreement he himself must have entered into, at the beginning, alone with his chi" (165). This passage seemingly exudes determinism, and may challenge the freewill of an Igbo person in his/her action. Such a position would be dispelled if one understands that human action/being/knowing in Igbo thought has a spiritual …show more content…
Some other critics that should be recognized in these group are Susan Gallagher, who argues for the dialogical nature of the text and focuses on its "complex heteroglossia" (142), and Niel Ten Kortenaar, who argues that "instability," which is provoked by Things Fall Apart is "a necessary condition of the text" (41). In this group also is Abdul Jan Mohammed. Though his argument has a postcolonial bent, his position is linguistic, for he reveals "syncretism," "double consciousness," in Achebe 's uses of oral and literate forms, syncretism that is deterritorializing and subverting. 2. Idoniboye uses the above statement to describe African Metaphysics (84). Additional studies or explorations of African Metaphysics are Onwuanibe 's, Chukwukere 's and Mbiti 's, and I am not suggesting in my title that Igbo metaphysics is different from African Metaphysics. 3. Iyasere has recognized a similar argument in his article, even though he does not do so specifically with Igbo metaphysics. Focusing on the killing of Ikemefuna, he argues that Okonkwo 's participation is not a sign of obedience to the gods, but a "competition with the gods" (307). Obiechina interpreting the embedded narrative of "The Tortoise and Birds" correlates the individualism of the tortoise with Okonkwo 's and opposes it to the spirit of community. He argues that just as the tortoise comes in conflict with the birds for its "individualistic obsession," taking the name "All-of-You," so does Okonkwo for taking
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information …show more content…
Chi ya ekwero=His chi does not agree. Chi ya kegbuluya ekegbu=His chi deformed him. Ebe onye dalu ka chi ya kwatuluya= Where one falls there his chi pushes one down. Ofu nne n 'amu ma ofu chi anaghi eke= Individuals have their respective chi in spite of parentage. Obu etu nya na chie si kwu= That 's the agreement he reached with his chi. Onye kwe chi ya ekwe= If you say yes, your chi will say yes. Onye ka chi ya? = Who is greater than his/her chi? These are full philosophical statements; the translation, of course, does not carry adequate semantic extension. In Morning Yet on CreationDay, Achebe uses one of them to articulate the inferiority of a person to his chi: "The Igbo believe that a man receives his gifts or talents, his character-indeed his portion in life generally-before he comes into the world. It seems there is an element of choice available to him at that point, and that his chi presides over the bargaining: hence the saying Obeetu nya na chie si kwu, which we often hear when a man 's misfortune is somehow beyond comprehension and so can only be attributable to an agreement he himself must have entered into, at the beginning, alone with his chi" (165). This passage seemingly exudes determinism, and may challenge the freewill of an Igbo person in his/her action. Such a position would be dispelled if one understands that human action/being/knowing in Igbo thought has a spiritual …show more content…
Some other critics that should be recognized in these group are Susan Gallagher, who argues for the dialogical nature of the text and focuses on its "complex heteroglossia" (142), and Niel Ten Kortenaar, who argues that "instability," which is provoked by Things Fall Apart is "a necessary condition of the text" (41). In this group also is Abdul Jan Mohammed. Though his argument has a postcolonial bent, his position is linguistic, for he reveals "syncretism," "double consciousness," in Achebe 's uses of oral and literate forms, syncretism that is deterritorializing and subverting. 2. Idoniboye uses the above statement to describe African Metaphysics (84). Additional studies or explorations of African Metaphysics are Onwuanibe 's, Chukwukere 's and Mbiti 's, and I am not suggesting in my title that Igbo metaphysics is different from African Metaphysics. 3. Iyasere has recognized a similar argument in his article, even though he does not do so specifically with Igbo metaphysics. Focusing on the killing of Ikemefuna, he argues that Okonkwo 's participation is not a sign of obedience to the gods, but a "competition with the gods" (307). Obiechina interpreting the embedded narrative of "The Tortoise and Birds" correlates the individualism of the tortoise with Okonkwo 's and opposes it to the spirit of community. He argues that just as the tortoise comes in conflict with the birds for its "individualistic obsession," taking the name "All-of-You," so does Okonkwo for taking