Things Fall Research Articles

AFRICAN CONCEPT OF HAPPINESS IN THE LIGHT OF CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART: A HERMENEUTICAL APPROACH

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, reflects a deeply relational and communal worldview. Happiness in African thought is not merely tied to individual fulfilment or material wealth, as often seen in Western perspectives, but is rooted in harmonious coexistence with others and the environment. For Africans, happiness arises from a balanced relationship with all forces in the hierarchy of beings, a notion which emphasizes interconnection and collective well-being. This contrasts with Western metaphysical views that tend to prioritize individual pleasure or material achievement. African happiness extends beyond this life, focusing on a state of blessedness in both life and the afterlife. Understanding this concept requires grasping the African notion of Being, which is seen as relational, where existence is defined by one’s connection to others. Achebe’s work exemplifies these ideas, showing how happiness is experienced through peaceful co-existence and the absence of egocentric attitudes. This study established the African philosophy of "Being-with," where happiness is an ontological experience derived from natural and collective existence, rather than self-centred pursuits.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0851/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: A Study from a Feminist Perspective

The 20th century saw the emergence of feminist theory and gender studies as literary concepts. African literature from the 1890s examines gender issues and women's identities from various perspectives. "Things Fall Apart" prompts a gender dynamics study. It examines a range of feminist concerns that represent power dynamics, femininity, and masculinity. Achebe, influenced by colonialist literature, presents an image of pre-colonial Igbo culture to refute Eurocentric myths. The research focuses on patriarchy, its substantial effects on gender, and how it limits and influences women's lives. The analysis, which takes feminist perspectives, looks at the nuances of patriarchy and the ways that female characters Ezinma, Nneka, and Ekwefi resist in anticipation of social norms. Along with scientific publications and research papers, the book serves as the main source. This study dissects patriarchy's role in dismantling gender equilibrium. .

OLD WINE IN A NEW WINESKIN: ACHEBE’S OKONWO A CHARACTER ARCHETYPE OF ADICHIE’S EUGENE ACHIKE

The investigation and establishment of character types in literary texts is a cardinal thrust of archetypal criticism as a critical tool. Achebe’s Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart (1958) and Adichie’s Eugene otherwise referred to as Papa in Purple Hibiscus (2003) are character types in two canonical African fictions not only because both are male protagonists but also due to a number of other remarkable characterizations which they share in common. In fact, Eugene can he said to be a modern Okonkwo in various ways. Utilizing the vital tools and tenets of archetypal criticism, a critical juxtaposition of the two major characters in the two novels unveils that both characters are caring but cruel, and indeed unleashed multidimensional phallocentric violence in monumental proportions to their immediate family members, particularly to their women. Both characters are unsympathetic to their wives and possess similar volcanic temperaments. Also, both men have “no patience” with their biological fathers and maintain frosty relationships with them on account of certain grievances and grudges borne in their hearts against them over a protracted period of time. Indeed, both men can be said to be ashamed of their own fathers. But their disgusts for their fathers transform them into men of actions rather than of words and leisure, even as both characters become diligent creators and managers of wealth by their personal determination, courage and hardworking attitude as opposed to the indigent backgrounds they germinated from. Unfortunately, both characters encounter tragic ends in their seemingly unguarded pursuit for preservation and perfection.

Reclaiming African Identity: Analyzing Issues of Postcolonial-ism in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart"

Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" stands as a seminal work in postcolonial literature, exploring the intricate dynamics between colonizers and the colonized in the context of European colonization's impact on African societies. This abstract delves into the novel's portrayal of postcolonial themes, focusing on the disruption of traditional Igbo culture, power dynamics between Europeans and indigenous peoples, and the psychological and emotional repercussions of colonization. Achebe was motivated to write the novel as a response to European portrayals of Africans in literature, particularly influenced by Joyce Cary's shallow depiction of Africa in "Mr. Johnson." Achebe's use of language, particularly his appropriation of English to convey African experiences, challenges Eurocentric narratives and offers a counter-narrative that centres African perspectives. Through meticulous depiction of pre-colonial Igbo society, Achebe reclaims African history and cultural identity, countering colonial misrepresentations and emphasizing the resilience and dignity of indigenous cultures. Additionally, the abstract discusses Achebe's critique of colonial ideologies, particularly Christianity, which undermines native traditions and fractures communal bonds within Igbo society. By contrasting "Things Fall Apart" with Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," Achebe challenges demeaning depictions of Africans in Western literature and asserts the importance of authentic representation in postcolonial discourse. Overall, "Things Fall Apart" remains a powerful testament to the enduring legacy of colonialism and the ongoing struggle for cultural autonomy and identity in the postcolonial world. By using a postcolonial framework, the study aims to shed light on the socio-political implications of Achebe's work and highlight the importance of diverse narratives and marginalized voices.

The Resistance to Reality Virginia Woolf s Mrs. Dalloway and Chinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart

Both Chinua Achebe and Virginia Woolf are prominent withers for their revolt and subversion against the hegemony and authority. This article aims to reflect and compare how Achebe and Woolf resist to realistic society respectively by a strategy of writing back and stream of consciousness in Things Fall Apart and Mrs. Dalloway. The two novels reassert the identity and agency of marginalized groups, such as women and the colonized, within traditional structures.

A Study of Colonial Confrontation in The Things Fall Apart

This research paper critically examines the portrayal of colonial confrontation in Chinua Achebe’s "Things Fall Apart," highlighting the themes of suppression and oppression. It argues that Achebe adeptly reconstructs the historical and political context of the Igbo people's recent past, illustrating their suppression and oppression by European colonizers. Furthermore, the paper explores how Achebe portrays Igbo community life and demonstrates how the arrival of white missionaries and colonial administrators gradually undermined traditional Igbo values. This erosion occurred initially through religious conversions and later through the imposition of colonial political structures, ultimately leading to the dismantling of traditional Igbo society. Thus, the novel addresses various forms of suppression—social, political, religious, cultural, economic, and educational—imposed on the Igbo tribe by the British colonial administration.

Self-Realisation in the Awakening by Kate Chopin

Racism took a different turn in the 16th century, impacting this generation's society. Through racist beliefs and thoughts, people divided society into divisions. This study was based on racism and white people's historical oppression of black people. In this study, we examined two novels that help to analyze racism in society, and the impact of these novels on culture was also addressed. The study described slavery in the 19th century and the colonial times of Nigerian tribes. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn offered an American perspective on racism vs. the African setting of Things Fall Apart. During the 19th century, Nigerian people faced colonization that impacted the culture and behaviour of indigenous people. In this study, different aspects of racism and the effects of racism on black people were examined. This study also showed that the British invasion forced marginalization in every element of Igbo society, ranging from traditional values to religious and gender roles; this study aims to discuss the differences in the perspective of racism by analyzing Things Fall Apart and The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. These two pieces of literature helped to develop better concepts and aspects of racism in the social setting and highlighted the racism between white and black people.

Modernity as Disruption to Nature, People, and Culture in Things Fall Apart, Burung Kayu, and Isinga

Environmental degradation has become an important issue in the 21st century. Environmental destruction has never been free from exploitation, oppression, and marginalization. Through Indonesian and African novels Burung Kayu, Isinga, and Things Fall Apart, this paper attempts to reveal two research questions; first, how people, nature, and culture are interconnected with each other in the three novels, and second, how modernity becomes a disruption to the Mentawai, Aitubu, and Igbo. By comparing and contrasting the three novels, this paper uses library research. The research questions will be revealed through descriptive qualitative data. The approach used to analyze is postcolonial ecocriticism. The findings of the research are two. First, there is a connectedness of nature and people of the three communities manifested in ritual tradition, livelihood, social systems and values, and land ownership system. Second, the power dominance of the First World toward the Third World through modernity results in environmental destruction and cultural disruptions of the Mentawai, Aitubu, and Igbo indigenous. Humans are inseparable from living with other communities and over time, they will experience modernity. However, not all forms of modernity fit for a community. Therefore, they have two choices regarding modernity: to reject or accept it.

Colonial Subjugation and Cultural Erosion in Things Fall Apart

Colonial Subjugation and Cultural Erosion in Things Fall Apart

Translation; a Response back to the Centre: A Critical Analysis of Things Fall Apart and its Punjabi Translation Tutt Bhaj

Translation; a Response back to the Centre: A Critical Analysis of Things Fall Apart and its Punjabi Translation Tutt Bhaj

Manipulation of Gender in the Translations of I am Malala and Things Fall Apart

Manipulation of Gender in the Translations of I am Malala and Things Fall Apart

Ecology and Decoloniality: Reading the Natural World in Twentieth-Century African Literature

In this article, I argue that pioneer African writing (in the frame of the empire writing back) hinges its anti-colonial aesthetics and politics on what I see as the African natural world—a space of nonhuman–human entanglement ruled by the natural order of things. In confronting colonial discourse, the writers, in most cases, resort to deploying the natures (I prefer the plural form) and the nonhuman elements of their traditional societies, which constitute what many scholars see as the cultural context of their writing in postcolonial reading practice. By way of shifting the paradigm, I propose an ecocentric reading practice that unbundles the notion of cultural context to reveal its heavy reliance on the African natural world. The recourse to natures, I argue, is a decolonial strategy, in that the writers deploy the natural world to counter the Western civilisation imposed on their epistemological order. In the end, the natural world remains the forte of the African writer in presenting a civilisation that claims to be more all-embracing (of humans and their nonhuman others) than the Western one with emphasis on human exceptionalism. I then read Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Okot p’Bitek’s Song of Lawino as illustrations of how African writers of the colonial moment anchor their counter-discourse on the African natural world. It is hoped that this reading practice will inspire a revisionist reading of African literature that places indigenous ecology at the centre of decolonial philosophy and practice.

"The Language of the Eye Is Not the Language of the Ear": English, Translationality, and (Dis)Similarities between Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's Devil on the Cross

ABSTRACT: Against the backdrop of the 60th anniversary of the African Writers Conference and the perennial question of English as an "African language," this article investigates the ways in which English has been used within the literary writings of Chinua Achebe and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. An overview of the (seemingly) divergent views on English articulated by Achebe and Ngũgĩ is presented, and two of their novels, namely Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Ngũgĩ's Devil on the Cross , are then situated within the frame of translationality. Extracts from the two novels are comparatively analyzed and discussed with reference to translation theory, specifically "thick translation," " omdigting ," and "foreignization," in relation to their lexical and ideological treatment of English. The article concludes that despite the differences in attitude toward English expressed in their polemical and philosophical writings, their literary treatment of English points to a number of similarities.

Community’s Expectations Challenged by Anomie in Anglophone African Literature

This article investigates African societal values with a particular accent on Ibo regarding marriage. There are several criteria of marriage from The Slave Girl, Things Fall Apart, The Bride Price and No Longer at Ease and the sociological, sociolinguistic and anthropological approaches will be applied. This paper undermines three rules governing marriage amongst Ibo notably no marriage between a free person with a slave, the bride price observation and the childbearing necessity. Any attempt to violate the three aforementioned marriage principles is viewed as anomie.

The Representation of Clash of Culture in China Achebe's Things Fall Apart and NO Longer at Ease: African Literary View

The present paper traces the clash of culture and traditions in post-colonial Nigerian society in China Achebe Things Fall Apart and No longer at Ease. The paper will essentially focus on how China Achebe depicts the clash of culture that was affected by colonialism. In other words, colonialism brings new forms of cultural norms that contradict with the natives’ culture. These norms are opposed by the inherited traditions of the Nigerian society. Therefore, the paper will concentrate on the clash between the traditional cultural norms and the colonial norms that oppress the native and distort their forefathers’ identity. The paper is going to rely on Bhabha’s concept of clash of culture that involves critical arguments about the relationship between the colonized people and the colonizers. For this reason, the analysis of the cultural difference will cite some critical arguments about the clash of culture portrayed in the selected plays. The concept, accordingly, will be cited to discuss two thematic tenets in the selected plays.

Nature's Voices: Exploring Eco-Feminist Perspectives in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall A

Nature's Voices: Exploring Eco-Feminist Perspectives in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall A

The Intersection of African Writers and the English Language

Renowned Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe is a novelist, poet, critic, and educator. His first great novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), is widely recognized as the most widely-read work of modern African literature. His paper "The African Writer and the English Language" explores several topics, including the definition of African literature, the differences between nationalized and cultural literature, and the place of English in African literature. He focuses on the linguistic problem. Is it feasible to consider literature published in languages other than English to be African? the meaning of African literature, and lastly, is it possible for a writer to work effectively in two languages, English and Spanish? Each of these questions will be explained in this review.

Unravelling Insecurity: Exploring Psychological and Societal Dimensions in Nigerian Novels

This comprehensive study navigates the intricate terrain of insecurity within the human condition, examining its multifaceted dimensions through the lens of psychological and societal factors. Utilizing selected Nigerian novels as a backdrop, the research aims to unveil the complex biological and psychological processes that drive characters' actions, ultimately leading to societal unrest. By dissecting fear as a fundamental biological process, the study explores how intrinsic insecurities manifest and contribute to both individual and collective challenges. Through nuanced analyses of characters such as Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" and Beatrice and Eugene in Chimamanda Adichie's "Purple Hibiscus," the research sheds light on the profound transformations from intrinsic insecurity to physical manifestations, offering insights into the intricate interplay between emotional, psychological, and societal factors. Keywords: Insecurity, Psychological Struggles, Societal Unrest, Nigerian Literature, Fear and Anxiety, Emotional Turmoil and Transformation in Characters.

The Cultural Erosion: Post-Colonial Discourse in Achebe's Things Fall Apart

The purpose of this research is to examine the erosion of cultural identity of Igbo society as a result of British colonization. It also looks at the colonial hegemony enforced by institutions of the church, judiciary, medical system, and education in Igbo society. The peaceful Igbo village descends into chaos as the protagonist's son disobeys his father and mocks the idea of brotherhood by converting himself into Christianity. The impact of colonialism and the supremacy of European culture destroys the social harmony of Igbo society. As a result, despite the struggle and sacrifice of true lover of original culture, the rich cultural legacy continues to collapse. A post-colonial social narrative raises questions to the aboriginal Igbo culture that was originally shaped by a variety of cultural ethos. The community experiences a significant transformation while the true followers original culture struggle with the shifting dynamics of relationships. The traditional lifestyle of the Igbo people is disrupted and challenged by European civilization. As they resist the changes imposed by the colonizers, the indigenous people's identity changes.

Post-Colonial Discourse in Achebe's Things Fall Apart

This study aims at revealing Igbo society and the decline of its cultural identity as a result of British colonialism and the hegemony imposed through judicial, medical, educational, and church-missionary institutions. When the protagonist's son betrays his father and the brothers ridicule the concept of brotherhood by becoming Christians, the peaceful Igbo community gets turned into anarchy. The harmony of the Igbo community was destroyed by the effects of colonialism and the supremacy of European culture. Consequently, the rich cultural heritage collapses and crumbles despite constant resistance and sacrifice of a sincere lover of native culture. Post-colonial social narrative, a narration of society, postulates the issues of presentation, expression and evocation of a community which is preliminarily structured by a number of cultural ethos, now it has been contaminated by colonial power. The community experiences a significant transformation while the true followers original culture struggle with the shifting dynamics of relationships. European civilization interferes and challenges the traditional way of life of the Igbo people. Identity of the indigenous people gets reshaped as they fight against the changes imposed by the colonists.