1. Things Fall Apart Higher Order Thinking Questions 1-4
Aurora McClennan, Jhankhana Shah, Jessica Wenzel, Anthony Barbosa

2. Question 1: Consider why Achebe might chose to take the title of his novel from Yeats’ poem. Consider how Achebe’s literary allusion to Yeats’ poem might deepen or extend - by comparison and/or contrast - the meaning(s) of Achebe’s title and his novel.

3. Consider why Achebe might chose to take the poem and consider his literary allusion to Yeats’ poem
Poem is manuscript/outline for novel
Every example in poem is also mirrored in novel
Yeats’ wrote about an oncoming apocalypse - missionaries are apocalypse
“Things Fall Apart; the centre cannot hold” - the white people come in and destroy the foundation
Fear and curiosity drive people
Fear of the unknown (Second Coming, the future, missionaries)

4. Question 2. Describe Okonkwo
Question 2. Describe Okonkwo. Consider him as an Igbo heroic character: how does he work to achieve greatness as defined by his culture? How does he differ from Western heros whom you are community familiar with? What are his strengths and weaknesses?

5. Describe Okonkwo Main character
Seen in positive light as ultimate warrior
Is he really a protagonist? Questionable ideals and morals
Hides emotion
Physically strong
Hates father because he showed weakness and “female” characteristics
Good reputation; titles and such
Driven by fear of failure, of weakness

6. How does he work to achieve greatness as defined by his culture?
Driven by fear of failure
Build self up from nothing
Young and accomplished - respected
Wrestling - defeating Amalize the Cat - showed strength
Ambition, workaholic - only wanted to farm yams
Will do anything for reputation (killed Ikemefuna)

7. How does he differ from Western heros whom you are familiar with?
Western heros rely on brain rather than brawn
Okonkwo is very aggressive: would be villain in Western culture
Many Western heros come from “tough upbringing” and build self up, but are never aggressive
Most will try to be different from difficult upbringing, like Okonkwo
Superhero vs a regular man hero
Socially acceptable for superheros to beat people up, but not for a strong man to do so (even if it’s not necessary)
Western heros are romanticized

8. What are his strengths and weaknesses?
Strength is strength, aggression is weakness
According to him, emotions are weakness
Hiding of emotions is weakness
Impulsive decisions to show power
Resourceful and dedicated is strength
Cares for family (even if he doesn’t show it) as strength
Closed minded - strength or weakness? (i.e. dedicated to culture and way of life)

9. Question 3: Describe Unoka
Question 3: Describe Unoka. What are Okonkwo’s feelings towards him and why? How does the negative example of his father shape Okonkwo’s character and actions? What do the early descriptions of Okonkwo’s success and Unoka’s failure tell you about Igbo society? How does one succeed in this cultural context? What do we learn from the system of taking of titles? Who seems to be excluded from opportunities to gain such success?

10. Describe Unoka. What are Okonkwo’s feelings towards Unoka and why
Describe Unoka. What are Okonkwo’s feelings towards Unoka and why? How does the negative example of his father shape Okonkwo’s character and actions?
Tall, thin, poor posture
Wore haggard and mournful look
Loved to drink and play flute
Seen as failure - never achieved anything in life
No titles
Okonkwo has no patience with father because he was unsuccessful
Does everything in power to be opposite of father
Saw father as having “feminine characteristics.”
Seen as agbala - means woman, or man who has taken no title - and efulefu - a worthless man
No inheritance - kind of bitter
Brought shame to family

11. What do the early descriptions of Okonkwo’s success and Unoka’s failure tell us about Igbo society? How does one succeed in this cultural context? What do we learn from the system of the taking of titles?
Society deems it important to work for what you have
Having nothing = useless
The more accomplished you are, the stronger you are, the more respected you are
Must work hard, earn titles
Respect culture, and Gods
Must contribute to society
Maintain relationships (i.e. father wasn’t accomplished, but respected him) i.e. Kola nut, palm-wine
The system is sexist
Based on merit - productivity of yams, strength in war, athletic skill
Must be ambitious, strong, deserving in order to earn titles

12. Who seems to be excluded from opportunities to gain such success?
The women
Not welcome to gaining titles
Must wear husbands titles
Have to live in different hut from husband
“Women jobs” versus “Men jobs”
Looked upon as weak
Only there to please man, raise children and cook
“The dominant role for women is: first, to make a pure bride for an honorable man, second, to be a submissive wife, and third, to bear many children.” - shoomp.com
Ezinma has potential to be most successful child but won’t be because she’s a child
Nwoye is lazy and abandons culture but still has potential to gain success
Chielo is only respected because she speaks for their Oracle
All of their Gods are female; ironic - no respect for women but look up to women

13. Question 4: Describe the narrator Things Fall Apart, the “voice” telling us the story of Okonkwo, Umuofia, and the Igbo world of the nine villages. How would you describe this narrative voice, its point of view, its values, and perspectives? In the introductory essay to our edition, Simon Gikandi calls the novel’s storyteller a “witness” (xiii)- to what does Achebe’s narrator bear witness?

14. Describe the narrator, the “voice” telling us the story of Okonkwo, Umuofia and the Igbo world. How would you describe their voice, point of view, values and perspectives? To what does Achebe’s narrator bear “witness”?
Omniscient - a God-like narrator who can dip into people’s minds and tell us what they’re thinking
Unbiased, tells good and bad of culture and colonization
Bystander
Could be a lesson story being passed on?
Listing the facts; reader can form own opinions on how things are
Clearly someone who understands the Igbo culture
Can speak English/learned to because they can translate what missionaries are saying
Understands cultural words and ideas
Bears witness to everything - overlooking, aerial view