Essay about Proverbs in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

In the novel, â€Å"Things Fall Apart’, by Chinua Achebe, proverbs have an important impact on the storyline. All proverbs have some kind of deeper meaning behind them, and this is part of the Nigerian culture. Proverbs are used by people of all ages and statures to tell others about the importance of something. People in the Igbo Tribe use proverbs everyday as they are an important part of their culture and traditions, and the art of conversation is regarded very highly throughout the clan. The Igbo culture is a very oral language. â€Å"Proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten†. This quote shows how important proverbs are in everyday life as they are referred to as ‘palm oil’. Palm oil was a very important part of the tribe’s life.†¦show more content†¦Using a proverb such as this makes difficult truths much more understandable, for children and adults alike. However, proverbs can also make the Igbo seem either primitive or very verbally capable, depending on the reader and their heritage and upbringing. Another proverb that is very important to the text and Igbo tribe is, â€Å"An animal rubs its itching flank against a tree; a man asks his kinsmen to scratch him.† I think this proverb has two different meanings. One is that animals are much more self reliant, and don’t necessarily need others around to help them. Humans are much more dependent on others of their kind, and are always interacting with each other, even for the smallest things. Another meaning that this proverb could have is that man is selfish. The animals find a way to relieve their needs without the help of anyone else but nature, yet man takes advantage of others, and is always trying to find a way to get something out of them. This shows that the same proverb can be interpreted differently depending on the way one looks at it. If one is not used to the thoughts and ideas of the Igbo, they can become very confused and interpret the proverb to mean something completely different from what their real me aning is. Proverbs are an important part of everyday life for the Igbo tribe. Someone who used them was very highly respected and wasShow MoreRelated Things Fall Apart Contradicts Stereotypes and Stereotyping in Heart of Darkness1750 Words   |  7 PagesChinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Contradicts Stereotypes in Conrads Heart of Darkness In An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness, Chinua Achebe criticizes Joseph Conrad for his racist stereotypes towards the continent and people of Africa. He claims that Conrad propagated the dominant image of Africa in the Western imagination rather than portraying the continent in its true form (1793). 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