Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart video

Things Fall Apart Intro

Intro and background on Achebe

Things Fall Apart Video Questions:

World Literature                                                               Name ________________

Things Fall Apart: Video Notes

1.  The publication of Things Fall Apart was kind of a watershed moment in African Literature and Achebe has been called the father of modern African writing.  Explain what is meant by this, and why.

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2. Explain the importance of the setting of Things Fall Apart. Be sure to include where and when it is set.

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3. Before Achebe's novel appeared, most Europeans and Americans knew of Africa only as the Dark Continent. If you lived in New York and you wanted to learn about African culture, you would have to go to the Museum of Natural History, and there you would see exhibits about African villages right next to polar bears and leopards. A particular target of Achebe's own distress at the portrayal of Africa is Joseph Conrad's famous novella, Heart of Darkness. Explain.

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4.  Early on in the novel, we're being introduced to this main character Okonkwo. How is he presented to the reader, and why do you suspect he is portrayed in this way?

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5. How are Achebe’s time of birth, location, childhood and education interesting given the context of the novel?  

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6. “This is not a novel about the badness of Christianity. It's a novel about the complexity of that situation.”  Explain.

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7. One of the things that Achebe has always said, is that part of what he thought the task of the novel was, was to create a usuable past. Trying to give people a richly textured picture of what happened, not a sort of monotone explanation. Explain.

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8. How and when was Things Fall Apart received in the United States?

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