Achebe's metaphor indicates that proverbs in conversations are as important as palm oil is to food that is being prepared. Like palm oil, proverbs are not essential for conversation but add depth and character to the discussion. Proverbs
Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs is the second book of the third section of the Hebrew Bible and a book of the Christian Old Testament. When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms: in the Greek Septuagint it became Παροιμίαι Paroimiai; in the Latin Vulgate the title was Proverbia, from which the English name is derived.
Full Answer
What are the features of Achebe’s use of Proverbs?
One of such features is Achebe’s use of proverbs. Proverbs are essential elements of traditional rhetorical strategies of the Igbo people. The more effective a person is in the use of proverbs, the more proficient they are said to be in the art of conversation.
What does Achebe mean by proverbs are the palm oil?
Achebe tells us, "Among the Ibo... Proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten." This statement itself is a proverb. How do you interpret it? "Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten"
How does Chinua Achebe use proverbs in Things Fall Apart?
With Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe uses proverbs to hint the audience of things falling apart for the Ibo culture with relation to the main protagonist of the novel- Okonkwo.
What do the proverbs mean in Things Fall Apart?
"Proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten" (Chapter 1). Basically, this one means that proverbs are an essentially words of wisdom. "If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings" (Chapter 1).
What does Chinua Achebe say about proverbs?
“Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.”
What is Achebe's purpose in using Igbo proverbs in the novel?
Achebe's use of Igbo language, speech patterns, proverbs, and richly drawn characters creates an authentic African story that effectively bridges the cultural and historical gap between the reader and the Igbo.
Why does Okoye speak using proverbs?
In Okoye's case, proverbs enable him to address the subject of debt indirectly. Using less direct language reduces the risk that his words will offend Unoka and shut down dialogue. The indirectness of proverbs also serves as a reminder that they do no express the opinion of a single individual.
How many proverbs in Things Fall Apart?
27 proverbsAfter analyzing the data, there are 27 proverbs found in the novel Things Fall Apart.
Are there proverbs in Things Fall Apart?
“Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten,” wrote Chinua Achebe, the award-winning author and Igbo, in his acclaimed work of fiction, Things Fall Apart.
How do proverbs promote the narrative action in the novel Things Fall Apart?
The use of Proverbs promotes the Narrative action in the story by adding a deeper meaning and insight with the re-telling of what was occurring back then and even just in the everyday life of the Igbo people. It also serves the purpose of giving the reader a better understanding of what is going on.
What is the significance of Achebe's choice to write the novel in English?
Achebe wanted this novel to respond to earlier colonial accounts of Africa; his choice of language was thus political. Unlike some later African authors who chose to revitalize native languages as a form of resistance to colonial culture, Achebe wanted to achieve cultural revitalization within and through English.
What is the importance of proverbs in Igbo culture?
Achebe (1958) describes the Igbo proverb as the palm oil with which words are eaten. As forms of figurative communication with didactic functions in studied conversation, proverbs are found to possess evidence of peace and reconciliation and serves as a linguistic tool for conflict management.
What are the importance of using proverbs in our society?
Speakers can use proverbs to impart knowledge, offer advice, teach or reinforce morals, make an argument, relieve interpersonal tensions, aid in understanding, or to console or inspire others. Some popular English-language proverbs include: Practice makes perfect.
Why do Nigerians use proverbs?
Proverbs are wise sayings used in Nigerian culture to address an issue or used in the clarification of a sentence during communication. They signify the deep meaning of words and expressions. Communications are always backed with these wise sayings.
What are the importance of using proverbs in our society?
Speakers can use proverbs to impart knowledge, offer advice, teach or reinforce morals, make an argument, relieve interpersonal tensions, aid in understanding, or to console or inspire others. Some popular English-language proverbs include: Practice makes perfect.
How do proverbs promote the narrative action in the novel Things Fall Apart?
The use of Proverbs promotes the Narrative action in the story by adding a deeper meaning and insight with the re-telling of what was occurring back then and even just in the everyday life of the Igbo people. It also serves the purpose of giving the reader a better understanding of what is going on.
What does the proverb the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them?
Unoka explains to Okoye that he will pay his big debts first, saying, "Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them." This suggests that the Ibo valued putting first-things-first, handling more important matters before less important ones.
What does let the kite perch and let the eagle perch mean?
"Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to other, let his wing break" (Chapter 3). Let everyone be equal and have a fair chance, but if someone acts superior, let bad luck befall them.
What does Chinua Achebe use to hint the audience of things falling apart?
With Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe uses proverbs to hint the audience of things falling apart for the Ibo culture with relation to the main protagonist of the novel- Okonkwo.
What does the proverb "if it lost its tail it soon grew another" mean?
Firstly, the proverbs that describe the resilience and strength of Umuofia when a leader is lost in its presence hints at the demise of Okonkwo- therefore, the Ibo culture. For instance, this statement is exemplified with a proverb: ― “The clan was like a lizard; if it lost its tail it soon grew another”. This proverb is used to express the strength and powerful system that was established in Umuofia. Okonkwo was one of the most powerful men in the tribe, but after his exile to his motherland, he knew that someone was to take his place in the tribe’s hierarchy. The lizard’s tail represented a powerful leader in Umuofia, so when Umuofia lost a leader, it shortly would regain a new one. The use of comparing Umuofia to a lizard represents how the system in Umuofia was based on the strength of individuals and how people like Okonkwo, were to always represent the power and warlike credibility associated with a leader. The incorporation of this proverb in the novel allowed the reader to understand that Okonkwo was at square one and that he had lost many years of hard work that got him to the leadership position he once had. Okonkwo knew that he lost the chance to fight the impending foreign religion that was taking over Umuoifa as well as the opportunity to retrieve the highest titles in the clan, therefore admitting defeat to the invading group on behalf of the Ibo culture.
What does the bird say about Ibos?
This is featured through the saying: ―”Eneke the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching”. This proverb is used to explain to Okonkwo that people who have never practiced or experienced something can be caught off guard when things change. This relates not only in the context that Nwakibie- a wealthy farmer- used it in, but it also related to the internal struggle Okonkwo faced throughout his entire life to be seen as a power strong man, unlike the image his father represented which was one of weakness. The use of Eneke the bird symbolizes the habits that one person can inherit through their life. The bird never had to learn to sit on the branch, because all it did was fly. This is because men have never shot without missing. This can also relate to Okonkwo who had never experienced failure or the feeling of situations in his control. Okonkwo was a very controlling man, so when the white man came during his exile, they established an area that caused Okonkwo to seem like a failure when he returned. He placed an enormous amount of pressure on himself to uphold his power, so when things were falling apart he loss the only thing he new how to do. This relates to the bird if it had to one day perch on the branch, it would fail because it never learned nor executed the action which could lead in its death. African and Ibo life are communicated through this proverb in the context of the situation involving Nwakibie, a rich farmer who determined that Okonkwo was fit to receive yams in order to start his own harvest. However, the proverb also related to the power hungry actions that consumed Okonkwo which lead to his downfall. The proverb communicates the importance of strength and balance in a leader, which Nwakibie saw and warned Okonkwo about in the beginning of the story. While people’s individual achievements – such as Okonkwo’s – are vital parts of Ibo life and culture, Ibos likewise maintain the standards of versatility and tolerance. For example, interdependence, social harmony and equality appear to be recommended by the saying: ―”He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart”. This specific proverb is used by Okonkwo to point out to Obierika- Okonkwo’s best friend- that they have lost their tribe to the white men and their new religious ideas, hence the reference to them “falling apart”. Okonkwo mentions the knife that the white men brought with them which represents the violence that was bestowed upon Umuofia when they fought back against the impeding imperialistic ideals.
What language does Achebe use in Things Fall Apart?
In Things Fall Apart, Achebe adopts and adapts the English Language as a means of access to Igbo indigenous culture, aesthetics and cosmology. This, he does in creating an authentic African story that effectively bridges the cultural and linguistic gap between Igbo and non-Igbo readers by using Igbo speech patterns and linguistic features.
How are proverbs used in Igbo?
Achebe suggests proverbs are also used as a device with specific effects: they help in defining characters, clarifying issues not overtly stated and enriching the process of conversation. For example, when Okonkwo went to Nwakibie to beg for seed yams through the share-cropping arrangement and was presenting a gift of kola nut and palm wine to Nwakibie, Okonkwo said: ‘I have brought you this little kola. As our people say, a man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness’.
Why are proverbs often identified with the elderly?
That is why proverbs are often identified with the elderly members of the society. Thus, Ojo submits that ‘they are repository words of wisdom, and elders are the custodians of them’. Proverbs are an essential ingredient of communication in Africa and literary works by African authors are laced in proverbs.
When the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk?
Another proverb in the novel that provides a glimpse into the Igbo social setting says, ‘when the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk’. This proverb is used to depict the social life of Igbo communities at night. At such nights, children would troop out according to their age grades to regale themselves with hilarious songs, stories and jokes in a convivial atmosphere. So fascinating, warm and lively were such nights that even the ‘crippled’ desired to be part of the fun-filled activities that characterized the nights.
What does Nwakibie pray for?
Here, Nwakibie is praying for good things for all. In the proverb, he is saying that the sky is wide enough to accommodate all birds, both the weak and the strong, adding that anyone who says the other should not perch or rest, shall be incapacitated. The image of the kite and egret above are a reflection of the strong and the weak in the society, while the allusion to ‘no’ is the spirit of jealousy and oppression. This brings to mind the popular saying that whosoever digs a pit of death for his fellow man shall die in it. Clearly Nwakibie believes in the spirit of communal living and every citizen has the freedom to aspire to any position in the society. Anybody who does not want the progress of his kinsman is regarded as evil who must not be allowed to live. This is what has been clearly indicated in Nwakibie’s prayer.
When was T hings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe published?
T hings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was published in 1958. Although Achebe published several other literary works after this novel (including No Longer At Ease, The Arrow of God, and Anthills of The Savannah ), Things Fall Apart is generally acclaimed as the most popular and the most celebrated of all his works.
Who said "An old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb"?
ask my father if he ever had a fowl while he was alive. Everybody laughed heartily except Okonkwo who laughed uneasily, because as the saying goes, an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. Okonkwo remembered his own father.
How did Achebe teach?from en.wikipedia.org
As a teacher he urged his students to read extensively and be original in their work. The students did not have access to the newspapers he had read as a student, so Achebe made his own available in the classroom. He taught in Oba for four months. He left the institution in 1954 and moved to Lagos to work for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS), a radio network started in 1933 by the colonial government. He was assigned to the Talks Department to prepare scripts for oral delivery. This helped him master the subtle nuances between written and spoken language, a skill that helped him later to write realistic dialogue.
Who Was Chinua Achebe?from biography.com
Achebe followed with novels such as No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964) and Anthills of the Savannah (1987), and served as a faculty member at renowned universities in the U.S. and Nigeria. He died on March 21, 2013, at age 82, in Boston, Massachusetts.
What did Chinua Achebe do for African literature?from en.wikipedia.org
At the ceremony for his honorary degree from the University of Kent, professor Robert Gibson said that the Nigerian writer "is now revered as Master by the younger generation of African writers and it is to him they regularly turn for counsel and inspiration." In November 2015 the theme of the Pan African Writers' Association 's 22nd International African Writers' Day and three-day conference was "Celebrating the Life and Works of Chinua Achebe: The Coming of Age of African Literature ?", with a gathering in Accra of more than 300 writers and scholars, a keynote address by Henri Lopès and presentations by James Currey, Margaret Busby and others. Scholar Simon Gikandi, recalling the schooling of himself and his classmates in Kenya, said Things Fall Apart "changed the lives of many of us".
What is the theme of Achebe's novels?from en.wikipedia.org
A prevalent theme in Achebe's novels is the intersection of African tradition (particularly Igbo varieties) and modernity , especially as embodied by European colonialism. The village of Umuofia in Things Fall Apart, for example, is violently shaken with internal divisions when the white Christian missionaries arrive. Nigerian English professor Ernest N. Emenyonu describes the colonial experience in the novel as "the systematic emasculation of the entire culture". Achebe later embodied this tension between African tradition and Western influence in the figure of Sam Okoli, the president of Kangan in Anthills of the Savannah. Distanced from the myths and tales of the community by his Westernised education, he does not have the capacity for reconnection shown by the character Beatrice.
What language did Achebe use?from en.wikipedia.org
As the decolonisation process unfolded in the 1950s, a debate about choice of language erupted and pursued authors around the world; Achebe was no exception. Indeed, because of his subject matter and insistence on a non-colonial narrative, he found his novels and decisions interrogated with extreme scrutiny—particularly with regard to his use of English. One school of thought, championed by Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, urged the use of indigenous African languages. English and other European languages, he said in 1986, were "part of the neo-colonial structures that repress progressive ideas".
What happened to Achebe in the 1990s?from biography.com
The following year, he published Hopes and Impediments. The 1990s began with tragedy: Achebe was in a car accident in Nigeria that left him paralyzed from the waist down and would confine him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
What did Achebe argue about the colonial denigration?from en.wikipedia.org
At a time when African writers were being admonished for being obsessed with the past, Achebe argued that confronted by colonial denigration, evacuated from the category of the human, and denied the capacity for thinking and creativity, the African needed a narrative of redemption. A redemptive hermeneutics was pegged on a deep historical sense.
