Things Fall Apart Study Guide and Discussion Questions

Things Fall Apart is a famous novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Its considered an important work in world literature, albeit a controversial one—the book has been banned in some places for its critical portrayal  of European colonialism. The book is split into three parts showing the reader the negative effects of colonization on the main characters tribe. It also shows how Christian missionary work to convert the African population forever altered their culture. The book was written in 1958 and became one of the first books from Africa to become world-renowned. It is seen as an archetype for the modern African novel. Plot Summary Protagonist Okonkwo becomes a successful farmer and earns titles and respect in his community, even though his lazy father, Unoka, was a disrespected laughingstock. His father is a source of shame for Okonkwo, whos strived to be everything his father was not. Hes domineering over his family as a result, and his overarching desire to always seem manly leads to his downfall. Okonkwo takes in a ward, given to him to care for as a peace offering to avoid war with the neighboring Mbaino community. An oracle says the boy must be killed, but Okonkwo is advised not to do it himself; he does it anyway. But its after the accidental killing of a leader in his community that he and his family are exiled for seven years. When they return, they find that much has changed in their community because of white missionaries who have come to town. Theyve set up a prison, a European-style court of law, a church, a school, and a hospital. Okonkwo doesnt understand why the people havent revolted against these oppressors. Then, the benevolent Mr. Brown is replaced by a strict reverend who isnt interested in the peoples existing culture. Violence eventually ensues, and the local leaders are eventually taken down by the colonizers. Okonkwo cannot cope and ends his own life. Main Characters These are the main characters in the novel: Okonkwo: protagonist whose fatal flaw is his inability to adapt to change and his reverence for needing to appear tough and manlyIkemefuna: clever, resourceful boy; ward of Okonkwo given to avoid war; killed by him so Okonkwo does not appear weakNwoye: son of Okonkwo who becomes a Christian; a sensitive boyEzinma: daughter of Okonkwo; bold; her fathers favorite; the only surviving child of EkwefiEkwefi: Okonkwos second wifeUnoka: Okonkwos father, whom Okonkwo strives to be the opposite of; lazy and enjoys music and conversation; gentle, cowardly, and unambitious; does not have the respect of the townsfolk.Obierika: best friend of OkonkwoOgbuefi Ezeudu: the elder of UmuofiaMr. Brown: missionary to Umuofia and Mbanta; patient, kind, respectful, open-minded person who builds a school and hospital in Umofia and encourages literacy so the people keep up with the rest of the world; represents colonizationRev. James Smith: missionary who contrasts with Mr. Brown in that he is strict and doe snt compromise; has no interest in the native peoples culture; also represents colonization Major Themes In addition to the themes of the effect of colonization on African society and how cultures clash, there are also personal themes in Things Fall Apart. Readers can examine how peoples character leads to their outcomes, such as how adaptable (or unadaptable) they are to change, and how that can be considered a kind of destiny. An examination of the book can also look at human emotions and find commonalities and universals. The destiny theme can be examined on a societal level as well. Achebe illustrates the complexity of the Igbo society and how it functions—unlike the authoritarian encroachers—without a strong central government. Is it destiny for the people to have been conquered, then? You can also examine how the community and people interact to find balance and function as a society. Historical Impact Things Fall Apart has become one of the most important books in African literature, as it was among the first major works to bring the African perspective to a worldwide audience and launched the continents modern literature. It even made Western anthropologists realize theyd been getting the story wrong and led them to re-examine their methods and scholarship on Africas history and peoples. Though controversial to write a novel in the colonizers language, the book was able to reach more people that way. Achebe was also able to work untranslatable Ibo words into the telling so that people would be able to understand them through context as they read, rather than have a translator not achieve adequate subtleties of meaning. The book awakened pride in history and community for people in Africa and led them to realize that they could tell their own stories. Discussion Questions What is important about the title: Things Fall Apart? Is there a reference in the novel that explains the title?What are the conflicts in Things Fall Apart? What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional) are present?How do the storys themes relate to the plot and characters?What are some symbols in Things Fall Apart? How do they relate to the plot and characters?Are the characters consistent in their actions? Are they fully developed characters? Are some characters more fully developed than others? How? Why?Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters people you would want to meet?What is the primary purpose of the story? Is it important or meaningful?  Do you think the novel is meant to be political? What point was the author trying to make? Did he succeed?Why is the novel so controversial? Do you think the book should be censored or banned? Should it be taught in schools?How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place an ywhere else?What is the role of family and community in this novel? How does it change when the missionaries arrive?Does the story end the way you expected? How? Why? What point do you think the author was making with the conclusion of the novel? Does your perspective change knowing there is a sequel?Would you recommend this novel to a friend? Why or why not?How is religion portrayed in this novel? Do you think the Christian missionaries had a positive or negative impact on the characters?What is important about the time period the novel is set in?Why do you think the authors decision to write the novel in English  rather than his native language caused controversy?What point is the author trying to make about the African identity? What problems  does the author outline? Does he offer solutions?

Target Marketing Marketing Strategy - 971 Words

Target marketing includes 3 main activities. Identify and describe those activities. At times as an initiative to attract a cluster of customers who share similar interest in a product that a company or person is selling merchandizers create strategies to set up target markets. In order to effectively capture the interest of the target market thorough research is performed to recognize customers that purchase these products and strategize ways to capture their interest. In order to reach these customers market segmentation, market targeting, and market positioning are all exercised as a target marketing strategy. Market segmentation aims at building customer connection this expands the understanding of the uniqueness of target customer, their conduct and also helps suppliers to customize their target marketing strategies to specific customers or groups (Liu, Li, Peng, Lv Zhang, 2015). In effort to target these specific customers who share similar interests market research is performed on specific segments such as a certain geographic region, groups that shares a certain age, education, and those that has similar earnings, and interests (Kotler Keller, 2012). Market segmentation is an important part of a companies marketing strategy because it identifies the applicable segment and position their various publicity mediums which entreaties groups within that segment. When selecting a target market different variables are reviewed in order to determine the most appropriateShow MoreRelatedMarketing Strategy : Target Market891 Words   |  4 PagesMarketing Strategy Target Market We will be targeting a consumer market. Pop Tarts are a product that should be able to show up in stores across South Korea. The average disposable income per capita is 18,035 USD a year. 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Emily dickinson 2 Essay Example For Students

Emily dickinson 2 Essay Emily Dickinson was ahead of her time in the way she wrote her poems. The poems she wrote had much more intelligence and background that the common person could comprehend and understand. People of all ages and critics loved her writings and their meanings, but disliked her original, bold style. Many critics restyled her poetry to their liking and are often so popular are put in books alongside Dickinson’s original poetry (Tate 1). She mainly wrote on nature. She also wrote about domestic activity, industry and warfare, economy and law. â€Å"Her scenes sometime create natural or social scenes but are more likely to create psychological landscapes, generalized scenes, or allegorical scenes.† She uses real places and actions to convey a certain idea or emotion in her poem. She blends allegory and symbolism, which is the reason for the complication in her poems because allegory and symbolism contradict each other (Diehl 18, 19). Dickinson did not name most of her poems. She named twenty-four of her poems, of which twenty-one of the poems were sent to friends. She set off other people’s poetry titles with quotation marks, but only capitalized the first word in her titles. Many critics believe she did not title most of her poetry because she was not planning on publishing her work. As Socrates said, â€Å"the knowledge of things is not devised from names†¦ no man would like to put himself or the education of his mind in the power of names†(Watts 130). Dickinson said that the speaker in all her poems is not herself. She incorporates her emotions, feelings, and hints at the facts about her life although she is not the speaker. Emily Dickinson’s poetry is short but meaningful and full of imagery on everyday subjects (Juhasz 73). Throughout most of Dickinson poetry she uses partial, slant or off rhymes, in which the final sounds of the word are similar but not identical. She knew she was not following the poetic methods of people of her time but didn’t care because she was writing for herself, not the public. Her stanza forms and poetic rhymes come from the Protestant hymns of Issac Watts (Wolff 101). â€Å"Emily Dickinson’s poems are usually written in short stanza, mostly quatrains with short lines usually rhyming only on the second and fourth lines. Other poems employ triplets or pairs of couplets, and a few poems employ longer, looser, and more complicated stanzas† (Tate 21). Her poems take on one line of iambic tetrameter followed by one line of iambic trimeter. Dickinson liked the hymn form of poetry and the then popular folk form. â€Å"Because I cold not stop for death,† is an example of her most commonly used metrical pattern (Watts 125). Throughout her poetry she used similes, or â€Å"Comparative Anatomy. † Emily used centripetal and centrifugal similes. In â€Å"The props Assist the House,† Dickinson is trying to convey a house under construction is like a soul in the process of being â€Å"perfected†(Shackford 2). Emily Dickinson never prepared for her poetry beforehand, but she made the meaning of her poetry as she wrote. She misleads the reader when she uses ellipses, inversions, and unexpected climaxes. The poems are very lyrical and â€Å"lacks the slow, retreating harmonies of epic measures† (Shackford 1,2). Dickinson wrote on death, love, nature and religion. She believed in the Puritan-Calvinist belief. She used very powerful religious words like â€Å"Calvary,† â€Å"Crown,† and â€Å"Redemption. † She uses a lot of imagery on baptism and crucifixion. In â€Å"All hail the power of Jesus’ name† she is telling what Jesus’ crown of thorns signified to the Puritans. It not only signifies sacrifice of Jesus’ life for our sins but love and sorrow also (Juhasz 167). Love was another favored subject of Dickinson. .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 , .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 .postImageUrl , .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 , .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049:hover , .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049:visited , .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049:active { border:0!important; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049:active , .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049 .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u13db4b969796c6dcac4fa9bf36a47049:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Enron Taking Advantage Of Accounting Limitations Accounting EssayShe never talks about her love or lover but mainly concentrates on the passion side of love. In her poetry, she represents man with the words â€Å"Father,† â€Å"King,† â€Å"Lord,† and â€Å"Master.† She uses a metaphor to describe women to men as %

Dulce et Decorum est free essay sample

Dulce et Decorum est is a poem written by poet Wilfred Owen in 1917, during World War I, and published posthumously in 1920. Owens poem is known for its horrific imagery and condemnation of war. It was drafted at Craiglockhart in the first half of October 1917 and later revised, probably at Scarborough but possibly Ripon, between January and March 1918. The earliest surviving manuscript is dated 8 October 1917 and addressed to his mother, Susan Owen, with the message Here is a gas poem done yesterday, (which is not private, but not final). Formally, the poem can be understood as the combination of two sonnets, though the spacing of the stanzas is irregular. [citation needed] The text presents a vignette from the front lines of World War I; specifically, of British soldiers attacked with chlorine gas. In the rush when the shells with poison gas explode, one soldier is unable to get his mask on in time. The poet’s intention is to show the reader that dying to fight for your own country is the most honourable thing to do. In contrast to Brooke’s poem, Wilfred Owen expresses the harsh realities of war in the poem â€Å"Dulce et Decorum est†. Owen speaks from first-hand experience shown by the use of â€Å"we. In the first stanza, the poet uses a slow dragging rhythm to bring out the image of the tired, â€Å"blood shod†, suffering and wounded soldiers. He also uses a simile to show how sick the soldiers were â€Å"coughed like hags†. In second stanza, however, the poet uses a fast, quick rhythm and effective use of punctuation to show a sudden panic and tension in the gas attack; â€Å"Gas! Gas! Quick boys†. Here the poet describes the â€Å"ecstasy of fumbling† of the soldiers quickly putting on their protective masks but one soldier fails to do so. Owen portrays a vivid description of the suffering soldier â€Å"Like a man in fire or lime† and compares the dying soldier to someone â€Å"drowning†. In the final part of the poem, Owen addresses Jessie Pope as â€Å"my friend† who wrote in favour of war. He concludes by saying that it’s an â€Å"old lie† that it is sweet and honourable to die for your country – â€Å" Dulce et decorum est Pro Patria mori† because in reality it is very mush the opposite which is true. Although the subject of both these poems is about war, they sharply contrast each other. This is because Rupert Brooke’s poem shows a positive attitude towards war expressing feelings of patriotism and honour, whereas Wilfred Owen shows the harsh realities of war and clearly shows what the soldiers are faced with.