Things Fall Apart

1) Who was Achebe’s intended audience? Who did he write Things Fall Apart for? What was he trying to communicate to his audience?

            I would say that his intended audience was for unknowing people. The average person that never understood a culture like the Igbo. He is trying to communicate the way culture, the personalities of these characters so people can understand what it’s like.  
  
2) What does the opening epigraph by Yeats tell us about the novel? What themes does it introduce?
       
        Looking back now, I think that Okonkwo is the falcon and the falconer is his dad. Anarchy meaning, the power that Okonkwo’s father had on him is fading - “Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”  

3) Is Okonkwo destined for tragedy or did his choices (made of his own free will) lead him to his tragic end?
       
        Okonkwo’s choices lead him to tragedy. He chose to not be like his father. He wanted to be powerful. He didn’t show emotion, well anything other than anger. Love or compassion was a sign of weakness. People who want power and aren’t nice about how they get it...it’s called Karma.

4) Why does Okonkwo hang himself? Is it a cowardly act or brave? Weak or noble?

       Okonkwo hanged himself because he didn’t want to be ruled by the Europeans. In the book, it is said that it is cowardly and weak, because it’s a disgrace to the Earth to take away your life, but I think that from a political and social stand point, that it was a way to rebel against the Europeans and prove a point to them, that he wasn’t going to abide by their rules and religious views.

5) What do the constant references to gender (male/female) say about Okonkwo? About Igbo culture?
       
            Throughout the book there were references it says that Okonkwo and the Igbo culture are outdated and sexist. Unfortunately, woman were treated with a small degree of respect. Not so often you heard anything neg. about a man, but it shows how respect is lacked in the culture and from Okonkwo.

6) Why do you think Achebe often used untranslated Igbo words? What kind of tone was he trying to evoke?

     I think that Achebe used the words because he wanted the reader to feel like they were in their culture and experience the events that were happening in the book. The tone he was trying to create was a realistic one. He wanted the reader to be connected to the incidents, not just treat the story as another book. He wanted the connection to be real.



7) Why do you think the people of Umuofia maintain the belief that the egwugwu are gods when they are clearly masked humans?

I think that belief is a big part in that. Someone who believes strongly enough in something or has had a strong tradition and has respect for it, is more apt to not believe the truth. Is more likely to continue to believe because of the rich heritage.

8) The Western canon has traditionally imagined white European culture as humane and civilizing. On the other hand, Eastern and African cultures have been depicted as primitive and savage. Does this hold true for Things Fall Apart? How are the representations of both parties – the Igbo and the white men – more complex than this traditional model?

The concepts do hold true in some ways because i'm not used to their culture. I wouldn't agree with how their treat the women or children, to be seen and not heard, but that also goes by a frequent stereotype, that the white European is arrogant and wants power and wealth. It’s more complex because there is more sides and reasons to why the Europeans went to different parts of the world.

9) Does Things Fall Apart present a one-dimensional perspective of white people or a holistic and accurate one?

    I think it’s a one-dimensional perspective because the author doesn’t explain why the Europeans came, why they wanted to spread christianity, and so forth. The author only talked about the negative and not the positive.

10) Is the story told about the Igbo and colonization only relevant to this specific Nigerian group or is it representative of other colonized groups as well?

    I represents other colonized groups as well because other colony’s have been taken over by Europeans or anyone else. It show religion being spread throughout the world, which is a major event in the world’s history. It’s an all around story.