Things Fall Apart, Chapters Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen

These three chapters draw Part One of Things Fall Apart to a close. You will begin the next reading with the realization that not everything can be explained, so in Chapter Eleven when Ezinma is taken by Chielo to Agbala, there is no real explanation. Chapter Thirteen is the pivotal chapter in the grand scheme of Okonkwo as a tragic hero. As you read this chapter, look for those aspects that are the most destructive for Okonkwo, the strong, male chauvinistic leader in the village.

Look for examples of personification as you read Chapter Eleven. Personification is the technique of giving human qualities to non-human objects or creatures. Like similes and metaphors, personification is used by an author to create imagery. A writer can tell you that the waters of the river are rising, or a writer can show you that they are rising by using imagery through personification. Observe the personification in this example: The rising waters swallowed the town like a giant swallowing a morsel of food. This statement shows not only the water rising but also the enormity of the river with the comparison to a giant. Most readers prefer authors to show them because they like to be able to create a picture in their own mind. Sometimes it is necessary for an author to tell the readers something in a straightfoward manner, directly characterize someone, or simply state a fact.

Anaylsis

Chapter Eleven begins with the allegory of the tortoise and the birds. An allegory is a story with a hidden meaning. On the surface, the story explains the African belief in how the tortoise’s shell came to be cracked. However, there is a deeper hidden meaning, one that foreshadows what is to come with the British. The tortoise uses smooth words to manipulate the birds, and the parrot uses language to deceive the tortoise. At the end of the novel, you will hear the British District Commissioner complain about the Ibo superfluous language. Of course, there is also the connection with Okonkwo’s fall from fame. Keep the allegory of the tortoise in mind in the last chapters of the novel.

Chapter Twelve covers the uri, or engagement ceremony. The feast is an overall success, and a great amount of wine is brought to the feast to celebrate. In Chapter Thirteen, the death of Ogbuefi Ezeudu is announced. The funeral for Ezeudu is elaborate. During his funeral, drums are beaten and guns are fired. Okonkwo fires his gun, and by accident a stray bullet from his gun kills Ezeudu’s teenage son. Because killing a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess, Okonkwo is exiled from the village for seven years. Once he leaves, the Ibo tribe burns his home and slaughters his animals. These steps are taken in order to purify the village.

 

 

Showing or Telling?

In Things Fall Apart, Achebe is both showing you the importance of the stories of Okonkwo and the Ibo tribe and telling you the story of the novel. In this non-graded interactivity, read the question and decide whether the statement is showing or telling. Then, select the appropriate answer and click SUBMIT. Click the player button to get started.