For English 9H

MENU of Writing Topics for Things Fall Apart English 9H

Choice 1: Author Edgar Wallace once said, “Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake.” Fear is pervasive throughout the novel. How does fear affect the actions of Okonkwo? Of Nwoye? How does fear influence Okonkwo's relationship with others?

Choice 2: How does the plot in Things Fall Apart follow the conventions of the Western tragedy, such as when major actions of the protagonist or hero create disastrous outcomes? Is Okonkwo a tragic hero? Compare Okonkwo with Oedipus, who is punished for the inadvertent murder of his father. How do they attempt to escape their fate? What are the tragic flaws that cause their downfalls? How do they evoke both pity and fear?

Choice 3: In an interview shortly after the publication of Things Fall Apart, Achebe stated that his goal for writing the novel was: " ...to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of the denigration and self-abasement." Explain how he did or did not meet his goal.

Choice 4: Achebe's novel takes its title from the opening verses of "The Second Coming", a poem --by W.B. Yeat's s, an Irish poet, essayist and dramatist.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot bear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood--dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction,

while the worst Are full of passionate intensity

This poem captures Yeat's sense of the crumbling of the civilization of his time. How well does it contribute to our understanding of the historical moment Achebe describes in his novel? What aspects of Igbo tradition are "falling apart and what contributes to the disintegration of the society? Is the movement progressive (proceeding step-by-step)--or sudden? At what point in the novel does it occur to you that the disintegration of Umuofia is inevitable?

Choice 5: Develop your own writing assignment for Things Fall Apart. Your topic should include some element of critical thinking that requires you to formulate a thesis statement and defend it using details, facts, and examples from the text. SEE ME if you wish to choose this option, as your topic must be approved before you begin.