SECTION D:  RESPONSE TO READING
Introduction:
This document is meant to help the students in FORM THREE AND FOUR to prepare themselves for the National Form Four English Examination: Also to enable them understand the book clearly.

The Title:
“Things FALL APART” implies the clash of culture.  The Western Culture practiced by the British colonialists who Ruled Nigeria and the Igbo Culture practiced by the people who lived in Umoufia (Eastern Part of Nigeria).

Before the coming of the British Colonialists to Igboland, the people practised their traditional customs. These traditional practises kept them together. Although there were problems, they were solved using the traditional norms. After the coming of the Colonialists “things” changed. The white men introduce the government with new rules and new order. The life of the people changed. The outlook and expectations of the people changed. There was nothing to hold them together. The Author has analysed this and called it “Things Fall Apart”. Every one followed his own way.

The story revolves around a character called okonkwo. He is trying to defend his traditional custom at whatever the cost. He is described as very powerful. At the Age of 18 he throw Amalinze the cat.

A Wrestler who was unbeaten and called the cat since his back has never touched the ground. It is this man that okonkwo throw in a match that the old men claimed it was the greatest since the creation of their society.

He is harsh and haste. He makes quick decisions without thinking of the consequences. For example he killed the Head court messenger before the meeting had decided what to do with the colonial government. He has a bushy eyebrows, walks as if he is on springs. He has a slight hated (disliked) and disliked everything his father liked. This is due to the fact that his father was a failure. Okonkwo a hero. He has killed a number of enemies. He is considered rich four he has three wives and a barn of Yams. He has two titles. He despises others who are not as successful as him.   He fears to appear weak. He lacks confidence very time he think of how others will view him. As a result he participated in the killing of Ikeme Funa who called him father. This is against the advice of Ezeudu the old man who gave him the massage to kill the boy. He killed Ezeudu’s 16 yeas old son. This happened during the burial of Ezeudu. This was an accident or a female crime. So Okonkwo is forced to leave his home for seven yeas. 

He ran to live at his mother’s place in Mbanta. He lived with uncle called Uchendu. It is in this place that Okonkwo saw the first white men. The white men spoke of God and Jesus his son. Okonkwo who was at the meeting asked if the God had a wife. The white men said “no”. The people could not understand this. They went home angry with the white men. But Nwoye liked the words of the white men. The words reminded him of his friend Ikemefuna who is killed because of the traditional customs. He started to go to church. When Okonkwo heard this he beat Nwoye severely. Nwoye ran away to the church.  The church Leader Mr. Kiaga sent him to Umoufia. Okonkwo is so angry, that he disowned him. He did not want to hear his name spoken again in his house. After the seven year in Exile Okonkwo went back to Umoufia. He found the society has changed. Money had been introduced and the people are a conflict between the new Christians and the people of Umoufia. One of the new Christian (Convert) has killed and eaten a royal python. The Royal Python was taken to be a source of springs and well. The people were so angry. Okonkwo and other leaders decided to destroy the church. They told the new missionary called Mr.Smith to go back to England. When the District Commissioner came back he used tricks to get the leaders who had destroyed the Church. He convened a meeting. He pretended to listen to the people’s side of story on how their traditional customs have been destroyed the church. His soldiers tied the leaders. The commissioner ordered them to pay a compensation of the church and the house of Enoch they destroyed. The fine was two hundred bags of cowries’ shells. The soldiers added fifty bags. The people paid the fine and Okonkwo and other leaders were set free. It is after this that Okonkwo decided to fight alone. He prepared himself for the war against the white men. He killed the head court messenger and when he found the other people were not supporting him he decided to hang himself to death. According to their tradition culture a person who kills himself could not be buried by his people. So strangers were asked to take Okonkwo’s body away for burial. We take Okonkwo to be a hero for he stood firm to fight for preservation of his traditional culture.

The second character is Obierika. He is Okonkwo’s greatest friend. Unlike Okonkwo he has a lot of Wisdom. He liked to measure something before he takes actions. He disliked some of traditional customs. He remembered the children killed because they were twins. Also he did not go to kill Ikemefuna like Okonkwo. Okonkwo asked him why and he told him that he couldn’t kill his own son. He helped to save the property of Okonkwo from his compound when he committed a female crime. Also he used to take the money to Okonkwo at Mbanta.

Unoka:
Unoka is described as a loafer and improvident. He is so poor and he doesn’t think of tommoron (improvident). He is a coward. He fears the sight of blood. He had no title. He is a bad debtor. He never paid his debts. He draws lines on the wall in his how that represent his creditors. He is a musician. He drinks palm wine. He has a slight stoop and thin. He suffered an abdomen pain that resulted to swelling of Stomach. As a result he is taken to the evil forest. He has so Lazy that Okonkwo inherited nothing from him.

Ezeudu:
He is the oldest man in Umoufia. He is respected for he was a hero at his time. He ordered Okonkwo to pay a fine after breaking a week of piece. He also ordered Okonkwo to allow the men to take Ikemefuna away and kill him as it was ordered by the orade of the hills and caves. He died and in his funeral Okonkwo killed by accident his 16 years old son.

Nwoye:
Okonkwo’s senior son. He is very lazy like his grandfather ( Unoka). He is so unhappy (for Okonkwo beat him now and then for his laziness). He runs away from home and joined Christians. His father cursed and disowned him for this.

Ekwefi:
Okonkwo’ second wife.
She is very beautiful. When she was a girl she was called crystal of beauty. She married Okonkwo for she liked wresting. Since Okonkwo was a great wrestler she liked him for that. Many of his children died when they were young they were Ogbanje. An Ogbanje is a child who makes round of birth and deaths to punish its mother. In the end she got Ezinma who survived after a witchdoctor destroyed her connection to the evil world of Ogbanje.

Ezinma:
Okonkwo’s favourite daughter Okonkwo liked the girl for she is intelligent She is an Ogbanje. She understands Okonkwo very much.

Mr.Brown:
The first missionary to come to Umoufia. He is very understanding. He doesn’t force the people to join Christianity. He understands the traditional beliefs and respected the people. However Okonkwo chased him away when he came to visit him.

Mr.Smith:
The second missionary to come to Umoufia. Unlike Mr.Brown he is very harsh. He is very strictly to Christians. He brought conflicts to his society when his converts killed the royal python and unmasked an Egwugwu.

Ikemefuna:
A boy who came to live at Okonkwo’s compound. He is compensation after a wife of Obdiefi Udo is killed. Later one Ikemefuna is killed by Okonkwo.

Places mentioned in the book:
Umoufia – It consists of many villages. Iguedo Okonkwo’s village is one of the villages that makes Umoufia.

Abame:
 – Is a village that was wiped out by the white men. A white man came riding a bicycle. The abame villagers consulted their oracle; the oracle ordered him to be killed. As a result the other white men came and killed almost all the villagers. The few ho remained run away from the village. They thought that the bicycle is an iron horse. They tied it in the tree so that it couldn’t run away.

Mbanta:
- This is the village where Okonkwo’s mother came from. The village, which Okonkwo ran to hide after committing a female crime. Uchendu Okonkwo’s uncle lives in this village.

Mbaino:
– This is the village where the wife of obdiefi Udo is killed. The people from this village had to pay a compensation of a boy ( Ikemefuna) and a virgin (girl) for killing Obdiefi Udo’s wife.

Traditional Customs and Practises in Igboland:
First traditional practices is to observe a week of peace. In this week no men is allowed to destroy or disturb the peace. Okonkwo broke this tradition by beating his wife (Ojiugo). He is fined a goat, a length of cloth, one hundred bags of cowries and a hen as a punishment.

Second traditional belief is on Godes. These people have many Godes. There is the Godes of Earth. This Godes is called Ani. They have to observe a week of peace to say thanks to this Godes. Another Godes is the greatest Godes called Chukwu. This Godes is so strong and is the last one to ask for help. There is another Godes called Amadiora. This is the Godes of thunder and lightining. The people have different methods of talking to their Godes through sacrifice. There is also the royal python. This is the Godes of springs and well. So the python is not killed. There is also Oracle of hills and caves. He maintains orders.

Thirdly the people cherished the wrestling matches. After harvest the popular sport is wrestling. It is in this sport that Ekwefi saw Okonkwo wrestling. It is in this Sport that Ekwefi saw Okonkwo wrestling and fall in love.

Fourthly there are people who are entrusted to Judge cases. These are called Egwugwus. These aer the people who are judging the cases. When the people had cases they sent them to the Egwugwus. These people maintain peace and harmony in the society.

Fifthly the people believed in a girl being a virgin before marriage. A girl is supposed to be a virgin. This is proven during the wedding. Also pots of palm wines and bride price is settled using sticks…   

In the book the Author also show that the people of Umoufia throw away the twins in the evil forest. If you get the twins then they are killed and thrown in the evil forest. Among the traditional beliefs are beliefs in Ogbanje. A child can make a round of births and death to punish its mother. A child is born, then it dies, it enters her mother womb to be born and die again. Ekwefi’s children who died are supposed to be ogbanje Ezinma is saved by a with doctor.

There is a traditional way of show richness. This is taking of title. Every man is supposed to have a title. You prepare a big party and the people give you a title. This makes you to be respected. If you have no title then you are called Elefu lefu or empty man! Unoka had no title so he is considered a loafer.

Another tradition custom is heroism. The people were supposed to be heroes. This was proved during the intertribal wars. When you kill a person you cut off his head. You come with the head home and the women cheers for you. A coward is regarded Lowly in that society. For example Unoka a traditional of segregating the people called Osu. These are descendants of slaves.

What message or ideas do we get from the book?

The book speaks of conflicts. This is the central message of the book. There are so many misunderstanding in this book: 
There are personal conflicts.
Okonkwo VS Nwoye
Okonkwo doesn’t like Nwoye because Nwoye is Lazy. Okonkwo had to beat him now and then to stop the laziness. Okonkwo fear that Nwoye will be a failure in life if he continues with his laziness.

Okonkwo Vs Ojiugo:
Okonkwo beat his third wife Ujiugo during the week of peace. Ujiugo had gone to plait her hair instead of preparing the evening meal for his family. Okonkwo is so angry and beat her despite the fact that it is the week of peace and no one is allowed to disturb it.

Unoka Vs Okonkwo
Okonkwo quarrel with his father because the father is improvident and a bad debtor. Okonkwo try to stop hi sfather from the behaviour that lower the status of his family. Okonkwo’s mother doesn’t want Okonkwo to discipline his father openly. She sees it as indiscipline.

Societal Conflicts:
Okonkwo Vs his Society.
Okonkwo breaks a week of peace by beating his wife who cry loudly. The people are so angry that, this may make their Earth Godes, angry and they may lose crops. He is fined a length of cloth, a she goat, a hen and one hundred bags of cowrie’s shells. Okonkwo paid the fine. The Whitemen Vs Umoufians. The introduction of Christianity in Unoufia brought a conflict some new converts decided to kill and eat the royal python. The people are so angry that destroyed the church. Also the people of Abame killed a white man and the other white men wiped out the village.

Iguedo Vs Mbaino
The people of Mbaino killed the wife of Obdiefi Udo. This caused a big conflict. The people of Iguedo sent messengers led by Okonkwo. They asked these people to pay a compesation or go to war. The people of Mbaino paid a compensation of a virgin girl and a boy called Ikemefuna.

Revision Question:

Q. What are the causes of conflicts in this book? What solution (s) do you think is possible to solve them?

The book also talks of pre-colonial African societies and their traditional norms. These traditional helped to keep the society together.

Q. What traditional customs or practices you have read in the books you think they are good and need to be preserved for future generation?