April 9th: Things Fall Apart

It might sound like an ominous prediction, but rest assured--this post title refers to our next book. That's right, on April 9th we'll meet to discuss Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (see his photo in the right sidebar).

Things Fall Apart was first published in 1958, and it is believed to be the most widely read African novel ever. Ever.

It offers a look at life in Nigeria in the late 1800s when the area was being colonized by the British, and it is a much different view of African civilization than the one we may glean from traditional Western literature about "The Dark Continent."

As Achebe said in the 1994-95 issue of The Paris Review:

Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.

And in a 2000 interview in The Atlantic, Achebe said:

The last four or five hundred years of European contact with Africa produced a body of literature that presented Africa in a very bad light and Africans in very lurid terms. The reason for this had to do with the need to justify the slave trade and slavery. … This continued until the Africans themselves, in the middle of the twentieth century, took into their own hands the telling of their story.

As you read Things Fall Apart, think about how this story is told. Who is the narrator? Does the narrator seem to sympathize with any particular character? Does the narrator's perspective remain constant or change throughout the narrative?

Finally, to take things one step further, please complete the following assignment prior to our meeting.

Assignment:

Choose one scene or event in the book and rewrite it from a specific character's point of view. For example, you could write about Okonkwo's wrestling match with the Cat from Okonkwo's father, Unoka's point of view. Or you could write about coming to live in Umuofia from Ikemefuna's point of view. Whichever scene/event you choose, be sure to write it in the 1st person (use the "I" voice, and speak as though you are the character you have chosen).

We will share these pieces during our discussion. You can choose how to share yours. You could:

• read it aloud;
• memorize it and perform it as a monologue;
• write it as a song and sing it;
• have someone else read it/perform it for you;
• submit it to me to be read anonymously (I'm happy to do this for anyone who doesn't want to be identified);
• illustrate your piece and present it as a storyboard with words and pictures (just remember to use the 1st person voice).  

Feel free to be creative. I'm just looking for some good 1st person expression from these characters so we know how they see a particular event and how they feel about it. Any way you choose to do this is fine.

Good luck, and I'll see you on the 9th!