Paper 2 Practice X2

Blog Prompt: Show how and to what effect Achebe makes use of myth,legend or other stories and tales.

Chinua Achebe is a world renowned African author who is known for his best selling novel Things Fall, one that has been translated in over fifty languages and has sold more than 20 million copies around the globe. The central aim of the novel is to bring light to the situations and problems that are associated with the colonization of Africa and the direct impact of the colonizers on African culture and society itself. More importantly, Achebe’s novel is a vivid and enlightening illustration of the African culture to Western readers, presenting a good sense of African language and providing them with a cultural experience through Chinua Achebe’s non-fiction world.

Throughout the novel, many oral traditions are presented, as Achebe frequently uses proverbs, songs and folk tales to accurately illustrate the Igbo tradition. Understanding the Igbo African culture to some extent is essential as it allows the reader to embrace and understanding the potential significance of  the various folk tales and myths presented throughout the novel. As we go through this blog post, I will essentially explore different examples that I feel clearly demonstrate Achebe’s significance in using myths, folktales and legends to provide and strong foundation of the Igbo African culture.

To begin, we will look at the use of proverbs in Chapter One when the art and tradition of passing the kola nut for alliance is addressed. Okonkwo says, “He who brings kola brings life”, which would not make very much sense if one was to view it as a general proverb, but in the context of the text, this is a popular oral saying as the kola nut can be used for many things. Strategically, Achebe’s use of provers throughout the novel are well placed, for instance, the Ibo saying, “When a man says yes, his chi says yes also”, furthermore prevailing the importance of spirituality in the Ibo culture. The use of proverbs, to a certain extent, presents a clear and culturally significant foundation to the Igbo African culture, providing the reader with further insight on the culture itself.

In addition to the use of proverbs, Achebe makes use of the effect of folk tradition and myths in his novel. In Things Fall Apart , an unforgettable folktale told by Ekwefi is told to her daughter Ezinma, about a tortoise and birds. It is the story of the birds and the tortoise who accompanied the birds to a great feast in the sky. The simple tale of the birds and the Tortoise presents itself as a following trend for the entire novel, surrounding the theme of imperialism and the loss of power. We must keep in mind that this story is told between chapters ten, where it is revealed to us that Okonkwo has just obtained the second highest position of importance in Umuofia, next to the leader Evil Forest. During the story, the birds lent Tortoise their feathers in order for him to eventually accompany them to the sky, further symbolizing the support given to Okonkwo by his people that empowered him and allowed him to be Umuofia's proud and reigning champion on a mission of war to Mbaino where he was treated with a high level of respect. This rides side by side with the Tortoise being elevated to the highest place in the sky, where is eventually exiled and abandoned by all the birds who used to be his friends. In addition to this, after Okonkwo’s elevation in social status and power, he is exiled to Mbanta after committing a “woman’s crime” and abandoned by his closest friends. Eventually, when the Tortoise falls to the ground, his shell breaks and he is broken into pieces. This demonstrates a paradigm with Okonkwo as when he eventually returns to Umuofia after 7 years of exile, he is torn apart by the loss of his culture and once tradition, eventually committing suicide. This specific folk tale essentially presents Okonkwo as a tragic hero who has fallen to his descent, as well as some multivocality as to whether or not he truly is the protagonist and not the antagonist of the novel.

Another prominent folktale that must be  approached is the quarrel between Earth and Sky. As all of Achebe’s use of folk tradition and proverbs have a solemn purpose in the novel, the quarrel between Earth and Sky identify a direct significance with the nature of Nwoye, and how it worries his father Okonkwo. Achebe does make it clear that the young boy prefers his mother’s story of a Vulture who was sent to illuminate and soften the heart of the sky with song than his father’s gory story of shed blood and war. As Nwoye is illustrated as a more gentle and kind hearted character, this counters with Okonkwo’s bias belief that Nwoye is more or less to be associated with a “femininity” and “weakness”. Now, this is questionable as to whether or not this has been ingrained in Igbo belief or simply part of Okonkwo’s moral compass of traditional beliefs.

Finally, a memorable instance of a song occurs in Chapter 7 with Ikemefuna and Okonkwo, as they march out to the forest before Okonkwo and his men eventually kill the young boy. This song is directly correlated with Igbo tradition, providing the audience with a truly cultural African experience as there is no context towards the song itself.

In conclusion, Chinua Achebe’s use of several myths, songs, and folktales throughout the novel demonstrate the rich context and essence of the African culture throughout the novel, as it allows the reader to truly embrace the Igbo culture during the intriguing narrative. Many of these provide the reader with an understanding of structural importance within the context of the novel, and add more depth to the storyline itself.