Things Fall Apart Language and Style Questions due Wednesday, March 14th
Examining the syntax and structure of Achebe's first chapter, it's easy to identify simple, short, terse sentences that are linked by sense rather than by grammar that would make them flow together better.
1) Why do you think Achebe used this straight forward, simplistic syntax in his novel?
The following are verbatim examples of sentences from page 7 that are written separately and showcase this simplicity:
1. Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond.
2. His fame rested on solid personal achievements.
3. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat.
4. Amalinze was the great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino.
5. He was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth.
2) Reading these five sentences, try to rewrite them into one complex sentence showcasing all the details.
3) What's the impact of the proverb examples we see immediately within chapter one?
4) How are proverbs the oil of social relationships as stated in chapter one?
1. I Believe that Achebe was very intentional in the way he wrote TFA. On account of the story being based in Africa, specifically early Africa, spoken language would still be a dominant form of communication, rather than written language. Because of this, stories would be told by mouth, and because of the erosion of memory, details in the story would have to be simple statements that a listener could understand and then even infer more that was not said directly. In the case with TFA, simple statements could help the audience reference certain accepted stereotypes. For instance, if a writer were to say "This man fought any man that he didn't like, and he never displayed happiness", we might infer that this man is an aggressive individual who doesn't have qualities such as humility, love, compassion. If we were consider an element about this individual, such as his family life, we might come to the conclusion that he uses aggressive discipline on his children, perhaps his relationship with his wife is strained, he may be all in all despised by his family.
ReplyDeleteThere is the other possibility that the author wrote one statement or characteristic about a person just to create flat characters with which the protagonist would interact with in the story. These simple statements could help the reader/listener to easily and quickly get to know the person.
2. Okonkwo, a man known throughout nine villages and beyond, was a man famous for his solid personal achievments which he displayed at the young age of eighteen when he brought honor to his village by throwing down Amalinze the cat, known for his ability for seven years to be unbeaten in wrestling in the village, as well as never falling on his back, just like a cat (which was the reason that he was known as Amalinze the cat).
3. One example of a proverb found in ch.1 was when comparing Amalinze the cat to Okonkwo, saying “but Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish”. Another way we could say this is “He was as slippery as a wet bar of soap”. This proverb saves time by allowing for a the listeners in seconds to think how a slippery fish is in the hands, and then use that as a reference to understand how Okonkwo was in the wrestling match.
4. If I understand this question correctly, then: The reason that proverbs are oil of a social relationship is that they are commonalities that two or more parties can easily and/or quickly understand. These proverbs use direct elements from everyday life that connects these people. For example, If two people lived in a region of land that rained a lot, it would be easy for a person to make a proverb that compares something to the amount of rain. These commonalities of course are not what solely makes a social relationship, but rather are like oil, a complimentary to the relationship like jam is to toast.
1.) Perhaps because he knew who his audience was going to be, and the stereotype they had of the people of Africa. The stereotype is that they are dumb, simple minded people, and if the text were not to reflect that, perhaps it wouldn’t seem right to the reader.
ReplyDelete2.) Okonkwo’s fame rested on solid personal achievements as he was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond, because as a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat, who was the great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino, and was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth.
3.) They allow for social courtesy, and respect.
4.) To these people speech isn’t just a form of communication, it’s an art form. And to them, one of the biggest parts of this art form in the use of proverbs.
Riley Snook
ReplyDelete1)i think that it was on purpose how he wrote it cause he wanted it to feel like there were some many things that were good about and didnt just want to put them in one long sentences.
2)okonkwo at the age of eightteen was able to beat cat, the reason he was named cat was because his back would never touch the ground, who was for seven years unbeaten, acheivements like these not only made him when know there just his village but nine other villages.
3)one proverb (kinda) is when they explain why cat is called cat because his "back would never hit the ground" which people just use for talking about werid facts of cats.
4) proverbs i think are used to make thinks sound more intellectual then they actually are. some proverbs make no sense and have such a deeper meaning however they are the oil because they keep being used left and right.
1) I believe that this straight-forward message is used to not only ensure steady flow but also to show a hint of importance that intelligence is not as important as strength and power is within the society they live in.
ReplyDelete2) Okonkwo was an eighteen-year-old wrestler that was famous for solid personal achievements across nine villages and beyond as well as brought honor among his people for defeating Amalinze the Cat (because his back never touched the Earth)who was a seven-year unbeaten wrestler from Umuofia to Mbaino.
3) To draw you in on not the knowledge that is contained in this novel but the wisdom in which it portrays.
4) They oil social relationships because every person on this planet has a different way/level of thinking. Not everyone will look at your examples or relations in the exact fashion that you do. However no matter what you thinking pattern or level of intelligence, everyone has the ability to relate and everyone has the ability to acknowledge other people/things/actions characteristics. With this in mind, we can then create a sense of "feeling" that can be created with mere words.
1. first point, it's easier to read. but inside, Achebe was being little bit sarcastic to the target audience. (who is foreign as Europe, and Nigerian who isn't loyal and disrespect to their own cultures)who believed Western culture is logic and make more sense, He using simple structure instead of using complex one. modifying their word as artistic way, that is important thing, and people would show more respect, because it looks more elegance and sophiscated+ hard to read. so Achebe avoid snobbism in his work
ReplyDelete2. Okonkwo is well known wrestler through nine villages from won the big wrestling match when he was 18years old and his winnig lead him to be famous by beating up cat whose back never touch the ground during 7years in Umuofia, Mbaino
3. that is the thing we don't usually think. achebe bring the perception of Nigerian which make sense to us too, but we haven't thought about that way; it allow us to learn new thing in Nigeria and let us to see they're same smart people enough to make good proverb, and had enough time to obsevating their nature. not barbarian/. and he using his own words, such as lot of Nigerran voca and proverbs, rather than using kenning or made up word for Nigerian term. that makes me feel like I'm really watching the part of scene in africa villiage, and it sounds so natural and I can see the Achebe's respect of his culture.
1.I think that achabe worete this book in in this format because maybe thats how people from africa speak or tell story. I think that every type of race of people have their own ways to write.
ReplyDelete2.okonkwo was known in nine villages and beyond.he wasfamous for wreseling a man called the Cat. he was named the cat because his back never touched the ground during seven years.
3. i think that it ads more understanding to what the autohr was writting and waht is the meaning of what he is trying to say.
4.proverbs are the oil of social relationships in africa because it gives more thought to what the author writes and proverbs are really popular in africa.
1)I believe Achebe used this straight forward simplistic syntax in his novel to take on more of the actual feeling of being in their life, the stereotype is that they are not as intelligent as us, more simple minded so he may have wrote it like this to get a better feel for the story.
ReplyDelete2)Okonkwo was well know beyond the nine villages, his fame came from his personal achievements such as throwing the Cat to the ground, the Cat was a great wrestler that had been unbeaten for seven years from umuofia to Mbaino, he is known as the Cat because his back would never touch the ground.
3)The proverbs give you more of an insight of their way of life, they give you the wisdom, and what they have learned, they also serve to better your understanding of the story.
4)Proverbs are the oil of social relationships because no matter what intellectual level you are or no matter how you think about something you can understand or relate to these proverbs, you can get the meanings of them. Through the proverbs people can relate more and understand more of what is going on.
1. I think Achebe used this straight forward, simplistic syntax in his novel just so people can put a face to a name they read; I think he also doesn't find this important and wants to get to the more meaningful parts in the book.
ReplyDelete2. Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements, including his most famous, a wrestling defeat. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat, doing the unthinkable. Amalinze was the great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino. He was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth. Okonwko proved that the "Cat" is not bulletproof.
3. The proverbs reveal a deeper meaning to the specific part in the story. Proverbs are usually needed when there are more details to be told, making the sentence longer.
4. Proverbs are the oil of social relationships because they help to understand the deeper, more intricate meaning these people find in the text.
1)It could be either or two reasons in my opinion; one reason could be that he is from Uganda and his book could be directed at the people of Uganda and they stereotypically aren’t as versed in English and generally not as intelligent as many other people in the world. The other reason could be that he is trying to make everything that is said in chapter one very simple because he wants to make sure that everything that is said can be understood because it has huge importance within the novel.
ReplyDelete2)Okonkwo is a famous man throughout all nine villages and all of the land for his solid personal achievements; at age eighteen he defeated Amalinze the cat, a wrestler who hadn’t been beaten in seven years from Umuofia to Mbaino, who was named the cat because it was believed that his back could not touch the earth.
3)They allow him to communicate with his audience a possibly complex ideal that isn’t necessarily related to the novel in a much easier way
4)They allow us to communicate with one another much easier and allow the flow of talk to be much smoother very similar to how oil influences a machine. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and don’t think about most things in the same way but proverbs are something that is generally understood throughout all of humanity
You're joking about the intelligence aspect right? I certainly hope so, otherwise you may want to reconsider how that language might be offensive, considering Achebe is from Nigeria...
DeleteDrew Davis
ReplyDelete1. I personally think that he wrote this in a straight forward, simplistic syntax way because he wasn't sure what audience was going to read this and he wanted to probably just sound intelligent but yet not make a super long book for people to try to understand. He also wanted to just get the point across to the reader and show the main details to them short and sweet.
2. Okonkwo at age eighteen was a very noble and well respected young man who was able to throw Amalinze the Cat to the ground, who was unbeaten which made him thought of through out nine villages, and he was called the cat because his back never touched the ground.
3. The proverbs are used to give you an understanding of what the novel means and the knowledge that is backed up by it. I also think it shows us the meaning of what is trying to be said.
4. Proverbs are the oil of social relationships because they are very easy for everyone to understand and comprehend. Pretty much everyone that can read and understand things can relate to proverbs because they are all sayings that are shortened for us readers.
1. I think Achebe used straight forward, simplistic syntax in his novel because it gives the reader a clear understanding of the character without having to put too much time and detail specifying this characteristics.
ReplyDelete2.A young man at the age of eighteen brought honor to his village and was well known in nine villages. His fame rested on solid personal achievements by throwing Amalinze the Cat who was an unbeaten wrestler for seven years from Umuofia to Mbanio, his nickname became the cat because his back would never touch the earth.
3. The impact of the proverb help give more details and a better understanding. Amalinze the Cat is a great example of a proverb.
4. Proverbs are the oil of social relationships stated in chapter one by putting peoples findings and creating a bigger creation. Oil is slippery which mean it will get on anything and make it greasy. So social relationships once they have connected they stick together.
1) I think he's going for more of the simple approach to things. Giving his audience a chance to connect easily to what he's writing about, it is of great importance that all the readers can connect with and easily understand the message that is trying to be relayed.
ReplyDelete2) Okonkwo is a famous man/warrior throughout the nine villages and many more. Because of his great hunting skills he is respected by many, but gaining most of his respect because of his personal achievement of defeating Amalinze in a wrestling match when he was just eighteen years old. Amalinze the cat, was a wrestler who had not been beaten for seven years. He was named the cat because it was thought by many that his back could never touch the earths surface, much like a cat and how they always "land on their feet".
3) The proverbs allow him to relay a deeper message to the readers in a much easier way.
4) Proverbs allow for deeper messages to be understood by many. Allowing a connection by many who peruse the meaning of the message, despite the background a person comes from, they can connect to the proverb because they usually relate to life lessons.
1) I personally think that it was on purpose because of how he wrote it and I feel like he wanted it to be how people from Africa speak or tell their story.
ReplyDelete2)Okonkwo was well known in nine villages, he became famous because at the age of eightteen he defeated Amalinze the cat. Amalinze was the greatest wrestler who for seven years hasn’t lost. He was called Cat after that.
3) The proverbs help you understand of what the novels meaning and to help you understand a little more.
4) Proverbs are the oil of social relationships because they help to understand the passage, more complicated significance these people find in the book.
1)I think that the descriptions are simplistic because it gives a sense of how the Igbo people thought. Their descriptions were to the point so everyone can understand what they mean, and they can speak more of the story.
ReplyDelete2)Okonkwo was known throughout many villages because of his achievements; one specifically being bringing honor to his village by -at the age of 18- throwing Amalinze the Cat, who's back has never touched the earth and went unbeaten for seven years.
3)The proverbs make it so Achebe doesn't have to explain a situation, then compare it to others to get the point across. A proverb can be used instead, relating all the experiences that are similar, and explain the meaning at the same time.
4)Proverbs are used to describe situations that repeatedly occur, and what you can do or what should be done to resolve or continue in the situation, or provide an explanation. They do that so you don't have to explain every single time that situation has come up, but can still get the point across by saying a proverb that is well-known.
1) Why do you think Achebe used this straight forward, simplistic syntax in his novel?
ReplyDeleteThe following are verbatim examples of sentences from page 7 that are written separately and showcase this simplicity:
1. Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond.
2. His fame rested on solid personal achievements.
3. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat.
4. Amalinze was the great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino.
5. He was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth.
2) Reading these five sentences, try to rewrite them into one complex sentence showcasing all the details.
3) What's the impact of the proverb examples we see immediately within chapter one?
4) How are proverbs the oil of social relationships as stated in chapter one?
1) I think Things Fall Apart is written in such a simple way to represent and remind the readers that this was written in a place where the language would be simple as that and where stories were likely told as opposed to written down.
2) He had become famous among the 9 villages, his fame came from personal achievements such as throwing a wrestler who was unbeaten for seven years, his skill in wrestling earned him the nickname the cat.
3)The proverbs are used to show a deep meaning in a simple way in this story.
4)They were used in these villages as a way that everybody no matter how much education they had or had not revived could understand complex or important ideas.
1. I believe he is very strait forward in his style because he wants to communicate to us in the strait forward manner that the people in the story possibly communicate through their stories and daily language. It is much easier to read as well.
ReplyDelete2. Through his personal achievements such as throwing Amalinze the great unbeaten wrestler whose back never touched the earth, Okonkwo was famous throughout the land.
3. The proverb about keeping your distance can be seen already in this story because of how tough Okonkwo is and how others do not want to mess with him.
4. Proverbs are used to describe human interaction that often occurs and are meant to give a piece of advice to someone who otherwise probably would not know what to do.
1. Achebe wrote this novel in such a simple and more firm way, so that the people reading these texts wouldn't have trouble understanding what was going on in these villages. Taking us and others straight to the point.
ReplyDelete2. Okonkwo had brought the village a great value for things he had done for it. Such as showing people that there is no obstacle in life that can stop anyone. The defeating of "The Cat"; the strongest wrestler in all nine villages, showed a lot from Okonkwo, more than just a farmer with a very successful farm, but as a great warrior that defends honor. He had brought a name to himself and the village that he had been born and raised in.
3. It lets us see the very exact meaning of the story, from an easy point of view.
4. Everyone knows what "IT" is being talked about, not just certain people, which allows everyone else to join and fit in without being left out.
1. Achebe wrote in a simplistic style because it is like he is writing down an oral story. He is writing in the way that he ancestors would have spoken, because this book is about is ancestry.
ReplyDelete2. Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond, his fame rested on solid personal achievements, like when as a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat, he was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth, Amalinze was the great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino.
3. Proverbs show insight into African culture. He also adds them because he wrote the book like someone talking in a conversation, and proverbs are like oil in a conversation.
4. proverbs are used just like today, to add spice to a converstion, to make it less 'dry'.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1.) It think that Achebe used straight forward simplistic in his novel so that people could get a better understanding on what he is talking about and understand the details of the story.
ReplyDelete2.) Okonkwo fame rested on his solid personal achievements. He was well known in the nine villages and beyond. As a young man of eighteen Okonkwo brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the cat. Amalinze the cat was the great wrestler who was unbeaten for seven years from Umuofia to Mbaino. He was known as cat because his back would never touch the earth.
3.) The proverbs used in chapter one give more detail to the story and it helps you understand it better.
4.) I think that proverbs are the oil of social relationships because you can understand them and many African people can relate to them.
4. sometimes, it's hard to tell what exactly you want to say to others. the, you decided to make huge context to send out your idea, and it often failed. because it's too long and not interesting and human cannot pay atteition more than 5mins if it's not interesting. so we made proverbs, and you can say something really quickly, rather than big text. also, most proverbs are associated with basic rule or right of specific community.
ReplyDeleteHeather Roshak
ReplyDelete1.I think that Achebe used the straight forward way of writing because most of the stories told were told orally, so he told it as if he were speaking. Usually story tellers don't speak in long winded sentences describing people in detail.
2. Okonkwo, who was known throughout the nine villages and beyond, rested his fame on personal achievements such as; bringing honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat, who was a great unbeaten wrestler for seven years from Umuofia to Mbaino and was called the cat because he would never touch the earth.
3. The proverbs he uses let us in on a quick understanding of the description without going into depth, but we catch onto the meaning quickly.
4. They are the oil because they help us to connect to each other more easily.
1) I think Achebe chose to use a direct form of writing to focus on the structure of the plot as a whole, rather then picking out specific words to make one aspect stand out beyond another.
ReplyDelete2) Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond for his solid personal achievements as a young man of eighteen, when he had brought honor to his village by throwing the great seven year unbeaten wrestler Amalinze the Cat, who had been named such because his back would never touch the earth.
3) The proverbs help the reader understand an idea through a common association of a similar instance. Okonkwo's evasiveness was compared to that of a slippery fish.
4)Proverbs are the oil of social relationships because it flows easily to everyone and is understood between one another as common associations of experiences.