Alison Stefansic

Mrs. Tatum

H Adv Comp/Webquest

September 4, 2018

1. Things Fall Apart is placed in South-Eastern Nigeria and is among the Igbo tribe. Nigeria is known as

the “most populous country in Africa” and is home to “186 million inhabitants” ("Nigeria," 2018). The

Igbo land is split into two parts by the Niger River. The river causes plentiful crops to grow which support

the society, “this includes crops such as yam, taro, and cassava” ("Igbo people," 2018). Yam is a crucial

part to Nigerian society as it is commonly referred to as “the king of crops” (Mbah, 2010). Because of

Nigeria’s tropical hot and humid climate, animals such as the African Rock Python can cause issues with

the citizens of Nigeria. These “ill-tempered, nasty snakes” are 20 feet long making them Africa’s longest

snake ("African Rock Pythons: Explaining Snake That Killed Boys," 2013). This creates a dangerous

environment the characters of Things Fall Apart live in.

2. The lifestyle or Odinani of the Igbo people, is a “monotheistic pantheon of spiritual existence”

("Odinani," 2018). Their god is known as Chineke which translates to “the creator”. Christian

missionaries spread Christianity throughout part of the country but the original religion is more

prevalent in the society. Another important Nigerian custom was Igbankwu. This is the ceremony of

marriage and involves the whole family of the two individuals. Before the marriage, the fathers meet

and discuss the daughter’s price. This can be a “symbolic price but also other prerequisites” (Widjaja,

n.d.). Occupations common in the Igbo society mostly include farming and selling of goods.

3. Conflicts that may arise in Things Fall Apart may be due to the Christian missionaries from Europe.

Christian missionaries provided hope, this was because of “risk of slavery and trading” in Nigeria ("Story
of Africa| BBC World Service," n.d.). Islam also spread to Nigeria due to persecution in the Arab

peninsula. Islam interested individuals because “[it] tolerated traditional values” ("Story of Africa| BBC

World Service," n.d.). This meant that men could continue to marry as many wives as they wanted to

and not be criticized against. Lastly, Europe became very strict and began patrolling the coasts. This

caused conflict among other countries as their slave ships were intercepted. Ultimately, this lead to the

first world war.

4. Chinua Achebe or the “father of modern African literature” has written novels showing the

perspective of Africans rather than Europeans ("Https://chinua Achebe," n.d.). Achebe is also credited

with creating characters such as “Nigerians endowed with agency” unlike many novels which show

Africans in “minor or one-dimensional roles” ("Why Chinua Achebe is one of the world's most important

modern writers," 2017). He is mostly known for writing Things Fall Apart, which sold more than 20

million copies due to its “clash in native African culture and influence of white Christian missionaries”

("Why Chinua Achebe is one of the world's most important modern writers," 2017).