What are the formal and Thematic characteristics and how did the writer applied them to this novel?
Formal/Stylistic characteristics
of the 20th century
English literature
Open Form
Free verse
Discontinuous narrative
Juxtaposition
Intertextuality
Classical allusions
Borrowings from other cultures and languages
Unconventional use of metaphor
Symbolic representation
Metanarrative
Psychoanalysis
Fragmentation
Multiple narrative points of view (parallax)
Thematic characteristics
in the 20th century
English literature
Breakdown of social norms and cultural sureties
Social meaning
Dislocation of meaning and sense from its normal context
Spiritual loneliness
Valorization of the despairing individual in the face of an unmanageable future
Alienation
Frustration and disillusionment
Rejection of history and the substitution of a mythical past, borrowed without chronology
Product of the metropolis, of cities and urbanscapes
Stream of consciousness writing|Stream of consciousness
Free indirect speech|Free indirect discourse
Overwhelming technological changes of the 20th Century
Chinua Achebe applied some of these characteristics in his novel "Things Fall Apart".As we can see it's a simple novel which discuss the African society . that is a new topic about Africa in the point of view of a native African writer at that time. Things Fall Apart, focusing on the main character, Okonkwo. Specifically considered in this character evaluation is how Okonkwo demonstrates the traditional aspects of his 'ideal society, his perceptions of good and evil ,likes and dislikes s and contrasts the strengths and weaknesses of the Nigerian male character Okonkwo and the whole African society.
How did Chinua Achebe changed the stereotype image of the African society in his novel "THINGS FALL APART" ?
In Chinua Achebe's novel "Things Fall Apart" He focuses on the African tribe and its traditions. He added some folk literature , proverbs into the story and used a simple language to prove the false stereotypes about traditional African culture.
The story "Things Fall Apart" is centered on the Ibo tribe and their traditions. Religious traditions play a main role in that society. For example: The Ibo believe that woman who give birth of twins is cursed so they take the babies to the Evil Forest to depart from life. There are many other traditions with the Ibo religion that help the reader to understand their way of life.
Proverbs are used a lot to provide reasons of why the way things are. "If one finger brought oil it soiled the others. This proverb is explaining why the elders punished Okonkwo for killing Ezeudu's son. The Ibo tribe believed anyone who disobeys the gods have to be punished and if not the whole tribe may be cursed and suffer
Achebe wrote "Things Fall Apart" to defy and change the stereotypes about traditional African culture. He used different folk literature, proverbs, events, the way that the characters communicate and some African images of how festivals are done in the African society. All these are done to enhance his purpose. The literature has also presented a better understanding of the Ibo tribe. Without the literature, the story would become uninteresting and dull. The reader learns not only the morals of the story, but realize the reality of the African society and not what people believe as Stereotype such as that the African are savages, cannibals and monsters ad without the Europeans they wouldn't became HUMANS.
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