Things Fall Apart Teachers Guide PRINT VERSION

TeachingThingsFallApart InWisconsin
AResourceGuideforEducators
PreparedbyHeatherDuBoisBourenane
CenterfortheHumanities UniversityWisconsinMadison
UniversityClubBuilding,3rdFloor 432EastCampusMall,MadisonWI53706 6082633412info@humanities.wisc.edu
TeachingThingsFallApartinWisconsin: AResourceGuideforEducators
Contents
IntroductionandOverview:Athematicapproach HowtoUsethisGuide CloseReadingStrategies LessonPlans Include:Objectives,SuggestionsforLectures,DiscussionQuestions, ActivitiesandProjectIdeas Unit1:BackgroundandContextsWhenFictionMeetsHistory Unit2:SocialIssuesandReligion 2A.IgboCultureandItsRoleintheNovel 2B.ReligionandSociety:TheSecondComing 2C.Socialnorms,caste,andcivicstructures Unit3:Gender Unit4:PsychologyandCharacterStudies Unit5:Power,Knowledge,EducationandReligion Unit6:Destinyandtheroleofchiinthenovel Unit7:LiteraryAspectsoftheNovel:FormandStructure,LanguageandStyle Unit8:ColonialImpacts Unit9:ThingsFallApartastragedy ProjectIdeasfortheSpringStudentConference Resources OnlineResourcesandStudyGuides Books Videos MapsofAfricaandNigeria+selectedhandoutsandstudentmaterials (Additionalhandoutsandreadingsavailableonline)
Note:Allofthematerialsfoundinthisguidearealsoavailableonlineat:
http://www.humanities.wisc.edu/programs/greattexts/thingsfallapart/curriculumguides.html
TeachingThingsFallApartinWisconsin AResourceGuidebyHeatherDuBoisBourenane
IntroductionandOverview Athematicapproachtoclosereading
First published in 1958, Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart is easily the most recognizable and widely taught African novel in the U.S. It has been translated into at least 50 languages, and soldover10millioncopiesworldwide,andhasappearedonmanygreatestbooksofalltimes lists around the world. But why? What is it about this classic story of transformation and tragedy that makes this book so attractive to students and educators? In some ways, the book has come to represent Africa as a continent: it serves as a symbol of the injustices of colonization and the internal forces that helped lead to the complete takeover of Nigeria by the British colonialists. But is has also become a symbol of postcolonial possibility, and the important task the African writer takes up when attempting to reclaimor rewrite the stories of his or her people. Because of this, educators have a double burden in teaching this highly teachable book: they must both fully contextualize the novel in its own time and place, and they must keep central to their approach to the text a constant reminder that while we can learn much about the truths of the colonial experience through this text, it is a work of fiction, not a historical or anthropological tool for understanding contemporary Africa in all its complexityanddiversity. To do this, we suggest that the book be taught from a thematic framework which relies on the close reading of key passages, emphasizing the relationship between the form and content of the novel and helping students navigate the development of key characters and themes to negotiate how they create meaning in a Wisconsin classroom. When taught from this perspective, the book opens up worlds of opportunities for students to connect to the text, appreciate its great literary merit, and gain a greater understanding of the themes and issues developedinitspages.
HowtoUsethisGuide
Thelessonplansandactivitiesprovidedinthisguidearedesignedtoallowyoutheopportunity to tailor the way you teach the novel to your own course, interests, and goals. The individual units could be taught over one or several days, and you can mix and match ideas from the various sections to put together your own syllabus. Each section includes project ideas, study/discussionquestions,andsuggestionsforfurtherteachingofthethemeorissuecovered, as well as recommendations for material and concepts to be covered in lecture. Discussion questionscanbeusedaspromptsforinclassdiscussion,orforsmallgroupactivitiesorinclass writingassignments.
Logisticsforteachingthelessonsinthisguide
The lesson plans included in this guide have been sorted into nine units that can be taught in any sequence, but all of them except the first two generally assume that students have completedtheentirenovel.This guideisdesignedtoaccommodatecurriculaplansthatdevote
anywherefromtwoweekstoanentiresemestertothenovel,andtherearebasicallytwoways youcouldapproachthenovel: Thematicmodel(readtheentiretext,thendiscuss) OptionA: Toensurethatstudentshavetimetoreadthenovel,thefirsttwounitscover backgroundandprovidehistoricalandculturalcontextforthenovel,andifyou donthavetimetoassignthereadingearlier,youcouldusethistime(onetotwo weeks)toassignthereadingoftheentiretext,andthenusetherestofthe lessonplanstofocusonspecificpassagesofyourchoosing.Thelesson plans includedinthisguidearedesignedforteachersusingthismodel,butcaneasily beadaptedforOptionB. OptionB: Chronological/linearmodel(discusschapterbychapter,orinthreeparts) Youcouldcustomizetheseunitsbyteachingthebookbyfollowingthenovel chronologically,andpickingoutthemescoveredinthelessonplanstofocuson ineachchapterorsection.SincemostofthethemesaddressedinPartOneare furtherdevelopedinPartTwo,youcouldreturntothesethemesasthestudents finishthereading.Thisplanlendsitselfwelltoa3or4weekmodel:PartOneof thenovelChapters113(p.3125)couldeasilybereadinoneweek(twoifyou havetime),andPartTwoChapters1419(p.129167)couldbereadinweek two,andPartThreeChapters2025(p.171209)couldbediscussedinweek three.Evenwithasfewastwoweekstoteachthenovel,youcouldcoverPart OneinweekoneandPartsTwoandThreeinthesecondweek.
Suggested Preparatory Readings and student materials (handouts) are

all available online at: http://www.humanities.wisc.edu/programs/greattexts/thingsfall apart/centerresources.html. While these readings are optional (with the exception of the readings recommendedin Unit One), they havebeen carefully selected to provide background, context and content analysis for each specific unit and teachers should find them enormously helpfulinpreparingtoteachthebook.
Homework,ProjectsandStudentMaterials(availableonline)
Each unit is accompanied with supplementary materials, study questions and project ideas which can be used to develop handouts and classroom aids. After surveying the wealth of information available online for this text, we felt no need to reinvent the wheel in this department, and point you to handy handouts available online whenever possible. Teachers should preview these materials carefully however, and make efforts to avoid using materials which present the text ahistorically or without taking into account the status of the text as fiction. There are many resources out there and navigating them can be rather overwhelming. Many of these resources tend to present the novel exclusively from an anthropological perspective as an example of authentic African culture. And while the book does indeed open up discussions of Ibo life and culture, this is only a small part of the texts value and probably one of its more superficial ones at that. It does both the novel and our students
disservicetoallowIboculturetostandinforallofAfricanculture,which,itshouldbestressed, isextraordinarilydiverse,evenwithinNigeriaitself.Wehavemadeeffortstopointyoutoward the best web resources we could find on the novel, and encourage you to make use of the recommendedmaterialsfoundinthisguide.
CloseReadingStrategies
Most of the lessons in this guide revolve around or depend upon close reading of specific passages in the text (of your choice) in order to generate discussion and build meaning as a class. Close reading here means careful examination of a portion of the text, which emphasizes the particular over the general and uses textual evidence to support ones interpretation. Close reading works best when the selected passage is either read aloud or distributed as a handout, and accompanied by discussion questions. It also lends itself well to group work and smallgroup discussions, and is an excellent way for students to learn both critical thinking and analysis skills as they make connections, use evidence to support their views, and discuss the impact of fiction. For close reading to work successfully, its important that the teacher always remind the students to point to the passage/line/phrase/word that supports their position as they share their ideas. Close reading teaches students the difference betweenopinionorpersonalreactionandanalysis.
LecturePoints
Each unit in this guide contains a set of lecture points. These are the ideas and concepts we recommend you cover in class, but you should feel free to add, adjust and customizes these ideas to fit your own goals and objectives for the unit. Since every teacher has a different teaching a preparation style, we just provide some basic tools here the goal was to provide enough information that teachers who wanted to could construct an entire unit out of the materials, but leave room for flexibility and adaptation to different course and teaching needs. Whatever your approach, lecture should always model the sort of close reading you want the students to perform by using as many examples from the text as possible to support and reinforceyourpoints.
ANoteofCautiononPlagiarism
As with other great texts, there is a wealth of information readily available on Things Fall Apart, which can be tempting material to plagiarize from the web or other study guides. Teachers may consider discussing their policies on academic honesty and the differences between paraphrasing,summarizing, citation and undocumented useof other sources. Its also recommended that teachers make plagiarism less likely by customizing their assignments to their classes and avoiding generic and widelyused prompts for takehome essay assignments orlongerprojects.

Forfurtherinformation
If you have any questions about this guide, or would like additional information on any of the materials included here, please feel free to contact the author, Heather DuBois Bourenane, at hldubois@wisc.eduor(608)8252518.
LessonPlansandActivities
Unit1:BackgroundandContextsWhenFictionMeetsHistory
While it offers a certain perspective on colonial history, Things Fall Apart is not a strictly historical novel. Historical novels, by definition, fictionalize historic events and bring them to life with invented details, characters, dialogue, etc. And while Things Fall Apart does situate itself within a specific historical context (Nigeria at the moment of colonization), it does not attempttorecreateactualeventsorrecharacterizerealhistoricalfigures.Inotherwords,while it is engaged with the historical theme of colonialism in Nigeria and Igbo culture, it is wholly fiction,andshouldbeunderstoodandtaughtassuch.Inaddition,itisveryimportanttokeepin mind the historicity of the novel itself: the book is set in the 1890s, but was first published in 1958, 2 years before Nigeria was granted full independence from British rule. This means that we are bringing a postcolonial sensibility and perspective to the text and should bear in mind the many ways in which Nigerian politics, culture and attitudes have changed in the last 50 years. So the novel is not wholly historical, nor wholly contemporary, as much as it can help us learnaboutboththepastandunderstandthemesofvaluetothepresent. Objective: Introducestudentstotheroleoffictioninunderstandingcolonialhistory,andprovide backgroundandcontextforthenovelandtheauthor.
"The last four or five hundred years of European contact with Africa produced a body of literature that presented Africa in a very bad light and Africans in very lurid terms. The reason for this had to do with the need to justify the slave trade and slavery. This continued until the Africans themselves, in the middle of the twentieth century, took into their own hands the telling of their story." (Chinua Achebe, "An African Voice", The Atlantic)
PreparatoryReading: ThefollowingthreeessaysbyAchebeshouldbeconsideredrequiredreadingbeforeteaching ThingsFallApart: TheNovelistasTeacherbyChinuaAchebe TeachingThingsFallApartbyChinuaAchebe AnImageofAfrica:RacisminConradsHeartofDarknessbyChinuaAchebe http://kirbyk.net/hod/image.of.africa.html (NOTE:anyoftheseshortreadingscouldalsobesuitableforstudents, particularlyinAPliteratureorhistorycourses)
AdditionalReadingsandResources: ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApartbyMartinKlein(fromAfricanNovelsinthe Classroom) AfricansLiveinTribes,DontThey?byCurtisKeim,MistakingAfrica:Curiositiesand InventionsoftheAmericanMind(2009) DiscussionofAchebesresponsetoConrad http://www.rlwclarke.net/Courses/LITS2306/2008 2009/13CAchebeAnImageofAfricaRacisminConrad%27sHeartofDarkness.pdf NigerianHistoryonline: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1067695.stm AfricanHistorytimelines: http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/htimelinetoc.htm TheStoryofAfrica(AfricanHistoryfromanAfricanPerspectiveBBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index.shtml

Handout/presentationmaterials TheTeachingColonialRepresentationfile(online)includesadvertisements,quotes anddiagramsofcolonialpowerstructuresisincluded ChinuaAchebebiographyandbibliographyhandout(online) Lecturepoints: Usingthepreparatorymaterialsabove,thelectureshouldcontextualizethenovelby coveringthefollowing: AbriefhistoryofprecolonialNigeriaandthecolonizationofAfrica

1958,firstpublicationofThingsFallApart Nigeria:Britishcolonyfromendof19thc.until1960 196770BiafranWar(Igbosecession) Majorethnicgroups(70%ofpopulation):HausaFulani,YorubaandIgbo Est.2005popofNigeria:128million Tumultuouspoliticalhistorysinceindependence;manyofAchebesotherbooksconfront corruptioninpolitics,socialissues
IdentifyNigeriaonthemapofAfrica,andtheapproximatesettingforthefictional villageofUmuofiainthenovel Discussthepeople,languagesandreligionsofNigeriatoday,aswellasanypolitical orpopularnewsyoufeelisrelevanttoyourcourse Discusswhycontextisimportanttounderstandingthenovel ProvidebackgroundinformationonAchebeandhislife,otherworks,career,etc Besuretoremindyourstudentstomakeuseoftheglossaryinthebackofthebook. LetthemknowtheywillberesponsibleforthetermsandconceptsAchebepresents. Discussionofthecolonialist,EurocentricrepresentationsofAfricanhistoryandhow thenoveldirectlyconfrontsthese.Discusshowhistoryisanimperfectrecordof
eventsandissubjecttothebiasesandperspectivesofthosewhorecordit.Discuss theroleofobjectivityandintegrityincontemporaryhistoriography. Thisistheperfectopportunitytoalsosetsomegroundrulesasaclassforwhatkind oflanguageisandisnotappropriate/respectfulwhentalkingaboutAfrica.Using HowToWriteAboutAfricabyBinyavangaWainainacouldbeagoodwaytobring uptheissueofstereotypesandmisconceptionsaboutAfrica Introducetheconceptofunderstandingandanalyzingfictionandusingclose readingtocreatemeaningintheWisconsinclassroom Discusstheauthorscontentionthathisworkhas(atleastpartly)adidacticrolein termsofreteachingthehistoryofAfricainamorepositivelight. o Usethisideatodiscuss: WhatthismeanstoAmericanreaders?Areweoutsiders? Theroleoffiction/literatureinunderstandinghistory Whetherornotfictioncanrevisehistory.Whatdoesthisreally mean? DiscussionQuestions: Whatisfiction? Whatishistory? FindNigeriaonthemapofAfrica.Discussitsfeatures. Comparecontemporary,colonialandprecolonialmapsofAfrica.Discusstheir features. WhatdoesdiversitymeaninNigeriaascomparedtotheUS? Whatarestereotypes?Howdocertainwordspromoteanegativeimpressionof AfricaorAfricans? o Whatisproblematicaboutthefollowingterms:tribe,hut,savage,primitive, backward,timeless,primordial,(etc)?Whyarethesetermsproblematic? Whymightsomepeoplefindthemoffensiveordisparaging? WhoisChinuaAchebe? WholivesinNigeria? WhataretheofficiallanguagesofNigeria?Howmanylanguagesarespoken throughoutthecountry?Howmanyculturalorethnicgroupscanyoufindonthe map(seesupplementarymaterialsforlinguisticandethnicmapsofNigeria)? AssignmentandProjectIdeas: Reading/ResponseJournal.Nowisagoodtimetoaskyourstudentstokeepa reflectionjournalinwhichtheyrespondtothetextandmaterialcoveredinclass.You mightdesignthisassignmentthematically(byassigningathemeorissuesayfamily orpower)andaskthemtoexplorehowtheyseethatthemereflectedinthevarious unitsyoucover.Oryoucouldaskthemtosimplywrite12pagesofpersonalresponse tothetext,tofindpointsofidentificationorhighlightconfusingorproblematic passages.Oryoucouldusethediscussionquestionsintheselessonplanstocreateyour ownguidedjournalahandoutofpromptstowhichyourequirethestudentsto
respondwhenreadingeachchapter/sectionofthenovel.Thiscouldbeanongoing project,agroupactivity,oraninclasswritingassignmentattheendofeachclass period. Havestudentswriteanessayinwhichtheyreflectontherelationshipbetweenhistory andfiction,andthinkoftheirownexampleofatruthoffictionandafallacyor misconceptionofhistory(e.g.ChristopherColumbusdiscoveredAmerica). Usethehandout/presentationmaterialsintheTeachingColonialRepresentationfile (online)tocreateanassignmentforyourstudentsthatasksthemtoreflecton (mis)representationsofAfricainthemediaandpopularculture.Youmightaskthemto findamovie,tvshow,advertisementorsongthatreproducesanegativestereotypeand thenrelatethattoAchebesprojectofcombatingmisrepresentationofAfricanhistory. Askstudentstothinkofwhatstereotypesorgeneralizationsareappliedtotheirown [ethnic,cultural,religious,family,social]groupandreflectonhow/whythose generalizationsareproblematicormisleading. Diversity project: Nigerias population is diverse in many ways: ethnically, linguistically, religiously, economically, geographically, etc. To drive home the point that the Ibo people represented in the book are only one of many cultural groups in Nigeria, and encourage them to learn more about Nigerian culture, have students do some internet research to learn more about contemporary (and/or colonial) Nigeria. Have them find videos of artists or musicians from different linguistic groups so they can hear the difference in the languages. Ask them to find information on Yoruba cosmology so they can see how dramatically it differs from the Ibo belief system Achebe depicts in the novel. Ask them to find articles on current issues, conflicts, politics and events, or popular literature and culture (television programs, pop music, cartoons, etc). Bring these to class and discuss how they compare/contrast to the fictional world of the novel.
Suggestionsforexpandingthisunit If you have time, you could spend an infinite amount of it covering colonial history, postcolonialAfrica,and/orthelargertopicofrepresentationandstereotypes.Thereare several useful films that could be used in this unit, and you might check out the UW Madisons African Studies Program film collection, which allows you to borrow (free of charge). They can even arrange shipping if youre outside of Madison. Browse the catalogue at: http://africa.wisc.edu/outreach/catalogue.pdf. To expand the history or background units, you might start with some of the web resources provided in this guide.
Unit2:IgboSocietyandCultureinThingsFallApart
2A.IgboCultureandBeliefsandtheirRoleintheNovel 2B.ReligionandSociety:TheSecondComing 2C.Socialnorms,Socialstructures Titlesandcaste SocialStructure 2D.Culturalcontactsandcontrasts:WhatdotheIboofthestoryhaveincommon withtheEuropeansinthestory?Howdotheydiffer? There are many ways that one could approach or introduce the topic of Igbo culture in Things Fall Apart, but to avoid exoticism or presenting the Igbo characters as cultural others, its recommended that teachers focus on understanding key cultural concepts that are crucial to the texts major themes and plot. Many of these cultural elements such as the use of proverbsandstorytellingbecomethemesinthenovelwhichhelpusmakesenseofthetexts largermeaning.LookingattherepresentationofIgbocultureaspartofthetextslargerproject as opposed to being cultural tourists in the fictional landscape of the novel provides a productive framework for understanding the other themes that emerge in relation to this central issue (gender and power relations, family, etc). It is also important to stress here that Achebe is using artistic license to fictionalize his people and emphasize certain characters and featuresinordertodeveloptheplotandspecificthemesinthenovel.Inthisrespect,thenovel cannotbeseenasanthropologicalorethnographicsinceitisaworkoffiction. Objective:HelpstudentsbetterunderstandandengagewithkeyIgboculturalconcepts developedinthetextsothattheycanbetterrelatetothestoryandappreciatethecomplexity ofthenovel. LecturePoints:Referringtoasmanyspecificexamplesinthetextaspossible,lecturemight coversomeoralloftheIboculturalconceptsdiscussedinthebook:
Proverbs(thepalmoilwithwhichwordsareeaten5) DefinecosmologyandreligionandusetheIgboCosmologyhandout(online)toteachtheIbgo systemofgods,intermediariesandhumans Chipersonalgod;canbecontrolledbyhumans SocialstructureandhierarchyofIgbosociety o Titledanduntitledcitizens o Egwugwu(masquerades)menandtitledmen;masksasprimaryvisualartof Ibo o Osu(outcasts) Polygamyandfamilystructure(compoundlivingwithinvillagesystem) Systemofvillages,sharedgovernance,laws.Communicationmethods(drum,messengers, envoys) Matriarchalorpatriarchal?GenderrolesdontnecessarilycorrespondtoWesterncategories. Eg:MotherisSupreme(133)[seegenderunitformoreonthis]
DrumsandogeneasmetaphorsfortheheartofthepeopleThedrumswerestillbeating, persistentandunchanging.Theirsoundwasnolongeraseparatethingfromthelivingvillage.It waslikethepulsationofitsheart(44).
PreparatoryReading: IgboMetaphysicsinChinuaAchebe'sThingsFallApart"byJudeChudiOkpala AchebeandDualityinIgboThoughtbyAnthoniaC.Kalu(ModernCritical Interpretations:ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart,ed.HaroldBloom2002) IgboSocietyandtheParametersofIndividualAccomplishmentinThingsFallApartby ClementOkafor(ModernCriticalInterpretations:ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart,ed. HaroldBloom2002) TalkingAboutTribeAfricaActionhttp://www.africaaction.org/bp/ethall.htm UniversityofIowasIbgoinformationpage: http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Igbo.html Handout/presentationmaterials Handout:IboCosmologyChart(online) DiscussionQuestions: WhoaretheIgbopeople?Wheredotheylive?Whatistheirlifelike?Howhavetheir customsandtraditionschangedsincethe1880s?Sincethe1950s? Whatdotheybelieve?DescribetheirreligioussystemandthehierarchyofIgbo cosmology. Whatistheconceptofogbanje(77)andhowisitimportanttothenovel? WhatotherculturalconceptsinthebookareuniquetoIgbopeople?Whydoyou thinkAchebeincludesthese?WhatdotheytellusaboutIgbopeopleandtheir beliefsinthenovel? Whatarekolanutsandhowaretheyusedinthenovel?Whatdotheyrepresent orsymbolize? Discusstheideaofculturaltourism.Doyoufeellikeanoutsiderorvoyeurwhen youreadsomeofthesepassages?Explain. WhatelementsofIgbocultureandsocietyaresimilartoyourown?Whatelements differ? Suggestedpassagesforclosereading TheogbanjescenewithEzinma P.124125,whichdescribethelegalramificationsforOkonkwoscrime,andObierika reflectsonthejusticeofsuchlaws. AnyofthepassagesthatdealwiththethrowingoutoftwinsintotheEvilForest
AssignmentandProjectIdeas: Makealistofproverbsfoundinthenovel(orhavestudentsmakethelist themselves,ashomework)andaskstudentstodiscusswhattheymean.Ifpossible, askthemtothinkofidiomsorproverbsinEnglishthatsumupthesameorsimilar idea. MakeuseoftheVillageofUmuofiaonlinesimulationproject(seeOnline Resourcesinthisguide)ordointernetresearchtofindvisualaidsandillustrations ofIgbolife. Vocabquizzes.Youmayconsideraweekly(orsectionbysection)vocabularyquizto makesureyourstudentsfullyunderstandtheIgboconceptsandtermsusedinthe novel,aswellastheonesyoureintroducinginlecture. YoumightalsoaskstudentstokeepalogoftheIgboculturalconceptsand vocabularywordslikeonefoundhere http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson_images/lesson343/Igbo_Voc_Log.pdf Suggestionsforexpandingthisunit TheLanguageDebate:Achebeisamajorplayerintheongoingdebateonthequestion oflanguagechoiceinAfricanliterature.WhileAchebeinsistshecanexpresshispointof viewaswellinEnglishasanyothermedium,othersmaintainthatthelanguageof formercolonizerisinsufficientforeitherexpressingindependenceorconveyingcultural concepts.Assignthetwotextsbelow(orsummarizetheminlecture)andexpandthis unitbydiscussingtherelationshipbetweenlanguage,cultureandidentity. Requiredtextsonthelanguagedebate: ChinuaAchebe,TheAfricanWriterandtheEnglishLanguage NgugiwaThiongo,TheLanguageofAfricanLiterature
Unit3:GenderinThingsFallApart
Americanstudentsoftenhaveakneejerkreactiontothewaywomenaredepictedinthis novel,andseethetextassexist,andOkonkwoastheultimatechauvinist.Anditstrue:Achebe goestogreatpainstodemonstratehowOkonkwosskewedviewofgenderroleshasanimpact onbothhisthinkingandhisactions.However,thisthemeismuchmorecomplexand sophisticatedthanbeingsimplyamatterofmaleandfemaletensions;itprovokesserious discussionofhowtheseinteract,wheretheyoverlap,howbothIgboandEuropeansocieties mayhaveproblematicassessmentsofgenderroles,andsoon.Oneimportantthingtokeepin mindwhenteachinggenderinthenovelisthatOkonkwosviewdoesnotrepresentthenorm ofIgbothoughtinthistext;therearemanyillustrationsofhowhisdistortedinterpretationof genderedrolesiswhatleadstotroubleinhislife.Havingyourstudentsfindandidentifythese momentsinthetextwouldbeagreatassignment.Themesofgenderandengenderedmeaning playanenormousroleinthenovel,andyoucouldapproachthisthemefromseveral perspectives: Bycharacter,withafocusontherelationshipbetweenOkonkwoandNwoyeand OkonkwoandEzinma Bylookingatlanguageandhowsomanyeverydaythingsandconceptshave genderedmeaningfortheIgbopeopleinthenovel.Youcouldlookattraditional rolesformenandwomenwithinIgbosociety,anddiscusswhatitmeanstobea man(orawoman)inthenovel.Think,too,abouthowindividualconceptsand ideasareassociatedwithgender,andwhatthismeanstothenovelasawhole. Byanalyzingtheroleofkinship,familyandtheroleoftheextendedfamilythatis centraltoOkonkwosstoryaswellasthedisctinctionbetweenmotherlandand fatherlandandmatriarchalvspatriarchalperspectivesinthetext. ByanalyzingOkonkwoandhisdeepestfear:becominglikehisfather,whohefeelsis feminineandweak.ContrastOkonkwosviewwiththatofother,moremoderate, charactersinthenovel. Objective:Todiscussandexplorewhatgendermeansinthenovel,andhelpingstudentssee howcomplexthisthemereallyis,eventhoughOkonkwosviewseemsverynarrowandclear cut.Alargerobjectivecouldbetohavethemrelatethisdiscussiontogenderrolesintheirown cultures,andexplorewhy/howthingsarenotalwaysastheyseemwhenitcomestogender relationsandassumptions. PreparatoryReading: WomeninAchebesWorld:AWomanistCritiquebyRoseUreMezu(inChinua Achebe:TheManandHisWorks2006) ProblemsofGenderandHistoryintheTeachingofThingsFallApartbyRhonda Cobham(ModernCriticalInterpretations:ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart,ed. HaroldBloom2002)
OkonkwoandHisMother:ThingsFallApartandIssuesofGenderinthe ConstitutionofAfricanPostcolonialDiscoursebyBiodunJeyifo(inChinuaAchebes ThingsFallApart:ACasebook,ed.IsidoreOkpewho2003) IgboWomenfrom19291960byJohnN.Oriji(WestAfricaReview) http://westafricareview.com/vol2.1/oriji.html Ngambika(excerpt)
Lecturepoints:Inadditiontoaddressingtheideaslistedabove,alectureongenderinthetext mightincludethefollowing: Explanationofthedifferencebetweensexandgender Discussionofwhatgendermeanstoculture,howlanguagecanbegendered,and genderedmeaningaffectsthewayweseetheworld Areminderthatgenderrolesvarybysocietyandwhatissexistorinappropriatein oneplacemightbeperfectlynormalsomewhereelse.Genderrolesarenotthesame inallplaces,andbasedononlythefictionalworldofThingsFallApart,wecant reallymakeblanketassessmentsaboutallofIgbocultureorpeople ProvidesomebackgroundandcontextforgenderrolesinIgbosocieties(thenand nowmightbenice,butataminimumatthetimeofthenovelssetting). Masculinity/femininity,theroleofamaninsocietycompareandcontrast Okonkwowithhisfatherusethistodiscusshow(ifatall)studentshaveadifferent viewofwhatitmeanstobearealman Genderedmeanings(motherland,fatherland;masc/femwords) Kinshipandextendedfamily.Definematriarchyandpatriarchyandwhattheymean toculturalrulesandnorms.Asktheclasstothinkofexamplesofbothpositiveand negativeeffectsofbothmatriarchalandpatriarchalsystems.Pointoutwaysin whichourownsocietyisstructuredpatriarchally.Askstudentstothinkofother examples. ConsidershowingclipsofeitherthevideoproductionofThingsFallApart(seeVideo Resourcesinthisguide)orofIgbowomenandmendiscussingtheirrolesinsociety. Havestudentsdiscusshowthisrelatestothebook,whatitmeans. ProvidesomehistoryandcontextforwhatitmeanstobefeministinAfricaand how/whytermslikewomanismarepreferred.Youmayconsiderdiscussingthe debateoverfeminismasaWesternconcept,andwhetherornotthereisauniversal standardthatshouldapplytoallwomenwhenitcomestowomensrightsandroles insociety. Discussthenuancesofgenderinthetextandhowgenderissuesarenotjustmale vs.femaleinthetext.Achebedevelopslotsofgreyareacharacterswithdifferent views,malecharacterswhoactfemaleorfemalecharacterswhoactmale,etc.
DiscussionQuestions: HowdoesOkonkwosrelationshipwithmaleandfemalecharactersdiffer?Why? Whatroletowomenplayinthisnovel?WhatislifelikeforOkonkwoswives? Somefemalecharactersinthebookdontseemtofitthemoldaccordingto Okonkwosview?Whoaretheyandwhyaretheyimportanttothetext?( Whatmaterialthingscanyoufindinthebookthathaveaspecificgender?Does theirgendereffecttheirmeaningorhowtheyareused?Howorhownot? WhenOkonkwoissentintoexile,heissenttoMbanta,hismotherland,where thingsseemverydifferentthanlifeinUmuofia.Howaretheydifferent?Whatdo thesedifferencestellusaboutgender?Whatdoyoumakeoftheexpression MotherisSupremethatismentionedinthebook? Whatdothetermspatriarchyandmatriarchymean?Giveoneexampleofeach fromthetext. HowisOkonkwosviewofgenderdifferentfromothercharactersviewofgender rolesinthenovel?Giveexamples. ThinkaboutthecharacterEzinma.Of Ezinma, Okonkwo thinks: "She should have
been a boy" (p. 64). Why is it necessary to the story that Okonkwo's most favored child be a girl? What does it mean that she has all of the characteristics that her father finds more valuable in a son?
Inthenovel,therearetwokindsofmurdermaleandfemale(124).Whatarethese andwhatdotheymeantothenovel?DoesitmatterthatOkonkwocommittedthe femalekindofmurder?
Suggestedpassagesforclosereading Thefirstparagraphonpage13thatbeginsOkonkworuleshishouseholdwitha heavyhandInthisparagraph,welearnabouthisfearofweaknessandhowhe learnsthatagbalameansbothwomanandamanwhohasnotitle.Discusshow thiseffecthisattitudeandviewsaboutgender. Nwoyeknewthatitwasrighttobemasculineandtobeviolent,butsomehowhe stillpreferredthestoriesthathismotherusedtotell,andwhichshenodoubtstill toldtoheryoungerchildren[]ThatwasthekindofstoryNwoyeloved.Buthe nowknewthattheywereforfoolishwomenandchildren,andheknewthathis fatherwantedhimtobeaman.Andsohefeignedthathenolongercaredfor womensstories(5354)Whatdoesthispassagetellusabouttheconflict betweenfatherandson?Whatdoesittellusaboutwhatgendermeansinthe novel?HowdoesitforeshadowNwoyeslaterconversion? Womenneversawtheinsideofthe[egwugwuhouse].Nowomaneverdid.They scrubbedandpaintedheoutsidewallsunderthesupervisionofmen.Ifthey imaginedwhatwasinside,theykepttheirimaginationtothemselves.Nowoman everaskedquestionsaboutthemostpowerfulandthemostsecretcultintheclan (89).Thisisagoodexampleofhowwomenandmenhavedifferentsocialrolesin Igbosociety.Discussthispassageandwhatitmeanstothenovel. Thediscussionofmotherlandandmotherissupremeonp.133135
TheveryimportantpassageinwhichOkonkwosfriendOfoedudiscussesthe relationshipofawellknowncouple,NdulueandOzoemena,whohavebothdiedat thesametime.ObierikasaysItwasalwayssaidthatNdulueandOzoemenahad onemind...Hecouldnotdoanythingwithouttellingher.TowhichOkonkwo replied,Ididnotknowthat.Ithoughthewasastrongmaninhisyouth.And Ofoedusays,Hewasindeed.(68)Thisisakeypassageasitshowsthatother esteemedeldersinthevillagedonotshareOkonkwosviewthatwarriorscannotbe lovingorgentleorclosetoothers;itdemonstratesthathisrigidpositiononwhat constitutesstrongmasculinebehaviorisnotsharedbyallIgbomen.
AssignmentandProjectIdeas: OkonkwosviewdoesnotrepresentthenormofIgbothoughtinthistext;there aremanyillustrationsofhowhisdistortedinterpretationofgenderedrolesiswhat leadstotroubleinhislife.Haveyourstudentsgetingroups(orontheirownas homework)andfindatleastthreepassagesinthetextwhereOkonkwosviewis challengedorcontradictedinthenovel.Thenhavethemusetheirlisttodiscussthe largerrolegenderplaysinthenovel,andwhatitmeanstothestory.Whatisthe messagethatthesecontradictionsreveal? CompareandcontrasttherelationshipsOkonkwohaswithhissonNwoyeandhis daughter,Ezinma. Chooseonecharacteranwriteanessayonwhygendermatterstothisperson. Compare/contrasttwocharactersinatwopageessaywhichevaluateshowgender meaningdiffersforeachofthem.Suggestedpairs(Okonkwo/Nwoye, Okonkwo/Obierka,Nwoye/Ezinma,Ezinma/Okonkwo). Findanadvertisementthatusesgenderrolestodescribeorpromoteaproduct.Do youagreeordisagreewiththewaygenderisrepresentedhere?Why/whynot? Comparetheadtoanexampleinthebookwheregenderisusedtoexplainor describeaspecificthingorconcept Suggestionsforexpandingthisunit Thisunitcouldbeexpandedtodiscussgenderissuesingeneral,ortogodeeperinto howthethemeplaysoutinthebook.UsethelinksintheOnlineResourcessectionof thisguidetofinddiscussionquestionsandactivitiesspecificallyrelatedtogender.
Unit4:CharacterStudies:Psychology,RelationshipsandMeaning
7A:Okonkwo:Villain,VictimorTragicHero? 7B:Nwoye 7C:Okonkwoandhisfamily:theroleofhiswivesandchildren 7D:EzinmaFathers,sonsanddaughters:keyrelationshipsinthenovel 7E:Obierika,VoiceofReason 7F:Outsiders:Theroleofmissionariesandcolonialadministrators Character development is central to the development of a wide range of issues in the novel, and one could easily teach the entire book in a sixweek session focusing only on characters, and how they relate to family, friendships and identity as they develop the other themes. Okonkwo himself is such a complex character, and most of the other themes in the novel are developedbyexploringtherelationshipsbetweenOkonkwoandothercharacters. Objective:Toperformclosereadingsofspecificcharacters,assesstheirrelationships,and determinehowcharacterizationrelatestoothermajorthemesinthenoveltocreatemeaning. PreparatoryReading: ForChinuaAchebe:TheResilienceandthePredicamentofObierikafromChinua Achebe:ACelebrationbyBiodunJeyifo Handout/presentationmaterials
CharactersinThingsFallApart(thislistisavailableonlineasahandout/referenceguide): Okonkwo protagonist Unoka hisshiftless,titlelessfather Okonkwoswives: (1)Nwoyesmother,theseniorwife Children:Nwoye[Isaac](m),Obiageli(f),Nneka,Nwofia (begotteninthewilderness45,shouldvebeenaboy),and theadoptedsonIkemefuna(m)whoiskilledbyOkonkwo (2)Ekwefi Child:Ezinma(f) (3)Ojiugo Children:Nkechi(f),Obiageli(f) *Note:#ofchildrenhereincomplete.Textsayshehas11childrenbefore theexile;2(?)borninexile;5sons Ikemefuna youngboycapturedinrevengefordeathofadaughterofUmuofia Obierka friendofOkonkwo NdulueandOzoemena coupleknownfortheircloserelationship(68)
Ofoedu
Agbala Chika Chielo Ani Ezeani Uchendu
FriendofOkonkwoandObierika
OracleoftheHills&theCaves PriestessofAgbala PriestessofAgbala Earthgodess PriestofAni OkonkwosmothersbrotherinMbanta(exile)
Mr.Kiaga Mr.Brown Mr.Smith Nneka Okoli Enoch
missionaryinterpreter/teacher whitemissionarycompromiseandaccommodationpolicy whitemissionary(Brownsreplacement);nocompromisepolicy firstconvert;motheroftwins manaccused/presumed/rumoredtohavekilledsacredpython(dies114) priestofthesnakecult
DistrictCommissioner UnnamedBritishcolonialadministratorwhofamously appearstopronounceOkonkwosstoryinterestingreadingfora paragraphinhismemoir:ThePacificationofthePrimitiveTribesofthe LowerNiger Lecturepoints: Beginwithadiscussionofcharacteranalysiswhatisis,howtodoit,how charactersworktogethertocreatemeaning,etc. DiscusstheroleofthePROTAGONISTandminororsupportingcharacters. DiscussOkonkwosroleasprotagonist.Isheahero?Avictim?Avillain? Usepassagesfromthetexttoexplorerelationshipsbetweencharacters o OkonkwoandUnoka o OkonkwoandObierika o Okonkwoandhischildren o Okonkwoswivesandtheirchildren o etc Showhowmostofthethemesinthenoveldependoncharacterdevelopmentto makesense.Usethistodemonstratehownovels/fictionworkshowhowOkonkwo (andtheothercharacters)actoutthedramatoproducemeaningandallowus differentpointsofviewtoconsiderasweinterpretthenovel RemindtheclassthatOkonkwo,thoughesteemedandinapositionofauthorityin hisvillage,isabitofananomaly.Othersdonotsharehisviewsonmanythings. Youmightalsoconsiderspendingentiredaysonindividualcharacterstoexplore howtheyrelatetospecificthemes/issues Nwoyeandreligion/conversion Themissionariesvs.therestofthecharacters;howdotheydiffer? Ezinmaandgenderroles,EzinmaandIgbocustoms/belief Ikemefunaandhissymbolicdeath;alsowhathispresenceinthenovelteachesus abouthowthissocietyworks,itsrulesandnorms DiscussionQuestions: Whatischaracterization?Howarecharacterscreatedinatext? Whatdoesthetermprotagonistmean?Whathappenswhenourprotagonistis kindofantagonistic?IsOkonkwoasympatheticcharacter?Howcanwerelateto him?Doesheremindyouofanyoneyouknow? DoaclosereadingofthedescriptionsofOkonkwoandUnokainchapterone.How dothesetwocharactersdiffer?Whatkindoflanguageisusedtodescribeeachof
them?Whatproverbsareassociatedwitheach?Whatdoesthiscontrast foreshadow? Discussspecificcharacters/pairsofcharactersandwhattheymeantotherestofthe text. WhatisthesignificanceofthechildIkemefunatothenovel?WhydoesOkonkwokill him?Whatcanbelearnedfromthisepisode?
AssignmentandProjectIdeas: Makealistofcharactersorcharacterpairsforthestudentsandaskthemtowrite downthemajorthemeorissueassociatedwiththatcharacter/pairofcharacters. Thenhavethemfindoneexampleofthis,withaquote,topresenttotherestofthe class.Thiscouldbedoneingroupsorashomework. Writeaonepagecharacteranalysisofthecharacterofyourchoice.Besureto include:adescriptionofthecharacter,his/herrelationshiptotheprotagonistand his/hermainfunctioninthenovel.Supportyourresponsewithquotesfromthe book. CompareandcontrastUnokaandOkonkwo.Makeachartorgraphofalloftheir differences. Havethestudentsgetincharacterandaskthemtoenactspecificpartsofthebook, oranswerquestionsincharacter ThinkaboutthecharacterofNwoye.WhydoesheconverttoChristianity?Writean essayinwhichyoudiscussthefactorsthatledtohistransformation,andhowthey relatetohisrelationshipwithhisfather. Whatisahero?Createaproject(essay,story,poemorartproject)whichanswers thequestion:IsOkonkwoahero?Bepreparedtoshareyourideaswiththeclass. Suggestionsforexpandingthisunit Themostobviouswaytoexpandthisunitistofocusononecharacteratatime,anduse classtimetodoclosereadingsofpassagesrelatedtothatcharacter.Thisactivitylends welltogroupprojectswhichcouldresultinCharacterAnalysisPresentations(which couldbeaspedanticorascreativeasthestudentswish).Thisunitcouldalsobe expandedbyfocusingonadifferentcharacteristicofOkonkwoeachday(hisviewon women,hisroleinsociety,hisrelationshipswithothercharacters,etc)toreallyexplore howcomplexhischaracteris,andhowitisusedtodevelopsomanythemesinthetext.
Unit5:Power,Knowledge,EducationandReligion:TheCenterCannotHold
Theseimportantminorthemesofthenovelarewhatmanycriticspointtoaswhatcauses thingstofallapartinUmofia:thecracksinIgbothoughtthatcreatepowerdifferentialsand makesomemorelikelythanotherstocovertand/orembracethechangestheEuropeansbring totown;theintroductionofChristianityanditsappealtothoseatthelowestendofthesocial strata;andthepowerofeducationinthenewsystemofcolonialadministration(particularly theuseofEnglishandtheroleoftranslators).Thesethemesoverlapandhavevariousother impactsinthenovel,butmakeagoodunitwhenusedtodiscusssomeoftheimpactsof colonialisminthenovel,andthepowerrelationsandinequitiesofIgbosocietythatmake ChristianityseemveryappealingtomanypeopleinUmuofia.
When the missionaries came, the Africans had the land and the Christians had the Bible. They taught us to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them they had the land and we had the Bible
- Jomo Kenyatta (in Mazrui 149-150)
Objective:Toperformclosereadingsofpassagesrelatingtopower,knowledge,educationand religioninthenovelandexplorethewaysinwhichthesethemeshelpusunderstandwhy thingsfallapartinUmuofia.Studentsshouldbecomeawareofhowtheseareinterrelated andhowbothinternalandexternalfactorscancontributetothesuccessorfailureofindividual aims.Studentsshouldbeabletoanalyzethetitleofthenovel,andtheYeatspoemonwhichit wasbased.
[T]he main purpose of colonial school system was to train Africans to participate in the domination and exploitation of the continent as a whole . . . Colonial education was education for subordination, exploitation, the creation of mental confusion and the development of underdevelopment. [263] - Walter Rodney, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa
PreparatoryReading: MissionariesandConverts:ReligionandColonialIntrusioninThingsFallApartby JosephMcLaren(ModernCriticalInterpretations:ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart, ed.HaroldBloom2002) ExcerptfromWalterRodney:HowEuropeUnderdevelopedAfrica:[T]hemain purposeofcolonialschoolsystemwastotrainAfricanstoparticipateinthe dominationandexploitationofthecontinentasawhole...Colonialeducationwas

educationforsubordination,exploitation,thecreationofmentalconfusionandthe developmentofunderdevelopment.[263] Handout/presentationmaterials TheSecondComingbyWilliamButlerYeats(online) Lecturepoints: YoumightconsiderbeginningthisunitwithandiscussionofthepoemTheSecond ComingbyW.B.Yeats,fromwhichAchebedrewthetitleofthenovel.Provide somebackgroundcontextforthetext(asaresponsetoBritishcontrolofIreland) andsomebackgroundonYeats.Readtheentirepoem,andanalyzeinparticularthe fourlinesthatprefaceThingsFallApart: Turningandturninginthewideninggyre Thefalconcannothearthefalconer; Thingsfallapart;thecentercannothold; Mereanarchyisloosedupontheworld. Asktheclasswhattheythinkthepoemmeans,andwhatitforeshadowsinthe novel.Whatisthecenterofthisnovel?Whycanitnothold?Whatforcesare workinginthebookthatpreventthefalconerfromhearingthefalcon?Whatdo thesesymbolstranslatetointhenovel? Ideally,thisdiscussionwillgenerateideasaboutthevariouspowerfactorsthat impactthemajoreventsinthenovel:Igbolawandcustom,outsidepenetrationand impositionofnewrules,religionandeducationalsystems,andOkonkwosown powerstruggleandbattlewithhischi. Discusshowreligionandeducationrelatetopowerinthetext. DiscussionQuestions: DiscussthereligioussignificanceoftheW.B.Yeatspoem,TheSecondComingand whatitmeanstothenovel Whatisthecenterofthisnovel?Whycanitnothold?Whatforcesareworkinginthe bookthatpreventthefalconerfromhearingthefalcon?Whatdothesesymbols translatetointhenovel? Howdothemissionariessetthestageforcolonialcontrol?Whoarethefirstconverts, andwhydothesepeoplefindChristianitysoappealing? WhatisOkonkwosviewonthemissionaries?Oncolonialeducation?Howdoeshisview differfromothercharactersviews? Suggestedpassagesforclosereading: Conversionoftheosu(156157)andthekillingofroyalpython(157159) Thepropheticwordsofoneoftheoldestmembersoftheumunna(166167),inwhich hesays:Ifearforyouyoungpeoplebecauseyoudonotunderstandhowstrongisthe bondofkinship.Youdonotknowwhatitistospeakwithonevoice.Andwhatisthe
result?Anabominablereligionhassettledamongyou.Amancannowleavehisfather andhisbrothers. Obierikasbigspeech: [Thewhiteman]doesnotevenspeakourtongue[.]Buthesaysthatourcustomsare bad;andourownbrotherswhohavetakenuphisreligionalsosaythatourcustomsare bad.Howdoyouthinkwecanfightwhenourownbrothershaveturnedagainstus?The whitemanisveryclever.Hecamequietlyandpeaceablywithhisreligion.Wewere amusedathisfoolishnessandallowedhimtostay.Nowhehaswonourbrothers,and ourclannolongeractlikeone.Hehasputaknifeonthethingsthatheldustogether andwehavefallenapart.(176) Chapter21(178183),ashortchapteronMr.Brown,whocametoberespectedeven bytheclan,becausehetrodsoftlyonitsfaith(178),andhowfromtheverybeginning educationandreligionwenthandinhand(182). ContrastthedescriptionofBrownsmethodswiththisdescriptionofhissuccessor,Rev. Smith:HeopenlycondemnedMr.Brownspolicyofcompromiseandaccommodation. Hesawthingsasblackandwhite.Andblackwasevil.Hesawtheworldasabattlefield inwhichthechildrenoflightwerelockedinamortalconflictwiththesonsofdarkness. Hespokeinhissermonsaboutsheepandgoatsandaboutwheatandtares.Hebelived inslayingtheprophetsofBaal.Whatdoesthispassagesayabouttherelationship betweenpower,controlandreligion? ThescenewhereEnoch,aChristianconvert,unmasksanegwugwuduringapublic performance(186187)
AssignmentandProjectIdeas: WriteanessayinwhichyoucompareandcontrastMr.BrownandMr.Smith. WhydosomepeopleconverttoChristianityinthebookandothersdonot?Use evidencetosupportyourview,andwriteanessayinwhichyoudemonstratewhichside ismoreconvincing. Preparegrouppresentationswhichexplainthemeaningofthebookstitle. Whatcausesthingstofallapartinthisnovel?Stageadebateinwhichstudentsare assignedvariouspositionsonthistopic,andanswerincharacter,using evidence/quotesfromthetexttosupporttheirviews. Suggestionsforexpandingthisunit Ifyouhavetime,aslightlydatedbutexcellentfilmonthetopicoftherelationship betweenreligion,educationandcolonialismisBasilDavidsonsTheBibleandthe Gun,Part5theAfrica:AVoyageofDiscoveryseries.Thisvideoisavailablefor(free) loanthroughtheUWAfricanStudiesProgram,andisalsoavailableatmanylibraries. Seeasummaryofthedocumentaryhere: http://dickinsg.intrasun.tcnj.edu/films/basil/video5.html
Unit6:Destinyandtheroleofchiinthenovel
Destiny,theroleofoneschi,andthestruggleoftheindividualwithinsocietyaremajorissues throughoutthenovel.OnecouldarguethatOkonkwoscentralconflictliesinhisconstant struggletounderstandandmakesenseofhisownlotinlifewhichhevariouslyseesas inevitableorsomethinghecanmanipulate.Bytheendofthenovel,thesignificanceofthis themebecomesveryclearaswereforcedtoaskifOkonkwowasasuccessorfailure.Didhe defyhischi?Washepowerlesstocontrolanaturalprogressionofevents?Andistheconceptof chitobetakenliterally,ormetaphorically?WhatdoesOkonkwosdestinysignifyforthetheme ofcolonialism?Isitsymbolic?Ifso,ofwhat? Objective:Toencouragestudentstoreadbeyondthelinearplotofthenoveltoseealarger themeatwork:amantryingtocometotermswithhislotinlife,andaccepttheways hispersonalgod,orchi,tocontrolhisdestiny,whileatthesametimestrugglingto changehisworld.Thisthemecouldalsobeusedtogeneratelargerdiscussionofhow literaturetacklessuchmetaphysicalconcerns,andhowtheyusuallyhaveelementsof bothculturalspecificityanduniversality. PreparatoryReading: WhenaManFailsAlone:AManandHisChiinChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart byHaroldScheub(inChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart:ACasebook,ed.Isidore Okpewho2003) Handout/presentationmaterials Lecturepoints: Definechiasaculturalconcept. Discusshowchirelatestotheideasofdestinyandfate Proposeamodelorstrategyfordiscussingthisthemeinthebookbyaskingthe startingquestion,IsOkonkworesponsibleforhisfateinthistext,orisit determinedbyoutsideforces? Besuretoraisethequestionofbelief.Ischiaconceptweshouldacceptatface valueasamatterofcultural/religiousbelief?Isitametaphor?Aliterarydevice? Whatdowelearnfromtheexpositionofthisthemethroughoutthenovel? DiscussionQuestions: IsOkonkwoatoddswith,oratpeacewith,hischi?Supportyouranswerwith examplesfromthenovel. Thereseemtobeconflictingideasabouthowchiworksinthenovel.Oneproverb says:Ifamansaysyes,hischisaysyesalso(27,131),indicatingthatpeoplecan havesomeinfluenceovertheirownfate.Otherpassagessuggestthatonehasno controloverthedecisionofthechi(79,eg)andthatamancouldnotrisebeyond
thedestinyofhischi(131).Okonkwohimselfseemstostrugglewiththisquestion. Whichdoyouthinkisthedominant,orcorrectviewinthenovel? Thinkabouttheendingofthenovel,andOkonkwosdeath.Intheend,afterallhis effortstobetheoppositeofhisfather,hediesaverysimilarlyshamefuldeath. Whatdoesthisendingmeantothelargerthemeofdestiny?Wasthistheinevitable enddeterminedbyOkonkwoschi?
Suggestedpassagesforclosereading: 152153:ThescenewhereNwoyejoinsthechuchandOkonkworeflectsonhowhe wascursedwithsuchasonandseestheanswerinthefingerofhispersonalgod orchi.Forwhoelsecouldheexplainhisgreatmisfortuneandexileandnowhis sonsdespicablebehavior?ThispassageendswiththeproverbLivingfirebegets cold,impotentashandacomparisonoftheeffeminateanddegenerateNwoye toUnoka.UsethistodiscussanddebateOkonkwostruedestiny. Thesecondparagraphonpage131ontheroleofthechiandOkonkwosdesireto becomeacommunityleader. AssignmentandProjectIdeas: Determineyourfatecontest.Putstudentsingroupsandawardprizes,meteout consequencesandotherwisemakethemchoosetheirowndestinybasedonwho isthefirst(andlast)toanswerquestions,solveproblemsorcomeupwithdiscussion points.Someideas Findasmanypassagesasyoucanthatrefertochiinthebook Proverbinterpretationcontest.Thefirstgrouptocomeupwithan accuratedescriptionofwhataproverbmeanswins. WriteanessayinwhichyouanswerthequestionWhoorwhatisresponsiblefor Okonkwosfate?Supportyouressaywithquotesfromthenovel. Suggestionsforexpandingthisunit Teachersparticularlyinterestedinthisthememightconsidermakingitaunifyingtheme fortheircourses,astheylookatothertexts,issuesorunits.Thequestionofthe relationshipoftheindividualtothecommunity,andtotheuniverseatlarge,iscentral tomanyworks,soitwouldntbedifficulttomakeconnectionsandusethosetoengage studentsinongoingthematicprojectsorcomparison/contraststudies.
Unit7:LanguageandStyle 7A:Formandcontent 7B:Thesignificanceofproverbsandotherformsoforalityinthenovel 7C:SymbolismandImageryintheNovel

Objective:Studentswilllearntodiscuss,understandandappreciatetheliterarymeritsofthe textbytalkingaboutitsform,languageandstyle,andanalyzingspecificusesofimagery, intertextuality,symbolsandmetaphors. PreparatoryReading: Realism,Criticism,andtheDisguisesofBoth:AReadingofChinuaAchebe'sThingsFallApar
withanEvaluationoftheCriticismRelatingtoItbyAtoQuayson(ResearchinAfrican Literatures,Vol.25,No.4(Winter,1994),pp.117136) ThePalmOilwithwhichAchebesWordsareEatenbyBernthLindfors
ChinuaAchebe:TheArtofFiction(interview) http://www.theparisreview.com/media/1720_ACHEBE.pdf Handout/presentationmaterials YoumightmakeuseofthislistofproverbsfoundinThingsFallApart,whichincludes discussionquestions:http://www.unc.edu/~hhalpin/ThingsFallApart/Proverbs.html Lecturepoints: Defineanyliterarytermsunfamiliartoyourstudents Discussrealistfictionandhowitdiffersfromstrictlyhistoricalfiction Discussthedifferencebetweenfictionandnonfiction Explainthedifferencebetweenform(howthetextisputtogether)andcontent (whatthetextsays,thestory) LanguageuseandOralityelementsoforalcultureinthetext InternalGlossing(hispersonalgodorchi)andtheglossaryatthebackofthebook Intertextuality:define,anddemonstratehowAchebeincorporateslotsofother textsintohiswork(Conrad,Yeats,oralstories,proverbs,etc).Discusshowthis worksandwhatitmeans Symbolismandimagery:usingexamplesofyourchoice,discusshowtoidentifya symbolormotif(recurringimage),andhowtodeterminewhattheymean Literaryinterpretationvsopinionorpersonalreaction Usingtextualevidencetosupportintepretations DiscussionQuestions: Thinkaboutlanguageandtranslation.WhydoesAchebeincludesomanyIgbo words?Whydoesheprovidetranslationsforthem?Whatdoesthissayabouthis intendedorassumedaudience?
WhydoyouthinkAchebeusestheoldfashioned,outdatedspellingIboinsteadof themorecommonandcontemporaryspellingIgbo? Fireanddrummingaretwoimportantsymbolsinthenovel.Chooseoneofthese andfind3examplesofwhereitisdiscussedinthebook.Usetheseexamplesto interpretthemeaningofthatsymbol. ThefollowingquestionsonStructure,TechniqueandPlotaretakenfromthe RandomHouseteachersguideforThingsFallApart http://www.randomhouse.com/acmart/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385474542 &view=tg 1.Thenovelisstructuredinthreeparts.Whatdothedivisionsreflectaboutthestages oflifeoftheprotagonist?Howdothedivisionsmovetowardandillustratethecollapse ofIgbosociety? 2.Whatisthepointofviewofthenarrator?Howdoesthepointofviewcontributeto ourunderstandingoftheconflictingcultures?Whattechniquesdoesthenarratoruseto evokeaparticipatoryroleforthereader? 3.Inthenovel'sopening,Okonkwoiswrestling.Howdoesthiscontrastwiththeending, whenOkonkwoisdeliberatingaboutanadequateresponsetotheBritishhumiliationof theIgboeldersinjail? 4.AchebeusesstorytellingflashbackstodescribetherelationshipofOkonkwoand Unoka.Whatdotheflashbacksrevealabouttheirrelationship?Whatistheeffectofthe useofstorytellingtoillustratetheflashbacks? 5.InChapterOne,howdoesAchebeforeshadowthepresence(andultimatefate)of Ikemefuna? 6.Describethejudicialfunctionoftheegwugwuanditsrelationshiptotheliving, particularlytoIgbowomen.Whyisitalsorelatedtothespiritualworld?Howdoes Achebeillustratetheblendingofthespiritualandrealworlds? 7.HowdoesthekillingofIkemefunaforeshadowthefallofOkonkwo? 8.WhyisOkonkwoexiled?Whyistheexileironic?ComparetoOkonkwo'sparticipation inthekillingofIkemefunaanditslackofconsequences. 9.Whenandhowisthewhitemanintroduced?TracethechronologyoftheIgbo people'sresponsestothearrivalandsettlementofthewhiteman.Whatattitudes towardtheIgbopeopledothewhitemenbringandhowdotheirattitudesdetermine theirtreatmentoftheIgbopeople? 10.HowdoesAchebeuseincidentstopaintthegeneralcharacterofthewhite colonizers?
AssignmentandProjectIdeas: Selectaproverbfromthenovelandwriteaonepagepaperexplainingwhatit means,andwhyitisimportanttothetext. MakeaposterwhichprovidesWordMapofIgboterms,withreferencesto andquotesfromthetext.Giveapresentationinwhichyoudescribewhyeach termissignificanttothetext. WritealettertoChinuaAchebelistingatleast3specificthingsyouenjoyed aboutthestyleorformofhisbook,explainingwhytheyappealedtoyou. Foreshadowingisanimportantfeatureinthebook,andonethatsusedoften.In groups,find23instancesofforeshadowinganddiscusshowtheycommenton theeventstheyforeshadow. Thinkabouttheoralityofthenovel.ListthreeexamplesofhowAchebebrings featuresoforaltraditionsintohisnovel,andwriteaparagraphforeach example,explainingwhyitisevidenceoforality. Suggestionsforexpandingthisunit Ifyouhaventalreadydiscussedit,thelanguagedebatewouldbeagoodadditiontothis unit(seeSuggestionsforexpandingthisunitinUnit2fordetails).Youcouldusethis debatetocontinueyourdiscussionsoftherolelanguageplaysinthenovel,andthe interrelationshipbetweenEnglishandIgboterms. Anotheroptionforexpandingthisunit,particularlyinEnglishcourses,wouldbetolook closelyattheformandstructureofthenovel.Howareeachofthethreeparts composed?HowdoesAchebemanagetobothputforwardalinearstorylinewhile makinguseofarelativelynonlinearmodeofexpression?
Unit8:ColonialImpactsandPostcolonialConsiderations
"Here then is an adequate revolution for me to espouse--to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of the years of denigration and selfabasement" - Chinua Achebe, The Novelist as Teacher, Hopes and Impediments
Objective:Toexploreandunderstandthethemeofcolonialimpactsinthenovel,theroleof theBritishinfluencesinthetext,andhowtheseareunderstoodinrelationtotheothermajor themesinthenovel.Studentsshouldbeabletoidentifypassageswhichdirectlyconfrontor attempttodisprove/undothenegativestereotypesofAfricanrealityassociatedwithcolonial misrepresentationofAfrica.Thisunitshouldexpandonthehistoricalsectioncoveredearlier, andlookatcolonialismasathemeinthenovel,aswellasthewayAchebeuseshisnovelto addressandrespondtoEurocentricversionsofAfricanhistory. PreparatoryReading: ReviewMaterialsforUnit1onhistoryandcolonialism ReadingChinuaAchebe:NationFormationandtheNovelbySimonGikandi Writing,CultureandDominationbySimonGikandiinReadingChinuaAchebe KiplingsImperialism(onVictorianweb): http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/kipling/rkimperialism.html Handout/presentationmaterials ColonialNarrativeshandout:RudyardKipling,TheWhiteMansBurdenand/or GungaDinwithPearsSoapadvertisement Lecturepoints: DefineEurocentrismanditsrelationtocolonial/imperialdepictionsofthecolonies inthe19thcentury ProvidebackgroundforRudyardKipling,BritainsImperialpoet,andanalyzethe poemsTheWhiteMansBurdenand/orGungaDin Youmaywishtoprovideotherexamplesofcolonialart,advertisingorliterature whichdepictsAfricainsimilarlystereotypical,unrealisticandahistoricalways DiscussJosephConradsHeartofDarknessandtheimpactithadonAchebeswork, andEuropeanviewsaboutAfrica. ThesunneversetsontheBritishEmpire:stressthatthemainpurposeof colonizationiseconomic Discusshowthebookrespondsto,negates,debatesorchallengesEurocentric assumptions.
Posethequestion:whoistheintendedaudienceofthisbook?DoyouseeAchebeas areviserofhistoryorasanativeinformant?
DiscussionQuestions: CompareandcontrastMr.BrownandMr.Smith.Whatdothesecharacters represent?Whatdoyoumakeoftheirnames? Whatistheroleofthemissionariesinthenovel? Whataretheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofcolonialeducation? WhoistheDistrictCommissioner?Whatishisrole?Whatdoesherepresentinthis novel? Achebewrotehisnovelin1958,justbeforeNigeriasindependence.Whydoyou thinkhesetthenovelinthe1890s?Whatdoesthisallowhimtosayabout colonialismthathemightnothavesaidhadhistextbeensetinthepresent? WhydoesOkonkwokillthecourtmessenger? WhataretheconsequencesofOkonkwosmurder? HowdoyouinterpretOkonkwossuicide?Whydidhedoit? Suggestedpassagesforclosereading: Chapter23(192197)describesthefutileattemptoftheleadersofUmuofiato negotiatewiththeDistrictCommissionerathisheadquarters,andthearrestof Okonkwoand5others.TheDistrictCommissionersays:Weshallnotdoyouany harmifonlyyouagreetocooperatewithus.Wehavebroughtapeaceful administrationtoyouandyourpeoplesothatyoumaybehappythendescribesthe newjusticewhichistobemetedoutundertheauthorityofhisgreatqueenthe mostpowerfulrulerintheworld.Doaclosereadingofthispassage,consideringwhat assumptionstheDistrictCommissionerismaking,andhowthemenmighttakeoffense athissuggestionthattheydonothavejusticeundertheirownauthority,etc.Pointout linesinthespeechthatseemcondescendingorinsultinganddiscuss. Analyzetheclimacticpointofthenovel:Okonkwosmurderofthecourtmessenger (204205).ThelasttwoparagraphsofthischapterreflectOkonkwosthoughtsand actionsimmediateafterkillingtheman;interpretthoseparagraphs. Readanddiscussthenovelsclosing,Chapter25(206209). AssignmentandProjectIdeas: CreateatimelineofEuropeancontactwithAfrica.WheredoesThingsFallApart fallintothistimeline? ThinkabouttheexpressionThesunneversetsontheBritishempire.Writea lettertoQueenVictoriafromtheperspectiveofOkonkwo,tellingherhowyou feelaboutherempire.OR:WritealettertoOkonkwofromQueenVictorias perspective,tryingtopersuadehimoftheadvantagesofcolonialism. DoacharacteranalysisoftheDistrictCommissioner.Whatdoeshesymbolizein thenovel?
MakealistofallthethingstheDistrictCommissionerandOkonkwohavein common.Howdotheydiffer? Suggestionsforexpandingthisunit Thefilm,Keita:HeritageofaGriot,alsoexplorestheimpactofcolonialismon traditioninAfrica.SetinGuinea,itlooksatFrenchcolonialeducationandgovernment intermsofitslastingimpactonmodernlife.LikeThingsFallApart,itisacontemporary filmthatissetinthepast,butalsoincludesamodernelementasweseethegriot, Djeliba,tellingthestoryoftheepicheroofancientMali,Sundiata,toMabo,ayoung schoolboy.Thiswouldbeagoodcompanionfilmforthisunit,andbroadenyour discussionoftheimpactofcolonialisminAfrica,aswellasallowyoutodiscussthe differencesbetweenBritishandFrenchcolonialpolicies,governance,etc.The94 minutefilm,whichissubtitled,canbeborrowedfromtheAfricanStudiesProgram. http://newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0050
Unit9:ThingsFallApartastragedy
Subthemes: Conformityvs.individuality Traditionvs.Modernity Actionvs.Inaction
Theres no doubt that Things Fall Apart has a tragic ending: our brave protagonist is dead, humiliated and ultimately unsuccessful. His community has ignored his warnings. His deeds, which he hoped would cause action and generate resistance, were futile. He becomes a joke: laughable fodderforaparagraphofmaterialintheDistrictCommissionersmemoir.However,there aremany ways to interpret his death ranging from the fatalistic (its a symbol of impending loss of cultural andpoliticalautonomy)toliberating(itsasymboloftheundyingspiritofindependenceinherentin the Igbo worldview). In this unit, you can talk about the literary aspects of the novel that make it a tragedy, and what the tragic death of Okonkwo means to the other themes youve covered in class. Did Okonkwo die in vain? What can we learn from his death? What does his death signify for the futureofUmofia?Isitasymbol?Ofwhat? You may find it helpful to discuss this tragedy in terms of two of the basic sets of conflicts that are developed throughout the novel: conformity vs. individuality and tradition vs. modernity (or preserving the status quo/going with the flow vs. change and transformation) and action vs. inaction.
Objective:Tolearnwhatconstitutesatragedy,anddeliberateonthemeaningoftheendofthe novel,andwhatOkonkwosdeathmeanstothelargerthemesandissues. PreparatoryReading: TheTragicConflictintheNovelsofChinuaAchebebyAbiolaIrele(Critical PerspectivesonChinuaAchebe,ed.C.L.InnesandB.Lindfors1978) ChinuaAchebeandthePossibilityofModernTragedybyAlastairNiven(Chinua Achebe:ACelebration,ed.PetersonandRutherford) Handout/presentationmaterials FeaturesofTragedy(online) Lecturepoints: Definetragedy Discusstheliteraryindicatorsoftragedyinthenovel InitiateadiscussiononthemeaningofOkonkwosdeathandwhatitsymbolizes. Allowthestudentsroomtodeveloptheirowninterpretationsofhisdeath:dothey seeitaspositiveornegative?Why? Sincethisislikelythefinalunitonthetext,youmightconsiderusingittoletthe studentsshowcasetheirclosereadingskillsbyaskingthemtodoaninclassproject
whichusestextualevidencetosupportaninterpretation.Lettheclassdecide togetheronafocusquestion(WhatdoesOkonkwosdeathmean?Whydothingsfall apart?Who/whatistoblameforOkonkwosdeath?DoesOkonkwodieaheroora victim?Etc)andthengetintogroupstocreateapresentation,projectoressaythat answersthequestion. DiscussionQuestions: WhyisOkonkwosdeathtragic? Whatisthegeneralfeelingyougetattheendofthenovel?Havethingsfallen completelyapart?IstherehopeforUmuofia?Doyoufeelsadorrelivedthat Okonkwohasdied? Doyouthinkthisbookisapositiveornegativeassessmentofthecolonial encounter?Defendyouranswerwithquotesfromthetext. WhydoesAchebelettheDistrictCommissionerhavethelastwordinhisnovel? Whatdoesthistellus? ReflectonthenatureofOkonkwosdeathandtheironyofhisbeingburiedlikea dog.Whatdoyoumakeofthissadending? AssignmentandProjectIdeas: CompareThingsFallAparttoothertragicstories(perhapsafilm).Prepareanoral presentationtosummarizeyourcomparison. WriteanessayinwhichyouexplainwhyOkonkwoisatragichero. DoyouthinkOkonkwodiesinvain?Whyorwhynot?Discussingroupsorasatake homeessay. Suggestionsforexpandingthisunit Thisunitcouldeasilybedevelopedbyspendingmoretimeonthesubthemesoutlined above,andaskingstudentstoworkeitherindividuallyoringroupstofindevidenceof, andanalyzehowtheyworkinthetext.
ThingsFallApartinWisconsin ProjectIdeasfortheSpringStudentConference
Our Great Texts series closes with a Student Conference, to be held in Spring 2010 at the University of WisconsinMadison, in which students present projects which demonstrate their engagementwithandunderstandingofthetextbyproducingprojectsofeverysort.Productive projects combine imagination and intellect and are multifaceted and multilayers. They are serious and academic as well as creative and inventive, and should be viewed as a chance to demonstratepublicallythefinalproductofallyourclassroomandindividualefforts. The grid below features some suggestions to get you thinking about possibilities for the spring projects,eitherwithagrouporindividually.Thesearejustideastogetyouthinkingyoumight considercombiningsuggestionsfromdifferentboxes,orcomeupwithanideaallyourown. Whatever style of presentation you choose, your presentation should demonstrate critical reflection on, and interpretation of, Things Fall Apart. You might consider exploring a theme, image or character. You might think about the effect of some literary aspect of the novel. Whatever you choose, you should be able to articulate the connection between your project and the book that is meaningful to you. Be creative with this project and express your own uniquepointofview! Art Painting Sculpture Drawing MixedMedia CreativeWriting PoetryCollection TravelDiaryorReading Journal ChildrensBook Graphicnovel/comic BroadcastJournalism InvestigativeInterviewor profile Newsbroadcast
MusicandDrama Composition CDcompilation Musical/songperformance Minioperaormusical Playorsketchperformance AcademicWriting LiteraryAnalysis Speech CloseReadingEssay Movies,TV,Radio TVtalkshow Scenefromafilm Radioprogram
Web Podcast Website Blog Interactivemap(Flash) PrintJournalism Interview Magazinearticle Newspaper Travelguide Yearbook Other DiasporaProject Illustratedfamilytree Puzzle Diagram ResearchProject
ProjectProposal
Allprojectsmustbeapprovedbyyourteacherbeforeyoubegin. GroupMembers ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ProjectTitle ___________________________________________________________________________ Projectabstract(50100worddescriptionoftheproject) ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Whowilldowhat?Describetheroleeachgroupmemberwillplay. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
Projecttimeline(whatwillhappenwhen). ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Whatequipmentormaterialsdoyouneedtocompleteyourproject? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Whatresourcesormaterialsareyouexpectingyourteachertohelpprovide? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Whatequipmentwillyouneedtopresentyourprojectattheconference?Bespecific. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
ACHEBEONLINE: RecommendedWebResources,TeachingMaterialsandStudyGuides
Ontheauthor: ChinuaAchebeSwissEducProfile
http://www.swisseduc.ch/english/readinglist/achebe_chinua/ BiographicalinformationaswellaslinkstoarticlesaboutAchebeandhis work,and linkstosomegreatonlinevideoandaudiointerviewsandlecturesbyAchebe. ChinuaAchebeonPostcolonialWeb http://www.postcolonialweb.org/achebe/achebeov.html ChinuaAchebeProfilebyCoraAgatucci http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/achebe.htm StanfordUniversitysAfricanWritersresourcepage http://wwwsul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/lit.html ThissitehasseveralgoodlinkstoinfoandarticlesonAchebe,butscrolldownformore generalresourcesonAfricanliteratureaswell.Agoodonestopshoppingsitefor Africanlit.
Onthetext: ThingsFallApartSwissEducTeachingResources
http://www.swisseduc.ch/english/readinglist/achebe_chinua/things/index.html TheThingsFallApartpagecontainslinkstosupplementarymaterials,includingseveral helpfulessaysonmajorthemesinthenovel.
TalkingAboutTribeAfricaAction
http://www.africaaction.org/bp/ethall.htm
EDSITEmentlessons.
Inthetwolessonsbelow(eachdesignedtotakefourclassperiods),youll finddetailedplansforteachingthebookfromeitheraliteraryorhistorical perspective,andyoucouldeasilydobothormix&matchifyouhaveenough time.Eachlessoncontainsguidingquestions,objectives,preparationguide, lessonactivitiesandsuggestionsforextendingtheunit.Alsoincludesmany usefullinkstobackgroundinfo,maps,andothermaterialtohelpteachand contextualizethenovel. ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart:OralandLiteraryStrategies http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=343 Excellent,detailedlessonplanbasedonanexaminationofthenovelintermsofits literarymeritsanduseoforality
ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart:TeachingThroughtheNovel http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=382 GuidingQuestions:HowdoesAchebeseetheroleofthewriter/storyteller?Inwhat waysdoesheusefictionasameansofexpressingandcommentingonhistory?To whatextentisThingsFallApartsuccessfulincommunicatinganalternativenarrative tothedominantWesternhistoryofmissionariesinAfricaandothercolonized societies?
WebEnglishTeacher
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/achebe.html Excellentcompilationofresources,linksandbackgroundinfo.Manyofthelinkstake youtolessonplansandotherclassroomactivities.
StudyGuidebyPaulBriens,WashingtonStateUniversity(1994/2005)
Thisexcellentstudyguideincludeschapterbychaptersuggestionsfordiscussion questions. http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/anglophone/achebe.html
1.
StudyGuidewithReadingQuestions,byCoraAgatucci
http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/achebtfa.htm
Study/DiscussionQuestionfromthe2005CornellReadingProject
http://reading.cornell.edu/reading_project_05/study.html Traditionalsocietiesareoftenthoughttobegenerallyfreeofinternalconflictsabout values,andtobefixedandessentiallyunchangingovertime.Whataspectsofthe societydepictedinThingsFallApartmightresistthoseassumptions? WhenEuropeansarriveinOkonkwosvillage,oneresultisanewkindofgovernment andanewkindoflaw.Howdothenewlegalandgovernmentalpracticesand institutionsdifferfromthosethatprecededthem?Arethechangesgood,bad,or somethingmorecomplicated,andwhy? Okonkwosselfunderstandingisdeeplyboundupwithhisneedtoaffirmandprotect whathethinksofashismanliness.WhatarethemainfeaturesofOkonkwosviewof masculinity,andhowdoeshisviewrelatetothatofotherimportantcharactersinthe novel? Whatshouldwemakeoftheroleofwomeninthenovel?Arethefemalecharactersjust dispensableappendagesofthemalecharactersinthestory? Storiesandstorytellingplayacentralroleinthenovel.Whataresomeofthemost importantaspectsofthatrole,forinstance,inthepreservationofsocialcustoms,and theshapingofindividualidentities? OkonkwosfriendObierikaisdescribedasamanwhothoughtaboutthings(p.125). WhatdoesObierikathinkabout,andhowdoesthatreflectionultimatelyputhimat oddswithOkonkwo?
2.
3.
4. 5.
6.
7. Anepichero,likeOdysseus,istypicallysetapartfromothercharactersbyhiscapacityto enduremanytrialsandtests.Atragichero,likeHamletorOedipus,istypicallyamanof consequencebroughtdownbyaninsuperableconflict,orthroughhisownweakness.Is Okonkwoanepichero,atragichero,orisheaheroatall? 8. ItissaidofOkonkwoatonepointthatClearlyhispersonalgodorchiwasnotmadefor greatthings.Amancouldnotrisebeyondthedestinyofhischi.Thesayingoftheelders wasnottruethatifamansaidyeahischialsoaffirmed.Herewasamanwhosechi saidnaydespitehisownaffirmation.(p.131).Howshouldweunderstandtherolesof fateandindividualresponsibilityinthenovelinlightoftherolethattheIbonotionof chiplaysthroughoutthestory? 9. InEnglishandtheAfricanWriter,Achebewritesthathisworkrepresentsanewvoice comingoutofAfrica,speakingofAfricanexperienceinaworldwidelanguage.What featuresofthenovelembodythisambition?DotheyhelporhinderAchebesattempt tomaketheworlddepictedinthenovelaccessibletoabroadaudience? 10. Animportantassumptioninthenovelisthecloseconnectionbetweenanindividuals actionandthecommunalfateofall.Okonkwoistoldbythepriestoftheearthgoddess, Ani,Theevilyouhavedonecanruinthewholeclan.(p.30)Doesthisexplainwhy, strongwilledasheis,Okonkwoacceptswithoutquestionthecommunalsanctions prescribedforhismisdeeds? PagenumberscitedherearefromtheCornellUniversityEditionofThingsFallApart.
VillageofUmuofiaInteractiveLearningProject
http://www.literaryworlds.wmich.edu/umuofia/ TheVillageofUmuofiaisavirtualrealityspaceenhancingthestudyofChinuaAchebe's novelThingsFallApartandtheIgbopeopleattimeofBritishcolonialdominationof Nigeria.Participantsmayusethisenvironmentinavarietyofways,includingasan immersivemuseumofimagesofIgbovillagelifeandtraditionalWestAfricanmusic,as wellasaninteractivespaceforliveactionroleplayactivitiesbasedonthenovel.
DelawareCommunityCollege20062007OneBookOneCollege FeaturedBookpage
http://www.dccc.edu/library/thingsfallapart.html
SparkNotesguidetoThingsFallApart http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/things/
Adecent,ifoversimplifiedguidetothebook,withdiscussionquestionsandaquizthat couldbeusedtomakesurestudentsarereading.Youmightwanttobefamiliarwith thissiteifyouplanonassigningtakehomeessays;itsfullofplagiarizablematerial.
TeachItUK
http://www.teachit.co.uk/index.asp?CurrMenu=searchresults&tag=226
Studyguides,handouts,lessonplans,acharactertreeandothermaterials.Mustcreate a(free)accounttoaccessmaterials.
CaliforniasSCOREprojectTeachersGuide:
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/things/thingstg.html Averydetailedguidewithmanyprojects,lessonsandassignments.
RandomHouseTeachersGuide
http://www.randomhouse.com/acmart/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385474542&view=tg
LanguageIsPower:HowLanguageIsUsedtoTransmittheValuesof AfricanAuthenticity,byLorenaAmos,WestinghouseHighSchool.
Languagebasedthematicapproachwhichcouldbeusefulwhenteachingthenovelor alargerunitonlanguageissues.DesignedspecificallyforAfricanAmericanstudents, butcouldbetailoredtosuitanyclassroom. http://www.chatham.edu/PTI/Diversity_Resistance/Amos_01.htm
ThingsFallApartVocabularyList
IncludesquizandlistofwordsinthenovelcommonlyappearingonSATexams.
https://secure.layingthefoundation.org/english/vocab/novels/Things%20Fall%20Apart.pdf
GeneralOnlineResourcesforAfricanLiterature

AfricanWriters:VoicesofChange
http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/cm/africana/writers.htm LinkstomanywebsitesaboutAfricanliteratureandspecificwriters
AfricanWriter.com
http://www.africanwriter.com/ Storiesby,andarticlesabout,contemporaryAfricanwriters
AfricanWritingOnline
http://www.africanwriting.com/seven/
AfricanLiteratureAssociation
http://www.africanlit.org/ PremiereprofessionalorganizationinAfricanLiterature,andpublishersof ResearchinAfricanLiterature
HNetAfricasLiteratureandCinemaforum
http://www.hnet.org/~aflitweb/
Callaloo
http://callaloo.tamu.edu/ LeadingacademicjournalofAfricanDiasporaartsandletters
ColumbiaUniversityscompilationofAfricanliteratureontheweblinks
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/aflit.html
AfricanHistoryresourcesonline
StanfordUniversity:
http://library.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/history.html
IssuesinAfricanHistorybyJamesGiblin
http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/history/giblinhistory.html
Films,VideosandInterviews
GeneralResources:
TheUWMadisonsAfricanStudiesProgramhasfilms,booksandartifacts availableforloan,andcanevenhelparrangeforaguestspeakerorstorytelleron anyvarietyofAfricarelatedtopicsforfree!Seethefilmcatalogueat http://africa.wisc.edu/outreach/catalogue.pdf,orcontacttheOutreachCoordinatorat outreach@africa.wisc.edu. Outreachhomepage:http://africa.wisc.edu/outreach/index.htm
ThingsFallApart1987NigerianBroadcastingCorporationminiseries.Various
episodesareavailableonVHSfromselectedlibraries(includingtheUWsystem), oryoucouldscreenclipsfromYouTube,whichhasabout60installmentsofthe 13episodes.MEDIAFRICProduction.Findscene1at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7FS95IcRNU
VideosavailablethroughtheUWSysteminclude: ChinuaAchebewithNuruddinFarah[videorecording]/presentedbyICAVideoin
conjunctionwithTrilion(1984).WritersinConversationseries.
Thingsfallapart.Episode8,Reliefvideorecording/[presentedby]Nigerian
TelevisionAuthority;adaptedandscriptedforTVbyAdielaOnyedibia.VHS
ChinuaAchebe(lecturevideo).Distinguishedlectureseries(UniversityofWisconsin
Madison.WisconsinUnion).VHS.Lecture;presentedattheMemorialUnion,University ofWisconsinMadison,November12,1992.
ChinuaAchebe:Africanliteratureascelebration/RMAssociates;editedand presentedbyMelvynBragg.Publisher:Princeton,N.J.:FilmsfortheHumanities& Sciences,c2000.
ChinuaAchebe:Africasvoice/adirectedbyDavidAkinde.Publisher:Princeton,
N.J.:FilmsfortheHumanities&Sciences,[2002/2004].AnalyzestheimpactAchebeand hiswritingshavehadonworldliterature,aswellashisinfluenceasaneditoranda spokesmanforagenerationofAfricanwriters.Achebe,AbiolaIrele,GeraldGraff,and CharlesLarsondiscussthecharacterization,socialimplications,andlevelsof interpretationofThingsFallApart.VitalconceptsindigenoustotheIbosofsoutheastern Nigeriaarealsopresented.
ChinuaAchebe:Interviews,LecturesandTalks
Thereareloadsofinterviews,lecturesandtalkswithAchebeandaboutThingsFall Apartreadilyavailableonline,onYouTubeandelsewhere.Acoupleofnote: AnEveningwithChinuaAchebeLibraryofCongress,May11,2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5OAjnG6rKo&feature=player_embedded Note:Achebehimselfbeginsspeakingat15:45andreallystartshistalkaround20:50. Youmaywanttoskipthelengthyintroductionsandpreliminaryremarks. Sept.15,2005talkatCornellUniversity.RealPlayervideoavailableat: http://reading.cornell.edu/reading_project_05/achebe_visit.htm BBC:AHeroReturns2009(twoparts;featuresAchebescelebratedreturnto Nigeriaonthe50thanniversaryofThingsFallApart) Part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjtXPw7c5Jc&feature=PlayList&p=9DA93F29D4D95 08C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=7 Part2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON7G0XqJrc&feature=related

BooksandArticles:Abriefreview
RecommendedOverviewsandTeachingGuides:
ApproachestoTeachingThingsFallApart.Ed.BernthLindfors(NewYork:MLA,1991). Awidelyusedteachersguidethatcontainsawealthofbackgroundinformation, andexcellentscholarlyassessmentsofteachingtheauthor,contextand approachestothetext.Manyoftheessaysareaimedatteachingthenovelat thecollegelevel,butareappropriateforhighschoolaswell. PART1:MATERIALS,BernthLindfors Editions ReferenceWorks Bibliographies BiographicalSourcesandInterviews IgboStudies ReadingsforStudentsandTeachers BackgroundStudies:Anthropology,History,Politics,Religion CriticalCommentary AudiovisualAids TheStory TheAuthor PART2:APPROACHES Introduction TheAuthorasTeacher TeachingThingsFallApart,ChinuaAchebe TeachingtheAuthor ChinuaAchebeandtheSignsoftheTimes,SimonGikandi FollowingtheAuthorinThingsFallApart,EmmanuelObiechina TeachingContext ThingsFallApartinItsTimeandPlace,RobertM.Wren TheIgboasExceptionalColonialSubjects:Fictionalizingan AbnormalHistoricalSituation,DanIzevbaye TeachingTexture ThePoliticsofPointofView:TeachingThingsFallApart,Ashton Nichols TheParadoxicalCharacterizationofOkonkwo,ArleneA.Elder TraditionalParadigmsandModernIntertextuality MatricalApproachtoThingsFallApart:APoeticsofEpicand MythicParadigms,OusseynouB.Traor "TheTortoiseandtheBirds":StrategiesofResistancein ThingsFallApart,BarbaraHarlow ThingsFallApartandtheLiteratureofEmpire,HuntHawkins TheThirdWorldNovelasCounterhistory:ThingsFallApartand
Asturias'sMenofMaize,EdnaAizenberg ChallengingApproaches MakingMenandHistory:AchebeandthePoliticsofRevisionism RhondaCobham ThePostcolonialAfricanNovelandtheDialogicImagination, ZohrehT.Sullivan Narrative,Metacommentary,andPoliticsina"Simple"Story, WahneemaLubiano TheProblemofRealisminThingsFallApart:AMarxistExegesis, BiodunJeyifo SpecificCourses TeachingThingsFallApartintheHumanitiesCoreCourse,Eric Sellin TeachingThingsFallApartinaCriticismCourse,RichardK.Priebe Chinua Achebe: The Man and His Works. Rose Ure Mezu (London: Adonis & Abbey, 2006). This study of Achebe and his major works includes chapters on individual novels, personal interviews with the author, and Mezus own important essay Women in Achebes World: A Womanist Critique. Mezus assertion is that women have little voice in Achebes work, even though they do at times take powerful action or demonstrate autonomy, particularly in Things Fall Apart, whichhasbeencriticizedforitscharacterizationofwomen. ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart.Ed.HaroldBloom.ModernCriticalInterpretations series.(ChelseaHouse:2002).AnanthologyofcontemporaryessaysonThings FallApart. ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart.MartinA.Klein(inAfricanNovelsinthe Classroom.Ed.MargaretJeanHay.BoulderandLondon:LynneReiner,200025 35). ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart.DavidWhittakerandMpaliveHangsonMsiska. (London:Routledge,2007) Averyusefulhandbookforeducatorswhowanttolearnmoreaboutthecultural contextandcriticalimpactofthenovel,withanexcellentCriticalHistory sectionandextractsfromfivewidelycitedcriticalreadingsofthetextsbymajor scholars.BeginswithaTextsandContextschapterthatcoversboththeliterary andculturalcontextsofthenovelmuchmorethoroughlythanmanyoftheother guides. ChinuaAchebesThingsFallApart:ACasebook,Ed.IsidoreOkpewho.(OxfordUP: 2003). A collection of essays by scholars and an essay by and interview with Achebe himself, covering major themes of the novel, including: language, culture, the
role of the chi, gender, history, and a particularly useful essay by Ato Quayson: Realism, Criticism, and the Disguises of Both: A Reading of Chinua Achebes ThingsFallApartwithanEvaluationoftheCriticismRelatingtoIt.Inthisessay, Quayson highlights the critical tendency to take for granted the novels ability to standasrealismandhowthisleadstooversimplifiedanalysisofthenoveland itscomplexities,particularlyintermsofthewayAchebecritiquesandcomments ontheculturerepresentedinthenovel. ChinuaAchebeandThingsFallApart.SaraTalisOBrien.Chapter1ofATeachers GuidetoAfricanNarratives(Heinemann:1998.720). Includesbriefdiscussionsoftheplot,literarytechniqueandpointstoponder, whichaddressspecificthemesandissuesinthebook(largelyanthropologically) andconcludeswithasynopsisofAchebeslifeandwork.Ausefulsurveythat couldbeusedasassignedreadingforjuniorsandseniors. CriticalPerspectivesonChinuaAchebe.Ed.C.L.InnesandBernthLindfors (Washington,D.C.:ThreeContinents,1978).Anearlycriticalanthologybymajor scholarsinAfricanliterature,thisvolumehasseveralstillrelevantessayson Achebeswork,mostnotably,TheTragicConflictintheNovelsofChinua AchebebyAbiolaIreleandThePalmoilwithWhichAchebesWordsare EatenbyBernthLindfors,whichdiscussesthecentralityofIboproverbsto Achebesnarratives.ThesectiononThingsFallApartincludeschaptersonYeats andAchebe,narrativetechnique,languageandsymbolisminthenovel. InterventionsInternationalJournalofPostcolonialStudies,Volume11Issue22009. SpecialissueonThingsFallAparteditedbyLahoucineOuzganeandOnookome Okome Contents:http://tinyurl.com/njvuzg
INTRODUCTION ENCOUNTERSANDENGAGEMENTSWITHTHINGSFALLAPART Authors:LahoucineOuzgane;OnookomeOkome ARTICLES ACHEBEANDHISINFLUENCEINSOMECONTEMPORARYAFRICAN WRITING Author:EllekeBoehmer INTRIBUTETOTHINGSFALLAPART Author:KennethW.Harrow LITERACIESOFVIOLENCEAFTERTHINGSFALLAPART Author:TaiwoAdetunjiOsinubi THESIGNIFICANCEOFTHINGSFALLAPARTTOAFRICAN HISTORIOGRAPHY Author:HarryNiiKoneyOdamtten THINGSFALLAPARTINHISTORY Author:NeiltenKortenaar THINGSFALLAPART
Author:MpaliveHangsonMsiska THEMANYVOICESOFTHINGSFALLAPART Author:HilaryDannenberg READING,TASTEANDPOSTCOLONIALSTUDIES Author:JamesProcter THINGSFALLAPARTANDACHEBE'SSEARCHFORMANHOOD Author:RoselyneM.Jua CONJUNCTURE,HYPERMASCULINITYANDDISAVOWALINTHINGSFALL APART Author:deCorley SITUATIONS COLONIALTOPOSTCOLONIALETHICS Author:StephanieJones DECOLONIZINGGLOBALTHEORIESTODAY Author:MaliniJoharSchueller
ReadingChinuaAchebe:LanguageandIdeologyinFiction.SimonGikandi(London: JamesCurrey1991). ThingsFallApartandNoLongeratEase.Gunner,Elizabeth.InAHandbookfor TeachingAfricanLiterature(London:Heinemann,1984.4555) UnderstandingThingsFallApart:AStudentCasebooktoIssues,SourcesandHistorical Documents.KaluOgbaa(Westport:Greenwood,1999). Aratherdatedandhighlyanthropologicalanthologyofessaysthatcanbeuseful inunderstandingthebroaderhistoricalandculturalcontextsofThingsFallApart. Historyteachersmightfindusefultheexcerptsfromslavenarrativesandcolonial chronicles,aswellassectionsonIbgolifeandculture.ThesuggestedTopicsfor WrittenorOralExplorationattheendofeachsectioncouldalsobehelpfulin creatingassignmentsandessayquestions.Thefinalsectionexploresthe languagechoicedebate,andAchebescontentionthathisgoalisfashioningout anEnglishwhichisatonceuniversalandabletocarryhispeculiarexperience (219,fromTheAfricanWriterandtheEnglishLanguage). UnderstandingThingsFallApart:SelectedEssaysandCriticism.Ed.SolomonO.Iyasere (NewYork:Whiston,1998) Anexcellentcollectionofscholarlyessaysonvariousthemesandissuesinthe novel.Contents: IntroductionThingsFallApart:AnAfricanClassicbySolomonIyasere TheMouthwithWhichtoTellTheirSufferings:TheRoleofNarratorand ReaderinAchebesThingsFallApartbyAngelaSmith TheSearchforValuesThemeinChinuaAchebe'sNovel,ThingsFall Apart:ACrisisoftheSoulbyWilleneP.Taylor
RhythmandNarrativeMethodsinAchebe'sThingsFallApartbyB. EugeneMcCarthy NarrativeTechniquesinThingsFallApartbySolomonO.Iyasere TheSphinxandtheRoughBeast:LinguisticStruggleinChinuaAchebe's ThingsFallApartbyJulianN.Wasserman SophisticatedPrimitivism:TheSyncretismofOralandLiterateModesin Achebe'sThingsFallApartbyAbdulJanmohame Okonkwo'sWalk:TheChoreographyofThingsFallApartbyRussell McDougall EternalSacredOrderversusConventionalWisdom:AConsiderationof MoralCulpabilityintheKillingofIkemefunainThingsFallApartby DamianOpata Okonkwo'sParticipationintheKillingofHisSoninChinuaAchebe's ThingsFallApart:AStudyofIgnobleDecisivenessbySolomonO.Iyasere
AchebeandthePoliticsofRepresentation:FormAgainstItself,FromColonialConquest andOccupationtoPostIndependenceDisillusionment.OdeOgede.AfricaWorldPress (2001). Ogedearguesthatbecauseheusestheborrowed,Westernformofthehistorical novel, Achebesprojectbelieshismissionbyfailingtoaccuratelyrepresent colonialrealityandbyplacingtoomuchblameonthelocalpeopleandnot enoughonthecolonialpowers.HeseesAchebeasanativeinformantwhose workultimatelyreproducesthesameEurocentricprinciplesandassumptions thatitattemptstocombat.Centraltohisargumentistheideathathistorical accuracyorauthenticityisalegitimateprincipleforevaluatingliteraryworks whichclaimtobehistoricallybased.Worksshowinganimmoderatedeparture, assomeofAchebesoccasionallydo,fromtherangeofwhatisconventionally verifiable,i.e.,factsandtrendsdocumentedelsewherebyobjectiverecorders, cannotlegitimatelylayclaimtohistoricalauthenticity.Furthermore,creative worksthatareinordinatelyobsessedwithoratoryattheexpenseoffactyield tooreadilytotheseductivepulloffantasy.Tobesoenamoredwiththeactof storytellingitselftrivializestherealityofhumanmisery,demonstratinga profoundinsensitivity(xi). ChinuaAchebe.ByC.L.Innes(1990).AnoverviewofAchebeswork,withachapteron ThingsFallApart. ChinuaAchebe:Novelist,Poet,Critic.ByDavidCarroll(1990). ChinuaAchebe:ACelebration.Ed.KirstenHolstPetersonandAnnaRutherford(1990). Ananthologyofessays,manyofthemonThingsFallApart.
GeneralResourcesonAfricaandAfricanLiterature
AfricanLiterature:AnAnthologyofCriticismandTheory.EditedbyTejumolaOlanyianandAto Quayson(2007). ThedefinitivevolumeincriticalstudiesofAfricanliterature,theessaysinthis13part volumecoverthehistoryofAfricanliteratureanditscriticism,aswellasprovidecritical discussionofAfricanliteraturefromeverymajorthematicandpoliticalapproach. IncludesessaybyandaboutAchebe. MistakingAfrica:CuriositiesandInventionsoftheAmericanMind.CurtisKeim(Second Edition,Westview:2009) Thisbookisveryhighlyrecommended,especiallyforteacherswhohavenever taughtAfricabefore,orwhowouldlikesuggestionsforavoidingthe reinforcementofstereotypes,preconceivednotions,andmisconceptionsabout Africa.Thisreadable,accessibletextisagreatintroductiontounderstandingand identifyingthemanystereotypesaboutAfricainAmericancultureandthinking. Thechapteronuseofthewordtribewouldbeespeciallyhelpfulinteaching ThingsFallApart,buttheentirebookisofvalueinunderstandingandavoiding teachingmythsaboutAfrica. AfricanNovelsintheClassroom,ed.MargaretJeanHay(2000) InadditiontoitschapteronThingsFallApart,teacherswillfindusefulchapters onotherspecificAfricantextswhichgivehelpfultipsonhowtoincorporate Africanliteratureintotheclassroom.
ChinuaAchebe:AnOverview
Poet,novelist,teacher,editor,journalist;haspublishedover20books Born1930,Ogidi,Nigeria(onofthe1stcentersofAnglicanmissionaryworkinEastern Nigeria) Fatherwasteacherinamissionaryschool Was28whenhepublishedTFA,hisfirstnovel,in1958 Iboethnic/culturalbackground GraduatedfromUniversityCollege,Ibadan Radiocareeruntil1966,whenhejoinedBiafranMinistryofInformationduringBiafran War(Nigeriancivilwar19671970) 1970sand80sProf.ofEnglishatUMassachusetts,AmherstandUConnecticut,Storrs FoundingeditorofHeinemannAfricanWritersseries Over30honorarydegrees,manyawardsincludingGermanBooktradesPeacePrize (2002),CommonwealthPoetryPrize 1990caraccidentlefthimparalyzedfromthewaistdown 2004rejectsNationalAwardfromNigeriangovtandPres.Obasanja.Onrejectionof theaward:Receivingawardsisnottheimportantthing.Theimportantthingisfor thingstochange. NigeriahasdisappointedmeandhasdisappointedmanyNigeriansandIfeelthatthe situationisgettingworseandworse.IthoughtIshoulddrawattentiontothis,(awake upcall)becausepeoplearelosingpatienceandlosingconfidence.AndNigeriaislosing itspositioninAfricaandintheBlackworldandintheworldasawhole.Thesituationin Nigeriaisfarbelowexpectation.(BBCinterview,November1,2004MondayAllAfrica News)
SelectedWorksbyChinuaAchebe
RefugeeMotherandChild TheTroubleWithNigeria,1984 ThingsFallApart,1958 ArrowofGod,1964 AManofthePeople,1966 AfricanShortStories,ed.1984 NoLongeratEase,1960 AnotherAfrica,1998 AnthillsoftheSavannah,1988 TheSacrificialEggandOtherStories,1962 HopesandImpediments,1988(essay) HomeandExile,2000 ChikeandtheRiver,1966 CollectedPoems,2004 Beware,SoulBrother,andOtherPoems,1971 HowtheLeopardGotHisClaws(withJohn Iroaganachi),1972 GirlsatWar,1973 ChristmasatBiafra,andOtherPoems,1973 MorningYetonCreationDay,1975 TheFlute,1975 TheDrum,1978
http://printablemaps.blogspot.com/2008/08/printableafricamap.html
MapofAfricafromEncyclopaediaBritannica,1890 Source:http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/africa_1890.jpg Nigerialinguisticgroupmap
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Nigeria_linguistic_1979.jpg/350 pxNigeria_linguistic_1979.jpg
Africabyreligion(Heathens,Mohammedians,Christians,1913)
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/africa_religion_1913.jpg

MapofColonialAfricacirca1930
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/afri1914.htm

Nigeria
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/nigeria_map2.htm
MapofIgboland
http://www.progressnigeria.org/igbonation/default.asp
PostpartitionAfrica,1914
http://www.blackpast.org/files/blackpast_images/Africa_1914.jpg
NorthernandcentralAfricabycolonialpowerin1914
http://astro.temple.edu/~barbday/Europe66/resources/images/PartitionAfrica.jpg
TheRhodesColossusPunchcartoonofCecilRhodesstraddledfromCairotoCapetown. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20759/20759h/images/266.png
HowBigisAfrica?
Theentirecontinentcoversnearly12millionsquaremiles 20%oftheworldstotallandmass Population:over900million14%oftheworldspeople 53countries(somecount54) Over2000languagesspokenabout50ofthesehave overhalfamillionspeakers

BrownUniversitysHowBigisAfrica?poster
RudyardKipling,TheWhiteMan'sBurden,1899
Thisfamouspoem,writtenbyBritain'simperialpoet,wasaresponsetotheAmericantakeoverofthe PhillipinesaftertheSpanishAmericanWar. TakeuptheWhiteMan'sburden Sendforththebestyebreed Gobindyoursonstoexile Toserveyourcaptives'need; Towaitinheavyharness, Onflutteredfolkandwild Yournewcaught,sullenpeoples, Halfdevilandhalfchild. TakeuptheWhiteMan'sburden Inpatiencetoabide, Toveilthethreatofterror Andchecktheshowofpride; Byopenspeechandsimple, Anhundredtimesmadeplain Toseekanother'sprofit, Andworkanother'sgain. TakeuptheWhiteMan'sburden Thesavagewarsofpeace FillfullthemouthofFamine Andbidthesicknesscease; Andwhenyourgoalisnearest Theendforotherssought, WatchslothandheathenFolly Bringallyourhopestonought. TakeuptheWhiteMan'sburden Notawdryruleofkings, Buttoilofserfandsweeper Thetaleofcommonthings. Theportsyeshallnotenter, Theroadsyeshallnottread, Gomarkthemwithyourliving, Andmarkthemwithyourdead. TakeuptheWhiteMan'sburden Andreaphisoldreward: Theblameofthoseyebetter, Thehateofthoseyeguard Thecryofhostsyehumour (Ah,slowly!)towardthelight: "Whybroughtheusfrombondage, OurlovedEgyptiannight?" TakeuptheWhiteMan'sburden Yedarenotstooptoless NorcalltooloudonFreedom Toclokeyourweariness; Byallyecryorwhisper, Byallyeleaveordo, Thesilent,sullenpeoples Shallweighyourgodsandyou. TakeuptheWhiteMan'sburden Havedonewithchildishdays Thelightlyproferredlaurel, Theeasy,ungrudgedpraise. Comesnow,tosearchyourmanhood Throughallthethanklessyears Cold,edgedwithdearboughtwisdom, Thejudgmentofyourpeers! When the missionaries came, the Africans had the land and the Christians had the Bible. They taught us to pray with our eyes closed. When the Bible - Jomo Kenyatta (in Mazrui 149-15o) we opened them they had the land and we had
TheSecondComing
Turningandturninginthewideninggyre Thefalconcannothearthefalconer; Thingsfallapart;thecentrecannothold; Mereanarchyisloosedupontheworld, Theblooddimmedtideisloosed,andeverywhere Theceremonyofinnocenceisdrowned; Thebestlackallconviction,whiletheworst Arefullofpassionateintensity. Surelysomerevelationisathand; SurelytheSecondComingisathand. TheSecondComing!Hardlyarethosewordsout WhenavastimageoutofSpiritusMundi Troublesmysight:somewhereinsandsofthedesert Ashapewithlionbodyandtheheadofaman, Agazeblankandpitilessasthesun, Ismovingitsslowthighs,whileallaboutit Reelshadowsoftheindignantdesertbirds. Thedarknessdropsagain;butnowIknow Thattwentycenturiesofstonysleep Werevexedtonightmarebyarockingcradle, Andwhatroughbeast,itshourcomeroundatlast, SlouchestowardsBethlehemtobeborn?
WilliamButlerYeats
W.B.Yeats(18651939)wasborninDublin,Ireland,in1865,thesonofawellknownIrishpainter,
JohnButlerYeats.HespenthischildhoodinCountySligoandinLondon.HereturnedtoDublinatthe ageoffifteentocontinuehiseducationandstudypainting,butquicklydiscoveredhepreferredpoetry. BornintotheAngloIrishlandowningclass,YeatsbecameinvolvedwiththeCelticRevival,amovement againsttheculturalinfluencesofEnglishruleinIrelandduringtheVictorianperiod,whichsoughtto promotethespiritofIreland'snativeheritage.ThoughYeatsneverlearnedGaelic,hiswritingattheturn ofthecenturydrewextensivelyfromsourcesinIrishmythologyandfolklore.Yeatswasdeeplyinvolved inpoliticsinIreland,andinthetwenties,despiteIrishindependencefromEngland,hisversereflecteda pessimismaboutthepoliticalsituationinhiscountryandtherestofEurope,parallelingtheincreasing conservativismofhisAmericancounterpartsinLondon,T.S.EliotandEzraPound.Hisworkafter1910 wasstronglyinfluencedbyPound,becomingmoremoderninitsconcisionandimagery,butYeatsnever abandonedhisstrictadherencetotraditionalverseforms.Hehadalifelonginterestinmysticismand theoccult,whichwasoffputtingtosomereaders,butheremaineduninhibitedinadvancinghis idiosyncraticphilosophy,andhispoetrycontinuedtogrowstrongerashegrewolder.Appointeda senatoroftheIrishFreeStatein1922,heisrememberedasanimportantculturalleader,asamajor playwright(hewasoneofthefoundersofthefamousAbbeyTheatreinDublin),andasoneofthevery greatestpoetsofthecentury.W.B.YeatswasawardedtheNobelPrizein1923.
Abridgedfrom:http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15527
How to Write about Africa

by
BinyavangaWainaina 1
sometips:sunsetsandstarvationaregood
photo:www.bbc.co.uk
Always use the word 'Africa' or 'Darkness' or 'Safari' in your title. Subtitles may include the words 'Zanzibar', 'Masai', 'Zulu', 'Zambezi', 'Congo', 'Nile', 'Big', 'Sky', 'Shadow', 'Drum', 'Sun' or 'Bygone'. Also useful are words such as 'Guerrillas', 'Timeless', 'Primordial' and 'Tribal'. Note that 'People' means Africans who are not black, while 'The People' means black Africans. Never have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your book, or in it, unless that African has won the Nobel Prize. An AK-47, prominent ribs, naked breasts: use these. If you must include an African, make sure you get one in Masai or Zulu or Dogon dress. In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is hot and steamy with very short people who eat primates. Don't get bogged down with precise descriptions. Africa is big: fifty-four countries, 900 million people who are too busy starving and dying and warring and emigrating to read your book. The continent is full of deserts, jungles, highlands, savannahs and many other things, but your reader doesn't care about all that, so keep your descriptions romantic and evocative and unparticular. Make sure you show how Africans have music and rhythm deep in their souls, and eat things no other humans eat. Do not mention rice and beef and wheat; monkey-brain is an African's cuisine of choice, along with goat, snake, worms and grubs and all manner of game meat. Make sure you show that you are able to eat such food without flinching, and describe how you learn to enjoy itbecause you care.
1 Originally published in Granta 92: The View from Africa. Available online at: http://www.granta.com/extracts/2615. Binyavanga Wainaina lives in Nairobi, Kenya. He is the foundingeditoroftheliterarymagazine,Kwani?andwontheCainePrizeforAfricanWritingin2002.
Taboo subjects: ordinary domestic scenes, love between Africans (unless a death is involved), references to African writers or intellectuals, mention of school-going children who are not suffering from yaws or Ebola fever or female genital mutilation. Throughout the book, adopt a sotto voice, in conspiracy with the reader, and a sad I-expected-somuch tone. Establish early on that your liberalism is impeccable, and mention near the beginning how much you love Africa, how you fell in love with the place and can't live without her. Africa is the only continent you can lovetake advantage of this. If you are a man, thrust yourself into her warm virgin forests. If you are a woman, treat Africa as a man who wears a bush jacket and disappears off into the sunset. Africa is to be pitied, worshipped or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed. Your African characters may include naked warriors, loyal servants, diviners and seers, ancient wise men living in hermitic splendour. Or corrupt politicians, inept polygamous travel-guides, and prostitutes you have slept with. The Loyal Servant always behaves like a seven-year-old and needs a firm hand; he is scared of snakes, good with children, and always involving you in his complex domestic dramas. The Ancient Wise Man always comes from a noble tribe (not the money-grubbing tribes like the Gikuyu, the Igbo or the Shona). He has rheumy eyes and is close to the Earth. The Modern African is a fat man who steals and works in the visa office, refusing to give work permits to qualified Westerners who really care about Africa. He is an enemy of development, always using his government job to make it difficult for pragmatic and goodhearted expats to set up NGOs or Legal Conservation Areas. Or he is an Oxford-educated intellectual turned serial-killing politician in a Savile Row suit. He is a cannibal who likes Cristal champagne, and his mother is a rich witch-doctor who really runs the country. Among your characters you must always include The Starving African, who wanders the refugee camp nearly naked, and waits for the benevolence of the West. Her children have flies on their eyelids and pot bellies, and her breasts are flat and empty. She must look utterly helpless. She can have no past, no history; such diversions ruin the dramatic moment. Moans are good. She must never say anything about herself in the dialogue except to speak of her (unspeakable) suffering. Also be sure to include a warm and motherly woman who has a rolling laugh and who is concerned for your well-being. Just call her Mama. Her children are all delinquent. These characters should buzz around your main hero, making him look good. Your hero can teach them, bathe them, feed them; he carries lots of babies and has seen Death. Your hero is you (if reportage), or a beautiful, tragic international celebrity/aristocrat who now cares for animals (if fiction). Bad Western characters may include children of Tory cabinet ministers, Afrikaners, employees of the World Bank. When talking about exploitation by foreigners mention the Chinese and Indian traders. Blame the West for Africa's situation. But do not be too specific. Broad brushstrokes throughout are good. Avoid having the African characters laugh, or struggle to educate their kids, or just make do in mundane circumstances. Have them illuminate something about Europe or America in Africa. African characters should be colourful, exotic,
larger than lifebut empty inside, with no dialogue, no conflicts or resolutions in their stories, no depth or quirks to confuse the cause. Describe, in detail, naked breasts (young, old, conservative, recently raped, big, small) or mutilated genitals, or enhanced genitals. Or any kind of genitals. And dead bodies. Or, better, naked dead bodies. And especially rotting naked dead bodies. Remember, any work you submit in which people look filthy and miserable will be referred to as the 'real Africa', and you want that on your dust jacket. Do not feel queasy about this: you are trying to help them to get aid from the West. The biggest taboo in writing about Africa is to describe or show dead or suffering white people. Animals, on the other hand, must be treated as well rounded, complex characters. They speak (or grunt while tossing their manes proudly) and have names, ambitions and desires. They also have family values: see how lions teach their children? Elephants are caring, and are good feminists or dignified patriarchs. So are gorillas. Never, ever say anything negative about an elephant or a gorilla. Elephants may attack people's property, destroy their crops, and even kill them. Always take the side of the elephant. Big cats have public-school accents. Hyenas are fair game and have vaguely Middle Eastern accents. Any short Africans who live in the jungle or desert may be portrayed with good humour (unless they are in conflict with an elephant or chimpanzee or gorilla, in which case they are pure evil). After celebrity activists and aid workers, conservationists are Africa's most important people. Do not offend them. You need them to invite you to their 30,000-acre game ranch or 'conservation area', and this is the only way you will get to interview the celebrity activist. Often a book cover with a heroic-looking conservationist on it works magic for sales. Anybody white, tanned and wearing khaki who once had a pet antelope or a farm is a conservationist, one who is preserving Africa's rich heritage. When interviewing him or her, do not ask how much funding they have; do not ask how much money they make off their game. Never ask how much they pay their employees. Readers will be put off if you don't mention the light in Africa. And sunsets, the African sunset is a must. It is always big and red. There is always a big sky. Wide empty spaces and game are criticalAfrica is the Land of Wide Empty Spaces. When writing about the plight of flora and fauna, make sure you mention that Africa is overpopulated. When your main character is in a desert or jungle living with indigenous peoples (anybody short) it is okay to mention that Africa has been severely depopulated by Aids and War (use caps). You'll also need a nightclub called Tropicana, where mercenaries, evil nouveau riche Africans and prostitutes and guerrillas and expats hang out. Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances. Because you care.
LiteraryTermstoputtouseinyouranalysispapers: Image A moment or snapshot in the text that stands out; a particularly vivid description (character, event, scene, or object) (1)centralideaormainpoint (2) A way of articulating and understanding a recurring image or motif. Example: the motif of the unlikely hero overcoming obstacles reveals the storys theme of mans struggle against hisownnature. Symbol A textual element (image, character, object, etc) that stands for or represents something larger than itself. Symbols are a type of metaphor, but they are different from motifs in that they usually arent magical or spiritual in nature; theyre sually ordinarythingsthathavesymbolicsignificance.
Theme
Metaphor A direct or indirect comparison between two things (similes are a type of metaphor, comparisons using like, as or than) Irony Language and situations that are inappropriate, unexpected or opposite from what one expects; saying one thing and meaninganother,doublemeaning. Satire is the use of irony to comic effect, and is generally intendedasasortofcommentaryorcritique. Giving human characteristics to nonhuman things (animals, objects,etc)
Satire
Personification

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TeachingThingsFallApart InWisconsin

Suggested Preparatory Readings and student materials (handouts) are

DrumsandogeneasmetaphorsfortheheartofthepeopleThedrumswerestillbeating, persistentandunchanging.Theirsoundwasnolongeraseparatethingfromthelivingvillage.It waslikethepulsationofitsheart(44).

OkonkwoandHisMother:ThingsFallApartandIssuesofGenderinthe ConstitutionofAfricanPostcolonialDiscoursebyBiodunJeyifo(inChinuaAchebes ThingsFallApart:ACasebook,ed.IsidoreOkpewho2003) IgboWomenfrom19291960byJohnN.Oriji(WestAfricaReview) http://westafricareview.com/vol2.1/oriji.html Ngambika(excerpt)

Inthenovel,therearetwokindsofmurdermaleandfemale(124).Whatarethese andwhatdotheymeantothenovel?DoesitmatterthatOkonkwocommittedthe femalekindofmurder?

Mr.Kiaga Mr.Brown Mr.Smith Nneka Okoli Enoch

missionaryinterpreter/teacher whitemissionarycompromiseandaccommodationpolicy whitemissionary(Brownsreplacement);nocompromisepolicy firstconvert;motheroftwins manaccused/presumed/rumoredtohavekilledsacredpython(dies114) priestofthesnakecult

them?Whatproverbsareassociatedwitheach?Whatdoesthiscontrast foreshadow? Discussspecificcharacters/pairsofcharactersandwhattheymeantotherestofthe text. WhatisthesignificanceofthechildIkemefunatothenovel?WhydoesOkonkwokill him?Whatcanbelearnedfromthisepisode?

- Jomo Kenyatta (in Mazrui 149-150)

Unit7:LanguageandStyle 7A:Formandcontent 7B:Thesignificanceofproverbsandotherformsoforalityinthenovel 7C:SymbolismandImageryintheNovel

Subthemes: Conformityvs.individuality Traditionvs.Modernity Actionvs.Inaction

http://www.swisseduc.ch/english/readinglist/achebe_chinua/things/index.html TheThingsFallApartpagecontainslinkstosupplementarymaterials,includingseveral helpfulessaysonmajorthemesinthenovel.

ChinuaAchebe:Africanliteratureascelebration/RMAssociates;editedand presentedbyMelvynBragg.Publisher:Princeton,N.J.:FilmsfortheHumanities& Sciences,c2000.

MapofAfricafromEncyclopaediaBritannica,1890 Source:http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/africa_1890.jpg Nigerialinguisticgroupmap

Theentirecontinentcoversnearly12millionsquaremiles 20%oftheworldstotallandmass Population:over900million14%oftheworldspeople 53countries(somecount54) Over2000languagesspokenabout50ofthesehave overhalfamillionspeakers

How to Write about Africa

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