DOCSLIB.ORG

CHINUA ACHEBE This Page Intentionally Left Blank Chinua Achebe

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
CHINUA ACHEBE This Page Intentionally Left Blank Chinua Achebe CHINUA ACHEBE This page intentionally left blank Chinua Achebe Novelist, Poet, Critic David Carroll Professor of English University of Lancaster © David Carroll 1980, 1990 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 2nd edition 1990 978-0-333-49080-8 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WI P 9HE. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First edition 1980 Second edition 1990 Published by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world ISBN 978-1-349-38893-6 ISBN 978-0-230-37521-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230375215 ISBN 978-0-333-49081-5 paperback A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 03 02 01 00 99 98 97 First published in the United States of America 1980 Second edition 1990 published by ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC., Scholarly and Reference Division 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 ISBN 978-0-312-13386-3 Contents Preface vii Chronology ix 1 Introduction 1 2 Things Fall Apart 32 3 No Longer at Ease 62 4 ArrowofGod 86 5 A Man of the People 119 6 Short Stories and Poetry 146 7 Anthills of the Savannah 167 8 Conclusion 186 Notes 196 Select Bibliography 199 Index 203 To my wife, Dorothy Preface The most recent version of this study appeared in 1980. Since then Achebe has published a political diagnosis of his country, The Trouble with Nigeria (1983); a collection of essays, Hopes and Impedi­ ments (1988); and after a gap of many years, a major new novel, Anthills of the Savannah (1987). Writing about his work has con­ tinued apace. In response, I have extended the Introduction to trace Achebe's developing ideas of the role of the writer and critic in Africa; included a new chapter on Anthills of the Savannah; revised the Conclusion; and brought the Bibliography up to date. All references to Achebe's works are to the following editions, published by Heinemann: Things Fall Apart (1958), No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (second edition, 1974), A Man of the People (1966), Beware, Soul Brother (1972), Girls at War and Other Stories (1972), Morning Yet on Creation Day (1975), The Trouble with Nigeria (1984), Anthills of the Savannah (1987), Hopes and Impediments (1988). The spelling 'Igbo' is used throughout to refer both to Achebe's people and language, except in quotations where the form 'lbo' will occasionally be found. This is in accordance with Achebe's own practice where, in his later writing, he implies that the former is the indigenous, the latter the non-African usage. I wish to record my gratitude to the University of Toronto for its generous assistance during the original writing of this study; to the University of Lancaster for more recent help; and to Chinua Achebe for kindly providing information for the Chronology. I thank again Paul Edwards of the University of Edinburgh, that committed Africanist, for his encouragement during our years at Fourah Bay College, Freetown. David Carroll University of Lancaster vii Acknowledgements The author and publishers are grateful for the following copyright holders who have given permission to quote from the works of Chinua Achebe: Bolt & Watson Ltd. on behalf of the author for extracts from 'Onitsha, Gift of the Niger' and 'The Novelist as Teacher' from Morning Yet on Creation Day; Heinemann Educational Books Ltd. for extracts from Beware, Soul Brother; William Heinemann Ltd. for extracts from Things Fall Apart. viii Chronology 1930 Albert Chinualumogu Achebe born at Ogidi, Eastern Nigeria, the fifth of six children, to Christian evangelist parents. 1953 After Government College, Umuahia, he graduated from University College, Ibadan, with a BA (London). 1954 Talks Producer with the Nigerian Broadcasting Corpora­ tion. 1956 Studied at the BBC in London. 1958 Things Fall Apart published. 1959 Controller, NBC, Lagos. Awarded the Margaret Wong Memorial Prize for his contribution to African Literature. 1960 Nigerian Independence. No Longer at Ease published. 1960-61 Travelled in East Africa on a Rockefeller Fellowship. 1961-66 Director of External Broadcasting, NBC. 1963 Travelled in the United States, Brazil and Britain on a UNESCO Fellowship. 1964 Arrow of God published. Received the Jock Campbell­ New Statesman Award for Literature. 1966 A Man of the People published. First military coup in Nigeria in January; second coup in July. 1967 Biafra declared its secession from the Federation of Nigeria in May. Fighting begins in July. Achebe sent on political missions to Europe and North America in Biafran cause. Senior Research Fellow at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1967-72). 1970 Biafra unconditionally surrendered in January. 1971 Beware, Soul Brother (poems) published (revised edition, 1972). Founder editor of Okike: an African Journal of New Writing. 1972 Awarded first Commonwealth Poetry prize. Girls at War and Other Stories published. Awarded Hon. D.Litt. by Dartmouth College, USA. (Eleven other universities have subsequently awarded him honorary degrees.) ix X Chronology 1972-76 Residence in the United States: Visiting Professor of English, University of Massachusetts (1972-75), and University Professor of English, University of Connecticut (1975-76). 1973 Professor of English, University of Nigeria at Nsukka: early retirement 1981, made Emeritus Professor 1985. 1975 Morning Yet on Creation Day (essays) published. Honorary Fellow, Modern Language Association of America. 1979 Nigerian National Merit Award; and Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 1981 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (London). 1983 Appointed Deputy National President, People's Re­ demption Party. 1984 Visiting Professor of English, University of Guelph, Canada; Regents Professor of English, University of California at Los Angeles. 1987 Anthills of the Savannah published. 1987-88 Visiting Professor of African Studies, University of Massachusetts. 1988 Hopes and Impediments (essays) published. 1989 Visiting Professor of English, City University of New York. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Concept of Tragedy in Achebe's Anthills Of
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by International Institute for Science, Technology and Education (IISTE): E-Journals THE CONCEPT OF TRAGEDY IN ACHEBE’S ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNAH AND MOFOLO’S CHAKA Okain Teiko Lecturer, Department of English, Methodist University College Ghana Abstract The literary landscape has been dominated by the singularly fascinating theme of power, its acquisition, its use and abuse. Chinua Achebe and Thomas Mofolo in Anthills of the Savanna and Chaka examine the nature of power and authority and its corrupting influence in humans. The novelists’ artistic reconstruction of the image of dictatorship follows the universal literary discourse which seeks to find out how each artist contributes to the subject of abuse of political power and authority. Achene employs a significant African philosophical principle of “Chi” as the chief determinant for the incidence of tragedy in his novel while Mofolo exploits the principle of moral choice as the chief determinant for the incidence of tragedy in his work. Introduction Chinua Achebe and Thomas Mofolo follow the universal tradition of artistic reconstruction of the image of dictatorship to examine the nature of power and authority in Anthills of the Savannah and Chaka . In doing so, they bring into relief the corrupting influence of the exercise of power and authority in humans (which invariably leads to conflict). From antiquity to contemporary times, creative works and theories on political governance show evidence of the primary nature of these themes. Literary artists, throughout the ages, have succeeded in reconstructing this human phenomenon of how leaders abuse power, confirming the proposition of “how great calamity can come to man through man’s perversity” (Sophocles, 1954:159).
    [Show full text]
  • Portrayal of Human Struggle for Identity and Prosperity in Things Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe
    February 2018, Volume 5, Issue 2 JETIR (ISSN-2349-5162) PORTRAYAL OF HUMAN STRUGGLE FOR IDENTITY AND PROSPERITY IN THINGS FALL APART AND ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNAH BY CHINUA ACHEBE Author 1: Dr. Vekateswaran, Prof and Head, Dept of English, Bangalore University, Bangalore, India. Author 2: Prof. Stany R Miranda, Head, English Department, East West Institute of Technology Bangalore-560091, Bangalore, India. ABSTRACT: Chinua Achebe is one of the most imperative African writers. He is best known for his novel Things Fall Apart (1958). He is also considered as one of the remarkable and high ranking African authors due to his revolutionary work in post-colonial literature and his politically-conscious writing that offered the world with the view of colonial understanding from the perception of the colonized. This research paper emphasizes on comparative study of the first and the last Achebe’s novels, namely Things Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah. Let’s try to examine the author’s inspiration for crafting stories that talks about the drastic changes took place in African societies persuaded by colonization. Similarly, the paper explores the narrative techniques Achebe employed in his writing to appropriate English language for the purpose of challenging the dominant image of Africa, which was represented in colonial discourse as the continent of savage. Further, the paper tackles the elements of Igbo oral poetic tradition that Achebe threads his narratives and the major role he ascribe to writers (storytellers) as social critics, educators of the common people and preservers of African history and culture in post-independence period.
    [Show full text]
  • Contemporary Nigerian Fiction and the Return to the Recent Past
    BEARING WITNESS TO AN ERA: CONTEMPORARY NIGERIAN FICTION AND THE RETURN TO THE RECENT PAST Juliet Tenshak Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in English Studies School of Arts and Humanities, University of Stirling. December 2017. Acknowledgements The Ph.D journey has been long, very challenging but rewarding. On this journey, I got fresh and startling insights to the meaning of the word „Help‟. I made it to this point because of the help I have received from so many people in various ways, and at different times. I am humbled. My first expression of gratitude goes to my supervisor Professor David Murphy, whose support, PATIENCE, and encouragement is in large part the reason I made it this far. I would also like to thank my second supervisor Dr. Gemma Robinson who has been unfailingly supportive and encouraging. I am also grateful to the school administrator Alison Scott for the support I received from her in the course of my study. I owe a debt of gratitude to the British Federation of Women Graduates, who provided much-needed financial support for the final year of my Ph.D. To my husband Fidel Odhiambo Wayara, you are my exceedingly great reward. Thank you for loving and pushing. To my girls; Walsham, Naannaa and Kiyenret, thank you for putting up with my absence. Thank you for making motherhood a thing of joy and fulfillment for me, and thank you for the sacrifices you individually and collectively made for me to do this. I love you girls more than the whole world and back! To my mother Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart Is Probably the Most Authentic Narrative Ever Written About Life in Nigeria at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
    Grade 11 Literature Holy Cross High School Coverage: • Overview of the Author • Background to the Novel • About Things Fall Apart • Summary of the Novel • Character List • Character map • Themes of the Novel • Structure of Part I the Novel • Chapters 1 to 13 Summary; Analysis and Questions • Structure of Part II of the Novel • Chapters 14 to 19 Summary; Analysis and Questions • Structure of Part III of the Novel • Chapters 20 to 25 Summary; Analysis and Questions • Viewpoints of the Novel from different characters • Acknowledgements The Author Chinua Achebe Background Background (1) • Poet and novelist Chinua Achebe was one of the most important African writers. • He was also considered by many to be one of the most original literary artists writing in English during his lifetime. • He is best known for his novel Things Fall Apart (1958). • Born Albert Chinualumogo Achebe, Chinua Achebe was raised by Christian evangelical parents in the large village Ogidi, in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria. • He received an early education in English, but grew up surrounded by a complex fusion of Igbo traditions and colonial legacy. • He studied literature and medicine at the University of Ibadan; after graduating, he went to work for the Nigerian Broadcasting Company in Lagos and later studied at the British Broadcasting Corporation staff school in London. • During this time, Achebe was developing work as a writer. • Starting in the 1950s, he was central to a new Nigerian literary movement that drew on the oral traditions of Nigeria's indigenous tribes. Background (2) • Although Achebe wrote in English, he attempted to incorporate Igbo vocabulary and narratives.
    [Show full text]
  • Post-Colonial Literature: Chinua Achebe
    Aula 4 POST-COLONIAL Literature: CHINUA ACHEBE META Introduce students to Chinua Achebe’s life and work OBJETIVO Ao final desta aula, você deverá ser capaz de: Outline a short biography of Chinua Achebe, placing some emphasis on his contribution to what could be loosely called ‘African literature’. Make a concise presentation of Achebe’s novels and a list of his short stories and poems. PRERREQUISITO Notions about the historicity of the concept of literature; Notions of the process of formation and institutionalization of Literary History and literary theory as disciplines that have in Literature its object of study. Notions of the relationship between Literary History and literature teaching. Luiz Eduardo Oliveira José Augusto Batista dos Santos Literatura de Língua Inglesa VI INTRODUÇÃO In this lesson, we will be studying Chinua Achebe, a very important author in African literature. He was born in Nigeria on November 16th 1930 in the Igbo village of Ogidi. His real name was Albert Chinualumogu Achebe. Although his parents had been converted into Christianity by missionaries from the Protestant Church Mission Society (CMS), Achebe’s father seemed to respect his ancestor’s traditions, of which fact the name Chinualumogu is a reminder, since it is a prayer for divine protection and stability that could be translated as “May God fight on my behalf ”. Having to live between two worlds, namely, that of Christianity and that of tradi- tional beliefs has no doubt played a significant role in Achebe’s education and, later, in his work. He was born Albert Chinualumogụ Achebe, 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinua Acheb's Things Fall Apart
    Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart Since its publication in 1958 Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart has won global critical acclaim and is regarded as one of the most influential texts of postcolonial literature. Offering an insight into African culture that had not been portrayed before, this is both a tragic and moving story of an individual set in the wider context of the coming of colonialism, as well as a powerful and complex political statement of cross-cultural encounters. This guide to Chinua Achebe’s compelling novel offers: • an accessible introduction to the text and contexts of Things Fall Apart • a critical history, surveying the many interpretations of the text from publi- cation to the present • a selection of critical writing on Things Fall Apart, by Abiola Irele, Abdul JanMohamed, Biodun Jeyifo, Florence Stratton and Ato Quayson, providing a variety of perspectives on the novel and extending the coverage of key critical approaches identified in the survey section • cross-references between sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism • suggestions for further reading. Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of Things Fall Apart and seeking not only a guide to the novel, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds Achebe’s text. Dr David Whittaker is a Lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London. His research interests are in the areas of Nigerian and African literature and in the field of postcolonial studies and he has published a number of articles in journals and anthologies.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of Achebe's Women in Things Fall Apart and Anthills of The
    Advances in Literary Study, 2018, 6, 109-119 http://www.scirp.org/journal/als ISSN Online: 2327-4050 ISSN Print: 2327-4034 Shifting the Canon: An Analysis of Achebe’s Women in Things Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah Maina Ouarodima Department of Modern European Languages and Linguistics, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria How to cite this paper: Ouarodima, M. Abstract (2018). Shifting the Canon: An Analysis of Achebe’s Women in Things Fall Apart and This paper analyses the image of women in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Anthills of the Savannah. Advances in Apart and Anthills of the Savannah to bring into focus on the shifting of the Literary Study, 6, 109-119. canon through Achebe’s depiction of female characters in the two novels. The https://doi.org/10.4236/als.2018.63009 study focuses on some of the evil practices against the freedom of women, in Received: April 3, 2018 the Igbo society, as reflected in Things Fall Apart and then contrasts with the Accepted: July 3, 2018 positive image of women as reflected in Anthills of the Savannah. While the Published: July 6, 2018 citizens, in general, and women, in particular, are ignorant in Things Fall Copyright © 2018 by author and Apart, written in the colonial period; they are, both, educated in Anthills of Scientific Research Publishing Inc. the Savannah, written in the postcolonial period. As findings, this study fore- This work is licensed under the Creative grounds the dynamism of the Igbo society, which allows Achebe, as a writer, Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0).
    [Show full text]
  • The Dynamics of Change in African Sensibility: Anthills of the Savannah
    www.ijird.com March, 2015 Vol 4 Issue 3 ISSN 2278 – 0211 (Online) The Dynamics of Change in African Sensibility: Anthills of the Savannah Dr. Pallavi Bhardwaj Assistant Professor, Baddi University of Emerging Sciences and Technology, Baddi, Solan, HP, India Abstract: Anthills of the Savannah delineates the problems inflicting newly independent African states. The prevailing theme and the major problem in this novel is the corrupt dictatorial set up of Kangan. The theme in the work is 'overcoming the history of suffering' through the inculcation of a strong sense of community among the people. The people want change and peace, but they are unsure how to attain a suitable system of government. Thus, the first step towards national salvation is to throw out the colonizers. Being a witness to the failure of social justice and democracy to take root in postcolonial Nigeria, Achebe dramatizes the impasse in Anthills of the Savannah. The two major characters alongwith their girlfriends were obviously chosen by the writer to reflect his own frustrations with Nigeria and mixed feelings about Africa's tomorrow. Novel as a literary form is a convenient medium in the hands of an author to project his ideas in an effective way. As a form of literature, it has twofold purposes: Highlighting the major issues, conflicts and problems that beset a society, and suggesting the effective means and measures required to cure the society from these serious diseases. It also facilitates the readers to understand and recognize the social forces that shape and influence their lives. Chinua Achebe is honoured as one of the founders of modern Nigerian literature for his historically receptive and discerning writings on contemporary Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe
    No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe Review by: Lauren Evans From the author of Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God comes Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease, his second book in the African trilogy and one that was published in 1960, the year Nigeria received its independence from England. I had already read the first and third book in this trilogy and was excited to pick this one up. The book is set in the 1950s with Obi Okonkwo, the grandson of main character Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart, returning to Nigeria from England, where he had gone to receive his education. The story opens with Obi on trial for having accepted a bribe, then goes back to the pre-trial past to give us an idea of how he ended up there and ends with the story returning full circle. Obi went to England on scholarship to pursue a degree in English. After returning to Nigeria and his hometown of Umuofia, he takes a position with the Scholarship Board as the Administrative Assistant to the Inspector of Schools. Soon after, he’s offered a bribe by a man who is trying to get a scholarship for his little sister. The girl even visits Obi and offers to bribe him with sex, but Obi turns it down, even though he is tempted because of severe financial hardship. While all this is going on, Obi develops a romantic relationship with Clara Okeke, a Nigerian woman he met while in England who is an “osu,” an outcast looked down upon by her descendants.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinua Achebe's Girls at War and Other Stories
    International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature E-ISSN: 2200-3452 & P-ISSN: 2200-3592 www.ijalel.aiac.org.au Chinua Achebe’s Girls at War and other Stories: A Relevance-Theoretical Interpretation Adaoma Igwedibia1*, Christian Anieke2, Ezeaku Kelechi Virginia1 1Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria 2Department of English and Literary Studies, Godfrey Okoye University, Nigeria Corresponding Author: Adaoma Igwedibia, E-mail: [email protected] ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history Relevance Theory (RT), which is a theory that takes the Gricean approach to communication as Received: January 26, 2019 a starting point of linguistic or literary analysis, is an influential theory in Pragmatics that was Accepted: March 09, 2019 developed by D. Sperber and D. Wilson (1986, 1995). As a cognitive theory of meaning (which Published: May 31, 2019 claims that semantic meaning is the result of linguistic decoding processes, whereas pragmatic Volume: 8 Issue: 3 meaning is the result of inferential processes constrained by one single principle, Principle of Advance access: April 2019 Relevance), its main assumption is that human beings are endowed with a biologically rooted ability to maximize the relevance of incoming stimuli. RT unifies the Gricean cooperative principle and his maxims into a single principle of relevance that motivates the hearer’s Conflicts of interest: None inferential strategy. Based on the classic code model of communication and Grice’s inferential Funding: None model, RT holds that ‘every act of ostensive communication communicates a presumption of its own optimal relevance’. Literary texts which present us with a useful depth of written data that serve as repositions of language in use can be analyzed linguistically.
    [Show full text]
  • A Stylistic Study of Characterisation and Point of View in Chinua
    UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST A STYLISTIC STUDY OF CHARACTERISATION AND POINT OF VIEW IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNAH: A FUNCTIONAL-SEMANTIC PERSPECTIVE BY ISAAC NUOKYAA-IRE MWINLAARU Thesis submitted to the Department of English of the Faculty of Arts, University of Cape Coast, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for award of Master of Philosophy Degree in English FEBRUARY, 2012 1 DECLARATION Candidate’s Declaration I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of my own original work and that no part of it has been presented for another degree in this university or elsewhere. Candidate’s Signature: .............................. Date: .......................... Name: Isaac Nuokyaa-Ire Mwinlaaru Supervisors’ Declaration We hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of the thesis were supervised in accordance with the guidelines on supervision of thesis laid down by the University of Cape Coast. Principal Supervisor’s Signature: ....................... Date: ......................... Name: Professor Lawrence K. Owusu-Ansah Co-Supervisor’s Signature: ................................ Date: ......................... Name: Dr. Joseph Arko 2 ABSTRACT Following insights from stylistic studies on European literature and a few earlier attempts on the stylistic analysis of African literature, there has been a recent growing interest in the stylistic analysis of the African novel. The present study is meant to contribute to this growing body of studies by using the Hallidayian model of transitivity to explore Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah. The aim of the study is two-fold. First, foregrounded transitivity patterns associated with six characters are explored in relation to character and the thematic concern of the novel. Second, the study investigates the relationship between point of view and the transitivity patterns in which a character is inscribed.
    [Show full text]
  • ANTHILLS of the SA VANN AH London: William Heinemann, 1987
    sections dealing with Arab fiction, I must say that the great Arab masters of the art are well represented, mostly Egyptian, but there are a few others from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia. The Egyptian Najib Mahfuz is deservedly given twelve pages, the others an average of about four pages each. The critical excerpts are not all equal in quality, many of them being descriptive or prescriptive. But there are quite a few that are analytical. It is a pity that most excerpts are too short (about three-quarters of a page each on the average), and they end almost before one can begin to form an idea of the novel criticized or of the approach of the critic. But the cumulative effect of several critical excerpts on one author, and of a succession of authors thus treated succeeds in showing how vibrant is the art of fiction in the Arab world; how well it reflects the concerns and preoccupations of Arab men and women, and the social conditions of Arab cities and villages; how innovative some Arab fiction writers are, particularly ones like Jamal al-Gbitani (Egypt), al-Tayyib Salih (Sudan), Zakariyya Tamir (Syria), and 'Abd al-Rahman Munif (Saudi Arabia/Resident of Iraq, then France); and how far Arab fiction has progressed since its beginnings early in this century. The se­ lected critical excerpts do not reflect the new theories of literature and criticism adopted from the West by Arab critics, though one can sense the structuralist approach of Ceza Draz in her excerpt on Jamal al-Ghitani, and the social realist approach of Mahmud Amin al-'Ahm in his excerpts on Jamal al-Ghitani and Sa 'dallah Wannus.
    [Show full text]