Themes and quotations in THings Fall apart Flashcards
masculinity
“He was a man of action, a man of war.”
“and even know he still remembered when a playmate had told him that his father was Agbala. That was how Okonkwo had first came to know that Agbala was not only a name for a woman, but it could also mean a man with no title.”
“And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion….. One of those things was gentleness and another of those things was idleness.”
“ezinma took the empty dish in one hand and the empty water bowl in the other and went back to her mothers hut. “she should have been a boy.” Okonkwo said to himself again.
Obierika outlook on masculinity is fraternal. “But I thought you would need the money now and so I brought it”
“i will only have a son as a man”
“dont bear a hand in his death” “after killing ikemefuna”
religion
“unoka was an ill fated man. He had a bad chi or personal God, and evil fortune followed him to the grave.”
“and in fairness to umofia it should be recorded that it never went to war unless its case was clear and just was accepted by hte oracle… and there were indeed occasions where the oracle had forbidden them to go to war.”
“yes umuofia has decided to kill him. The oracle of the hills and the caves has pronounced it.”
“ekwefi” “Agbala greeets you”
“woman go home, before agbala does you harm”
“how else could they say that Ani and Amadior were harmless”
“his chi might be making ammends”
okonkwos clear contrast with religion
“do not bear a hand in his death” “after killing ikemefuna”
“okonkwo was not the man to stop beating somebody not even for fear of a goddess.”
“the earth goddess whom you have insulted may ruin tte whole clan”
“go home and sleep” he has disobeyed the priests and followed her even though he was told not to follow
“it was deeper and more intricate than the fear of evil and capricous gods and of magic.”
family
“he wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough young man capabe of ruling his fathers household.”
“so okonkwo encourages the boys to sit with him”
“okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper.”
“and so he sought to correct him with nagging and beating”
“there was a wealthy man.. nine wives.”
“if you split another yam of this size, I shall break your jaw.”
Gendre
“ezinma took the empty dish in one hand and the empty water bowl in the other and went back to her mothers hut. “she should have been a boy.” Okonkwo said to himself again.” As she has the right spirit.
“sit like a woman.”
“ezinma placed her mothers dish before him and sat with obiageli.”
“these women never saw the inside of the hut”
“we say that mother is supreme”
Womanhood is valued by society
Okonkwo does not have the answer about
“But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland”
respect
“his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of faliure and weakness.”
“indeed he respected him for his industry and his success.”
“his fame rested on solid personal achievements”
justice
“it was the justice of the earth goddess”
“why should a man suffer so grieveously for a crime he had committed inadvertently.”
“your words are good” “his words may also be good”
“would not return her bride price”
prosperity
“there was a huge quantity of food left over at the end of the day.”
“sitting on a goatskin eating his first wifes meal”
Okonkwo slowly becoming like his father
“like beginning anew without the enthusiasm of youth”
Okonkwo leaves Umuofia with nothing in his lfie.
“he cried in his heart” some kind of emotion within him
Motherland
“we say that mother is supreme”
Womanhood is valued by society
Okonkwo does not have the answer about
“But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland”
change
“won a handful of converts”
“arrival of missionaries had caused a considerable stir”
“Umuofia had indeed changed during the seven years in exile”
“the white men had also brought a government.”
“How can we fight when our own brothers have turned against us”
“a man can now leave his fathers and brothers.”
“these outcasts or osu…it was possible they would also be recieved”
effect of missionaries
yams
yam was the king of crops
yams stood for manliness
“If he was unable to rule his women and children (especially his women) he was not really a man
“he cried in his heart” some kind of emotion within him
violence
okonkwo ran madly into his room for the loaded gun”
“it was this man who Okonkwo threw in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest.
“a man who sold his matchet but wore a sheath” seen as weak and cowardly by people who have traditional views.”
“i will visit you and break your neck”
From the missionaries, “and they beat the men”
peace not violence
“tell the white man that we will not do him any harm”
“for his sake we shall not harm his brother”
“we have held it down so we can talk to you”
“He does not understand our customs”
“we shall not harm his brothers”
obierika “why should a man suffer so greviously for a crime he had committed so inadvertently”
