Eng 214

A) Folktales:
1. "The Tortoise and the Birds" - a story of the wily Tortoise outsmarting the birds to get
their food.
2. "The Blind Man and the Lame" - a tale of two friends who rely on each other to navigate
life's challenges.
3. "The Story of the Mosquito" - a story explaining how the mosquito became an irritating
insect.
Festive:
1. The New Yam Festival - a celebration of the yam harvest, symbolizing the wealth and
prosperity of the community.
2. The Week of Peace - a time when the community observes peace and refrains from
violence or conflict.
Myths:
1. The story of the Earth goddess Ani - a myth about the creation of the world and the
goddess who oversees it.
2. The myth of the Oracle - a tale about the spiritual realm and how the Oracle helps the
community make important decisions.
Rituals:
1. The Kola Nut Ceremony - a ritual where the kola nut is shared as a sign of hospitality and
good will.
2. The Feast of the New Yam - a ritual where the first yams of the season are offered to the
gods.
3. The Egwugwu Ceremony - a ritual where masked ancestral spirits come out to judge
disputes and maintain order in the community.
Legend: The Legend of Okonkwo - a story about the life of the protagonist Okonkwo and how
he achieved greatness but ultimately met a tragic end.
Use of Pidgin: In "Things Fall Apart," Pidgin is used extensively to depict how the colonizers'
language and culture have infiltrated the native culture of the Igbo people.
Proverbs:
1. "When a man says yes, his chi says yes also."

2. "A child cannot pay for its mother's milk."
3. "If one finger brings oil, it soils the others."
4. "A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing."
5. "A bird that flies off the earth and lands on an anthill is still on the ground."
B) Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" portrays the destructive effect of the white man's
administration on traditional Igbo society. The introduction of Christianity and Western culture
leads to the erosion of traditional beliefs, customs, and values. This ultimately causes a
breakdown of social cohesion and cultural identity, resulting in the tragic downfall of the
protagonist Okonkwo and the Igbo people.
Things Fall Apart

Novel by Achebe
Information on Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart."
Certainly! "Things Fall Apart" is a novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, first published in
1958. It is a seminal work of African literature and is widely regarded as one of the most
important African novels ever written. The book tells the story of the life of Okonkwo, a
respected leader in the fictional Nigerian village of Umuofia, during the late 19th century.
The novel explores the complex cultural and social structures of pre-colonial Igbo society, as
well as the impact of European colonization and Christian missionary work on traditional
African communities. Achebe's use of English in the novel is notable for its incorporation of
Igbo proverbs and storytelling techniques, as well as its portrayal of the nuances of African life
and thought.
"Things Fall Apart" has been translated into more than 50 languages and has had a profound
impact on African and postcolonial literature. It has been widely studied in academic circles and
has inspired many other African writers to tell their own stories in their own voices. The book is
often seen as a critique of European imperialism and its effect on traditional African societies, as
well as a celebration of the resilience and strength of African cultures.
Igbo
Igbo, also called Ibo, are people living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria who speaks Igbo, a
language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. The Igbo may be
grouped into the following main cultural divisions: northern, southern, western, eastern or Cross
River, and northeastern. Before European colonization, the Igbo were not united as a single
people but lived in autonomous local communities. By the mid-20th century, however, a sense of
ethnic identity was strongly developed, and the Igbo-dominated Eastern region of Nigeria tried to
unilaterally secede from Nigeria in 1967 as the independent nation of Biafra. By the turn of the
21st century, the Igbo numbered some 20 million.
Most Igbo traditionally have been subsistence farmers, their staples being yams, cassava, and
taro. The other crops they grow include corn (maize), melons, okra, pumpkins, and beans.
Among those still engaged in agriculture, men are chiefly responsible for yam cultivation,
women for other crops. The land is owned communally by kinship groups and is made available
to individuals for farming and building. Some livestock, important as a source of prestige and for
use in sacrifices, is kept. The principal exports are palm oil and palm kernels. Trading, local
crafts, and wage labor also are important in the Igbo economy, and a high literacy rate has helped
many Igbo to become civil servants and business entrepreneurs in the decades after Nigeria
gained independence. It is notable that Igbo women engage in trade and are influential in local
politics.
Except for the northeastern groups, the Igbo live in rainforest countries. Most Igbo occupy
villages of dispersed compounds, but in some areas villages are compact. The compound is
typically a cluster of huts, each of which constitutes a separate household. Traditionally, the
village was usually occupied by a patrilineage (umunna).
Before the advent of colonial administration, the largest political unit was the village group, a
federation of villages averaging about 5,000 persons. Members of the group shared a common
market and meeting place, a tutelary deity, and ancestral cults that supported a tradition of
descent from a common ancestor or group of ancestors. Authority in the village group was vested
in a council of lineage heads and influential and wealthy men. In the eastern regions, these
groups tended to form larger political units, including centralized kingdoms and states.
Maiden spirit mask
Traditional Igbo religion includes belief in a creator god (Chukwu or Chineke), an earth goddess
(Ala), and numerous other deities and spirits as well as a belief in ancestors who protect their
living descendants. Revelation of the will of the deities is sought by divination and oracles.
Many Igbo are now Christians, some practicing a syncretic version of Christianity intermingled
with indigenous beliefs.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated
by Amy McKenna.

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A) Folktales:

1. "When a man says yes, his chi says yes also."

Things Fall Apart

Maiden spirit mask

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