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The African Trilogy #1
兀卮賷丕亍 鬲鬲丿丕毓賶
"丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 鬲鬲丿丕毓賶" 乇賵丕賷丞 賰賱丕爻賷賰賷丞 禺丕氐丞 亘丕賱兀丿亘 丕賱賳賷噩乇賷 丿賵賳賴丕 "兀鬲卮賷亘賷" 賵賳賯賱 賮賷賴丕 賵丕賯毓 丕賱丨賷丕丞 賮賷 兀賮乇賷賯賷丞貙 賵賲丕 賷毓鬲乇賷賴丕 賲賳 賯賱賯 賵毓賳賮 賵兀爻丕胤賷乇貙 賵賲毓賴丕 賷賳賯賱 丕賱賯丕乇卅 亘禺賷丕賱賴 廿賱賶 毓賵丕賱賲 兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 丕賱鬲賷 鬲鬲賮賰賰 亘賮毓賱 丕賱睾夭賵 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇賷 丕賱匕賷 賷卮賰賱 丕賱馗賱丕賲 丕賱匕賷 丕噩鬲丕丨 兀賮乇賷賯賷丕貙 亘胤賱賴丕 "丕賵賰賵賳賰賵賵" 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 丕賱賲卮賴賵乇丞 亘廿賳噩丕夭丕鬲賴丕 丕賱乇丕爻禺丞 賮賷 兀毓賲丕賯 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷貙 賵賴賵 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賷毓丕賳賷 賵賷賵丕噩賴 賲丕 賰鬲亘賴 丕賱賯丿乇 賱賴貙 賵賱賰賳 賳賴丕賷鬲賴 爻鬲賰賵賳 賲丐孬乇丞貙 賯氐丞 賴匕丕 丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱匕賷 賯鬲賱 爻丕毓賷丕賸 賵卮賳賯 賳賮爻賴 賴乇亘丕賸 賲賳 丕賱賵丕賯毓貙 賲賳丿賮毓丕賸 賳丨賵 丕賱丨乇賷丞 賮賷 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丕賱丌禺乇... 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 鬲鬲丿丕毓賶 "賴賷 卮賴丕丿丞 毓賳 丕賱鬲噩乇亘丞 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 賷賰鬲亘賴丕 賳賷噩賷乇賷" 毓丕卮 丕賱鬲噩乇亘丞 賲賳 丕賱丿丕禺賱 賵丨丕賵賱 兀賳 賷噩毓賱 賲賳 毓賲賱賴 丕賱兀丿亘賷 噩夭亍丕賸 賲賳 乇丐賷丞 噩丿賷丿丞 賱賱賲噩鬲賲毓 賵丕賱丨賷丕丞.
234 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
11.2k people are currently reading
254k people want to read
About the author
Chinua Achebe
146听books4,039听followersWorks, including the novel
Things Fall Apart
(1958), of Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe describe traditional African life in conflict with colonial rule and westernization.
This poet and critic served as professor at Brown University. People best know and most widely read his first book in modern African literature.
Christian parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria reared Achebe, who excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. World religions and traditional African cultures fascinated him, who began stories as a university student. After graduation, he worked for the Nigerian broadcasting service and quickly moved to the metropolis of Lagos. He gained worldwide attention in the late 1950s; his later novels include No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964), A Man of the People (1966), and Anthills of the Savannah (1987). Achebe defended the use of English, a "language of colonizers," in African literature. In 1975, controversy focused on his lecture An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" for its criticism of Joseph Conrad as "a bloody racist."
When the region of Biafra broke away from Nigeria in 1967, Achebe, a devoted supporter of independence, served as ambassador for the people of the new nation. The war ravaged the populace, and as starvation and violence took its toll, he appealed to the people of Europe and the Americas for aid. When the Nigerian government retook the region in 1970, he involved in political parties but witnessed the corruption and elitism that duly frustration him, who quickly resigned. He lived in the United States for several years in the 1970s, and after a car accident left him partially disabled, he returned to the United States in 1990.
Novels of Achebe focus on the traditions of Igbo society, the effect of Christian influences, and the clash of values during and after the colonial era. His style relied heavily on the Igbo oral tradition, and combines straightforward narration with representations of folk stories, proverbs, and oratory. He also published a number of short stories, children's books, and essay collections. He served as the David and Marianna Fisher university professor of Africana studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
ollowing a brief illness, Achebe died.
This poet and critic served as professor at Brown University. People best know and most widely read his first book in modern African literature.
Christian parents in the Igbo town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria reared Achebe, who excelled at school and won a scholarship for undergraduate studies. World religions and traditional African cultures fascinated him, who began stories as a university student. After graduation, he worked for the Nigerian broadcasting service and quickly moved to the metropolis of Lagos. He gained worldwide attention in the late 1950s; his later novels include No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964), A Man of the People (1966), and Anthills of the Savannah (1987). Achebe defended the use of English, a "language of colonizers," in African literature. In 1975, controversy focused on his lecture An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" for its criticism of Joseph Conrad as "a bloody racist."
When the region of Biafra broke away from Nigeria in 1967, Achebe, a devoted supporter of independence, served as ambassador for the people of the new nation. The war ravaged the populace, and as starvation and violence took its toll, he appealed to the people of Europe and the Americas for aid. When the Nigerian government retook the region in 1970, he involved in political parties but witnessed the corruption and elitism that duly frustration him, who quickly resigned. He lived in the United States for several years in the 1970s, and after a car accident left him partially disabled, he returned to the United States in 1990.
Novels of Achebe focus on the traditions of Igbo society, the effect of Christian influences, and the clash of values during and after the colonial era. His style relied heavily on the Igbo oral tradition, and combines straightforward narration with representations of folk stories, proverbs, and oratory. He also published a number of short stories, children's books, and essay collections. He served as the David and Marianna Fisher university professor of Africana studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
ollowing a brief illness, Achebe died.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 21,893 reviews
July 25, 2018
My son and I had a long talk about this novel the other day, after he finished reading it for an English class.
Over the course of the study unit, we had been talking about Chinua Achebe's fabulous juxtaposition of different layers of society, both within Okonkwo's tribe, and within the colonialist community. We had been reflecting on aspects of the tribe that we found hard to understand, being foreign and against certain human rights we take for granted, most notably parts of the strict hierarchy and the role of women. And we had been angry together at the inhumane arrogance and violence of the Europeans, who were only in charge based on their technological development level, not on cultural superiority. We had thought about the roles of men and women, and of individuals in their relation to their families and social environment. We had touched on the hypocrisy of religious missions.
I had dwelt on the title and its beautiful context, the poem by Yeats, more relevant now than ever:
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."
We had compared Okonkwo to the skilled falcon, and the ruthless Europeans to falconers killing and destroying without reason. And "The best lack all conviction..." - a sad truth in an era of a radicalised political climate.
We agreed that the novel was excellent, timeless and universally important.
And then came the last paragraph...
If a novel can make a 14-year-old genuinely upset, angry, and frustrated to the point of wanting to slap a fictional character, then the author has managed to convey a message, I'd say. He got me engaged as well, and I could feel my nausea towards the Commissioner re-emerge instantly when reading his arrogant final thoughts, after the tragic showdown:
"The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading. One could almost write a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at any rate. There was so much else to include, and one must be firm in cutting out details. He had already chosen the title of the book, after much thought: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger."
The discussion between my son and myself focused on how the commissioner managed to marginalise a whole life, which we had breathlessly followed in the preceding pages, to a mere paragraph in a text of his own vain invention, with zero relation to the true circumstances. My son claimed it was one of the best endings he had ever read - for the sudden change of perspective that disrupted the story and made it stand out in sharp contrast.
Then we continued talking.
Best endings? Which ones could possibly compete?
First one up was . Its last sentence also puts individual suffering into a wider perspective, in this case a time frame:
鈥淭he end of an unclouded day. Almost a happy one. Just one of the 3,653 days of his sentence, from bell to bell. The extra three were for leap years.鈥�
Neither my son nor I will ever get over that counting of three extra days for leap years...
Second up was , in which the death of the narrator is reported in a last paragraph that indicates that the main character's life is of so little importance that newspapers wrote there was "Nothing New on the Western Front". His so-called heroic death drowned in the meaningless mass dying, his suffering was completely without purpose in the bigger machinations of politics on national level. And yet, he had been so incredibly alive and opinionated and experienced, just the day before...
Then the last one we could think of (mirroring our shared reading experience), was the horrible case of a last sentence showing the victim's complete identification with the tyrant, the falcon loving the falconer, Orwell's closing line in :
"He loved Big Brother."
The brutality of the comparison made my son say:
"At least Okonkwo made his final choice on his own."
As sad as it is, we felt grateful for that. But what a brave new world, that has such people in it!
Must-read. Must-talk-about!
Over the course of the study unit, we had been talking about Chinua Achebe's fabulous juxtaposition of different layers of society, both within Okonkwo's tribe, and within the colonialist community. We had been reflecting on aspects of the tribe that we found hard to understand, being foreign and against certain human rights we take for granted, most notably parts of the strict hierarchy and the role of women. And we had been angry together at the inhumane arrogance and violence of the Europeans, who were only in charge based on their technological development level, not on cultural superiority. We had thought about the roles of men and women, and of individuals in their relation to their families and social environment. We had touched on the hypocrisy of religious missions.
I had dwelt on the title and its beautiful context, the poem by Yeats, more relevant now than ever:
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."
We had compared Okonkwo to the skilled falcon, and the ruthless Europeans to falconers killing and destroying without reason. And "The best lack all conviction..." - a sad truth in an era of a radicalised political climate.
We agreed that the novel was excellent, timeless and universally important.
And then came the last paragraph...
If a novel can make a 14-year-old genuinely upset, angry, and frustrated to the point of wanting to slap a fictional character, then the author has managed to convey a message, I'd say. He got me engaged as well, and I could feel my nausea towards the Commissioner re-emerge instantly when reading his arrogant final thoughts, after the tragic showdown:
"The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading. One could almost write a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at any rate. There was so much else to include, and one must be firm in cutting out details. He had already chosen the title of the book, after much thought: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger."
The discussion between my son and myself focused on how the commissioner managed to marginalise a whole life, which we had breathlessly followed in the preceding pages, to a mere paragraph in a text of his own vain invention, with zero relation to the true circumstances. My son claimed it was one of the best endings he had ever read - for the sudden change of perspective that disrupted the story and made it stand out in sharp contrast.
Then we continued talking.
Best endings? Which ones could possibly compete?
First one up was . Its last sentence also puts individual suffering into a wider perspective, in this case a time frame:
鈥淭he end of an unclouded day. Almost a happy one. Just one of the 3,653 days of his sentence, from bell to bell. The extra three were for leap years.鈥�
Neither my son nor I will ever get over that counting of three extra days for leap years...
Second up was , in which the death of the narrator is reported in a last paragraph that indicates that the main character's life is of so little importance that newspapers wrote there was "Nothing New on the Western Front". His so-called heroic death drowned in the meaningless mass dying, his suffering was completely without purpose in the bigger machinations of politics on national level. And yet, he had been so incredibly alive and opinionated and experienced, just the day before...
Then the last one we could think of (mirroring our shared reading experience), was the horrible case of a last sentence showing the victim's complete identification with the tyrant, the falcon loving the falconer, Orwell's closing line in :
"He loved Big Brother."
The brutality of the comparison made my son say:
"At least Okonkwo made his final choice on his own."
As sad as it is, we felt grateful for that. But what a brave new world, that has such people in it!
Must-read. Must-talk-about!
January 23, 2014
鈥淭he drums were still beating, persistent and unchanging. Their sound was no longer a separate thing from the living village. It was like the pulsation of its heart. It throbbed in the air, in the sunshine, and even in the trees, and filled the village with excitement.鈥� - Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
This is a book of many contrasts; colonialism and traditional culture, animism and Christianity, the masculine and the feminine, and the ignorant and the aware (although who is who depends on who鈥檚 speaking).
Okonkwo is one of the most intriguing characters in African fiction. He epitomizes so much I dislike; he鈥檚 abusive, misogynist, has very little patience or tolerance for the weak, and is perhaps he鈥檚 even over-ambitious. Despite all his faults, it鈥檚 impossible not to pity him a little because, after all, the life he knows, the life of his ancestors, is being taken from him quite cruelly by the British settlers.
This book really takes the reader into the Igbo culture. Achebe shows the traditional culture very well, a culture which is rife with superstition but rich in context. I loved the inclusion of the African proverbs and folk tales, and the details of the Igbo clan system. Achebe also shows how tightknit precolonial African culture was and how, despite not having the so-called civilized institutions, things went pretty smoothly because of the community spirit and also the societal rules. The importance of ancestors in society is a part of this:
鈥淭he land of the living was not far removed from the domain of the ancestors. There was coming and going between them.鈥�
Achebe managed to inject some humour into such bleak subject matter, although I think this feat is quite common among African writers:
鈥漎ou grew your ears for decoration, not for hearing.鈥�
What I found difficult to come to terms with, as an African Christian myself, is the horrific way Christianity was introduced to the African continent. However, despite the lack of respect the colonialists showed to the people, it鈥檚 hard to deny that there were some aspects of African tradition that were outdated and people had the option of leaving such tradition behind, especially if it was harmful. For example, in this book the outcasts and the parents of twin babies (who had to kill their babies to prevent evil from entering the village) obviously found it easier to abandon tradition.
I think this book was the first one that made me realize the terrible impact of colonialism. I鈥檝e always been curious about how Chinese women with bound feet must have felt after that fashion was seen as barbaric and unfashionable, and in the same vein I鈥檝e also wondered about how those in African cultures who had lots of power and were accorded lots of respect might have felt when new values undermined everything they had worked towards.
This book reminds me a lot of Ngugi wa Thiong鈥檕鈥檚 鈥淭he River Between鈥� which focuses on similar subject matter, albeit on the other side of the continent (Kenya). I would highly recommend both of them.
This is a book of many contrasts; colonialism and traditional culture, animism and Christianity, the masculine and the feminine, and the ignorant and the aware (although who is who depends on who鈥檚 speaking).
Okonkwo is one of the most intriguing characters in African fiction. He epitomizes so much I dislike; he鈥檚 abusive, misogynist, has very little patience or tolerance for the weak, and is perhaps he鈥檚 even over-ambitious. Despite all his faults, it鈥檚 impossible not to pity him a little because, after all, the life he knows, the life of his ancestors, is being taken from him quite cruelly by the British settlers.
This book really takes the reader into the Igbo culture. Achebe shows the traditional culture very well, a culture which is rife with superstition but rich in context. I loved the inclusion of the African proverbs and folk tales, and the details of the Igbo clan system. Achebe also shows how tightknit precolonial African culture was and how, despite not having the so-called civilized institutions, things went pretty smoothly because of the community spirit and also the societal rules. The importance of ancestors in society is a part of this:
鈥淭he land of the living was not far removed from the domain of the ancestors. There was coming and going between them.鈥�
Achebe managed to inject some humour into such bleak subject matter, although I think this feat is quite common among African writers:
鈥漎ou grew your ears for decoration, not for hearing.鈥�
What I found difficult to come to terms with, as an African Christian myself, is the horrific way Christianity was introduced to the African continent. However, despite the lack of respect the colonialists showed to the people, it鈥檚 hard to deny that there were some aspects of African tradition that were outdated and people had the option of leaving such tradition behind, especially if it was harmful. For example, in this book the outcasts and the parents of twin babies (who had to kill their babies to prevent evil from entering the village) obviously found it easier to abandon tradition.
I think this book was the first one that made me realize the terrible impact of colonialism. I鈥檝e always been curious about how Chinese women with bound feet must have felt after that fashion was seen as barbaric and unfashionable, and in the same vein I鈥檝e also wondered about how those in African cultures who had lots of power and were accorded lots of respect might have felt when new values undermined everything they had worked towards.
This book reminds me a lot of Ngugi wa Thiong鈥檕鈥檚 鈥淭he River Between鈥� which focuses on similar subject matter, albeit on the other side of the continent (Kenya). I would highly recommend both of them.
October 14, 2024
I read this novel in an almost constant state of rage. First of all, I disliked the main character for his behavior. In our modern society his husband and parenting skills would be considered appalling. I know, I know, the guy was a member of a Nigerian tribe some time ago but the abuse of women and the psychological scarring of children do not sit well with me. Later, the Christian missionaries appeared and the rage scale went through the roof.
The novel is the story of Okonkwo and his tribe before and after the white people appeared. Okonkwo is a physically strong man in the village, he has many titles, land and authority. He losses no opportunity to show he is a real man, feelings and love are only weaknesses for him. He is domineering, sometimes beats his wives and is constantly tormenting his sons, pushing them to be men like him. An unlucky event puts his ambitions to become the most important person in the village on hold but the "falling apart" comes with the white people, God鈥檚 missionaries. Okonkwo is one of the few villagers who want to fight the new religion and to remove the menace. Here, knowing what came next, I was on his side.
A major part of the short novel can be read as a collection of African customs, traditions and stories. Most of the time there was no clear plot and I was fine with it. The dramatic events, the clash between the two cultures take place almost at the end but that aspect does not diminish the power of the book.
I understand why the novel is a classic, Chinua Achebe being one of the first writers to show the the brutal colonialism of the Western world and its disguise as religious liberation.
The novel is the story of Okonkwo and his tribe before and after the white people appeared. Okonkwo is a physically strong man in the village, he has many titles, land and authority. He losses no opportunity to show he is a real man, feelings and love are only weaknesses for him. He is domineering, sometimes beats his wives and is constantly tormenting his sons, pushing them to be men like him. An unlucky event puts his ambitions to become the most important person in the village on hold but the "falling apart" comes with the white people, God鈥檚 missionaries. Okonkwo is one of the few villagers who want to fight the new religion and to remove the menace. Here, knowing what came next, I was on his side.
A major part of the short novel can be read as a collection of African customs, traditions and stories. Most of the time there was no clear plot and I was fine with it. The dramatic events, the clash between the two cultures take place almost at the end but that aspect does not diminish the power of the book.
I understand why the novel is a classic, Chinua Achebe being one of the first writers to show the the brutal colonialism of the Western world and its disguise as religious liberation.
April 1, 2022
[Edited 4/1/22]
Wiki calls the book the most widely read book in modern African literature.
Written in 1958, this is the classic African novel about how colonialism impacted and undermined traditional African culture. It鈥檚 set among the Igbo people of Nigeria (aka Ibos). A key phrase is found late in the book: 鈥淗e [the white man] has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.鈥�
The main character is a strong man, the village wrestling champion. He has three wives and many children, although the wealthiest man in the village has nine wives, thirty children and three barns. The main character is not above beating his wives when the spirit moves him. He seems ruled by anger and fear.
There鈥檚 not a lot of plot. We watch as the main character struggles at first to become established. There are some bad crop years but all in all, things go reasonably well. Then he accidentally kills a fellow tribesman and suffers the punishment imposed by the village elders of being banished from the village for seven years. He loses his land and his accumulated wealth and has to go back to his mother鈥檚 village, dreaming of his return. When he does return, white rule has extended its influence into his village and everything has changed.
The British have brought greater prosperity, a school and a clinic but at a tremendous cost, mainly by imposing their laws and legal system above the traditional rule by village elders. A Christian church has been built and many villagers are leaving the old gods and converting to the new religion, including one of the main character鈥檚 sons.
There is no return to the old ways. Retaliation by the whites is swift. In a nearby village men killed a white man driving a car (they had never seen a car before). In retaliation, soldiers came and machine-gunned the marketplace 鈥� men, women, children; basically annihilating the village.
Much of the book is anthropological. We learn about the village councils, a priestess, crop cultivation, food preparation, and all the elaborate rituals around bride price negotiations, weddings, funerals and the traditional gods.
I liked many of the idioms and proverbs scattered throughout the text:
鈥淭here must be a reason for it. A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing.鈥�
鈥淎n old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb.鈥�
鈥淓neke the bird says that since men have learned how to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching.鈥�
鈥淎s a man danced, so the drums were beaten for him.鈥�
The author (1930-2013) was raised as a Christian, went to college in Nigeria, became a journalist, and started writing. With his fame he eventually moved to the US as a professor at Brown University. He turned the book into a trilogy, adding No Longer at Ease in 1960 and then Arrow of God in 1964. The author is also known for a famous academic paper attacking Joseph Conrad as 鈥渁 thoroughgoing racist."
A good read and classic.
Top: old photo of the (also Igbos) from diaryofanegress.com
Modern-day family Igbo family from hometown.ng
Photo of the author in 2008 from Wikipedia.
Wiki calls the book the most widely read book in modern African literature.
Written in 1958, this is the classic African novel about how colonialism impacted and undermined traditional African culture. It鈥檚 set among the Igbo people of Nigeria (aka Ibos). A key phrase is found late in the book: 鈥淗e [the white man] has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.鈥�
The main character is a strong man, the village wrestling champion. He has three wives and many children, although the wealthiest man in the village has nine wives, thirty children and three barns. The main character is not above beating his wives when the spirit moves him. He seems ruled by anger and fear.
There鈥檚 not a lot of plot. We watch as the main character struggles at first to become established. There are some bad crop years but all in all, things go reasonably well. Then he accidentally kills a fellow tribesman and suffers the punishment imposed by the village elders of being banished from the village for seven years. He loses his land and his accumulated wealth and has to go back to his mother鈥檚 village, dreaming of his return. When he does return, white rule has extended its influence into his village and everything has changed.
The British have brought greater prosperity, a school and a clinic but at a tremendous cost, mainly by imposing their laws and legal system above the traditional rule by village elders. A Christian church has been built and many villagers are leaving the old gods and converting to the new religion, including one of the main character鈥檚 sons.
There is no return to the old ways. Retaliation by the whites is swift. In a nearby village men killed a white man driving a car (they had never seen a car before). In retaliation, soldiers came and machine-gunned the marketplace 鈥� men, women, children; basically annihilating the village.
Much of the book is anthropological. We learn about the village councils, a priestess, crop cultivation, food preparation, and all the elaborate rituals around bride price negotiations, weddings, funerals and the traditional gods.
I liked many of the idioms and proverbs scattered throughout the text:
鈥淭here must be a reason for it. A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing.鈥�
鈥淎n old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb.鈥�
鈥淓neke the bird says that since men have learned how to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching.鈥�
鈥淎s a man danced, so the drums were beaten for him.鈥�
The author (1930-2013) was raised as a Christian, went to college in Nigeria, became a journalist, and started writing. With his fame he eventually moved to the US as a professor at Brown University. He turned the book into a trilogy, adding No Longer at Ease in 1960 and then Arrow of God in 1964. The author is also known for a famous academic paper attacking Joseph Conrad as 鈥渁 thoroughgoing racist."
A good read and classic.
Top: old photo of the (also Igbos) from diaryofanegress.com
Modern-day family Igbo family from hometown.ng
Photo of the author in 2008 from Wikipedia.
March 27, 2017
Achebe鈥檚 protagonist isn鈥檛 a very nice man. In reality he is an asshole. I don鈥檛 like him. I don鈥檛 think anyone really does. He is ruthless and unsympathetic to his fellow man. He grew up in a warrior鈥檚 culture; the only way to be successful was to be completely uncompromising and remorseless. His father was weak and worthless, according to him, so he approached life with an unshakable will to conquer it with his overbearing masculinity.
鈥漌hen Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavy in debt. Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo was ashamed of him? Fortunately, among these people a man as judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his farther.鈥�
I love the sarcasm in this quote. Achebe is clearly suggesting that this is not true for the white man. For all their supposed superiority, they cannot get this simple thing right. The African tribe here has a better system of promotion based on merit. The warrior Okonkwo has a chance to prove himself regardless of what occurs in the more 鈥渃ivilised鈥� part of the world. And here is the crux of the novel. Achebe gives the black man a voice; he gives him culture and civilisation. These men are not represented in an unjust way. He is directly responding to the ignorant trend in Victorian literature that represented the colonised as unintelligible and voiceless: they were shown to be savage. Achebe gives us the reality.
This quote says it all:
鈥淚f you don't like my story, write your own鈥�.
And that鈥檚 exactly what he did himself. He holds no judgement. His protagonist is completely flawed. Okonkwo is without mercy; he has earnt his fame and respect, so when an untitled youngster speaks out he is immediately roused to anger. This is his hamartia, his tragic flaw, he must overcome this and treat his fellow tribesmen with a degree of dignity. But, he is a slow learner. And who can blame him? For all his brutality and misogyny, this is till his culture. This is all he has ever known, whether it鈥檚 right or wrong doesn鈥檛 matter. Granted, not all the men are as extreme as him. He uses his position to extract violence more than most. His wives are often the focal point for his rage, much to their misfortune. He sounds like a bad man; he鈥檚 certainly not a nice man, but that鈥檚 not the point. Achebe鈥檚 meaning, and the power of this story is revealed at the end.
I found this very unusual, but it was also very effective. The point of this novel is to show how uncompromising the white man is. That鈥檚 an obvious point, though what I mean to say is that its full effect is revealed at the end. The Nigerian culture, the way of life for the tribe folk in this novel, is forced to change because if it doesn鈥檛 it will be destroyed in its entirety. The protagonist represents this; he has to deal with the crisis. He had a choice: he could either accept the white man鈥檚 way, and be changed forever, or he could stick to his own customs and, ultimately, fall.
-Language is the key:
鈥淎mong the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.鈥�
Africa does not possess a silent culture. Conrad鈥檚 Heart of Darkness was wrong. African language is formal, developed and intelligent. Here in Nigeria is the conduit for the Igbo culture. It is rich in oral tradition. Achebe recognises that to accept a new language is to shun the original culture. Achebe shows that Igbo tradition is dependent on storytelling and language, to accept English would destroy the Igbo traditions. It would alienate the Africans form their culture; thus, resistance, however futile, is the natural and just response. Okonkwo鈥檚 reactions are deeply symbolic of a culture that is about to collapse.
I think what Achebe is trying to portray here is the quietness of the African voice. It had no say. It doesn鈥檛 matter if the colonisers were kind or brutal; it doesn鈥檛 matter what the Nigerian culture was like in terms of ethics. What matters is that it was taken away or shaped into something else entirely. This was not progress but assimilation. All culture has its flaws, that鈥檚 true for any society, but the white one, for all its self-aggrandisement, was nothing but imposing. And for Achebe this is the ruination of the voice he was trying to channel.
鈥淭he white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably 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.鈥�
鈥漌hen Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavy in debt. Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo was ashamed of him? Fortunately, among these people a man as judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his farther.鈥�
I love the sarcasm in this quote. Achebe is clearly suggesting that this is not true for the white man. For all their supposed superiority, they cannot get this simple thing right. The African tribe here has a better system of promotion based on merit. The warrior Okonkwo has a chance to prove himself regardless of what occurs in the more 鈥渃ivilised鈥� part of the world. And here is the crux of the novel. Achebe gives the black man a voice; he gives him culture and civilisation. These men are not represented in an unjust way. He is directly responding to the ignorant trend in Victorian literature that represented the colonised as unintelligible and voiceless: they were shown to be savage. Achebe gives us the reality.
This quote says it all:
鈥淚f you don't like my story, write your own鈥�.
And that鈥檚 exactly what he did himself. He holds no judgement. His protagonist is completely flawed. Okonkwo is without mercy; he has earnt his fame and respect, so when an untitled youngster speaks out he is immediately roused to anger. This is his hamartia, his tragic flaw, he must overcome this and treat his fellow tribesmen with a degree of dignity. But, he is a slow learner. And who can blame him? For all his brutality and misogyny, this is till his culture. This is all he has ever known, whether it鈥檚 right or wrong doesn鈥檛 matter. Granted, not all the men are as extreme as him. He uses his position to extract violence more than most. His wives are often the focal point for his rage, much to their misfortune. He sounds like a bad man; he鈥檚 certainly not a nice man, but that鈥檚 not the point. Achebe鈥檚 meaning, and the power of this story is revealed at the end.
I found this very unusual, but it was also very effective. The point of this novel is to show how uncompromising the white man is. That鈥檚 an obvious point, though what I mean to say is that its full effect is revealed at the end. The Nigerian culture, the way of life for the tribe folk in this novel, is forced to change because if it doesn鈥檛 it will be destroyed in its entirety. The protagonist represents this; he has to deal with the crisis. He had a choice: he could either accept the white man鈥檚 way, and be changed forever, or he could stick to his own customs and, ultimately, fall.
-Language is the key:
鈥淎mong the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.鈥�
Africa does not possess a silent culture. Conrad鈥檚 Heart of Darkness was wrong. African language is formal, developed and intelligent. Here in Nigeria is the conduit for the Igbo culture. It is rich in oral tradition. Achebe recognises that to accept a new language is to shun the original culture. Achebe shows that Igbo tradition is dependent on storytelling and language, to accept English would destroy the Igbo traditions. It would alienate the Africans form their culture; thus, resistance, however futile, is the natural and just response. Okonkwo鈥檚 reactions are deeply symbolic of a culture that is about to collapse.
I think what Achebe is trying to portray here is the quietness of the African voice. It had no say. It doesn鈥檛 matter if the colonisers were kind or brutal; it doesn鈥檛 matter what the Nigerian culture was like in terms of ethics. What matters is that it was taken away or shaped into something else entirely. This was not progress but assimilation. All culture has its flaws, that鈥檚 true for any society, but the white one, for all its self-aggrandisement, was nothing but imposing. And for Achebe this is the ruination of the voice he was trying to channel.
鈥淭he white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably 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.鈥�
January 14, 2019
This review is now on my blog:
December 12, 2019
In this classic tale Okonkwo is a strong man in his village, and in his region of nine villages. At age 18 he beat the reigning wrestling champion and has been an industrious worker all his life, a reaction to his lazy, drunkard father. He lives his life within the cultural confines of his limited world, following the laws that govern his society, accepting the religious faith of his surroundings, acting on both, even when those actions would seem, to us in the modern west, an abomination. While he may succeed and fail within the confines of his society鈥檚 laws, what he is unable to do is adapt himself to the world when it goes through a dramatic transformation. In this case, his home town is revolutionized when white missionaries set up a base and bring along with them the firepower of western weapons. Unable to cope, unable to channel his justifiable rage into constructive actions, he is led inexorably to his doom.
Chinua Achebe - from the Salon article noted below
What is this book about? It is a simple tale. The details of Okonkwo鈥檚 experiences accumulate to give us a picture of his times, his culture, so we have a sense of what is at stake when change arrives. Is this a warning to us of our own inability to see beyond the confines of our culture? How will we cope with change when it comes, in whatever form?
I found it difficult keeping track of the characters. This is a case in which a diagram of a family tree would probably come in handy. Yet, ultimately, this is not so important. What matters is that we get a sense of Okonkowo鈥榮 world. And the impact of the West arriving in an African society. This book is considered a classic, and for good reason.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
There is a wonderful video of John Green talking about the book. Must-see. In fact you could do worse than skipping the above review entirely and checking out Green's vid. And there is a second episode of his vid on the book as well. Have at it.
In 2013, Salon republished a wonderful 2010 essay, , on news of his passing.
Chinua Achebe - from the Salon article noted below
What is this book about? It is a simple tale. The details of Okonkwo鈥檚 experiences accumulate to give us a picture of his times, his culture, so we have a sense of what is at stake when change arrives. Is this a warning to us of our own inability to see beyond the confines of our culture? How will we cope with change when it comes, in whatever form?
I found it difficult keeping track of the characters. This is a case in which a diagram of a family tree would probably come in handy. Yet, ultimately, this is not so important. What matters is that we get a sense of Okonkowo鈥榮 world. And the impact of the West arriving in an African society. This book is considered a classic, and for good reason.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
There is a wonderful video of John Green talking about the book. Must-see. In fact you could do worse than skipping the above review entirely and checking out Green's vid. And there is a second episode of his vid on the book as well. Have at it.
In 2013, Salon republished a wonderful 2010 essay, , on news of his passing.
February 15, 2023
LE COSE CAMBIANO, CROLLANO
脠 impossibile circoscrivere il ruolo di Achebe nella letteratura africana. 脠 come cercare di definire in che modo Shakespeare ha influenzato gli scrittori inglesi o Pu拧kin quelli russi.
Il crollo, o anche Le cose crollano, (1958) 猫 il primo romanzo di una trilogia che include Non pi霉 tranquilli del 1960 e il celebre La freccia di dio apparso quattro anni dopo (1964).
Questo primo ha venduto oltre dieci milioni di copie, 猫 stato tradotto in 50 lingue, ed 猫 libro di testo in molte scuole del continente nero.
Effetti delle locuste.
Tre romanzi fondamentali per raccontare l鈥檌ncontro dell鈥檜omo bianco con l鈥檜omo nero: pi霉 nello specifico, quello dei bianchi colonizzatori inglesi con la comunit脿 Igbo, il popolo di Achebe.
La stessa gente che abbiamo visto nelle foto e i reportage sul Biafra (1966), forse le prime immagini di bambini denutriti con gli occhi sbarrati e la pancia gonfia giunte in Occidente.
Qui, il fiero Okonkwo rifiuta fino alla morte di scendere a patti con l鈥檌nvasore, l鈥檜omo bianco. E la sua storia 猫 ambientata all鈥檌nizio del secolo in cui si svolse la breve epopea del Biafra, e quindi, nel primo Novecento.
La conquista della terra, che sostanzialmente consiste nello strapparla a quelli che hanno la pelle diversa dalla nostra o il naso leggermente pi霉 schiacciato, non 猫 una cosa tanto bella da vedere, quando la si guarda troppo da vicino.
Parole di Marlow in 鈥淐uore di tenebra鈥� di Joseph Conrad.
Achebe non mette in scena il 鈥渂uon selvaggio鈥� che incontra il vile invasore. Il suo Okonkwo 猫 un vero selvaggio, governato da regole e leggi lontanissime da quelle dei bianchi, ma anche da quelle che i bianchi possono solo concepire. Eppure, anche i bianchi nel passato sono stati legati al ciclo della terra e delle stagioni鈥�
Ma Achebe non divide il suo universo in buoni neri e cattivi bianchi: Okonkwo 猫 violento con le sue mogli, ama i suoi figli ma non si sottrae al sacrificio rituale del figlio adottivo Ikemefuna, 猫 impaziente, giudica l鈥檌ndolenza maschile un aspetto di personalit脿 femminile, non va d鈥檃ccordo col suo clan, 猫 un guerriero bellicoso, vince ogni gara di lotta, beve il vino di palma dal teschio della sua prima vittima鈥� l鈥檜omo nero non avrebbe potuto restare cos矛 primitivo in eterno鈥�
L鈥檌nvasore bianco non si presenta con le armi, ma ben pi霉 subdolamente chiedendo un po鈥� di terreno per costruire la sua chiesa: 猫 dalla chiesa dei bianchi che parte la conquista (colonizzazione).
L'uomo bianco 猫 molto astuto. 脠 venuto adagio e in pace con la sua religione. Noi ridevamo della sua follia e gli abbiamo permesso di restare. Adesso ha conquistato i nostri fratelli e il nostro clan non pu貌 pi霉 essere quello di prima. Ha messo un coltello tra le cose che ci tenevano uniti e noi siamo crollati gi霉.
Achebe adotta la lingua dell鈥檌nvasore, l鈥檌nglese: ma alla sua d鈥檕rigine lascia ampio spazio introducendo termini, proverbi, metafore, tanto da necessitare un glossario finale.
La colpa dell鈥檜omo bianco 猫 nota, ma mai abbastanza sottolineata e riconosciuta: aver deciso che la sua cultura 猫 superiore alle altre.
Quella dell鈥檜omo nero 猫 di essersi piegato a una nuova religione e avere accolto nuove regole che non gli appartenevano. Di essere lasciato dominare dalle locuste, i bianchi.
E fors鈥檃nche, d鈥檈ssersi fidato troppo della sua magia.
Sulla copertina dell鈥檈dizione pi霉 recente.
脠 impossibile circoscrivere il ruolo di Achebe nella letteratura africana. 脠 come cercare di definire in che modo Shakespeare ha influenzato gli scrittori inglesi o Pu拧kin quelli russi.
Il crollo, o anche Le cose crollano, (1958) 猫 il primo romanzo di una trilogia che include Non pi霉 tranquilli del 1960 e il celebre La freccia di dio apparso quattro anni dopo (1964).
Questo primo ha venduto oltre dieci milioni di copie, 猫 stato tradotto in 50 lingue, ed 猫 libro di testo in molte scuole del continente nero.
Effetti delle locuste.
Tre romanzi fondamentali per raccontare l鈥檌ncontro dell鈥檜omo bianco con l鈥檜omo nero: pi霉 nello specifico, quello dei bianchi colonizzatori inglesi con la comunit脿 Igbo, il popolo di Achebe.
La stessa gente che abbiamo visto nelle foto e i reportage sul Biafra (1966), forse le prime immagini di bambini denutriti con gli occhi sbarrati e la pancia gonfia giunte in Occidente.
Qui, il fiero Okonkwo rifiuta fino alla morte di scendere a patti con l鈥檌nvasore, l鈥檜omo bianco. E la sua storia 猫 ambientata all鈥檌nizio del secolo in cui si svolse la breve epopea del Biafra, e quindi, nel primo Novecento.
La conquista della terra, che sostanzialmente consiste nello strapparla a quelli che hanno la pelle diversa dalla nostra o il naso leggermente pi霉 schiacciato, non 猫 una cosa tanto bella da vedere, quando la si guarda troppo da vicino.
Parole di Marlow in 鈥淐uore di tenebra鈥� di Joseph Conrad.
Achebe non mette in scena il 鈥渂uon selvaggio鈥� che incontra il vile invasore. Il suo Okonkwo 猫 un vero selvaggio, governato da regole e leggi lontanissime da quelle dei bianchi, ma anche da quelle che i bianchi possono solo concepire. Eppure, anche i bianchi nel passato sono stati legati al ciclo della terra e delle stagioni鈥�
Ma Achebe non divide il suo universo in buoni neri e cattivi bianchi: Okonkwo 猫 violento con le sue mogli, ama i suoi figli ma non si sottrae al sacrificio rituale del figlio adottivo Ikemefuna, 猫 impaziente, giudica l鈥檌ndolenza maschile un aspetto di personalit脿 femminile, non va d鈥檃ccordo col suo clan, 猫 un guerriero bellicoso, vince ogni gara di lotta, beve il vino di palma dal teschio della sua prima vittima鈥� l鈥檜omo nero non avrebbe potuto restare cos矛 primitivo in eterno鈥�
L鈥檌nvasore bianco non si presenta con le armi, ma ben pi霉 subdolamente chiedendo un po鈥� di terreno per costruire la sua chiesa: 猫 dalla chiesa dei bianchi che parte la conquista (colonizzazione).
L'uomo bianco 猫 molto astuto. 脠 venuto adagio e in pace con la sua religione. Noi ridevamo della sua follia e gli abbiamo permesso di restare. Adesso ha conquistato i nostri fratelli e il nostro clan non pu貌 pi霉 essere quello di prima. Ha messo un coltello tra le cose che ci tenevano uniti e noi siamo crollati gi霉.
Achebe adotta la lingua dell鈥檌nvasore, l鈥檌nglese: ma alla sua d鈥檕rigine lascia ampio spazio introducendo termini, proverbi, metafore, tanto da necessitare un glossario finale.
La colpa dell鈥檜omo bianco 猫 nota, ma mai abbastanza sottolineata e riconosciuta: aver deciso che la sua cultura 猫 superiore alle altre.
Quella dell鈥檜omo nero 猫 di essersi piegato a una nuova religione e avere accolto nuove regole che non gli appartenevano. Di essere lasciato dominare dalle locuste, i bianchi.
E fors鈥檃nche, d鈥檈ssersi fidato troppo della sua magia.
Sulla copertina dell鈥檈dizione pi霉 recente.
June 6, 2016
The act of writing is strangely powerful, almost magical: to take ideas and put them into a lasting, physical form that can persist outside of the mind. For a culture without a written tradition, a libraries are not great structures of stone full of objects--instead, stories are curated within flesh, locked up in a cage of bone. To know the story, you must go to the storyteller. In order for that story to persist through time, it must be retold and rememorized by successive generations.
A book, scroll, or tablet, on the other hand, can be rediscovered thousands of years later, after all those who were familiar with the story are long dead--and miraculously, the stories within it can be delivered to modern man in the very same words the ancients used. If, in Qumran cave, we had found the dry bones of the scribe who copied the dead sea scrolls instead of the scrolls themselves, we would have no access to any of his knowledge.
Any library can be destroyed, whether the tales are stored in the mind of a bard or on the skins of animals, but unwritten history is much more fragile--after all, speech is nothing more than wind, which cannot be dug up from the earth a century later. All lands have their own histories, but sadly, we only get to hear a scant few in their own words.
We know that Africa had empires as complex and powerful as those of Europe--beyond the well-known examples of Egypt and Carthage, the Romans give us secondary evidence of the great Central African empires from which they got their salt and gold, alongside many subsequent references--but in the end, these amount to little more than myths and legends.
Carthage itself was so thoroughly destroyed that Rome basically erased their true history, replacing it with Roman propaganda and rumor-mongering, until in The Aeneid, Carthage becomes nothing more than Rome鈥檚 jealous, jilted lover--instead of what she truly was: the template of naval dominance and mercantile power that Rome copied and built her empire upon.
The African continent is just as full of ruins and archaeological treasures as Europe or Asia, but due to rampant social and economic instability caused by multinationals squabbling over resources and profits in the power vacuum left in the wake of post-colonialism, it鈥檚 not currently safe or supportable to research these sites and rediscover the cultures they represent. Hopefully someday, we will be able to uncover this wealth of knowledge, but until then, we can only imagine all that we have missed: the great loves and wars of Africa, the dark-skinned Caesars and Helens, the Subotais and Musashis of the savanna.
But not all is lost to us. We still have pieces of the puzzle: the fact that fractal math, on which we base our computer languages, (which is why Fibonacci had to go there to learn it), or the fact that most of the Greek and Roman texts upon which the Western literary tradition is based not from Christian monks, but Islamic scholars (this is why Averroes appears in Raphael's , and why alongside Plato and Aristotle in the works of Dante). The glory of , the wealth of --all these await the student of African histories.
Plus, there are still storytellers in Africa--the lineages through which their histories have passed are not all dead. Though the words were not written down, we can research them, all the same--looking for lost 鈥榯exts鈥�, rare tales, and compiling them, collecting them, and finally giving voice to histories that have been too-long obscured. Knowing all of this, I thirsted for depth and complexity from Achebe--to get a view into one of the innumerable cultures of Africa.
The power of a story from a different culture is in defamiliarization. Though all cultures share certain universal ideas: love, freedom, revenge, tyranny--the way they are expressed in each particular culture can be eye opening. So, they are capable of showing us familiar things, but making them feel new, making us look at them in a fresh way.
Yet, that's not what I got from this book--indeed, everything in it felt immediately recognizable and familiar, not merely in the sense of 'universal human experience', but in almost every detail of expression and structure. I have read modern stories by fellow American authors which were stranger and produced more culture shock, more defamiliarization than this--but perhaps that was Achebe's intention.
He expressed in interviews just how difficult it was for an African author to publish a novel at all--that no one assumed an African would want to write their own story, and because the typing agency just didn't take it seriously. Back then, the very notion that Africa might have a history outside of Egypt was controversial--even though it seems simple and obvious to us now that of course every people in every nation has their own history, and the desire for their unique voices to be heard.
So, perhaps it would have been impossible to write a more complex book, that it just wouldn't have been received--Achebe was among the first generation of his people to be college educated, in a branch of a London University opened in Nigeria taught by White, English teachers. More than that, he may have been trying to show that his own culture was just like the culture of his teachers--to stress the similarities instead of the differences.
So then, it makes sense that Achebe is not writing a primer of his culture, but is rather reflecting European culture back at itself, from the mouth of an Igbo man (a brave and revolutionary act!). After all, he was the consummate Western man of letters, by his education, and everything about his book's form reflects that. It is written, not oral, it is in English, it aligns neatly to the Greek tragic structure and the form of the novel--and even the title is taken from in the English language.
Achebe is hardly being coy with his inspirations here--he wants us to know that he is adopting Western forms, he wants us to recognize them, to mark them. He is aware that this is a post-colonial work, a work from a culture that has already been colonized, and is responding to that colonization. This is not a voice from the past--the discovery of Gilgamesh buried in the sands--it is a modern voice speaking from the center of the storm.
The central theme is the onset of colonization, the conflict between the tribe and the European forces just beginning to encroach upon them. Like , this book is a deliberate response to writers like Conrad, Kipling, and Haggard.
I'm not trying to suggest that it's a problem that Achebe is writing in the Western style, or that he's somehow 'too Western'--because it's any author's prerogative if they want to study and explore Western themes. Indeed, as Said observed, it's vital that writers reach across these boundaries, that we don't just force them into a niche where 'women writers write the female experience' and 'Asian writers write the Asian experience'--because that's just racial determinism: due to the culture you're born in, you can only every write one thing (unless you're a White man, and then you can write whatever you like).
Indeed, one cannot confront colonialism without understanding it, adopting its forms, and turning them against the power structure. Achebe himself recognized that an oppressed individual has to use every tool to his advantage to fight back--even those tools brought in by the oppressors, such as the English language, which Achebe realized would allow him to communicate with colonized peoples from countries around the world. Authors from all sorts of national and cultural background have taken on the Western style in this way, and proven that they can write just as ably as any Westerner. Unfortunately, that's not the case with this book.
As a traditionally Western tale, there just isn't a lot to it. It is a tale of personal disintegration representing the loss of culture, and of purpose. It is an existential mode seen in Arthur Miller, Joseph Heller, and J.D. Salinger--but by trying to make the story more universal, Achebe has watered it down too much, so that it lacks depth, sympathy, and possibility. His existentialism is remarkable for its completeness. There is no character who is wholly sympathetic, nor wholly vile. There is no culture or point of view which is either elevated or vilified.
Achebe is extremely fair, presenting the flaws of all men, and of the organizations under which they live, be they Western or African in origin. Like Heller or Miller, his representation of mankind is almost unfailingly negative. Small moments of beauty, joy, or innocence are always mitigated. They exist only in the inflated egos of the characters, or the moralizing ideals of the culture.
Unlike Miller, he does not give us the chance to sympathize. There are not those quiet moments of introspection that make Death of a Salesman so personally tragic. Unlike Heller, Achebe does not contrast the overwhelming weight of loss with sardonic and wry humor. This is not the hyperbole of Belinda's lock, nor the mad passion of Hamlet.
Achebe's characters are not able to find their own meaning in hopelessness--nor do they even struggle to find it and fail, they cannot even laugh at themselves. They persist only through naivete and escapism, and since the reader sees through them, we see that this world has only despondence and delusion.
The constant reminder of this disappointment makes the book difficult to connect with. Since all the hope we are given is almost immediately false, there is little dynamic possibility. Everything is already lost, we only wait on the characters to realize it.
It is difficult to court the reader's sympathy when there is nothing left to be hopeful for. With no counterpoint to despondence--not even a false one--it is hard to create narrative depth, to reveal, or to surprise. Trying to write a climax through such a pervasive depression is like trying to raise a mountain in a valley.
No matter how hard they try, there is no visible path to success. Nothing is certain, and the odds against are often overwhelming. Achebe felt this doubly, as an author and a colonized citizen. He succeeds in presenting hopelessness, sometimes reaching Sysiphean Absurdism, but with too few grains to weigh in the scale against it, his tale presents only a part of the human experience.
Though we may know that others suffer, this is not the same as comprehending their suffering. The mother who says 'eat your peas, kids are starving in Africa' succeeds more through misdirection than by revealing the inequalities of politics and the human state.
Achebe presents suffering to us, but it is not sympathetic; we see it, but are not invited to feel it. His world loses depth and dimension, becomes scattered, and while this does show us the way that things may fall apart, particularly all things human, this work is more an exercise in nihilism than a representation of the human experience.
So, it ends up being one of those books that it more notable for its place in the canon than its quality. It was certainly a brave and revolutionary act for Achebe to write it, and to persist with it, but the book itself is less impressive than the gesture that produced it. For me, it becomes prototypical of a whole movement of books by people of non-Western descent who get praised and published precisely because they parrot back Western values at us and avoid confronting us with actual cultural differences, while at the same time using a thin patina of 'foreignness' to feel suitably exotic, so that the average Western reader can feel more worldly for having read them.
It's flat works like The Kite Runner or House Made of Dawn which are just exotic enough to titillate without actually requiring that the reader learn anything about the culture in order to appreciate it--because of course every guilt-ridden Liberal Westerner wants to read about other cultures, but : "... not like that, Stew, not where you have to know anything ..."
In the most extreme cases you get something like The Education of Little Tree , where a racist KKK member pretends to be a Native American and writes a book so saccharine, so apologetic and appeasing of White guilt that it can't help but become a best-seller--because it turns out that no one is better at predicting what comforting things Middle America wants to hear about race than a member of the KKK.
Of course, I'm not suggesting that Achebe is anywhere near that--just that it makes obvious the problem with judging a book by its historical place rather than the actual words on the page. Indeed, it's downright insulting to the author and the culture. It's the same response people would have to hearing that a dog wrote a book: 'Wow! I've got to read that!"--which has nothing to do with the quality of the book, and everything to do with the fact that we have very low expectations of dogs.
To treat a person the same way because they are from another culture is pure condescension. Just because someone is born into a culture, that does not make them representative of that culture--authenticity is not an in-born trait, which is the problem of the illusion of the 'pure voice', because there is no pure cultural voice, and to imagine there is is to reduce that culture to a stereotype.
A woman can be a misogynist, an African American can hate his own people. To suggest that somehow, a person's views and perspective are in-born and unchangeable is simply racism--and it doesn't matter if the trait you are assigning to that race is positive or negative, it's still a limitation you're putting on that person.
Non-Westerners are just as capable of creating great works of art as Westerners--but they are also just as capable of writing cliche tripe. Like any other human being, they run the gamut from brilliant to dull, from bigoted to open-minded, from staid to imaginative. As such, there's no reason to grade non-Western authors on some kind of sliding scale, to expect less from them, or to be any less disappointed when their works fall short. Of course, we shouldn't judge their work by Western standards, either--to blame a Japanese fairytale for not being Hamlet--unless like Achebe they are writing in a recognizable Western style and deliberately drawing that comparison.
While there's certainly something to be said for 'getting your foot in the door', that isn't a defense of the book itself--of its plot, characters, or themes. It's also too much to place Africa on Achebe's shoulders--to pretend as if there aren't thousands of unique cultures, histories, and traditions there--and yet that is what we do. We make Achebe into a point of entry to a whole continent, which is a massive burden to place on anyone. Much better to look at the book itself--its words and images--than to try to make it into something that it is not.
A book that lasts can't just be its place and time, it needs to have a deeper vein that successive generations can return to over and over, and I didn't find that here. Indeed, I find it ironic that Achebe has so attacked Conrad, because like Achebe鈥檚 work, Heart of Darkness is remarkable because it does take a stand against colonialism and racism. It is admittedly an early stand, and an incomplete presentation, just like Achebe鈥檚. It works only because it is situated in that certain way, transgressive but not too transgressive to alienate its audience--not quite able to escape being a product of its time, but still managing to point the way to the future.
But Conrad is not merely revolutionary by his stance, he has also written a fascinating and fraught book, complex and many-layered, which succeeds despite its shortfalls. Things Fall Apart, in contrast, is a book that only works because of its positioning, and has little further depth to recommend it. I cannot say that the book was not effective, in its place and time--because it certainly was--or that it hasn't been inspirational, but in the end, Achebe's revolutionary gesture far outshines the meager story beneath it.
A book, scroll, or tablet, on the other hand, can be rediscovered thousands of years later, after all those who were familiar with the story are long dead--and miraculously, the stories within it can be delivered to modern man in the very same words the ancients used. If, in Qumran cave, we had found the dry bones of the scribe who copied the dead sea scrolls instead of the scrolls themselves, we would have no access to any of his knowledge.
Any library can be destroyed, whether the tales are stored in the mind of a bard or on the skins of animals, but unwritten history is much more fragile--after all, speech is nothing more than wind, which cannot be dug up from the earth a century later. All lands have their own histories, but sadly, we only get to hear a scant few in their own words.
We know that Africa had empires as complex and powerful as those of Europe--beyond the well-known examples of Egypt and Carthage, the Romans give us secondary evidence of the great Central African empires from which they got their salt and gold, alongside many subsequent references--but in the end, these amount to little more than myths and legends.
Carthage itself was so thoroughly destroyed that Rome basically erased their true history, replacing it with Roman propaganda and rumor-mongering, until in The Aeneid, Carthage becomes nothing more than Rome鈥檚 jealous, jilted lover--instead of what she truly was: the template of naval dominance and mercantile power that Rome copied and built her empire upon.
The African continent is just as full of ruins and archaeological treasures as Europe or Asia, but due to rampant social and economic instability caused by multinationals squabbling over resources and profits in the power vacuum left in the wake of post-colonialism, it鈥檚 not currently safe or supportable to research these sites and rediscover the cultures they represent. Hopefully someday, we will be able to uncover this wealth of knowledge, but until then, we can only imagine all that we have missed: the great loves and wars of Africa, the dark-skinned Caesars and Helens, the Subotais and Musashis of the savanna.
But not all is lost to us. We still have pieces of the puzzle: the fact that fractal math, on which we base our computer languages, (which is why Fibonacci had to go there to learn it), or the fact that most of the Greek and Roman texts upon which the Western literary tradition is based not from Christian monks, but Islamic scholars (this is why Averroes appears in Raphael's , and why alongside Plato and Aristotle in the works of Dante). The glory of , the wealth of --all these await the student of African histories.
Plus, there are still storytellers in Africa--the lineages through which their histories have passed are not all dead. Though the words were not written down, we can research them, all the same--looking for lost 鈥榯exts鈥�, rare tales, and compiling them, collecting them, and finally giving voice to histories that have been too-long obscured. Knowing all of this, I thirsted for depth and complexity from Achebe--to get a view into one of the innumerable cultures of Africa.
The power of a story from a different culture is in defamiliarization. Though all cultures share certain universal ideas: love, freedom, revenge, tyranny--the way they are expressed in each particular culture can be eye opening. So, they are capable of showing us familiar things, but making them feel new, making us look at them in a fresh way.
Yet, that's not what I got from this book--indeed, everything in it felt immediately recognizable and familiar, not merely in the sense of 'universal human experience', but in almost every detail of expression and structure. I have read modern stories by fellow American authors which were stranger and produced more culture shock, more defamiliarization than this--but perhaps that was Achebe's intention.
He expressed in interviews just how difficult it was for an African author to publish a novel at all--that no one assumed an African would want to write their own story, and because the typing agency just didn't take it seriously. Back then, the very notion that Africa might have a history outside of Egypt was controversial--even though it seems simple and obvious to us now that of course every people in every nation has their own history, and the desire for their unique voices to be heard.
So, perhaps it would have been impossible to write a more complex book, that it just wouldn't have been received--Achebe was among the first generation of his people to be college educated, in a branch of a London University opened in Nigeria taught by White, English teachers. More than that, he may have been trying to show that his own culture was just like the culture of his teachers--to stress the similarities instead of the differences.
So then, it makes sense that Achebe is not writing a primer of his culture, but is rather reflecting European culture back at itself, from the mouth of an Igbo man (a brave and revolutionary act!). After all, he was the consummate Western man of letters, by his education, and everything about his book's form reflects that. It is written, not oral, it is in English, it aligns neatly to the Greek tragic structure and the form of the novel--and even the title is taken from in the English language.
Achebe is hardly being coy with his inspirations here--he wants us to know that he is adopting Western forms, he wants us to recognize them, to mark them. He is aware that this is a post-colonial work, a work from a culture that has already been colonized, and is responding to that colonization. This is not a voice from the past--the discovery of Gilgamesh buried in the sands--it is a modern voice speaking from the center of the storm.
The central theme is the onset of colonization, the conflict between the tribe and the European forces just beginning to encroach upon them. Like , this book is a deliberate response to writers like Conrad, Kipling, and Haggard.
I'm not trying to suggest that it's a problem that Achebe is writing in the Western style, or that he's somehow 'too Western'--because it's any author's prerogative if they want to study and explore Western themes. Indeed, as Said observed, it's vital that writers reach across these boundaries, that we don't just force them into a niche where 'women writers write the female experience' and 'Asian writers write the Asian experience'--because that's just racial determinism: due to the culture you're born in, you can only every write one thing (unless you're a White man, and then you can write whatever you like).
Indeed, one cannot confront colonialism without understanding it, adopting its forms, and turning them against the power structure. Achebe himself recognized that an oppressed individual has to use every tool to his advantage to fight back--even those tools brought in by the oppressors, such as the English language, which Achebe realized would allow him to communicate with colonized peoples from countries around the world. Authors from all sorts of national and cultural background have taken on the Western style in this way, and proven that they can write just as ably as any Westerner. Unfortunately, that's not the case with this book.
As a traditionally Western tale, there just isn't a lot to it. It is a tale of personal disintegration representing the loss of culture, and of purpose. It is an existential mode seen in Arthur Miller, Joseph Heller, and J.D. Salinger--but by trying to make the story more universal, Achebe has watered it down too much, so that it lacks depth, sympathy, and possibility. His existentialism is remarkable for its completeness. There is no character who is wholly sympathetic, nor wholly vile. There is no culture or point of view which is either elevated or vilified.
Achebe is extremely fair, presenting the flaws of all men, and of the organizations under which they live, be they Western or African in origin. Like Heller or Miller, his representation of mankind is almost unfailingly negative. Small moments of beauty, joy, or innocence are always mitigated. They exist only in the inflated egos of the characters, or the moralizing ideals of the culture.
Unlike Miller, he does not give us the chance to sympathize. There are not those quiet moments of introspection that make Death of a Salesman so personally tragic. Unlike Heller, Achebe does not contrast the overwhelming weight of loss with sardonic and wry humor. This is not the hyperbole of Belinda's lock, nor the mad passion of Hamlet.
Achebe's characters are not able to find their own meaning in hopelessness--nor do they even struggle to find it and fail, they cannot even laugh at themselves. They persist only through naivete and escapism, and since the reader sees through them, we see that this world has only despondence and delusion.
The constant reminder of this disappointment makes the book difficult to connect with. Since all the hope we are given is almost immediately false, there is little dynamic possibility. Everything is already lost, we only wait on the characters to realize it.
It is difficult to court the reader's sympathy when there is nothing left to be hopeful for. With no counterpoint to despondence--not even a false one--it is hard to create narrative depth, to reveal, or to surprise. Trying to write a climax through such a pervasive depression is like trying to raise a mountain in a valley.
No matter how hard they try, there is no visible path to success. Nothing is certain, and the odds against are often overwhelming. Achebe felt this doubly, as an author and a colonized citizen. He succeeds in presenting hopelessness, sometimes reaching Sysiphean Absurdism, but with too few grains to weigh in the scale against it, his tale presents only a part of the human experience.
Though we may know that others suffer, this is not the same as comprehending their suffering. The mother who says 'eat your peas, kids are starving in Africa' succeeds more through misdirection than by revealing the inequalities of politics and the human state.
Achebe presents suffering to us, but it is not sympathetic; we see it, but are not invited to feel it. His world loses depth and dimension, becomes scattered, and while this does show us the way that things may fall apart, particularly all things human, this work is more an exercise in nihilism than a representation of the human experience.
So, it ends up being one of those books that it more notable for its place in the canon than its quality. It was certainly a brave and revolutionary act for Achebe to write it, and to persist with it, but the book itself is less impressive than the gesture that produced it. For me, it becomes prototypical of a whole movement of books by people of non-Western descent who get praised and published precisely because they parrot back Western values at us and avoid confronting us with actual cultural differences, while at the same time using a thin patina of 'foreignness' to feel suitably exotic, so that the average Western reader can feel more worldly for having read them.
It's flat works like The Kite Runner or House Made of Dawn which are just exotic enough to titillate without actually requiring that the reader learn anything about the culture in order to appreciate it--because of course every guilt-ridden Liberal Westerner wants to read about other cultures, but : "... not like that, Stew, not where you have to know anything ..."
In the most extreme cases you get something like The Education of Little Tree , where a racist KKK member pretends to be a Native American and writes a book so saccharine, so apologetic and appeasing of White guilt that it can't help but become a best-seller--because it turns out that no one is better at predicting what comforting things Middle America wants to hear about race than a member of the KKK.
Of course, I'm not suggesting that Achebe is anywhere near that--just that it makes obvious the problem with judging a book by its historical place rather than the actual words on the page. Indeed, it's downright insulting to the author and the culture. It's the same response people would have to hearing that a dog wrote a book: 'Wow! I've got to read that!"--which has nothing to do with the quality of the book, and everything to do with the fact that we have very low expectations of dogs.
To treat a person the same way because they are from another culture is pure condescension. Just because someone is born into a culture, that does not make them representative of that culture--authenticity is not an in-born trait, which is the problem of the illusion of the 'pure voice', because there is no pure cultural voice, and to imagine there is is to reduce that culture to a stereotype.
A woman can be a misogynist, an African American can hate his own people. To suggest that somehow, a person's views and perspective are in-born and unchangeable is simply racism--and it doesn't matter if the trait you are assigning to that race is positive or negative, it's still a limitation you're putting on that person.
Non-Westerners are just as capable of creating great works of art as Westerners--but they are also just as capable of writing cliche tripe. Like any other human being, they run the gamut from brilliant to dull, from bigoted to open-minded, from staid to imaginative. As such, there's no reason to grade non-Western authors on some kind of sliding scale, to expect less from them, or to be any less disappointed when their works fall short. Of course, we shouldn't judge their work by Western standards, either--to blame a Japanese fairytale for not being Hamlet--unless like Achebe they are writing in a recognizable Western style and deliberately drawing that comparison.
While there's certainly something to be said for 'getting your foot in the door', that isn't a defense of the book itself--of its plot, characters, or themes. It's also too much to place Africa on Achebe's shoulders--to pretend as if there aren't thousands of unique cultures, histories, and traditions there--and yet that is what we do. We make Achebe into a point of entry to a whole continent, which is a massive burden to place on anyone. Much better to look at the book itself--its words and images--than to try to make it into something that it is not.
A book that lasts can't just be its place and time, it needs to have a deeper vein that successive generations can return to over and over, and I didn't find that here. Indeed, I find it ironic that Achebe has so attacked Conrad, because like Achebe鈥檚 work, Heart of Darkness is remarkable because it does take a stand against colonialism and racism. It is admittedly an early stand, and an incomplete presentation, just like Achebe鈥檚. It works only because it is situated in that certain way, transgressive but not too transgressive to alienate its audience--not quite able to escape being a product of its time, but still managing to point the way to the future.
But Conrad is not merely revolutionary by his stance, he has also written a fascinating and fraught book, complex and many-layered, which succeeds despite its shortfalls. Things Fall Apart, in contrast, is a book that only works because of its positioning, and has little further depth to recommend it. I cannot say that the book was not effective, in its place and time--because it certainly was--or that it hasn't been inspirational, but in the end, Achebe's revolutionary gesture far outshines the meager story beneath it.
June 22, 2019
How to attempt a balanced review of Things Fall Apart:
1. The book is serious. Themes and issues dealt in the book are far more serious than many other books written by the contemporary authors of Achebe.
2. The colonial abstract takes an altogether different turn as Achebe explores that colonisers not only colonised the land and properties but also the minds and hearts of the native people.
3. Racism has been dealt very aptly and also religious hypocrisy - different churches for the people who have converted.
4. The plot might seem relaxed and lazy (almost) if you ignore the themes and issues. However, the plot is more than enough to keep the 'readers' engaged.
DO I recommend the book - yes, of course!
1. The book is serious. Themes and issues dealt in the book are far more serious than many other books written by the contemporary authors of Achebe.
2. The colonial abstract takes an altogether different turn as Achebe explores that colonisers not only colonised the land and properties but also the minds and hearts of the native people.
3. Racism has been dealt very aptly and also religious hypocrisy - different churches for the people who have converted.
4. The plot might seem relaxed and lazy (almost) if you ignore the themes and issues. However, the plot is more than enough to keep the 'readers' engaged.
DO I recommend the book - yes, of course!
December 15, 2022
I love classics.
Classics by any other name are "books that are good enough to stick around for a bajillion years."
I learn something. I feel smart. I have a good time.
In this particular case, I learned not just about the colonization of Africa and about missionaries and about Nigeria, but about people, about masculinity, about society.
It's awesome.
Bottom line: Project Reread Books I Half Read When They Were Assigned To Me rules.
-----------------
pre-review
some books are really classics for a reason.
review to come / at least 4 stars
-----------------
tbr review
sometimes i like to add books i half-read in school to my tbr and pretend i'll return to them. just for fun
update: surpassing my own expectations
-----------------
reading books by Black authors for Black History Month!
book 1: caste
book 2: business not as usual
book 3: the color purple
book 4: the parking lot attendant
book 5: kindred
book 6: wrapped up in you
book 7: the boyfriend project
book 8: a song below water
book 9: filthy animals
book 10: passing
book 11: seven days in june
book 12: ayiti
book 13: notes of a native son
book 14: mediocre
book 15: sister outsider
book 16: the blue road
book 17: the fastest way to fall
book 18: real life
book 19: girl, woman, other
book 20: things fall apart
Classics by any other name are "books that are good enough to stick around for a bajillion years."
I learn something. I feel smart. I have a good time.
In this particular case, I learned not just about the colonization of Africa and about missionaries and about Nigeria, but about people, about masculinity, about society.
It's awesome.
Bottom line: Project Reread Books I Half Read When They Were Assigned To Me rules.
-----------------
pre-review
some books are really classics for a reason.
review to come / at least 4 stars
-----------------
tbr review
sometimes i like to add books i half-read in school to my tbr and pretend i'll return to them. just for fun
update: surpassing my own expectations
-----------------
reading books by Black authors for Black History Month!
book 1: caste
book 2: business not as usual
book 3: the color purple
book 4: the parking lot attendant
book 5: kindred
book 6: wrapped up in you
book 7: the boyfriend project
book 8: a song below water
book 9: filthy animals
book 10: passing
book 11: seven days in june
book 12: ayiti
book 13: notes of a native son
book 14: mediocre
book 15: sister outsider
book 16: the blue road
book 17: the fastest way to fall
book 18: real life
book 19: girl, woman, other
book 20: things fall apart
April 1, 2024
Okonkwo achieved success at an early age .. 18, the wrestling champ of his tribe the Ibo in colonial Nigeria, fame did not bring riches the hard work on his farm accomplished that . His lazy flute playing father Unoka embarrasses him, neglects his wives and children (the son Okonkwo determines never to be poor) dying with a vast amount of debts . He prospers on the other hand and becomes an important man, ( in spite of his many obvious deficits and failings) but...
still in the village marries three women, having numerous children, however times are changing a new religion arrives, the old gods and customs are slowly vanishing like a poof of smoke on a windy day. Still many resist, trouble brews as if a pot of hot coffee, led by Okonkwo...why can't things stay the same? The fierce warrior has killed many in the tribal wars , they have to be respected and their rivals can be punished severely, the pride of the Ibo must and will be maintained . A quite unfortunate occurrence, an accident causes the unbeaten rambunctious thoroughly unafraid former brave wrestling yet knowns his limitations, the fierce not anymore
champ to flee his native village exiled for seven years to his mother's home, the disaster humiliated his whole family , he has to begin again with his children and wives. Years pass not very fast yet finally back goes Okonkwo , nevertheless the clock doesn't stand still, the atmosphere flows with a strange current... However the missionaries build a church on an evil spot in the village where the spirits of the cursed thrive , an infestation is known to the frightened people even so the Christians aren't. Converts begin to flock to the building in Umuofia , a Mr. Brown the head missionary a white man a gentle soul gets many new members even Nwoye , Okonkwo's troubled son, a weak person with little ambition this shames the great man. If only he thinks his favorite child the dynamic, always faithful and beautiful
daughter, clever Ezinma was male everything would be different nature is not fair, she is such a facsimile. Strife is about to commence and death as inevitable as rain follows, but what will the British soldiers do their harsh rule is well known and the survivors will learn for a while at least. The most popular book in modern Africa selling over twenty million copies and I see the reasons, it tells the story of the continent's warts and all, the good the bad, the history. This is better than a history book for the facts are dry but the human experiences are not, blood is messy...
still in the village marries three women, having numerous children, however times are changing a new religion arrives, the old gods and customs are slowly vanishing like a poof of smoke on a windy day. Still many resist, trouble brews as if a pot of hot coffee, led by Okonkwo...why can't things stay the same? The fierce warrior has killed many in the tribal wars , they have to be respected and their rivals can be punished severely, the pride of the Ibo must and will be maintained . A quite unfortunate occurrence, an accident causes the unbeaten rambunctious thoroughly unafraid former brave wrestling yet knowns his limitations, the fierce not anymore
champ to flee his native village exiled for seven years to his mother's home, the disaster humiliated his whole family , he has to begin again with his children and wives. Years pass not very fast yet finally back goes Okonkwo , nevertheless the clock doesn't stand still, the atmosphere flows with a strange current... However the missionaries build a church on an evil spot in the village where the spirits of the cursed thrive , an infestation is known to the frightened people even so the Christians aren't. Converts begin to flock to the building in Umuofia , a Mr. Brown the head missionary a white man a gentle soul gets many new members even Nwoye , Okonkwo's troubled son, a weak person with little ambition this shames the great man. If only he thinks his favorite child the dynamic, always faithful and beautiful
daughter, clever Ezinma was male everything would be different nature is not fair, she is such a facsimile. Strife is about to commence and death as inevitable as rain follows, but what will the British soldiers do their harsh rule is well known and the survivors will learn for a while at least. The most popular book in modern Africa selling over twenty million copies and I see the reasons, it tells the story of the continent's warts and all, the good the bad, the history. This is better than a history book for the facts are dry but the human experiences are not, blood is messy...
October 29, 2014
Y'know when you read a novel that is just so stark and bare and depraved that you know it's going to stay with you for a very long time? Yep, it's happened guys. It's happened. This novel ruined me. Ugh it's so great and so horrible. It's what Yeats would describe as a "terrible beauty". Read it, let it wreck you, and bathe in its importance.
June 28, 2014
丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 鬲鬲丿丕毓賶
賷亘丿賵 兀賳賳賷 賱丕 兀鬲毓賱賲 賲賳 丕賱丿乇賵爻!! 兀噩賱鬲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 毓賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰孬賷乇丕賸貙 丕賳鬲賴賷鬲 賲賳 賯乇丕亍鬲賴 賮賷 賳賵賮賲亘乇 丕賱賲丕囟賷貙 賵賴丕 賯丿 賲乇鬲 爻亘毓丞 兀卮賴乇 賵賴賵 賷賳鬲馗乇 毓賱賶 賲賰鬲亘賷 亘廿匕毓丕賳!! 賯乇兀鬲 賰孬賷乇丕賸 賵賰鬲亘鬲 賰孬賷乇丕賸貙 賵賱賰賳賴 乇睾賲 噩賲丕賱賴 賵賯賵鬲賴 亘賯賷 賲丐噩賱丕賸貙 賮賯胤 賱兀賳賳賷 賵賷丕 賱賱丨賲賯 賰賳鬲 兀乇睾亘 賮賷 兀賳 兀賰鬲亘 毓賳賴 兀賮囟賱貙 賵賴賵 賱賷爻 賱賵丨丿賴 賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱賲氐賷乇!! 賴賳丕賰 賰鬲亘 兀禺乇賶 兀噩賱鬲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 毓賳賴丕 兀賷囟丕賸貙 丨鬲賶 賮賯丿鬲 丕賱乇睾亘丞 賮賷 匕賱賰 賵兀毓丿鬲賴丕 廿賱賶 賲賰丕賳賴丕 丕賱丿丕賮卅 賮賷 賲賰鬲亘鬲賷貙 賵賱賰賳 賯氐丞 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵賵 賱賳 鬲毓賷卮 賴匕丕 丕賱賲氐賷乇貙 賱賳 兀賮賯丿 丕賱乇睾亘丞 賮賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 毓賳賴丕.
兀賵賱 賲丕 賮鬲賳賳賷 賮賷 乇賵丕賷丞 睾賷賳賵丕 兀鬲卮賷亘賷 賴賵 毓賳賵丕賳賴丕 丕賱賲賱賴賲 (丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 鬲鬲丿丕毓賶) 賵丕賱匕賷 丕爻鬲賯丕賴 賲賳 賯氐賷丿丞 賱賷賷鬲爻貙 賷丕 賱賴 賲賳 賵氐賮 丨賯賷賯賷 賱爻賯賵胤 賵丕賳鬲賴丕亍 毓丕賱賲 賲丕貙 毓卮賳丕 賮賷賴 賵馗賳賳丕 兀賳賴 丿丕卅賲 賱丕 賷夭賵賱貙 賵賱賰賳 賴丕 賴賵 賷鬲丿丕毓賶 賵賷賳鬲賴賷 賲禺賱賮丕賸 兀賳賯丕囟丕賸 賴賳丕 賵賴賳丕賰 賮賷 孬賯丕賮鬲賳丕.
賳卮乇 睾賷賳賵丕 兀鬲卮賷亘賷 丕賱乇賵丕卅賷 丕賱賳賷噩賷乇賷 乇賵丕賷鬲賴 賴匕賴 爻賳丞 1958 賲貙 亘丕賱賱睾丞 丕賱廿賳噩賱賷夭賷丞 賵爻乇毓丕賳 賲丕 氐丕乇鬲 賲賳 兀卮賴乇 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞貙 賰賲丕 賯乇乇鬲 賰賲賳賴噩 丿乇丕爻賷 賮賷 賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱丿賵賱 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞.
賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賳毓賷卮 賲毓 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵賵 丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱賯賵賷 丕賱匕賷 亘賳賶 賳賮爻賴 賲賳 丕賱氐賮乇 賵氐丕乇 兀賯賵賶 乇噩賱 賮賷 賯乇賷鬲賴貙 賳毓賷卮 賮賷 毓丕賱賲 丕賱賯乇賷丞 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 賲丕 賯亘賱 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇貙 丿賷賳賴丕 賵毓丕丿丕鬲賴丕 賵禺乇丕賮丕鬲賴丕貙 孬賲 鬲亘丿兀 丕賱鬲丨賵賱丕鬲 賮賷 丕賱馗賴賵乇貙 賵賴賵 賲丕 賷賯賱賯 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵賵 賮賷賯賮 賮賷 賵噩賴賴丕貙 賵賷賯丕鬲賱 賱賱丨賮丕馗 毓賱賶 毓丕賱賲賴 賰賲丕 毓乇賮賴貙 賵賱賰賳 鬲鬲睾賷乇 丕賱毓丕丿丕鬲貙 賵賷鬲睾賷乇 丕賱丿賷賳 亘丕夭丿賷丕丿 丕賱賲毓鬲賳賯賷賳 賱賱賲爻賷丨賷丞貙 賵毓賳丿賲丕 賷賯鬲賱 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵賵 賲亘毓賵孬丕賸 賲賳 丕賱丨賰賵賲丞 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇賷丞 鬲賰賵賳 賲睾丕賲乇鬲賴 賯丿 丕賳鬲賴鬲.
賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲賳 兀噩賲賱 丕賱賳賴丕賷丕鬲 賵丕賱鬲賷 匕賰乇鬲賳賷 亘賳賴丕賷丞 (賰賱 卮賷亍 賴丕丿卅 毓賱賶 丕賱噩亘賴丞 丕賱睾乇亘賷丞) 賱廿乇賷賰 賲丕乇賷丕 乇賷賲丕賰貙 賮毓賱丕賸 賰賱 卮賷亍 賷鬲丿丕毓賶 賷丕 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵賵.
賷亘丿賵 兀賳賳賷 賱丕 兀鬲毓賱賲 賲賳 丕賱丿乇賵爻!! 兀噩賱鬲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 毓賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰孬賷乇丕賸貙 丕賳鬲賴賷鬲 賲賳 賯乇丕亍鬲賴 賮賷 賳賵賮賲亘乇 丕賱賲丕囟賷貙 賵賴丕 賯丿 賲乇鬲 爻亘毓丞 兀卮賴乇 賵賴賵 賷賳鬲馗乇 毓賱賶 賲賰鬲亘賷 亘廿匕毓丕賳!! 賯乇兀鬲 賰孬賷乇丕賸 賵賰鬲亘鬲 賰孬賷乇丕賸貙 賵賱賰賳賴 乇睾賲 噩賲丕賱賴 賵賯賵鬲賴 亘賯賷 賲丐噩賱丕賸貙 賮賯胤 賱兀賳賳賷 賵賷丕 賱賱丨賲賯 賰賳鬲 兀乇睾亘 賮賷 兀賳 兀賰鬲亘 毓賳賴 兀賮囟賱貙 賵賴賵 賱賷爻 賱賵丨丿賴 賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱賲氐賷乇!! 賴賳丕賰 賰鬲亘 兀禺乇賶 兀噩賱鬲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 毓賳賴丕 兀賷囟丕賸貙 丨鬲賶 賮賯丿鬲 丕賱乇睾亘丞 賮賷 匕賱賰 賵兀毓丿鬲賴丕 廿賱賶 賲賰丕賳賴丕 丕賱丿丕賮卅 賮賷 賲賰鬲亘鬲賷貙 賵賱賰賳 賯氐丞 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵賵 賱賳 鬲毓賷卮 賴匕丕 丕賱賲氐賷乇貙 賱賳 兀賮賯丿 丕賱乇睾亘丞 賮賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 毓賳賴丕.
兀賵賱 賲丕 賮鬲賳賳賷 賮賷 乇賵丕賷丞 睾賷賳賵丕 兀鬲卮賷亘賷 賴賵 毓賳賵丕賳賴丕 丕賱賲賱賴賲 (丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 鬲鬲丿丕毓賶) 賵丕賱匕賷 丕爻鬲賯丕賴 賲賳 賯氐賷丿丞 賱賷賷鬲爻貙 賷丕 賱賴 賲賳 賵氐賮 丨賯賷賯賷 賱爻賯賵胤 賵丕賳鬲賴丕亍 毓丕賱賲 賲丕貙 毓卮賳丕 賮賷賴 賵馗賳賳丕 兀賳賴 丿丕卅賲 賱丕 賷夭賵賱貙 賵賱賰賳 賴丕 賴賵 賷鬲丿丕毓賶 賵賷賳鬲賴賷 賲禺賱賮丕賸 兀賳賯丕囟丕賸 賴賳丕 賵賴賳丕賰 賮賷 孬賯丕賮鬲賳丕.
賳卮乇 睾賷賳賵丕 兀鬲卮賷亘賷 丕賱乇賵丕卅賷 丕賱賳賷噩賷乇賷 乇賵丕賷鬲賴 賴匕賴 爻賳丞 1958 賲貙 亘丕賱賱睾丞 丕賱廿賳噩賱賷夭賷丞 賵爻乇毓丕賳 賲丕 氐丕乇鬲 賲賳 兀卮賴乇 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞貙 賰賲丕 賯乇乇鬲 賰賲賳賴噩 丿乇丕爻賷 賮賷 賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱丿賵賱 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞.
賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賳毓賷卮 賲毓 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵賵 丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱賯賵賷 丕賱匕賷 亘賳賶 賳賮爻賴 賲賳 丕賱氐賮乇 賵氐丕乇 兀賯賵賶 乇噩賱 賮賷 賯乇賷鬲賴貙 賳毓賷卮 賮賷 毓丕賱賲 丕賱賯乇賷丞 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 賲丕 賯亘賱 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇貙 丿賷賳賴丕 賵毓丕丿丕鬲賴丕 賵禺乇丕賮丕鬲賴丕貙 孬賲 鬲亘丿兀 丕賱鬲丨賵賱丕鬲 賮賷 丕賱馗賴賵乇貙 賵賴賵 賲丕 賷賯賱賯 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵賵 賮賷賯賮 賮賷 賵噩賴賴丕貙 賵賷賯丕鬲賱 賱賱丨賮丕馗 毓賱賶 毓丕賱賲賴 賰賲丕 毓乇賮賴貙 賵賱賰賳 鬲鬲睾賷乇 丕賱毓丕丿丕鬲貙 賵賷鬲睾賷乇 丕賱丿賷賳 亘丕夭丿賷丕丿 丕賱賲毓鬲賳賯賷賳 賱賱賲爻賷丨賷丞貙 賵毓賳丿賲丕 賷賯鬲賱 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵賵 賲亘毓賵孬丕賸 賲賳 丕賱丨賰賵賲丞 丕賱丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇賷丞 鬲賰賵賳 賲睾丕賲乇鬲賴 賯丿 丕賳鬲賴鬲.
賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲賳 兀噩賲賱 丕賱賳賴丕賷丕鬲 賵丕賱鬲賷 匕賰乇鬲賳賷 亘賳賴丕賷丞 (賰賱 卮賷亍 賴丕丿卅 毓賱賶 丕賱噩亘賴丞 丕賱睾乇亘賷丞) 賱廿乇賷賰 賲丕乇賷丕 乇賷賲丕賰貙 賮毓賱丕賸 賰賱 卮賷亍 賷鬲丿丕毓賶 賷丕 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵賵.
May 8, 2022
(Book 472 from 1001 books) - Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Published in 1958. Its story chronicles the pre-colonial life in Nigeria and the arrival of the Europeans during the late nineteenth century. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, one of the first to receive global critical acclaim. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and is widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world. The title of the novel was borrowed from W. B. Yeats' 1919 poem "The Second Coming".
毓賳賵丕賳賴丕蹖 趩丕倬 卮丿賴 丿乇 丕蹖乇丕賳: 芦賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇回� 芦賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屫臂屫藏回� 芦賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 丕夭 賴賲 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇回� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 (噩賵丕賳賴 乇卮丿貙 爻乇賵卮貙 丌爻鬲丕賳 賯丿爻 乇囟賵蹖) 丕丿亘蹖丕鬲 丕賮乇蹖賯丕貨 鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 趩賴丕乇賲 賲丕賴 丕讴鬲亘乇 爻丕賱2012賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 賮乇賴丕丿 賲賳卮賵乇蹖貨 賲卮賴丿貙 丌爻鬲丕賳 賯丿爻貨 爻丕賱1368貨 丿乇232氐貨 賲賵囟賵毓 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 賳蹖噩乇蹖賴 - 丕賮乇蹖賯丕 - 爻丿賴20賲
毓賳賵丕賳: 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屫臂屫藏� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 诏賱乇蹖夭 氐賮賵蹖丕賳貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 爻乇賵卮貨 爻丕賱1377貨 丿乇240氐貨 趩丕倬 丿賵賲 爻丕賱1388貨 卮丕亘讴9789643767419貨
毓賳賵丕賳: 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 丕夭 賴賲 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 毓賱蹖 賴丿丕賵賳丿貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 賳蹖讴丕貨 爻丕賱1391貨 丿乇224氐貨 卮丕亘讴9786009092024貨
毓賳賵丕賳: 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 毓賱蹖 丕氐睾乇 亘賴乇丕賲蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 噩賵丕賳賴 乇卮丿貙 爻丕賱1380貨 丿乇231氐貨 卮丕亘讴9646115012貨
毓賳賵丕賳: 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 讴丕賲乇賵丕 丕亘乇丕賴蹖賲蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 丕賮乇丕夭貙 爻丕賱1390貙 丿乇208氐貨 卮丕亘讴9789642435906貨
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丿乇 卮乇賯 芦賳蹖噩乇蹖賴禄 乇禺 賲蹖丿賴丿貙 亘丕夭诏卮丕蹖蹖 倬蹖趩蹖丿诏蹖 賴丕蹖 噩丕賲毓賴 丕蹖 爻賳鬲蹖 倬蹖卮 丕夭 丕卮睾丕賱 鬲賵爻胤 賲爻蹖賵賳乇賴丕爻鬲貙 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴貙 鬲乇丕跇丿蹖 賯賴乇賲丕賳 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 禺賵蹖卮 芦丕賵讴賳讴 賵賵禄貙 賵 噩丕賲毓賴 乇丕 亘丕夭诏賵 賲蹖讴賳賳丿貨 芦丌賱亘乇鬲 趩蹖賳賵丕賱賵賲賵诏賵 丌趩賴鈥屫ㄙ嚶� 賳丕賲丿丕乇 亘賴 芦趩蹖賳賵丌 丌趩賴鈥屫ㄙ� (夭丕丿賴 丿乇 乇賵夭 卮丕賳夭丿賴賲 丕夭 賲丕賴 賳賵丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱1930賲蹖賱丕丿蹖 鈥� 丿乇诏匕卮鬲賴 丿乇 乇賵夭 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 蹖讴賲 賲丕賴 賲丕乇爻 爻丕賱2013賲蹖賱丕丿蹖)禄 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴 賵 卮丕毓乇 芦賳蹖噩乇蹖賴禄丕蹖鈥� 鬲亘丕乇貙 賵 丕夭 賳丕賲丿丕乇鬲乇蹖賳 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 賯丕乇賴 蹖 芦丌賮乇蹖賯丕禄 亘賵丿賳丿貙 丕夭 丕蹖卮丕賳 亘丕 賳丕賲 芦亘賳蹖丕賳诏匕丕乇 丕丿亘蹖丕鬲 丌賮乇蹖賯丕蹖蹖 丿乇 夭亘丕賳 丕賳诏賱蹖爻蹖禄 蹖丕丿 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 乇賲丕賳 丕蹖卮丕賳 芦賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇� 丿乇 爻丕賱1958賲蹖賱丕丿蹖 賲賳鬲卮乇 卮丿貨 丕蹖賳 丕孬乇 亘賴 亘蹖卮 丕夭 倬賳噩丕賴 夭亘丕賳 噩賴丕賳 丕夭 噩賲賱賴 賮丕乇爻蹖 亘乇诏乇丿丕賳 卮丿賴 賵 亘蹖卮 丕夭 丿賴 賲蹖賱蹖賵賳 賳爻禺賴 丕夭 丌賳 亘賴 賮乇賵卮 乇賮鬲賴鈥� 丕爻鬲貨 芦丌趩賴鈥屫ㄙ嚶� 丿乇 丕蹖賳 丕孬乇卮丕賳 亘賴 丿賵乇丕賳 丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 賵 賴賲趩賳蹖賳 賮爻丕丿 丿乇 芦丌賮乇蹖賯丕禄 倬乇丿丕禺鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 20/04/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 17/02/1401賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Published in 1958. Its story chronicles the pre-colonial life in Nigeria and the arrival of the Europeans during the late nineteenth century. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, one of the first to receive global critical acclaim. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and is widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world. The title of the novel was borrowed from W. B. Yeats' 1919 poem "The Second Coming".
毓賳賵丕賳賴丕蹖 趩丕倬 卮丿賴 丿乇 丕蹖乇丕賳: 芦賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇回� 芦賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屫臂屫藏回� 芦賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 丕夭 賴賲 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇回� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 (噩賵丕賳賴 乇卮丿貙 爻乇賵卮貙 丌爻鬲丕賳 賯丿爻 乇囟賵蹖) 丕丿亘蹖丕鬲 丕賮乇蹖賯丕貨 鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 趩賴丕乇賲 賲丕賴 丕讴鬲亘乇 爻丕賱2012賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 賮乇賴丕丿 賲賳卮賵乇蹖貨 賲卮賴丿貙 丌爻鬲丕賳 賯丿爻貨 爻丕賱1368貨 丿乇232氐貨 賲賵囟賵毓 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 賳蹖噩乇蹖賴 - 丕賮乇蹖賯丕 - 爻丿賴20賲
毓賳賵丕賳: 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屫臂屫藏� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 诏賱乇蹖夭 氐賮賵蹖丕賳貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 爻乇賵卮貨 爻丕賱1377貨 丿乇240氐貨 趩丕倬 丿賵賲 爻丕賱1388貨 卮丕亘讴9789643767419貨
毓賳賵丕賳: 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 丕夭 賴賲 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 毓賱蹖 賴丿丕賵賳丿貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 賳蹖讴丕貨 爻丕賱1391貨 丿乇224氐貨 卮丕亘讴9786009092024貨
毓賳賵丕賳: 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 毓賱蹖 丕氐睾乇 亘賴乇丕賲蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 噩賵丕賳賴 乇卮丿貙 爻丕賱1380貨 丿乇231氐貨 卮丕亘讴9646115012貨
毓賳賵丕賳: 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇� 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 趩蹖賳賵丕 丌趩蹖賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 讴丕賲乇賵丕 丕亘乇丕賴蹖賲蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 丕賮乇丕夭貙 爻丕賱1390貙 丿乇208氐貨 卮丕亘讴9789642435906貨
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丿乇 卮乇賯 芦賳蹖噩乇蹖賴禄 乇禺 賲蹖丿賴丿貙 亘丕夭诏卮丕蹖蹖 倬蹖趩蹖丿诏蹖 賴丕蹖 噩丕賲毓賴 丕蹖 爻賳鬲蹖 倬蹖卮 丕夭 丕卮睾丕賱 鬲賵爻胤 賲爻蹖賵賳乇賴丕爻鬲貙 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴貙 鬲乇丕跇丿蹖 賯賴乇賲丕賳 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 禺賵蹖卮 芦丕賵讴賳讴 賵賵禄貙 賵 噩丕賲毓賴 乇丕 亘丕夭诏賵 賲蹖讴賳賳丿貨 芦丌賱亘乇鬲 趩蹖賳賵丕賱賵賲賵诏賵 丌趩賴鈥屫ㄙ嚶� 賳丕賲丿丕乇 亘賴 芦趩蹖賳賵丌 丌趩賴鈥屫ㄙ� (夭丕丿賴 丿乇 乇賵夭 卮丕賳夭丿賴賲 丕夭 賲丕賴 賳賵丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱1930賲蹖賱丕丿蹖 鈥� 丿乇诏匕卮鬲賴 丿乇 乇賵夭 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 蹖讴賲 賲丕賴 賲丕乇爻 爻丕賱2013賲蹖賱丕丿蹖)禄 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴 賵 卮丕毓乇 芦賳蹖噩乇蹖賴禄丕蹖鈥� 鬲亘丕乇貙 賵 丕夭 賳丕賲丿丕乇鬲乇蹖賳 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 賯丕乇賴 蹖 芦丌賮乇蹖賯丕禄 亘賵丿賳丿貙 丕夭 丕蹖卮丕賳 亘丕 賳丕賲 芦亘賳蹖丕賳诏匕丕乇 丕丿亘蹖丕鬲 丌賮乇蹖賯丕蹖蹖 丿乇 夭亘丕賳 丕賳诏賱蹖爻蹖禄 蹖丕丿 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 乇賲丕賳 丕蹖卮丕賳 芦賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賮乇賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩ж簇� 丿乇 爻丕賱1958賲蹖賱丕丿蹖 賲賳鬲卮乇 卮丿貨 丕蹖賳 丕孬乇 亘賴 亘蹖卮 丕夭 倬賳噩丕賴 夭亘丕賳 噩賴丕賳 丕夭 噩賲賱賴 賮丕乇爻蹖 亘乇诏乇丿丕賳 卮丿賴 賵 亘蹖卮 丕夭 丿賴 賲蹖賱蹖賵賳 賳爻禺賴 丕夭 丌賳 亘賴 賮乇賵卮 乇賮鬲賴鈥� 丕爻鬲貨 芦丌趩賴鈥屫ㄙ嚶� 丿乇 丕蹖賳 丕孬乇卮丕賳 亘賴 丿賵乇丕賳 丕爻鬲毓賲丕乇 賵 賴賲趩賳蹖賳 賮爻丕丿 丿乇 芦丌賮乇蹖賯丕禄 倬乇丿丕禺鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 20/04/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 17/02/1401賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
June 26, 2020
In a word, I disliked this book. But before my criticisms I should start with some positives.
Achebe is a solid writer. As a result, Things Fall Apart is never painful to read鈥攁t least in terms of prose. And it must be said that there are occasional moments in this book which are very strong. Achebe has a talent for vignettes, and there are a few episodes in this book that are exciting, engaging, and stay with you.
Yet if Achebe is good at vignettes, he is a weak storyteller. This book hardly has a plot. Things happen, then more things happen, and then it ends. It is a series of episodes whose sum is less than the individual parts. There is no conflict, goal, or struggle that unifies this string of events. Now, some authors do this intentionally, and plotless novels can be wonderful; but I got the impression that this was the result of a lack of technique or vision, rather than an artistic choice.
The plot is haphazard. Except for Okonkwo, the protagonist, the cast is ever-revolving. Every time Achebe wants something to happen in the story, he summons a character to appear and bring it about. He does not allow any tension or pressure to build, but things happen all at once with no warning and with short-lived consequences. The result is not compelling: merely a deflationary string of anticlimaxes. The ending of the book is exemplary in this respect. No buildup, no warning, no pathos, just an out-of-the-blue event which seems contrived as a way to end the book.
A bit of well-placed foreshadowing could have substantially improved Things Fall Apart. That would have unified the story and allowed Achebe to build expectations. Instead, since the story is so chaotic, the audience has no expectations at all. And it is impossible to be surprised without expectation.
Another major flaw is the protagonist. I think it was bad judgment on Achebe鈥檚 part to use Okonkwo鈥攁n example of toxic masculinity if there ever was one鈥攁s the story鈥檚 hero. There is nothing likable about him. He is not a tragic hero, because a tragic hero has a fatal flaw, whereas Okonkwo is flawed all the way down. You can hardly empathize with the guy, since he himself seems devoid of empathy.
As with many flawed books, then, what saves this one is its brevity. Even so, apart from whatever aesthetic merits or demerits one can find鈥攍argely a matter of taste and judgment鈥擨 think that the message of the book was extremely muddled. At the very least, the moral seems rather different than how it is normally portrayed.
Specifically, if Achebe was trying to show the evils of colonialism, I think that he did an awful job. Again, the protagonist, Okonkwo, is a dreadful, disturbed, and depressed human being. Because we partially experience the Ibo culture through his eyes, the result is a dreadful, disturbed, and depressing picture of the culture. What 鈥渢hings鈥� are supposed to be falling apart? The general impression one gets of the pre-colonial villages is of an unpredictable chaos; when the colonialists arrive there is just chaos of a different sort.
More then that, Achebe seems to be fascinated by the violent side of the Ibo, and spends the large majority of the first half bringing this home to the reader. In particular, there is an event near the beginning which seems deliberately aimed at making the reader disgusted at Okonkwo and the people of his village. The episode plays no other role in the plot. Meanwhile, both of the white missionaries are depicted as courageous, selfless, and heroic. The villagers, by contrast, are depicted as violent, incompetent, and confused. And since Okonkwo is against the Christians, I was inclined to root for them, as I wanted nothing more than for him to lose. As an anti-colonial work, then, I found this book to be ludicrously ineffective.
To sum up, this book is a quick and relatively painless read. There are some undeveloped germs of good ideas. But on the whole, it is poorly executed and poorly conceived.
Achebe is a solid writer. As a result, Things Fall Apart is never painful to read鈥攁t least in terms of prose. And it must be said that there are occasional moments in this book which are very strong. Achebe has a talent for vignettes, and there are a few episodes in this book that are exciting, engaging, and stay with you.
Yet if Achebe is good at vignettes, he is a weak storyteller. This book hardly has a plot. Things happen, then more things happen, and then it ends. It is a series of episodes whose sum is less than the individual parts. There is no conflict, goal, or struggle that unifies this string of events. Now, some authors do this intentionally, and plotless novels can be wonderful; but I got the impression that this was the result of a lack of technique or vision, rather than an artistic choice.
The plot is haphazard. Except for Okonkwo, the protagonist, the cast is ever-revolving. Every time Achebe wants something to happen in the story, he summons a character to appear and bring it about. He does not allow any tension or pressure to build, but things happen all at once with no warning and with short-lived consequences. The result is not compelling: merely a deflationary string of anticlimaxes. The ending of the book is exemplary in this respect. No buildup, no warning, no pathos, just an out-of-the-blue event which seems contrived as a way to end the book.
A bit of well-placed foreshadowing could have substantially improved Things Fall Apart. That would have unified the story and allowed Achebe to build expectations. Instead, since the story is so chaotic, the audience has no expectations at all. And it is impossible to be surprised without expectation.
Another major flaw is the protagonist. I think it was bad judgment on Achebe鈥檚 part to use Okonkwo鈥攁n example of toxic masculinity if there ever was one鈥攁s the story鈥檚 hero. There is nothing likable about him. He is not a tragic hero, because a tragic hero has a fatal flaw, whereas Okonkwo is flawed all the way down. You can hardly empathize with the guy, since he himself seems devoid of empathy.
As with many flawed books, then, what saves this one is its brevity. Even so, apart from whatever aesthetic merits or demerits one can find鈥攍argely a matter of taste and judgment鈥擨 think that the message of the book was extremely muddled. At the very least, the moral seems rather different than how it is normally portrayed.
Specifically, if Achebe was trying to show the evils of colonialism, I think that he did an awful job. Again, the protagonist, Okonkwo, is a dreadful, disturbed, and depressed human being. Because we partially experience the Ibo culture through his eyes, the result is a dreadful, disturbed, and depressing picture of the culture. What 鈥渢hings鈥� are supposed to be falling apart? The general impression one gets of the pre-colonial villages is of an unpredictable chaos; when the colonialists arrive there is just chaos of a different sort.
More then that, Achebe seems to be fascinated by the violent side of the Ibo, and spends the large majority of the first half bringing this home to the reader. In particular, there is an event near the beginning which seems deliberately aimed at making the reader disgusted at Okonkwo and the people of his village. The episode plays no other role in the plot. Meanwhile, both of the white missionaries are depicted as courageous, selfless, and heroic. The villagers, by contrast, are depicted as violent, incompetent, and confused. And since Okonkwo is against the Christians, I was inclined to root for them, as I wanted nothing more than for him to lose. As an anti-colonial work, then, I found this book to be ludicrously ineffective.
To sum up, this book is a quick and relatively painless read. There are some undeveloped germs of good ideas. But on the whole, it is poorly executed and poorly conceived.
May 15, 2019
I 'finally' read this book - the 50th Anniversary Edition- THANK YOU for the book Loretta!!! I'm sorry it took me so long to read it!!!!
Interesting timing for me, too, having just read "NW" by Zadie Smith, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie- and a couple of
James Baldwin books recently---plus, yesterday was Martin Luther King's day.
African identity, nationalism, decolonization, racism, sexism, competing cultural systems, languages -and dialogue, social political issues have been in my space!!
I didn't know what to expect...."may be Africa's best-loved novel...For so many readers around the world, it is Chinua Achebe who opened up the magic casements of African fiction" ----by Kwame Anthony Appiah.
After I read this book -- joining thousands and thousands of others around the world feeling disturbed & conflicted when I read lines like this:
"I will not have a son who cannot hold up his head in the gathering of the clan. I would sooner strangle him with my own hands. And if you stand staring at me like that, he swore, Amadiora will break your head for you".
...... I wanted to 'also' read more about Kwame Anthony Appiah.... Who taught philosophy and African American studies at Yale and Harvard. He helped give me a broader understanding of this book.
He studied ethics around the world. Things he had to say about "kindness to strangers", made sense to me.
It is not for 'us' to save the poor and starving, but up to their own governments. Nation-states must assume responsibility for their citizens.
In "Things Fall Apart", western culture is portrayed as arrogant and ethnocentric. Their culture was vulnerable to the western civilization.
With so much sadness and tragedy in his culture, growing up as he did in .. China Achebe ( who wrote in English), was amazing!!!!!
He continues to have influence on other African novelists today..... inspiring writers around the world. Readers too!
Never too late to read "Things Fall Apart"
Interesting timing for me, too, having just read "NW" by Zadie Smith, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie- and a couple of
James Baldwin books recently---plus, yesterday was Martin Luther King's day.
African identity, nationalism, decolonization, racism, sexism, competing cultural systems, languages -and dialogue, social political issues have been in my space!!
I didn't know what to expect...."may be Africa's best-loved novel...For so many readers around the world, it is Chinua Achebe who opened up the magic casements of African fiction" ----by Kwame Anthony Appiah.
After I read this book -- joining thousands and thousands of others around the world feeling disturbed & conflicted when I read lines like this:
"I will not have a son who cannot hold up his head in the gathering of the clan. I would sooner strangle him with my own hands. And if you stand staring at me like that, he swore, Amadiora will break your head for you".
...... I wanted to 'also' read more about Kwame Anthony Appiah.... Who taught philosophy and African American studies at Yale and Harvard. He helped give me a broader understanding of this book.
He studied ethics around the world. Things he had to say about "kindness to strangers", made sense to me.
It is not for 'us' to save the poor and starving, but up to their own governments. Nation-states must assume responsibility for their citizens.
In "Things Fall Apart", western culture is portrayed as arrogant and ethnocentric. Their culture was vulnerable to the western civilization.
With so much sadness and tragedy in his culture, growing up as he did in .. China Achebe ( who wrote in English), was amazing!!!!!
He continues to have influence on other African novelists today..... inspiring writers around the world. Readers too!
Never too late to read "Things Fall Apart"
July 18, 2020
4,5/5
Buf, me ha encantado este libro.
Ha sido una aut茅ntica sorpresa porque no esperaba que fuera a gustarme tanto, pero 隆Que bien escribe Achebe!
Esta es la historia de Okonkwo y c贸mo su sociedad se desmorona tras la colonizaci贸n del hombre blanco. Okonkwo es un personaje realmente odioso en muchos aspectos, representa la parte m谩s extrema de su sociedad, el guerrero perfecto que cumple todas las normas a rajatabla y desprecia todo lo que no encaja con su estandar de lo que debe ser un hombre. C贸mo el autor logra que termines empatizando con Okonkwo y sintiendo verdadera pena y l谩stima por todo lo que ocurre... es impresionante.
Es una descripci贸n terrible de lo que es la ca铆da de una civilizaci贸n.
El libro est谩 plagado de costumbres, refranes, leyes, detalles de una sociedad que en pocos a帽os cambi贸 dr谩sticamente y fue desterrada.
Un libro que ha ido creciendo en mi seg煤n iba avanzando la lectura y que me ha impresionado mucho m谩s de lo que esperaba. Sin duda seguir茅 con la Trilog铆a Africana de Achebe.
Buf, me ha encantado este libro.
Ha sido una aut茅ntica sorpresa porque no esperaba que fuera a gustarme tanto, pero 隆Que bien escribe Achebe!
Esta es la historia de Okonkwo y c贸mo su sociedad se desmorona tras la colonizaci贸n del hombre blanco. Okonkwo es un personaje realmente odioso en muchos aspectos, representa la parte m谩s extrema de su sociedad, el guerrero perfecto que cumple todas las normas a rajatabla y desprecia todo lo que no encaja con su estandar de lo que debe ser un hombre. C贸mo el autor logra que termines empatizando con Okonkwo y sintiendo verdadera pena y l谩stima por todo lo que ocurre... es impresionante.
Es una descripci贸n terrible de lo que es la ca铆da de una civilizaci贸n.
El libro est谩 plagado de costumbres, refranes, leyes, detalles de una sociedad que en pocos a帽os cambi贸 dr谩sticamente y fue desterrada.
Un libro que ha ido creciendo en mi seg煤n iba avanzando la lectura y que me ha impresionado mucho m谩s de lo que esperaba. Sin duda seguir茅 con la Trilog铆a Africana de Achebe.
January 19, 2020
El relato tiene un claro car谩cter documental. Un narrador as茅ptico, aunque con licencia para poetizar, nos detalla la vida tribal en el 脕frica occidental de finales del siglo XIX utilizando como elemento 鈥渘ovelizador鈥� la vida de Okonkwo, gran guerrero y hombre prominente de la tribu que asiste al desmoronamiento de su vida en el contexto del total y brutal desmoronamiento del mundo en el que vive.
Lo primero y lo que m谩s llama la atenci贸n es la forma cruda en la que la novela rompe con esa visi贸n un tanto paternalista del buen salvaje viviendo en el para铆so, todo concordia y felicidad. La sociedad que describe Achebe no tiene nada de salvaje y s铆 muchas razones para su reprobaci贸n. Fuertemente jeraraquizada, la sociedad estaba sujeta a estrictos ritos y tradiciones basados en un sinf铆n de supersticiones y costumbres ancestrales que muchas veces eran de dudosa eficacia y con frecuencia claramente censurables. Hasta el m谩s respetuoso con la diferenciaci贸n cultural no puede sino llevarse las manos a la cabeza ante costumbres como la de sacrificar a los nacimientos gemelares o que ciertos delitos sean compensados con la entrega de familiares, generalmente j贸venes, al miembro damnificado de la tribu, y que a veces acababan siendo sacrificados en beneficio de la comunidad de acogida, o el estado de esclavitud en el que viv铆an las mujeres o el trascendental papel que jugaban sacerdotes, sacerdotisas, hechiceros o adivinadores en la observancia de las estrictas normas de cumplimiento establecidas casi para cada acto por cotidiano que este sea.
Tampoco reinaba la fraternidad en las relaciones intertribales, no siendo raras las guerras en las que los mejores guerreros se vanagloriaban de las cabezas cortadas que llevaban a sus casas como trofeos y que llegaban a ser utilizadas como recipientes para sus bebidas. Y aun as铆, las tribus llevaban siglos manteniendo una armon铆a social solo alterada por algunos pocos individuos incapaces de atenerse a las normas o de prosperar en ellas. Estos miembros marginales fueron los d茅biles eslabones de la cadena que misioneros y colonizadores rompieron mediante su evangelizaci贸n iniciando as铆 el desmoronamiento social de sus tribus.
Aunque no pueda decir que la novela me haya seducido literariamente hablando, es indudable que es una narraci贸n muy interesante por su contenido. M谩s all谩 de todo lo dicho sobre el choque cultural quiero terminar haciendo menci贸n de esos peque帽os y espl茅ndidos cuentos que el autor va intercalando en la historia a modo de f谩bulas morales que eran transmitidos oralmente de padres a hijos.
Lo primero y lo que m谩s llama la atenci贸n es la forma cruda en la que la novela rompe con esa visi贸n un tanto paternalista del buen salvaje viviendo en el para铆so, todo concordia y felicidad. La sociedad que describe Achebe no tiene nada de salvaje y s铆 muchas razones para su reprobaci贸n. Fuertemente jeraraquizada, la sociedad estaba sujeta a estrictos ritos y tradiciones basados en un sinf铆n de supersticiones y costumbres ancestrales que muchas veces eran de dudosa eficacia y con frecuencia claramente censurables. Hasta el m谩s respetuoso con la diferenciaci贸n cultural no puede sino llevarse las manos a la cabeza ante costumbres como la de sacrificar a los nacimientos gemelares o que ciertos delitos sean compensados con la entrega de familiares, generalmente j贸venes, al miembro damnificado de la tribu, y que a veces acababan siendo sacrificados en beneficio de la comunidad de acogida, o el estado de esclavitud en el que viv铆an las mujeres o el trascendental papel que jugaban sacerdotes, sacerdotisas, hechiceros o adivinadores en la observancia de las estrictas normas de cumplimiento establecidas casi para cada acto por cotidiano que este sea.
Tampoco reinaba la fraternidad en las relaciones intertribales, no siendo raras las guerras en las que los mejores guerreros se vanagloriaban de las cabezas cortadas que llevaban a sus casas como trofeos y que llegaban a ser utilizadas como recipientes para sus bebidas. Y aun as铆, las tribus llevaban siglos manteniendo una armon铆a social solo alterada por algunos pocos individuos incapaces de atenerse a las normas o de prosperar en ellas. Estos miembros marginales fueron los d茅biles eslabones de la cadena que misioneros y colonizadores rompieron mediante su evangelizaci贸n iniciando as铆 el desmoronamiento social de sus tribus.
Aunque no pueda decir que la novela me haya seducido literariamente hablando, es indudable que es una narraci贸n muy interesante por su contenido. M谩s all谩 de todo lo dicho sobre el choque cultural quiero terminar haciendo menci贸n de esos peque帽os y espl茅ndidos cuentos que el autor va intercalando en la historia a modo de f谩bulas morales que eran transmitidos oralmente de padres a hijos.
March 14, 2019
廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 鬲亘丨孬 毓賳 乇賵丕賷丞 賲賱賷卅丞 亘丕賱兀丨丿丕孬貙 毓丕賲乇丞 亘丕賱廿孬丕乇丞貙 賷鬲氐丕毓丿 賮賷賴丕 賳爻賯 丕賱鬲卮賵賷賯 賵丕賱丨賲丕爻 亘賲乇賵乇 丕賱氐賮丨丕鬲 .. 賮丿毓賳賷 兀禺亘乇賰 亘兀賳賾賰 賱爻鬲 賮賷 丕賱賲賰丕賳 丕賱賲賳丕爻亘.
廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 鬲亘丨孬 毓賳 乇賵丕賷丞 禺賷丕賱賷丞貙 鬲兀禺匕賰 廿賱賶 毓賵丕賱賲 睾乇賷亘丞貙 氐賮鬲賴丕 丕賱禺賷丕賱 賵賱賵賳賴丕 丕賱廿亘鬲賰丕乇 .. 賮丿毓賳賷 兀禺亘乇賰 亘兀賳賾 亘丨孬賰 賴賳丕 賱丕 胤丕卅賱 賲賳賴.
廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 鬲亘丨孬 毓賳 乇賵丕賷丞 丿賵爻鬲賵賷賮爻賰賷丞 丕賱乇賵丨貙 鬲睾賵氐 賮賷 丕賱賳賾賮爻 丕賱亘卮乇賷丞 賵鬲丨賱賱賴丕貙 賲賱賷卅丞 亘丕賱廿賯鬲亘丕爻丕鬲 丕賱毓馗賷賲丞 .. 賮丿毓賳賷 兀禺亘乇賰 亘兀賳 乇噩丕亍 賱丕 鬲囟賷毓 賵賯鬲賰 賴賳丕.
兀賲賾丕 廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 鬲亘丨孬 毓賳 乇丨賱丞 爻丕丨乇丞 賮賷 賯丕乇丞 爻丕丨乇丞貙 鬲鬲賳賵賾毓 賮賷賴丕 丕賱孬賯丕賮丕鬲 賵鬲禺鬲賱賮 亘丕禺鬲賱丕賮 胤亘賷毓鬲賴丕 丕賱賮乇賷丿丞 .. 賮丿毓賳賷 兀禺亘乇賰 亘兀賳賾賰 賯丿 賵氐賱鬲 .. 賮兀賴賱丕 賵爻賴賱丕 賵賲乇丨亘賸丕 亘賰.
賳毓賲 .. 兀賴賱丕 亘賰 賮賷 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 丕賱爻丕丨乇丞..
廿賳賾賴丕 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 丕賱兀乇囟 丕賱賲馗賱賵賲丞 丕賱賲賳賴賵亘丞 匕丕鬲 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱毓乇賷賯. 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 丕賱鬲賭賾賷 胤丕賱賲丕 毓丕賳鬲 賲賳 丕賱賳馗乇丕鬲 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷丞 賱賴丕貨 爻賵丕亍 賳丨賳 兀亘賳丕卅賴丕 丕賱毓丕賯賾賷賳貙 丕賱兀亘賳丕亍 丕賱匕賷賳 丕賱匕賷賳 丕丨鬲囟賳鬲賳丕 賴匕賴 丕賱賯丕乇丞 賵丕丨丕胤鬲賳丕 亘禺賷乇丕鬲 丕賵丿毓賴丕 賮賷賴丕 丕賱禺丕賱賯 毓夭 賵噩賱貙 賵賱賰賳賳丕 賳賰乇賳丕 丕賱噩賲賷賱 賵毓賷乇賳丕賴丕 亘賲丕 賴賵 賱賷爻 毓丕乇貙 毓賷乇賳丕賴丕 亘丕賱賮賯乇 賵賳爻賷賳丕 丿賵乇賳丕貙 亘丕賱賲乇囟 賵賳爻賷賳丕 鬲兀孬賷乇賳丕貙 亘丕賱噩丿亘 賵賳爻賷賳丕 丕爻鬲賳夭丕賮丕鬲賳丕. 賵賳馗乇丕鬲 丕賱睾賷乇 丕賱賲禺鬲賱賮 賲賳 丕亘賳丕亍 丕賱賯丕乇丕鬲 丕賱兀禺乇賶 丕賱匕賷賳 賱丕 賷匕賰乇賵賳 廿爻賲 丕賱賯丕乇丞 廿賱丕 賲賱鬲氐賯丕 亘氐賮丞 賴賷: 丕賱爻賲乇丕亍貙 賵丨丕賱 賴賵: 丕賱賮賯乇. 賮賷賯賵賱賵賳 丕賱爻賲乇丕亍 丕賱賮賯賷乇丞 賵賴賲 賱丕 賷毓賱賲賵賳 廿賳 丕賱爻賵丕丿 噩賲丕賱 賵毓賮丞貙 賵兀賳 丕賱賮賯乇 賱賲 賷兀鬲賷 賴賰匕丕 亘賱 爻亘亘賴 賯乇賵賳 賲賳 鬲賱賷賴丕 賯乇賵賳 賲賳 丕賱廿爻鬲毓賲丕乇 丕賱馗丕賱賲貙 丕賱賲鬲賵丨卮貙 丕賱賳丕賴亘貙 丕賱睾丕氐亘貙 丕賱賲丕氐 賱賰賱 賲賵乇丿 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱毓噩賷亘丞.
賵賱賰賳 賱賳鬲乇賰 丨丿賷孬 丕賱賯丕乇丞 賵兀卮噩丕賳賴丕 賵賳鬲丨丿孬 毓賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵兀卮賷丕卅賴丕 丕賱賲鬲丿丕毓賷丞 .. 鬲賱賰 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 丕賱鬲賷 鬲氐乇賮 毓賱賷賴丕 爻賳賷賳 毓賲乇賰 丕賱賮丕賳賷貙 賵兀孬賲賳 賱丨馗丕鬲賰 丕賱夭丕卅賱丞貙 賵爻丕毓丕鬲 胤賵丕賱 賲鬲賱丕丨賯丞. 廿賳賴丕 匕賱賰 丕賱卮禺氐 丕賱匕賷 鬲賮毓賱 賲賳 兀噩賱賴 丕賱賲爻鬲丨賷賱貙 賵鬲氐丕乇毓 丕賱氐毓亘貙 賵鬲禺丕胤乇 亘賰賱 丕賱兀賲丕賳賷 賵丕賱丌賲丕賱 .. 賵賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 賷匕賴亘 賴賰匕丕 亘亘爻丕胤丞 賲丿賷乇丕 乇兀爻賴 毓賳賰貙 賰兀賳賰 賱賲 鬲賮毓賱 賵賰兀賳賴 賱賲 賷毓乇賮賰 兀亘丿丕. 廿賳賴丕 匕賱賰 丕賱賴丿賮 丕賱匕賷 賵囟毓鬲賴 賮賷 乇兀爻賰貙 賮鬲爻鬲丨囟乇賴 賮賷 賰賱 賲賰丕賳 賵夭賲丕賳貨 賯亘賱 丕賱賳賵賲 賵亘毓丿賴貙 賮賷 賷賵賲賰 賵賱賷賱賰貙 賮鬲賳鬲胤賱賯 賰丕賱爻賴賲 賳丨賵賴 鬲賱賯賶 丕賱賲卮丕賰賱 鬲賱賵賶 丕賱賲卮丕賰賱貨 賮鬲賱賯賷賴丕 噩丕賳亘丕 賱兀賳賰 丨賱賱鬲賴丕 賵禺乇賯鬲賴丕 賵賰賷賮 賱丕 賵丕賱賯賵丞 丕賱丿丕賮毓丞 賴賳丕 毓馗賷賲丞 噩亘丕乇丞貙 賵賮噩兀丞 賷鬲丿丕毓賶 匕賱賰 丕賱賴丿賮 賮鬲氐亘丨 丨賷丕鬲賰 亘毓丿 匕賱賰 禺賵丕亍 賲丕 亘毓丿賴 禺賵丕亍. 廿賳賴丕 鬲賱賰 丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱鬲賷 兀賱賮鬲賴丕 賵兀賱賽賮鬲賰貙 賵兀賱賿賮鬲賰 爻丕卅乇丕 賮賷賴丕 鬲賯賵賲 亘賲丕 賷噩亘 毓賱賷賰 丕賱賯賷丕賲 亘賴 賲乇丕毓賷丕 卮乇賵胤賴丕 賵賯賵丕賳賷賳賴丕貙 賵乇丕囟賷丕 亘毓丕丿丕鬲賴丕 丕賱鬲賷 賱亘爻鬲賴丕 賱鬲囟毓 賱賳賮爻賰 賲毓賳賶 賵賵噩賵丿.
孬賲 鬲丨胤賲 賰賱 卮賷亍 賵鬲鬲丿丕毓賶 .. 賳毓賲 鬲丨胤賲 賵鬲鬲丿丕毓賶 亘賲噩賷亍 丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱兀亘賷囟 廿賱賶 丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱爻賲乇丕亍貙 賱賷囟毓 爻賰賷賳賴 丕賱丨丕丿丞 毓賱賶 兀胤乇丕賮 賵丕賵丕氐乇 賲噩賲鬲賲毓丕鬲賴丕 賮賯胤毓賴丕 賵賲夭賯賴丕貙 賵賵囟毓 賮兀爻賴 賮賷 亘胤賳賴丕 賮亘賯乇賴丕 賱鬲爻賷賱 丕賱賲賵丕乇丿 賲賳賴丕 賵鬲鬲丿賮賯 睾夭賷乇丕 賰孬賷乇丕貨 賮賯丕賲 亘賳賴亘賴丕 賵丕爻鬲睾賱丕賱賴丕 賵亘賳丕亍 賳賮爻賴 賲賳賴丕. 賵賵丕氐賱 賵賱賲 賷鬲賵賯賮 亘毓丿 鬲賮賰賰 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓丕鬲 賵囟賷丕毓 丕賱賲賵丕乇丿 亘賱 兀禺匕 丕賱亘卮乇 兀賳賮爻賴賲 賵丕爻鬲毓亘丿賴賲 賯乇賵賳丕 亘毓丿 賯乇賵賳貙 氐丕賳毓丕 賱賳賮爻賴 兀爻胤賵乇丞 丕賱爻賷丿 丕賱丌賲乇 丕賱賳丕賴賷 賲賱賰 丕賱毓丕賱賲. 鬲丨胤賲 賰賱 卮賷亍 賵鬲鬲丿丕毓賶 賴賵 毓賳賵丕賳 乇賵丕賷鬲賳丕 賴匕賴 賵賮賰乇鬲賴丕 賵噩賵賴乇賴丕. 鬲丨胤賲 賰賱 卮賷亍 賵賱賲 賷毓丿 賴賳丕賰 兀賷 卮賷亍 賷爻鬲丨賯 兀賳 賷購賮毓賱 賲賳 兀噩賱賴 兀賷 卮賷亍 .. 丌賴 賲丕 兀氐毓亘 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 毓賳丿賲丕 鬲鬲丿丕毓賶!!
賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 噩毓賱鬲賳賷 兀乇丕噩毓 賳賮爻賷 賯賱賷賱丕 賵兀毓賷丿 囟亘胤 毓賱丕賯鬲賷 賲毓 丕賱兀丿亘 丕賱廿賮乇賷賯賷 .. 丕賱匕賷 賱賱兀爻賮 鬲兀孬乇 亘毓丿賵賶 丕賱賳馗乇丞 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷丞 賮賱賲 賷丨噩夭 賱賳賮爻賴 賲賰丕賳丕 賮賷 賯乇丕亍丕鬲賷 丕賱爻丕亘賯丞.
兀丨賷丕賳丕 賰賱賲丞 賵丕丨丿丞 鬲賮鬲丨 丨賷丕丞 噩丿賷丿丕貙 賮氐賱丕 噩丿賷丿丕 兀賵 胤乇賷賯丕 賲禺鬲賱賮丕 .. 賵賴賳丕 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賮鬲丨鬲 賱賷 丌賮丕賯 賵毓賵丕賱賲 睾賳賷丞貙 賴賷 丌賮丕賯 賵毓賵丕賱賲 丕賱兀丿亘 丕賱廿賮乇賷賯賷 賲賳 卮賲丕賱賴 廿賱賶 噩賳賵亘賴貙 賵賲賳 卮乇賯賴 廿賱賶 睾乇亘賴 .. 亘毓乇亘賴 賵毓噩賲賴.
廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 鬲亘丨孬 毓賳 乇賵丕賷丞 禺賷丕賱賷丞貙 鬲兀禺匕賰 廿賱賶 毓賵丕賱賲 睾乇賷亘丞貙 氐賮鬲賴丕 丕賱禺賷丕賱 賵賱賵賳賴丕 丕賱廿亘鬲賰丕乇 .. 賮丿毓賳賷 兀禺亘乇賰 亘兀賳賾 亘丨孬賰 賴賳丕 賱丕 胤丕卅賱 賲賳賴.
廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 鬲亘丨孬 毓賳 乇賵丕賷丞 丿賵爻鬲賵賷賮爻賰賷丞 丕賱乇賵丨貙 鬲睾賵氐 賮賷 丕賱賳賾賮爻 丕賱亘卮乇賷丞 賵鬲丨賱賱賴丕貙 賲賱賷卅丞 亘丕賱廿賯鬲亘丕爻丕鬲 丕賱毓馗賷賲丞 .. 賮丿毓賳賷 兀禺亘乇賰 亘兀賳 乇噩丕亍 賱丕 鬲囟賷毓 賵賯鬲賰 賴賳丕.
兀賲賾丕 廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 鬲亘丨孬 毓賳 乇丨賱丞 爻丕丨乇丞 賮賷 賯丕乇丞 爻丕丨乇丞貙 鬲鬲賳賵賾毓 賮賷賴丕 丕賱孬賯丕賮丕鬲 賵鬲禺鬲賱賮 亘丕禺鬲賱丕賮 胤亘賷毓鬲賴丕 丕賱賮乇賷丿丞 .. 賮丿毓賳賷 兀禺亘乇賰 亘兀賳賾賰 賯丿 賵氐賱鬲 .. 賮兀賴賱丕 賵爻賴賱丕 賵賲乇丨亘賸丕 亘賰.
賳毓賲 .. 兀賴賱丕 亘賰 賮賷 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 丕賱爻丕丨乇丞..
廿賳賾賴丕 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 丕賱兀乇囟 丕賱賲馗賱賵賲丞 丕賱賲賳賴賵亘丞 匕丕鬲 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱毓乇賷賯. 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 丕賱鬲賭賾賷 胤丕賱賲丕 毓丕賳鬲 賲賳 丕賱賳馗乇丕鬲 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷丞 賱賴丕貨 爻賵丕亍 賳丨賳 兀亘賳丕卅賴丕 丕賱毓丕賯賾賷賳貙 丕賱兀亘賳丕亍 丕賱匕賷賳 丕賱匕賷賳 丕丨鬲囟賳鬲賳丕 賴匕賴 丕賱賯丕乇丞 賵丕丨丕胤鬲賳丕 亘禺賷乇丕鬲 丕賵丿毓賴丕 賮賷賴丕 丕賱禺丕賱賯 毓夭 賵噩賱貙 賵賱賰賳賳丕 賳賰乇賳丕 丕賱噩賲賷賱 賵毓賷乇賳丕賴丕 亘賲丕 賴賵 賱賷爻 毓丕乇貙 毓賷乇賳丕賴丕 亘丕賱賮賯乇 賵賳爻賷賳丕 丿賵乇賳丕貙 亘丕賱賲乇囟 賵賳爻賷賳丕 鬲兀孬賷乇賳丕貙 亘丕賱噩丿亘 賵賳爻賷賳丕 丕爻鬲賳夭丕賮丕鬲賳丕. 賵賳馗乇丕鬲 丕賱睾賷乇 丕賱賲禺鬲賱賮 賲賳 丕亘賳丕亍 丕賱賯丕乇丕鬲 丕賱兀禺乇賶 丕賱匕賷賳 賱丕 賷匕賰乇賵賳 廿爻賲 丕賱賯丕乇丞 廿賱丕 賲賱鬲氐賯丕 亘氐賮丞 賴賷: 丕賱爻賲乇丕亍貙 賵丨丕賱 賴賵: 丕賱賮賯乇. 賮賷賯賵賱賵賳 丕賱爻賲乇丕亍 丕賱賮賯賷乇丞 賵賴賲 賱丕 賷毓賱賲賵賳 廿賳 丕賱爻賵丕丿 噩賲丕賱 賵毓賮丞貙 賵兀賳 丕賱賮賯乇 賱賲 賷兀鬲賷 賴賰匕丕 亘賱 爻亘亘賴 賯乇賵賳 賲賳 鬲賱賷賴丕 賯乇賵賳 賲賳 丕賱廿爻鬲毓賲丕乇 丕賱馗丕賱賲貙 丕賱賲鬲賵丨卮貙 丕賱賳丕賴亘貙 丕賱睾丕氐亘貙 丕賱賲丕氐 賱賰賱 賲賵乇丿 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱毓噩賷亘丞.
賵賱賰賳 賱賳鬲乇賰 丨丿賷孬 丕賱賯丕乇丞 賵兀卮噩丕賳賴丕 賵賳鬲丨丿孬 毓賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵兀卮賷丕卅賴丕 丕賱賲鬲丿丕毓賷丞 .. 鬲賱賰 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 丕賱鬲賷 鬲氐乇賮 毓賱賷賴丕 爻賳賷賳 毓賲乇賰 丕賱賮丕賳賷貙 賵兀孬賲賳 賱丨馗丕鬲賰 丕賱夭丕卅賱丞貙 賵爻丕毓丕鬲 胤賵丕賱 賲鬲賱丕丨賯丞. 廿賳賴丕 匕賱賰 丕賱卮禺氐 丕賱匕賷 鬲賮毓賱 賲賳 兀噩賱賴 丕賱賲爻鬲丨賷賱貙 賵鬲氐丕乇毓 丕賱氐毓亘貙 賵鬲禺丕胤乇 亘賰賱 丕賱兀賲丕賳賷 賵丕賱丌賲丕賱 .. 賵賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 賷匕賴亘 賴賰匕丕 亘亘爻丕胤丞 賲丿賷乇丕 乇兀爻賴 毓賳賰貙 賰兀賳賰 賱賲 鬲賮毓賱 賵賰兀賳賴 賱賲 賷毓乇賮賰 兀亘丿丕. 廿賳賴丕 匕賱賰 丕賱賴丿賮 丕賱匕賷 賵囟毓鬲賴 賮賷 乇兀爻賰貙 賮鬲爻鬲丨囟乇賴 賮賷 賰賱 賲賰丕賳 賵夭賲丕賳貨 賯亘賱 丕賱賳賵賲 賵亘毓丿賴貙 賮賷 賷賵賲賰 賵賱賷賱賰貙 賮鬲賳鬲胤賱賯 賰丕賱爻賴賲 賳丨賵賴 鬲賱賯賶 丕賱賲卮丕賰賱 鬲賱賵賶 丕賱賲卮丕賰賱貨 賮鬲賱賯賷賴丕 噩丕賳亘丕 賱兀賳賰 丨賱賱鬲賴丕 賵禺乇賯鬲賴丕 賵賰賷賮 賱丕 賵丕賱賯賵丞 丕賱丿丕賮毓丞 賴賳丕 毓馗賷賲丞 噩亘丕乇丞貙 賵賮噩兀丞 賷鬲丿丕毓賶 匕賱賰 丕賱賴丿賮 賮鬲氐亘丨 丨賷丕鬲賰 亘毓丿 匕賱賰 禺賵丕亍 賲丕 亘毓丿賴 禺賵丕亍. 廿賳賴丕 鬲賱賰 丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱鬲賷 兀賱賮鬲賴丕 賵兀賱賽賮鬲賰貙 賵兀賱賿賮鬲賰 爻丕卅乇丕 賮賷賴丕 鬲賯賵賲 亘賲丕 賷噩亘 毓賱賷賰 丕賱賯賷丕賲 亘賴 賲乇丕毓賷丕 卮乇賵胤賴丕 賵賯賵丕賳賷賳賴丕貙 賵乇丕囟賷丕 亘毓丕丿丕鬲賴丕 丕賱鬲賷 賱亘爻鬲賴丕 賱鬲囟毓 賱賳賮爻賰 賲毓賳賶 賵賵噩賵丿.
孬賲 鬲丨胤賲 賰賱 卮賷亍 賵鬲鬲丿丕毓賶 .. 賳毓賲 鬲丨胤賲 賵鬲鬲丿丕毓賶 亘賲噩賷亍 丕賱乇噩賱 丕賱兀亘賷囟 廿賱賶 丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱爻賲乇丕亍貙 賱賷囟毓 爻賰賷賳賴 丕賱丨丕丿丞 毓賱賶 兀胤乇丕賮 賵丕賵丕氐乇 賲噩賲鬲賲毓丕鬲賴丕 賮賯胤毓賴丕 賵賲夭賯賴丕貙 賵賵囟毓 賮兀爻賴 賮賷 亘胤賳賴丕 賮亘賯乇賴丕 賱鬲爻賷賱 丕賱賲賵丕乇丿 賲賳賴丕 賵鬲鬲丿賮賯 睾夭賷乇丕 賰孬賷乇丕貨 賮賯丕賲 亘賳賴亘賴丕 賵丕爻鬲睾賱丕賱賴丕 賵亘賳丕亍 賳賮爻賴 賲賳賴丕. 賵賵丕氐賱 賵賱賲 賷鬲賵賯賮 亘毓丿 鬲賮賰賰 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓丕鬲 賵囟賷丕毓 丕賱賲賵丕乇丿 亘賱 兀禺匕 丕賱亘卮乇 兀賳賮爻賴賲 賵丕爻鬲毓亘丿賴賲 賯乇賵賳丕 亘毓丿 賯乇賵賳貙 氐丕賳毓丕 賱賳賮爻賴 兀爻胤賵乇丞 丕賱爻賷丿 丕賱丌賲乇 丕賱賳丕賴賷 賲賱賰 丕賱毓丕賱賲. 鬲丨胤賲 賰賱 卮賷亍 賵鬲鬲丿丕毓賶 賴賵 毓賳賵丕賳 乇賵丕賷鬲賳丕 賴匕賴 賵賮賰乇鬲賴丕 賵噩賵賴乇賴丕. 鬲丨胤賲 賰賱 卮賷亍 賵賱賲 賷毓丿 賴賳丕賰 兀賷 卮賷亍 賷爻鬲丨賯 兀賳 賷購賮毓賱 賲賳 兀噩賱賴 兀賷 卮賷亍 .. 丌賴 賲丕 兀氐毓亘 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 毓賳丿賲丕 鬲鬲丿丕毓賶!!
賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 噩毓賱鬲賳賷 兀乇丕噩毓 賳賮爻賷 賯賱賷賱丕 賵兀毓賷丿 囟亘胤 毓賱丕賯鬲賷 賲毓 丕賱兀丿亘 丕賱廿賮乇賷賯賷 .. 丕賱匕賷 賱賱兀爻賮 鬲兀孬乇 亘毓丿賵賶 丕賱賳馗乇丞 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷丞 賮賱賲 賷丨噩夭 賱賳賮爻賴 賲賰丕賳丕 賮賷 賯乇丕亍丕鬲賷 丕賱爻丕亘賯丞.
兀丨賷丕賳丕 賰賱賲丞 賵丕丨丿丞 鬲賮鬲丨 丨賷丕丞 噩丿賷丿丕貙 賮氐賱丕 噩丿賷丿丕 兀賵 胤乇賷賯丕 賲禺鬲賱賮丕 .. 賵賴賳丕 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賮鬲丨鬲 賱賷 丌賮丕賯 賵毓賵丕賱賲 睾賳賷丞貙 賴賷 丌賮丕賯 賵毓賵丕賱賲 丕賱兀丿亘 丕賱廿賮乇賷賯賷 賲賳 卮賲丕賱賴 廿賱賶 噩賳賵亘賴貙 賵賲賳 卮乇賯賴 廿賱賶 睾乇亘賴 .. 亘毓乇亘賴 賵毓噩賲賴.
November 27, 2017
Tyrants attract greater tyrants. It's impossible for me to care about a bunch of self-aggrandizing assholes who sell their daughters and beat their wives.
December 6, 2018
A real tour de force; but a plain tale simply told. Achebe illustrates and explains rather than judges and provides a moving and very human story of change and disintegration. Set in Nigeria in the nineteenth century it tells the story of Okonkwo and his family and community. He is a man tied to his culture and tradition and fighting to be different to his father. He is strong and proud and unable to show his feelings. His courage and rashness get him into trouble with his community and traditions. The book also charts the coming of Christian missionaries to the area and the effects they had; especially in attrating those who were outcast and of low status. Okonwko's fate is tragic and is representative of the destruction of his culture.
I have been puzzled to read some of the negative reviews that just don't seem to get it; saying it is too alien(??), too simple, badly written and so on. Part of Achebe's genius is that he tells the tale like all good writers; he explains when he has too and creates nuanced characters. The white missionaries are not unthinking or one-dimensional; just convinced they are right. Okonwko is also nuanced; unable to show the feelings he clearly has (especially to his daughter) and so eager to be strong and to lead that he is unable to be compassionate like his peers. Achebe does not judge; he charts the decline of a culture. He is not saying one side is entirely good or bad and there are elements to shock (the treatment of twins) and areas of great strength.
The brilliance is in the capturing of a period of change and cataclysm in the Ibo culture; but it is also a simple father/son relationship story. Achebe powerfully shows that like many of the greatest authors, he has the ability to put complex ideas across simply.
I have been puzzled to read some of the negative reviews that just don't seem to get it; saying it is too alien(??), too simple, badly written and so on. Part of Achebe's genius is that he tells the tale like all good writers; he explains when he has too and creates nuanced characters. The white missionaries are not unthinking or one-dimensional; just convinced they are right. Okonwko is also nuanced; unable to show the feelings he clearly has (especially to his daughter) and so eager to be strong and to lead that he is unable to be compassionate like his peers. Achebe does not judge; he charts the decline of a culture. He is not saying one side is entirely good or bad and there are elements to shock (the treatment of twins) and areas of great strength.
The brilliance is in the capturing of a period of change and cataclysm in the Ibo culture; but it is also a simple father/son relationship story. Achebe powerfully shows that like many of the greatest authors, he has the ability to put complex ideas across simply.
December 31, 2018
4 Stars from what I remembered from reading this in high school
3 Stars from rereading it now
This book is a classic that is on a lot of required reading lists. I can understand that as it gives a fictional glimpse into the Westernization of Africa. A topic like this is very heavy, controversial, and important 鈥� because of this, a tale in this genre is going to have a big impact and will easily make its way to must read status.
When I read it in high school, I think I enjoyed it more than now because the style of writing and subject matter were different than the typical high school reading. Also, back then I was much more interested in politics 鈥� in our current world, while I know stories like this are important, I tend to immediately shy away from being deeply interested in politically controversial stories. That doesn鈥檛 lessen the quality of writing or the message!
When I read it this time, it felt very clinical and not very riveting. I know that some of the story was to lay the background of the people and how they lived, but it had trouble holding my interest. The book is only about 200 pages but it felt like it took forever to read. A couple of times I got done with a chapter feeling like I must have put a huge dent in it for the day, but when I went to update my status, I had only read 10 pages!
Interesting side note: I remember the project I had to do for this book in high school was to write my own Clif Notes for the book. It was and enjoyable project, but I don鈥檛 think I did very good!
3 Stars from rereading it now
This book is a classic that is on a lot of required reading lists. I can understand that as it gives a fictional glimpse into the Westernization of Africa. A topic like this is very heavy, controversial, and important 鈥� because of this, a tale in this genre is going to have a big impact and will easily make its way to must read status.
When I read it in high school, I think I enjoyed it more than now because the style of writing and subject matter were different than the typical high school reading. Also, back then I was much more interested in politics 鈥� in our current world, while I know stories like this are important, I tend to immediately shy away from being deeply interested in politically controversial stories. That doesn鈥檛 lessen the quality of writing or the message!
When I read it this time, it felt very clinical and not very riveting. I know that some of the story was to lay the background of the people and how they lived, but it had trouble holding my interest. The book is only about 200 pages but it felt like it took forever to read. A couple of times I got done with a chapter feeling like I must have put a huge dent in it for the day, but when I went to update my status, I had only read 10 pages!
Interesting side note: I remember the project I had to do for this book in high school was to write my own Clif Notes for the book. It was and enjoyable project, but I don鈥檛 think I did very good!
May 10, 2012
1959. Love it or hate it, Achebe's tale of a flawed tribal patriarch is a powerful and important contribution to twentieth century literature.
Think back to 1959. Liberation from colonial masters had not yet swept the African continent when this book appeared, but the pressures were building. The US civil rights movement had not yet erupted, but the forces were in motion. Communism and capitalism were fighting a pitched battle for control of hearts and minds, for bodies and land, around the world. Africans would suffer under the proxy wars waged there to keep the Cold War cold.
Achebe tells the tale of Okonkwo, a young man of some fame throughout the nine villages and beyond, for his wrestling prowess. He is a product of his land, his culture, his religion, and his people. He represents a way of life which admires and rewards strength, loyalty, hard work, a strong hand, and strict adherence to a social code.
He builds his life, takes wives, works his land, produces boys and girls to honor and carry on his legacy. When duty to the tribe makes demands, he must respond even if that response requires great personal sacrifice.
You can't read this book through the prism of your own experience. Part of the mystery of fiction from cultures far afield from your own is the chance it affords to consider how men and women of a certain time and place grappled with the very human issue of living within an exotic social group.
Consider your own social group, and imagine how you would explain your daily and exceptional actions to someone from another religion, from another country, from another language group, from another generation, from another century. Where would you start? Perhaps by considering how you spend a normal day, then how you arrived at the great choices that formed your life. That's a helluva task to set yourself. In my humble opinion, that was the task Achebe set for himself in writing this book.
Think back to 1959. Liberation from colonial masters had not yet swept the African continent when this book appeared, but the pressures were building. The US civil rights movement had not yet erupted, but the forces were in motion. Communism and capitalism were fighting a pitched battle for control of hearts and minds, for bodies and land, around the world. Africans would suffer under the proxy wars waged there to keep the Cold War cold.
Achebe tells the tale of Okonkwo, a young man of some fame throughout the nine villages and beyond, for his wrestling prowess. He is a product of his land, his culture, his religion, and his people. He represents a way of life which admires and rewards strength, loyalty, hard work, a strong hand, and strict adherence to a social code.
He builds his life, takes wives, works his land, produces boys and girls to honor and carry on his legacy. When duty to the tribe makes demands, he must respond even if that response requires great personal sacrifice.
You can't read this book through the prism of your own experience. Part of the mystery of fiction from cultures far afield from your own is the chance it affords to consider how men and women of a certain time and place grappled with the very human issue of living within an exotic social group.
Consider your own social group, and imagine how you would explain your daily and exceptional actions to someone from another religion, from another country, from another language group, from another generation, from another century. Where would you start? Perhaps by considering how you spend a normal day, then how you arrived at the great choices that formed your life. That's a helluva task to set yourself. In my humble opinion, that was the task Achebe set for himself in writing this book.
May 6, 2021
One of the best things I鈥檝e read for a long time
July 29, 2024
I would gladly trade this book for a bucket of yams.
February 17, 2023
The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably 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.Things Fall Apart, published in 1958, has the reputation of being the first great African novel. Set in the late 1800s, the story revolves around Okonkwo, a prominent farmer and community leader who has worked hard since he was forced to fend for himself at an early age after his deadbeat father died young. But Okonkwo worries that the next generation does not respect tradition. Worse, British Missionaries have arrived, threatening to destroy village life as they know it.
鈥�
The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.
鈥�
If you don't like my story, write your own.
There are some timeless themes explored in this novel. And the writing is technically strong, subtle and full of symbolism (yams, anyone?). That said, Things Fall Apart is a tough read in 2019. First, at least half the book is a rather detailed account of daily village life that, candidly, did not interest me very much (so many yams). In this respect, it reminded me of the exhaustive sections on island life in . Far more importantly, the book suffers because Okonkwo is a rather reprehensible character. Because of his fear of being weak like his father, he cultivates a fiery temper. He regularly beats his wives; his family is afraid of him. He can think of no greater insult for a man than to call him a woman.
Things Fall Apart is not the type of novel I typical read, as I generally opt for a bit lighter fare. I read it because I'm working my way through the Pop Chart 100 Essential Novels, which is the point: to force myself to read classics outside of my wheelhouse. I respect its status as a groundbreaking classic, but this book just did not work for me. I understand it鈥檚 the first of a trilogy, but I don鈥檛 plan to read the rest of the series.
February 9, 2017
Achebe's classic is a quick and interesting read albeit with a depressingly realistic end. My curiosity will most likely lead me to more of his work and I enjoyed the narrative style. The ambiguities of cultural clash with an obvious misbalance of power and the two different kinda of brutality in the conflict were thought-provoking and painful to read because they were surely even worse in real life.
June 17, 2021
Oh boy, where do I start? I read Things Fall Apart (the entire African Trilogy acutally) this year for Black History Month. So quite a bit of time has passed already and I am unhappy to report that the story hasn鈥檛 really left a lasting impression on me. I have forgotten many plot points and had to consult many secondary sources in order to write this review. I definitely want to reread Things Fall Apart when I am older, I think it鈥檚 one of those books that, to put it into Calvino鈥檚 words, 鈥渉as never exhausted what it has to say鈥�; it is definitely a most important document in the history of African literature, and I think I鈥檒l appreciate it even more later in life.
Before Things Fall Apart was released, most of the novels about Africa had been written by European authors, portraying Africans as savages who were in need of Western enlightenment. Achebe, who had studied English literature at university, quickly realised that there was a 鈥済ap in his bookshelf鈥� where African literature should have been. Thus far, novels of the caliber of Joseph Conrad鈥檚 Heart of Darkness were the custom when it came to descriptions of Africa in literature 鈥� and we all know what Achebe thought of Conrad and his notion of Africans as 鈥渞udimentary souls.鈥� So, I think we can all agree with Achebe, that he and all the other African writers of the time were incredibly brave and needed to finally fill that gap.
Things Fall Apart was written in 1958 as the colonial system was falling apart in Africa. Its story chronicles pre-colonial life in the south-eastern part of Nigeria and the arrival of the Europeans during the late nineteenth century. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, one of the first to receive global critical acclaim. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and is widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world.
The novel follows the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo man and local wrestling champion in the fictional Nigerian clan of Umuofia. The work is split into three parts, with the first describing his family, personal history, and the customs and society of the Igbo, and the second and third sections introducing the influence of British colonialism and Christian missionaries on the Igbo community.
Achebe wrote his novels in English because the written standard Igbo language was created by combining various dialects, creating a stilted written form. In a 1994 interview with The Paris Review, Achebe said, "the novel form seems to go with the English language. There is a problem with the Igbo language. It suffers from a very serious inheritance which it received at the beginning of this century from the Anglican mission. They sent out a missionary by the name of Dennis. Archdeacon Dennis. He was a scholar. He had this notion that the Igbo language鈥攚hich had very many different dialects鈥攕hould somehow manufacture a uniform dialect that would be used in writing to avoid all these different dialects. Because the missionaries were powerful, what they wanted to do they did. This became the law. But the standard version cannot sing. There's nothing you can do with it to make it sing. It's heavy. It's wooden. It doesn't go anywhere.鈥�
Achebe's choice to write in English has caused controversy. While both African and non-African critics agree that Achebe modelled Things Fall Apart on classic European literature, they disagree about whether his novel upholds a Western model, or, in fact, subverts or confronts it. Personally, I also remain undecided on this issue. Achebe continued to defend his decision: "English is something you spend your lifetime acquiring, so it would be foolish not to use it. Also, in the logic of colonization and decolonization it is actually a very powerful weapon in the fight to regain what was yours.鈥� And I definitely can鈥檛 fault him for that logic, I actually quite agree with it. Nonetheless, throughout the book it also becomes clear that Achebe tried to adhere to the Western standard, in all probability to be respected as a serious author, and I can鈥檛 fault him for that either.
Apart from that, Things Fall Apart suffer from the 鈥渦nlikeable characters鈥�-syndrome. There are simply not many people to root for in this novel. Okonkwo is strong, hard-working, and strives to show no weakness, but he is also obsessed with his masculinity. He sees (and treats) his wives as inferior. As a result, he often beats his wives and children, and is unkind to his neighbours. I was quite prepared for Achebe to show the patriarchal structures of village life, and don鈥檛 fault him for showing it how it was, nonetheless, that prevented me from showing to much empathy toward Okonkwo. Unfortunately, the female characters truly take the backseat in this novel and I never really got a sense for their personality and therefore didn鈥檛 root form them either. Achebe doesn鈥檛 deem them important enough to make the according place for them within this narrative.
This sentence, which concludes the novel, satirizes the entire tradition of Western ethnography and imperialism itself as a cultural project, and it suggests that the ethnographer in question, the District Commissioner, knows very little about his subject and projects a great deal of his European colonialist values onto it. The language of the commissioner鈥檚 proposed title reveals how misguided he is: that he thinks of himself as someone who knows a great deal about pacifying the locals is highly ironic, since, in fact, he is a primary source of their distress, not their peace.
Before Things Fall Apart was released, most of the novels about Africa had been written by European authors, portraying Africans as savages who were in need of Western enlightenment. Achebe, who had studied English literature at university, quickly realised that there was a 鈥済ap in his bookshelf鈥� where African literature should have been. Thus far, novels of the caliber of Joseph Conrad鈥檚 Heart of Darkness were the custom when it came to descriptions of Africa in literature 鈥� and we all know what Achebe thought of Conrad and his notion of Africans as 鈥渞udimentary souls.鈥� So, I think we can all agree with Achebe, that he and all the other African writers of the time were incredibly brave and needed to finally fill that gap.
Things Fall Apart was written in 1958 as the colonial system was falling apart in Africa. Its story chronicles pre-colonial life in the south-eastern part of Nigeria and the arrival of the Europeans during the late nineteenth century. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, one of the first to receive global critical acclaim. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and is widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world.
The novel follows the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo man and local wrestling champion in the fictional Nigerian clan of Umuofia. The work is split into three parts, with the first describing his family, personal history, and the customs and society of the Igbo, and the second and third sections introducing the influence of British colonialism and Christian missionaries on the Igbo community.
鈥淒oes the white man understand our custom about land?鈥� 鈥淗ow can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably 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.鈥�I have to admit that I found it incredibly hard, at first, to keep track of what was happening in the story. I might be at fault here because I definitely didn鈥檛 read it as attentively as I could have, but the reader has to get through a large portion of info dumbs and various introductions of characters in the first few chapters of this novel. It is very palpable that Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart with a Western audience in mind. He explains to us certain festivities and traditions in a very straightforward way. He introduces us to the Ancestral religion and different gods, he explains how a bride price is decided, how certain pieces of clothing are worn and how certain instruments look and are being played. Being from the West, those explanations were definitely needed and came in handy, nonetheless, they interrupted the flow of the story and more often than not pulled me out of it. Having read the remainder of The African Trilogy, I can attest that those info dumbs became less and less as the books move along, and thus made a much more enjoyable overall reading experience for me possible, since most things are somewhat understandable through context.
Achebe wrote his novels in English because the written standard Igbo language was created by combining various dialects, creating a stilted written form. In a 1994 interview with The Paris Review, Achebe said, "the novel form seems to go with the English language. There is a problem with the Igbo language. It suffers from a very serious inheritance which it received at the beginning of this century from the Anglican mission. They sent out a missionary by the name of Dennis. Archdeacon Dennis. He was a scholar. He had this notion that the Igbo language鈥攚hich had very many different dialects鈥攕hould somehow manufacture a uniform dialect that would be used in writing to avoid all these different dialects. Because the missionaries were powerful, what they wanted to do they did. This became the law. But the standard version cannot sing. There's nothing you can do with it to make it sing. It's heavy. It's wooden. It doesn't go anywhere.鈥�
Achebe's choice to write in English has caused controversy. While both African and non-African critics agree that Achebe modelled Things Fall Apart on classic European literature, they disagree about whether his novel upholds a Western model, or, in fact, subverts or confronts it. Personally, I also remain undecided on this issue. Achebe continued to defend his decision: "English is something you spend your lifetime acquiring, so it would be foolish not to use it. Also, in the logic of colonization and decolonization it is actually a very powerful weapon in the fight to regain what was yours.鈥� And I definitely can鈥檛 fault him for that logic, I actually quite agree with it. Nonetheless, throughout the book it also becomes clear that Achebe tried to adhere to the Western standard, in all probability to be respected as a serious author, and I can鈥檛 fault him for that either.
Turning and turning in the widening gyreHe admits himself that the usage of the opening stanza of William Butler Yeats鈥檚 poem 鈥淭he Second Coming,鈥� from which the title of the novel is taken, as an epigraph to Things Fall Apart, was purely done for show. He says: 鈥淎ctually, I wouldn鈥檛 make too much of that. I was showing off more than anything else. As I told you, I took a general degree, with English as part of it, and you had to show some evidence of that.鈥�
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
Apart from that, Things Fall Apart suffer from the 鈥渦nlikeable characters鈥�-syndrome. There are simply not many people to root for in this novel. Okonkwo is strong, hard-working, and strives to show no weakness, but he is also obsessed with his masculinity. He sees (and treats) his wives as inferior. As a result, he often beats his wives and children, and is unkind to his neighbours. I was quite prepared for Achebe to show the patriarchal structures of village life, and don鈥檛 fault him for showing it how it was, nonetheless, that prevented me from showing to much empathy toward Okonkwo. Unfortunately, the female characters truly take the backseat in this novel and I never really got a sense for their personality and therefore didn鈥檛 root form them either. Achebe doesn鈥檛 deem them important enough to make the according place for them within this narrative.
It seemed as if the very soul of the tribe wept for a great evil that was coming鈥攊t鈥檚 own death.One thing I absolutely adored about this book, however, was its ending. I know it might come across as quite gimmicky and 鈥渋n-yo-face鈥� but I think that Achebe achieved what he wanted to show in the most straightforward way.
This sentence, which concludes the novel, satirizes the entire tradition of Western ethnography and imperialism itself as a cultural project, and it suggests that the ethnographer in question, the District Commissioner, knows very little about his subject and projects a great deal of his European colonialist values onto it. The language of the commissioner鈥檚 proposed title reveals how misguided he is: that he thinks of himself as someone who knows a great deal about pacifying the locals is highly ironic, since, in fact, he is a primary source of their distress, not their peace.
May 12, 2016
兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 丕賱爻丕丨乇丞
丕賱賯丕乇丞 丕賱爻賲乇丕亍 貙 丕賱賲賴囟賵賲 丨賯賴丕 賮賳賷丕賸 賵兀丿亘賷丕賸
賷禺乇噩 賲賳賴丕 毓賲賱 兀丿亘賶 賲賳 兀噩賲賱 賲丕賯乇兀鬲
賱毓賱 兀噩賲賱 賲丕 賲賷賾夭 賳噩賷亘 賲丨賮賵馗 貙 賵噩毓賱賴 毓賱賶 賯賲丞 丕賱賰購鬲賾丕亘 丕賱賲氐乇賷賷賳 賵丕賱毓乇亘 兀噩賲毓賷賳貙 賵噩毓賱賴 賵丕丨丿 賲賳 兀毓賱丕賲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 賮賶 丕賱毓丕賱賲 貙
賴賵 賯丿乇鬲賴 丕賱爻丕丨乇丞 毓賱賶 乇爻賲 氐賵乇丞 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 丕賱賲氐乇賶 賵丕賱丨丕乇丞 丕賱賲氐乇賷丞 亘賰賱 鬲賮丕氐賷賱賴丕
賵賴匕丕 賲丕賮毓賱賴 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賴賳丕
丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賳噩丨 亘亘乇丕毓丞 賮賶 丕爻鬲睾賱丕賱 賲賵賴亘鬲賴 丕賱兀丿亘賷丞 賱乇爻賲 氐賵乇丞 賰丕賲賱丞 賱賱丨賷丕丞 賮賶 兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 賵亘丕賱鬲丨丿賷丿 賮賶 賳賷噩賷乇賷丕 .
賮賷鬲禺匕 賲賳 賯乇賷丞 " 兀賵賲賵賮賷丕 " 賳賲賵匕噩丕賸 賷賵囟丨 賲賳 禺賱丕賱賴 丕賱廿胤丕乇 丕賱毓丕賲 賱賱丨賷丕丞 賮賶 馗賱丕賱 賴匕丕 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 鬲賲丕賲丕賸 賰賲丕 賮毓賱 賲丨賮賵馗 賲毓 丕賱丨丕乇丞 丕賱賲氐乇賷丞 丨賷賳賲丕 丕鬲禺丿賴丕 賳賲賵匕噩丕賸 賱鬲賵囟賷丨 賲毓丕賱賲 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 丕賱賲氐乇賶
賵賲丕噩毓賱 丕賱氐賵乇丞 賰丕賲賱丞 亘丨賯 貙 賴賵 丕賳賴 鬲毓乇囟 賱兀丿賯 丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賮賶 丨賷丕丞 兀賴賱 丕賱賯乇賷丞
賲賳 兀爻賱賵亘 丨賷丕鬲賴賲 賵賲爻賰賳賴賲 貙 廿賱賶 賲乇丕爻賲 丿賮賳賴賲 賱賲賵鬲丕賴賲
賵毓賯丕卅丿賴賲 丕賱丿賷賳賷賴 貙 賵兀賰賱賴賲 賵卮乇亘賴賲 貙 毓賲賱賴賲 賵鬲噩丕乇鬲賴賲
丨賷丕丞 賰丕賲賱丞 鬲賳亘囟 亘賷賳 丕賱氐賮丨丕鬲 賮賶 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞
鬲丨賰賶 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賯氐丞 賲兀爻丕丞 " 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵" 兀丨丿 兀賯胤丕亘 賯亘賷賱丞 " 兀賵亘賶 " 賮賶 賯乇賷丞 " 兀賵賲賵賮賷丕 "
賮賷爻乇丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘兀爻賱賵亘賴 丕賱賲賲鬲毓 爻賷乇丞 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵 賲賳匕 賳卮兀鬲賴 丕賱兀賵賱賶 貙 賵噩賴丕丿賴 貙 賵毓賲賱賴 丕賱賲鬲氐賱 賱賷氐賱 廿賱賶 賲乇賰夭 賲乇賲賵賯 賮賶 丕賱賯亘賷賱丞
賵鬲鬲賵丕賱賶 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賲鬲毓乇囟丞 賱丨賷丕丞 兀賵賰賳賵賰賵 賲毓 兀亘賳丕卅賴 賵夭賵噩丕鬲賴 丕賱孬賱丕孬 貙 賲賵囟丨丕賸 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賲賳 禺賱丕賱賴丕 丕賱兀亘毓丕丿 丕賱賰丕賲賱丞 賱卮禺氐賷丞 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵 .
賮賴賵 丕賱賲氐丕乇毓 丕賱亘胤賱 貙 賵丕賱夭賵噩 丕賱毓丕丿賱 貙 賵丕賱兀亘 丕賱毓胤賵賮.. 亘丕賱乇睾賲 賲賲丕 賷亘丿賷賴 丿丕卅賲丕賸 賲賳 丕賱卮丿丞 賵丕賱賯爻賵丞 賱兀亘賳丕卅賴 賵夭賵噩丕鬲賴
賵鬲賲乇 丕賱兀賷丕賲 貙賵賷鬲賵乇胤 兀賵賰賵賳賰賵 賮賶 噩乇賷賲丞 鬲賯囟賶 毓賱賷賴 亘丕賱賳賮賶 賱賲丿丞 爻亘毓 爻賳賵丕鬲 禺丕乇噩 丕賱賯亘賷賱丞
孬賲 鬲賲乇 賮鬲乇丞 丕賱毓賯賵亘丞 丕賱鬲賶 丨丿孬 賮賷賴丕 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賱丕丿丕毓賶 賱丨乇賯賴丕 貙 賵賷毓賵丿 賱賯亘賷賱鬲賴 賮賷賰鬲卮賮 兀賳 丕賱丿賷賳 丕賱賲爻賷丨賶賾 賷鬲賵睾賱 賮賶 賯亘賷賱鬲賴貙 賵賷賳氐丿賲 亘丕賳賯賱丕亘 丕賱丨丕賱 賮賶 丕賱賯亘賷賱丞 丕賱鬲賶 丕賳賯爻賲鬲 賲丕亘賷賳 賲丐賷丿 賵賲毓丕乇囟 賱賱丿賷賳 丕賱賲賳丕賮賶 賱鬲賯丕賱賷丿 丕賱丌賱賴丞 丕賱賯丿賷賲丞
賵鬲鬲賵丕賱賶 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 鬲亘丕毓丕賸 賮賶 氐乇丕毓 賲丕亘賷賳 丕賱鬲賯丕賱賷丿 賵丕賱丿賷賳 丕賱噩丿賷丿 賵賲丕亘賷賳 賰賴賳丞 丕賱丌賱賴丞 丕賱賯丿賷賲丞 賵丿毓丕丞 丕賱丿賷賳 丕賱賲爻賷丨賶 .. 丨鬲賶 鬲兀鬲賶 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞
鬲賯賵賱 丕賱賲鬲乇噩賲丞 賮賶 賲賯丿賲丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 貙 賵丕鬲賮賯 賲毓賴丕 亘卮丿丞 賮賶 賴匕丕 丕賱賰賱丕賲
兀賳 賲賳 兀爻乇丕乇 噩賲丕賱 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 貙 丕賱丨賷丕丿賷丞 丕賱鬲丕賲丞 賲賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 鬲噩丕賴 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬
爻鬲鬲爻丕卅賱 賰孬賷乇丕賸 賵兀賳鬲 鬲賯乇兀 貙 賲丕賱賲賵賯賮 丕賱匕賶 賷鬲禺匕賴 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賲賳 賰賱 賴匕賴 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 責
賵賴匕丕 賷毓賳賶 亘丕賱胤亘毓 兀賳 丕賱氐賵乇丞 賵丨丿賴丕 賴賶 丕賱鬲賶 鬲鬲丨丿孬 廿賱賶 丕賱賯丕乇卅 貙 亘賲丕 賮賶 賴匕賴 丕賱丨賷丕丞 賲賳 賯爻賵丞 賵賯賷賲 禺丕胤卅丞 貙 賵賲賳 亘爻丕胤丞 賵噩賲丕賱 賵卮丕毓乇賷丞
匕賰乇鬲 爻丕亘賯丕賸 兀賳 兀噩賲賱 賲丕賱賲爻鬲賴 賮賶 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 貙 丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱 .
賵丕匕丕 鬲丨丿孬鬲 毓賳 亘毓囟 賴匕賴 丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱
賮兀賯賵賱 兀賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 鬲毓乇囟 賱賰賱 卮卅 賷賲賰賳 鬲禺賷賱賴 賮賶 丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞 鬲賯乇賷亘丕賸
胤賯賵爻 丕賱夭賵丕噩 貙 賵胤賯賵爻 丕賱夭乇丕毓丞
丕賱兀胤毓賲丞 丕賱賲鬲賲孬賱丞 賮賶 孬賲丕乇 賲毓丿賵丿丞 賰孬賲丕乇" 丕賱賷丕賲 "丕賱鬲賶 賴賶 兀賴賲 丕賱兀胤毓賲丞
賵孬賲丕乇 "丕賱賰賵賱丕 " 丕賱鬲賶 鬲賯丿賲 賮賶 賲乇丕爻賲 丕賱鬲乇丨賷亘 亘丕賱囟賷賵賮
賵賲乇丕爻賲 丕賱鬲乇丨賷亘 亘丕賱囟賷賵賮 賱賴丕 賯氐丞 賵丨丿賴丕
賵禺賲乇 丕賱賳禺賷賱 貙 賵丨爻丕亍 丕賱賮賵賮賵 貙賵丨爻丕亍 丕賱賵乇賯丞 丕賱賲乇丞
孬賲 賷鬲毓乇囟 賱賱毓賯賷丿丞 賵丕賱丿賷賳
賵丕賱丌賱賴丞 丕賱賲鬲毓丿丿丞 丕賱鬲賶 賷丐賲賳賵賳 亘賴丕 貙 賮賴賳丕賰 丕賱賴 賱賱兀乇囟 賵丕賱夭乇丕毓丞 貙 賵賴賳丕賱賰 丕賱賴 賱賱賲胤乇 貙 賵賴賳丕賰 丕賱賴 賱賱鬲賱丕賱 賵丕賱噩亘丕賱
貙 賵賮賵賯 賰賱 賴匕丕 貙 賱賰賱 卮禺氐 丕賱賴賴 丕賱禺丕氐 亘賴 丕賱賲爻丐賵賱 毓賳 丨馗賴 賮賶 丕賱丨賷丕丞
賳鬲乇賰 兀賲賵乇 丕賱丿賷賳 賵賳鬲賰賱賲 賮賶 丕賱賯囟丕亍
賮丕賱賯亘賷賱丞 鬲賱噩兀 賮賶 丨賰賲賴丕 廿賱賶 噩賲丕毓丞 賷夭毓賲賵賳 兀賳賴賲 丕卮禺丕氐 鬲賱亘爻鬲賴賲 兀乇賵丕丨 丕賱兀爻賱丕賮 丕賱丨賰賷賲丞 賵賷丿毓賵賳賴賲 " 噩賲丕毓丞 丕賱兀賵噩賵噩賵 "
賵賴賶 鬲鬲賰賵賳 賲賳 鬲爻毓丞 丕卮禺丕氐 鬲禺乇噩 亘夭賶 賲賴賷亘 賮賶 爻丕丨丕鬲 丕賱賯囟丕亍 賱賱賮氐賱 亘賷賳 丕賱賳丕爻
賵賷鬲賲賷夭賵賳 毓賳 亘丕賯賶 丕賱賳丕爻 亘夭賷賴賲 丕賱匕賶 賷亘毓孬 乇賴亘丞 賮賶 賳賮賵爻 賰賱 賲賳 賷乇丕賴賲
賵丕賱乇爻賵賲 毓賱賶 丕賱賵噩賴 貙 賵丕賱乇賷卮 毓賱賶 丕賱乇兀爻 貙 賵丕賱毓氐丕 丕賱鬲賶 鬲丿賯 丕賱兀乇囟 亘丨爻丕亘
孬賲 賷鬲丨丿孬 毓賳 丕賱毓丕丿丕鬲 丕賱睾乇賷亘丞 丕賱鬲賶 賷賳丕賯卮賴丕 亘丨賷丕丿賷丞 鬲丕賲丞
賲孬賱 賵賱丕丿丞 丕賱鬲賵丕卅賲貙 賵兀賳 丕賱鬲賵丕卅賲 賱毓賳丞 賮賶 賳馗乇 丕賱賰賴賳丞 貙賮賰賱賲丕 鬲賱丿 丕賲乇兀丞 鬲賵兀賲 賷鬲乇賰賵賳賴賲 賮賶 睾丕亘丞 賲賵丨卮丞 賱廿乇囟丕亍 丕賱丌賱賴丞 .
賵兀賳 賲賳 賷賯鬲賱 兀丨丿丕賸 亘丕賱禺胤兀 賷購賳賮賶 賲賳 丕賱賯亘賷賱丞 賱爻賳賵丕鬲
廿賱賶 丌禺乇賴 賲賳 賲賳 丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賵丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱 丕賱鬲賶 鬲乇爻賲 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 亘氐賵乇丞 賰丕賲賱丞 鬲噩毓賱賰 鬲卮毓乇 兀賳賰 鬲毓賷卮 賮賶 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 兀孬賳丕亍 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞
兀賳丕 毓賳 賳賮爻賶 卮毓乇鬲 兀賳賶 賮賶 兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 亘賰丕賲賱 廿丿乇丕賰賶 賵丕賳丕 兀賯乇兀 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 . 賵賴匕丕 丿賱賷賱 毓賱賶 爻丨乇 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵鬲賲賰賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘
丨鬲賶 丕賱噩賲丕賱 賵丕賱丨亘 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賶 .. 乇爻賲賴 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘胤乇賷賯丞 賲賳 丕噩賲賱 賲丕賷賰賵賳
丕賱乇噩丕賱 乇亘賲丕 賷鬲夭賵噩賵賳 鬲爻毓 夭賵噩丕鬲 賮賶 賵賯鬲 賵丕丨丿 賵賲毓 匕賱賰 鬲購賰賽賳賾 賱賴 賰賱 賲賳賴賳 丨亘丕賸 賵賵賮丕亍賸 賱丕 賲孬賷賱 賱賴
賰賱 夭賵噩丞 鬲丨亘 囟購乇賾鬲賴丕 貙 賵鬲丨亘 兀亘賳丕亍 夭賵噩賴丕 賲賳 夭賵噩丕鬲賴 丕賱兀禺乇賷丕鬲
賵丕賱夭賵噩 賷亘丕丿賱賴賳 賴匕丕 丕賱丨亘 貙 賮鬲噩丿賴 賷丨乇氐 毓賱賶 兀賳 鬲胤賴賶 賱賴 賰賱 夭賵噩丞 賲賳賴賳 賵噩亘丞 賰丕賲賱丞 賮賶 賰賱 賲賵毓丿 賱賱胤毓丕賲 貙 賵賱丕賷乇丿賾 胤毓丕賲 兀賶 賲賳賴賳 貙 亘賱 賷兀賰賱 賲賳 賰賱 丕賱兀胤亘丕賯 賵賲賳 兀賷丿賶 賰賱 丕賱夭賵噩丕鬲 亘丕毓孬丕賸 賮賶 兀賳賮爻賴賳 丕賱乇囟丕 賵丕賱爻乇賵乇 賵賲賯丿乇丕賸 賱丨亘 賰賱 賵丕丨丿丞 貙 賲胤亘賯丕賸 丕賱毓丿賱 賵丕賱賲爻丕賵丕丞 亘賷賳賴賳
鬲乇噩賲丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賲賳 兀噩賲賱 賲丕賷賰賵賳 貙 乇睾賲 兀賳 丕賱賲鬲乇噩賲丞 匕賰乇鬲 賮賶 丕賱賲賯丿賲丞 兀賳 丕賱爻亘亘 賮賶 賯賱丞 丕賴鬲賲丕賲 丕賱毓丕賱賲 亘丕賱兀丿亘 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賶 賴賵 兀賳 賲毓馗賲 賲丕賷賰鬲亘賴 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷賵賳 賷賰鬲亘賵賴 亘丕賱賱睾丕鬲 丕賱賲丨賱賷丞 貙 賵賴賶 賱睾丕鬲 賰孬賷乇丞 噩丿丕賸 賵賲禺鬲賱賮丞 毓賳 亘毓囟賴丕 賵賲毓賯丿丞 賱賱睾丕賷丞 .
賵兀賳 賲丕賳噩丨 賮賶 丕賱丕賳鬲卮丕乇 賲賳 丕賱兀丿亘 丕賱丕賮乇賷賯賶 賱丕賷鬲毓丿賶 丕賱兀毓賲丕賱 丕賱鬲賶 鬲購賰鬲亘 亘丕賱賱睾丞 丕賱丕賳噩賱賷夭賷丞 賱兀賮丕乇賯丞 賲賴丕噩乇賷賳 兀賵 睾賷乇賴丕 賲賳 丕賱賱睾丕鬲 丕賱兀噩賳亘賷賴 丕賱賲毓乇賵賮丞 貙 賵賲賴賲丕 賰丕賳 .. 賮賴賲 賯賱賷賱賵賳 賲賯丕乇賳丞賸 亘丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱兀賮丕乇賯丞 丕賱賲鬲兀氐賾賱賷賳 賮賶 丕賮乇賷賯賷丕 匕丕鬲賴丕
禺鬲丕賲丕賸
賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 爻丕丨乇丞 貙 賲賮毓賲丞 亘丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賵丕賱丨賰丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲賲鬲毓丞
鬲賰卮賮 毓賳 毓丕賱賲 乇亘賲丕 賱賲 鬲賯乇兀 毓賳賴 賲賳 賯亘賱 貙賵乇亘賲丕 賱賳 鬲賯乇兀 毓賳賴 賮賷賲丕 亘毓丿 賰孬賷乇丕賸
乇賵丕賷丞 賳噩丨鬲 賮賶 丕賱賵氐賵賱 賱卮賲爻 丕賱卮賴乇丞 廿賱賶 丨丿 賲丕 貙 賵爻胤 丌賱丕賮 丕賱兀毓賲丕賱 丕賱兀賮乇賷賯賷丞 丕賱兀禺乇賶 丕賱鬲賶 鬲毓孬乇鬲 賮賶 丕賱賵氐賵賱 賱賱毓丕賱賲賷丞
賵賱賰賳賴丕 賲毓 匕賱賰 賰丕賳鬲 賰賮賷賱丞 賱賭 賱賮鬲 丕賳鬲亘丕賴 丕賱毓丕賱賲 廿賱賶 兀賳 丕賮乇賷賯賷丕 賲賵噩賵丿丞 毓賱賶 禺乇賷胤丞 丕賱兀丿亘
賵兀賳 丕賮乇賷賯賷丕 鬲爻鬲丨賯 丕賴鬲賲丕賲丕賸 賲賳 丕賱賯購乇賾丕亍 賵毓丕賱賲 丕賱兀丿亘 亘卮賰賱 毓丕賲 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 匕賱賰 亘賰孬賷乇
鬲賲鬲
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