TO IDENTIFY AND ANALYSE ACHEBE’S

STYLE AND USE OF LANGUAGE IN THINGS

FALL APART.

TOPIC: Things Fall Apart

Pre-score your understanding out of /4
 QUICKWRITE - WRITE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN ABOUT THE FOLLOWING
QUOTES:
 ‘The drums beat and the flutes sang and
the spectators held their breath.
Amanlinze was a wily craftsman, but
Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in
water. Every nerve and every muscle stood
out on their arms, on their backs and on
their thighs, and one almost heard them
stretching to breaking point.’
pg. 3
‘The night was very quiet. It was
always quite except on moonlight
nights. Darkness held a vague
terror for these people, even the
bravest among them. Children were
warned not to whistle at night for
fear of evil spirits.’ pg. 8
 APK

• Brainstorm literary devices

 EXEMPLAR SENTENCES

• Depicting the world of the Igbo people in the exposition, Achebe

creates a sense of anticipation through the sensory language and,
thus, the increasing tension of “drum beats” and the “spectators
[holding] their breath”. This reveals the important role that male
strength and authority holds within traditional Igbo communities as
Okonkwo fights Amalinze, and ultimately triumphs.
• Think/pair /share
• Sentence structure
• Use of quotes
• Analysis of devices, themes and characters
 CAROUSEL PASSAGE ANALYSIS

• In your table groups spend 5 minutes annotating the features

of the passage including: literary devices, setting, imagery,
tone and atmosphere.
• Rotate to each table until you return to your original passage.
 WRITE A PARAGRAPH

• You have 10 minutes to review your original passage and

write an analytical paragraph discussing how Achebe uses
language to create meaning.
• LI: To identify and analyse Achebe’s style and use of
language in Things Fall Apart.
• Post score your understanding of the Learning Intention /4
• Submit both your paragraph and your post-score to your
teacher as you leave today.
 R E S E A R CH TA S K ( W O R K I N PA I RS )

• The geographical history of the Igbo people (their

spirituality and religion)
• Igbo Wrestling & Kinship systems
• Colonisation of Africa (in particular of Nigeria)
• Chinua Achebe’s life and upbringing
• Christianity and missionaries in Nigeria
• Igbo and gender: Patriarchy and Polygamy; Social
structure
• Nigerian food customs