Things Fall Apart: Quotes Flashcards
Quote about Okonkwo’s fame
‘Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements’
This shows the Igbo value of success
Quote about Okonkwo’s wrestling feats
‘He had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the cat’
This shows how in Igbo society violence and strength is valued
Quote about Okonkwo’s wealth and status
‘He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife. To crown it all he had taken two titles’
- Shows how he lives in an agrarian society where your ability to produce and provide is valued greatly
- Shows how he lives in a polygamous society where a man’s worth and status is often based on his number of wives
Quote about Okonkwo’s strength
‘He was a strong man and rarely felt fatigue’
Quote about how Okonkwo started from nothing
‘Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherent’
Quote about Okonkwo’s willingness to work
‘He had begun even in his father’s lifetime to lay the foundations of a prosperous future. It was slow and painful. But he threw himself into it like one possessed’
Quote about Okonkwo’s deservedness for success
‘If a man ever deserved his success, that man was Okonkwo’
Quote about Okonkwo’s influence due to his success
‘He was a very successful man, and when he spoke, his words were mighty’
Quote about how Igbo society value people’s achivement
‘Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered’
Quote about how Igbo society allows people to rise in reputation and status due to their work even if they do not come from much
‘As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with the kings’
Quote about yams
‘Yam stood for manliness, and he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man indeed’
Quote about Okonkwo’s stammer and subsequent violence
‘He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out fast enough, he would use his fists’
Quotes about Okonkwo, words and action
‘Okonkwo was a man of action, not of words’
Quote about Okonkwo and how he ruled his house
‘Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand’
Quote about Okonkwo and blood
‘He was a man of action. A man of war. Unlike his father he could stand the look of blood’
Quote about Okonkwo and showing outward emotion
‘Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness, the only thing worth demonstrating was strength.’
Quote about Okonkwo’s repetance
‘Inwardly, he was repetant. But he was not the man to go about telling his neighbour he was in error’
Quote about how a man should treat his women
‘No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man’
This is free indirect discourse and represents Okonkwo’s views
Quote about Okonkwo beating his wife during the week of peace
‘And when she returned he beat her very heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace’
Quote about Nwoye’s laziness and Okonkwo’s reaction
‘Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness, and he sought to correct it through constant nagging and beating’
Quote about Okonkwo’s commandment to Ezinma to be more feminine
‘Sit like a woman!’
Quote about Unoka’s negative traits
‘In his day he was lazy and improvident’
Quote about Okonkwo’s hate for Unoka
‘Even as a little boy he had resented his father’s failure and weakness’
Quote about Okonkwo’s fear of becoming like his father
‘It was the fear of himself, lest he should become like his father’
Quote about Okonkwo’s fear of failure and weakness
‘His whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw’
Quote about Okonkwo’s household’s fear of him
‘His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children’
Quote about Okonkwo’s crime of beating during the week of peace
‘The Earth Goddess whom you have insulted may refuse to give us her increase, and we shall all perish’
Quote about Ezeudu’s advice regarding Ikemefuna
‘That boy calls you father, do not bear a hand in his death’
Quote about Okonkwo cutting down Ikemefuna
‘Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his matchet and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak’
Quote about Okonkwo’s resentment of the clan’s response to the missionaries
‘He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart, and he mourned for the warlike men of Umofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women’
Quote about how Okonkwo wished to deal with the missionaries
‘Okonkwo said that until the abominable gang was chased out of the village with whips, there would be no peace’
Quote about how Umofia would not stand with him after he killed the messenger (because they are able to adapt unlike him)
‘Okonkwo stood looking at the dead man. He knew that Umofia would not go to war’
Quote about Nwoye and which stories he preferred
‘Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell’
Quote about Nwoye overhearing Ikemefuna’s depature
‘Nwoye overheard him and burst into tears, whereupon his father beat him heavily’
Quote about Nwoye’s captivation of the missionaries
‘But there was a young lad who had been captivated’
Quote about the missionaries answering Nwoye’s questions
‘The hymn about brothers who sat in darkness and in fear seemed to answer a vague and persistent question that haunted his young soul - the question of the twins crying in the bush and the question of Ikemefuna who was killed’
Quote about how the Christian hymn made Nwoye feel
‘The words of the hymn were like the drops of frozen rain melting on the dry plate of the panting earth’
Quote about how Okonkwo felt he had been cursed with Nwoye
‘Why, he cried in his heart, should he, Okonkwo, of all people, be cursed with such a son?’
Quote about what Okonkwo would do if all his children worshipped the white man’s God after he died
‘If such a thing were ever to happen, he, Okonkwo, would wipe them off the face of the earth’
Quote about how Nwoye felt after having the presentiment that Ikemefuna had died
‘Something seemed to give way inside of him’
Quote about Ikemefuna’s initial fear
‘At first Ikemefuna was very afraid’
Quote about how Okonkwo threatened and intimidated Ikemefuna
‘When Okonko heard that he would not eat any food he came into the hut with a big stick in his hand and stood over him while he swallowed his yams’
Quote about how Okonkwo started to like Ikemefuna after he had overcome his fear and had proven to be knowledgeable and lively
‘Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy - inwardly of course’
Quote about how Okonkwo was pleased at Ikemefuna due to him developing his son
‘Okonkwo was inwardly pleased at his son’s development, and he knew it was due to Ikemefuna’
Quote about Nwoye and Ikemefuna’s friendship
‘But he and Nwoye had become so deeply attached to eachother that such moments became less frequent and less poignant’
Quote about how Ikemefuna developed
‘He grew rapidly like a yam tendril in the rainy season, and was full of the sap of life’
Quote about how Ikemefuna developed Nwoye
‘He seemed to have kindled a new fire in the younger boy’
Quote about Unoka’s debts
‘Unoka was, of course, a debtor, and he owed every neighbour some money’
Quote about Unoka liking music
‘Unoka would play with them, his face beaming with blessedness and peace’
Quote about Unoka’s wealth
‘He was poor and his wife and children barely had enough to eat’
Quote about Nwoye resembling his grandfather
‘But Nwoye resembled his grandfather, Unoka, who was Okonkwo’s father’
Quote about Ekwefi’s suffering
‘Ekwefi had suffered a good deal in her lifetime’
Quote about how many children Ekwefi had had
‘She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy’
Quote about how important having children should be for Igbo women
‘The birth of her children, which should be a woman’s crowning glory’
Quote about Ekwefi’s efforts in raising the young Ezinma
‘She determined to nurse her child to health, and put all her being into it’
Quote about Ekwefi’s audacity
‘Of his three wives Ekwefi was the only one who would have the audacity to bang on his door’
Quote about how Ekwefi surreptitiously fed Ezinma eggs
‘Her mother always took her into their bedroom and shut the door’
Quote about Ekwefi and the unshooting gun
‘The wife who had just been beaten murmured something about guns which never shot’
Quote about the position of women in the justice system
‘These women never saw the inside of the hut. No woman ever did’
Quote about wives doing their husbands bidding
‘We all know that a man is the head of the family and his wives do his bidding’
Quote about how Okonkwo thinks men are not worthy anymore
‘Worthy men are no more’
Quote about how Ezinma is the most important thing in Ekwefi’s world
‘Ezinma was an only child and the centre of her mother’s world’
Quote about the special relationship between Ekwefi and Ezinma
‘The relationship between them was not only that of mother and child. There was something in it like the companionship of equals’
Quote about Ezinma’s intelligence
‘Her daughter was only ten years old but she was wiser than her years’
Quote about Okonkwo liking Ezinma
‘Okonkwo was especially fond of Ezinma’
Quote about Okonkwo wishing Ezinma was a boy (because of her masculine values such as intelligence but also the affection and sympathy between them)
‘If Ezinma had been born a boy I would have been much happier. She has the right spirit’
Quote about how Okonkwo sees himself as womanly and feminine for being affected by Ikemefuna’s death
‘Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed’
Quote about the sympathy between Okonkwo and Ezinma
‘Of all his children she alone understood his every mood. A bond of sympathy had grown between them as the years passed’
Quote about Obierika bringing cowries to Okonkwo during his exile
‘He brought with him two young men, each of them carrying a heavy bag on his head…It was clear that the bags were full of cowries’
Quote about Okonkwo’s happiness to see his friend during his exile
‘Okonkwo was very happy to receive his friend’
Quote about Okonkwo giving thanks to Obierika for all he had done during his exile
‘God will not permit it… I do not know how to thankyou’
Quote where Obierika is Okonkwo’s final spokesman
‘That man was one of the greatest men is Umofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog’
Quote about Okonkwo opening up to Obierika about Nwoye, showing the trust between them
‘I am worried about Nwoye’
Quote about how the clan is threatened due to a lack of kinship
‘But I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship. You do not know what it is to speak with one voice. And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you’
Quote where Obierika questions the clans justice system
‘Why should a man suffer so greviously for an offence he commited inadvertently…He remembered his wife’s twin children, whom he had thrown away. What crime had they committed’
He is questioning the collective and unfair punishment from not only the clan by the gods as well
Quote about Obierika’s thoughtfulness
‘Obierika was a man who thought about things’
Quote about why Obierika would not have killed Ikemefuna
‘The Oracle did not ask me to carry out its decision’
Shows how Obierika would not kill somebody who regards him as a father simply because he was afraid of being weak, showing his flexibility and adaptability in contrast to Okonkwo
Quote showing Obierika’s more reasonable and adaptable approach to the Europeans
‘But what of our own people who are following their way… They would go to Umuru and bring the soldiers and we would be like Abame’
He sees this, but he can also see the good things in the religion such as the ‘trading post’
Quote about how Mr Brown tried not to offend the clan
‘Mr Brown… who was very firm in restraining the wrath of his flock from provoking the wrath of the clan’
Quote about how the clan respected Mr Brown due to his kindness and respect for the clan
‘He had been presented with a carved elephant tusk which was a sign of dignity and rank’
Quote about Mr Brown learning about the clan and not wanting to attack it straight on
‘He learnt a good deal about the religion of the clan and he came to the conclusion that a frontal attack would not work’
Quote about how Mr Brown used soft power and was very devoted to his religion
‘Mr Brown begged and argued and prophesised’
Quote about Mr Smith’s uncomprising, harsh, binary outlook
‘He saw the world as a battlefield in which the children of light were locked in mortal conflict with the sons of darkness’
Quote showing how Mr Smith believes the two religions cannot co-exist
‘He believed in slaying the prophets of Baal’
Baal represents false idols
Quote showing how Mr Smith’s ideologies resulted in violence action against Umofia
‘The over-zealous converts who had smarted under Mr Brown’s restraining hand now flourised in full flavour’
Quote showing the objectification of women in marriage, showing they solely exist as an accessory to men
‘Her suitor and her relatives surveyed her young body with expert eyes as if to assure themselves that she was beautiful and ripe’
Quote showing how women do not have a voice by how Okonkwo’s wives would not mention how he looked as if he was an Egwugwu
‘Okonkwo’s wives…might have noticed that the second egwugwu had the springy walk of Okonkwo. And… that Okonkwo was not among the titled men and elders who sat behind the row of eguwugwu, but if they thought these things they kept them within themselves’
This also shows the strong religious authority they hold that people would not dare to question
Quote about Nwoye and Ikemefuna’s inseperability
‘Nwoye became quite inseperable from him because he seemed to know everything’
Quote about masculine things Nwoye did under the influence of Ikemefuna
‘Nothing pleased Nwoye more than to be sent for by his mother to do one of those difficult and masculine tasks’
Quote about Okonkwo calling a man a woman
’ “This meeting is for men.” The man who had contradicted him had no titles. That was why he had called him a woman.’
Quote about Okonkwo being authoratative over his wife
‘Do what you are told, woman,” Okonkwo thundered, and stammered. “When did you become one of the ndichie of Umuofia?’
Quote about people showing submission to the Egwugwu
‘Uzowulu bent down and touched the earth with his right hand as a sign of submission’
Quote about Okonkwo submitting to Chielo
‘Okonkwo pleaded with her to come back in the morning because Ezinma was now asleep’
Quote where Chielo dominates Okonkwo through the authority of religion
‘Beware of exchanging words with Agbala. Does a man speak when a God speaks? Beware!’
Quote about how the people punishing Okonkwo for his crime where only doing the Earth Goddesses’ bidding
‘It was the justice of the earth goddess, and they were merely her messengers. They had no hatred in their hearts for Okonkwo’
Quote describing the British action during the massacre of Abame
‘The three white men and a very large number of other men surrounded the market… And they began to shoot’
Quote describing the British system of justice which had been set up
‘They had built a court where the District Commisioner judged cases in ignorance’
Quote about Okonkwo’s rage with how the British took him prisoner and disrespected his titles
‘Okonkwo was choked with hate’
Quote about how the Church survived the evil forest
‘At last the day came by which all the missionaries should have died. But they were still alive’
Quote about the severity of the crime Enoch committed
‘One of the greatest crimes a man could commit was to unmask an egwugwu in public’
Quote where the British mock the traditions and symbolical nature of the titles
‘We see that every pauper wears the anklet of title in Umofia. Does it cost as much as ten cowries?’
Quote explaining how men of status in Umofia are prisoners to the white men
‘Some of these prisoners were men of title who should be above such mean occupation’
Quote about the clan metaphorically crying after the death of the Egwugwu
‘It seemed as if the very soul of the tribe wept for a great evil that was coming - its own death’
Quote about the knife and things falling apart
‘The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peacefully with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart’
Quote about how Ikemefuna had a destiny of something bad
‘And that was how he came to look after the doomed lad who was sacrificed to the village of Umofia by their neighbours’
Quote about how Unoka had a bad destiny
‘He had a bad chi or personal god, and evil fortune followed him to his grave, or rather to his death for he had no grave’
Quote about the Umofian saying surrounding Chi and how you could rise above it
‘When a man says yes, his chi says yes also’
Quote where Chielo tells Unoka he must work hard
‘And when a man is at peace with his gods and his ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm’
Quote where Okonkwo denies that a man can control his chi after his exile
‘Clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things. A man could not rise above the destiny of his chi. The saying of the elders was not true’
Quote about how the high ranking men believe they will be respected so decide not to carry guns as they think it would be rude
‘They did not carry guns, for that would be unseemly’
Quote about Uchendu saying you should not always use violence as your first instinct, something Okonkwo does not follow
‘Never kill a man who says nothing’
Quote about why Uchendu believes ‘Mother is Supreme’
‘But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his mother-land’
Okonkwo rejects this value as he believes a man should always take pride in being in his fatherland and is angered by how his success was ruined by his exile to his motherland
Quote about Uchendu saying you should not hang yourself with his life as an example
‘I did not hang myself, and I am still alive’
Quote about mothers being a force for good in Uchendu’s speech
‘But when a father beat’s his child, it seeks sympathy in its mother’s hut’
Quote about salience of proverbs in Igbo society
‘Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten’
