Blog Post #4- A.P Literature

Although it seems to have been written for people familiar with Igbo culture, Things Fall Apart is a book filled with common issues that many cultures must deal with. A major theme of this book, as mentioned in my previous post, is the effect that change can have on a society with deep-rooted traditions and customs. Okonkwo is embarrassed by his father’s lack of work ethic and prosperities. When he realizes that his son Nyowe is following in his father's footsteps, Okonkwo is dissatisfied and deems his son’s behavior to be effeminate. After white colonizers settle in Umuofia, Nyowe converts to Christianity and takes the name, Issac. Okonkwo resents his son and the practices of the white men. Although he is not the only one angered by the change, Okonkwo is the most violent person in his village. After the leader of the settlers becomes ill, he is replaced by Reverend Smith, who is very intolerant of the converted clans' people. During a sacred ceremony, an egwugwu (a masked elder who represents an ancestral spirit) is de-masked by a convert. This is one of the most disgraceful things a clan member could do. In retaliation, the egwugwu burned down the converts' home and the colonizers' church. Rev. Smith arrested and imprisoned the leaders of the clan, including Okonkwo. Upon their release, the clan leaders have a meeting which included messengers that would report back to Rev. Smith. The clan leaders consider going to war with the white men, and out of a fit of rage and disbelief that the clan would be willing to go to war, Okonkwo murders one of the messengers. Okonkwo is overcome with regret, resulting in his suicide. The act of suicide is the gravest sin a clan member could commit, and it is forbidden for clan members to bury the body, let alone touch it. A clan member named Obrieka explains this to the colonizers and asks them to take care of his friend’s body. Meanwhile, the District Commissioner, who is writing a book, thinks of how he could include Okonkwo’s suicide and the traditions of the clan in a book that he is writing called The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.


I believe that Things Fall Apart is a book that should be taught in AP Literature. Aside from a brief lesson about the colonization of Africa in a Global Issues course, I never really learned about tribal traditions and how some of those traditions were decimated by Westerners. The topic is one that I think is overlooked in the Western World. Although it was not us who directly forced change upon the tribespeople, it was people who looked like us and could very well be our ancestors. This book should be taught in AP Literature classes because of its literary merit and the fact that it informs us of a time in history that is often disregarded. I also believe that Chinua Achebe’s writing style is very distinct and uncommon in modern literature. Achebe keeps things short and gets to the point without heavy embellishments. The reading itself can be slow at times because you have to remember a lot of Nigerian and Igbo-specific words, phrases, and names, but it is not a dense read. I think that this book informs readers of a part of history that is ignored while remaining interesting. Because of its simple sentence structure, culturally rich content, and message of tolerance for others, or a lack thereof is important and still relevant even sixty-two years after it's publication.