Blog Post 20- Achebe Interview

What was the most meaningful takeaway from today’s discussion relating to the cultural or literary context of Achebe’s work?

• If writers are influenced by their context, then we will have to learn more about these contexts in order to understand their texts.
• Writers can be influenced by the times in which they live, the place in which they write or the families from which they come.
• These factors contribute to what we call the ‘context of composition’.

'Things Fall Apart' was published in 1958, two years before Nigeria achieved independence; a time period that went through full modernisation not only social but political and economic landscape of the country. Today's discussion gave me an understanding of why Achebe chose to set his novel before and even during the arrival of the colonial administration (the British). He was revealing to the audience what their cultural traditions were and how complex and pure they were towards the Ibo community yet how it transitioned into a colonised nation. 

Throughout the novel; 'Things Fall Apart', Chinua Achebe, conveys the importance of the cultural context of the Ibo community. From the beginning to the end of the book, he allows the readers to see how the western culture has changed the Ibo community, through colonisation where some have begun adapting. This means that by the British colonising the Ibo culture, the people within the Ibo community are starting to abandon their own ethnic society.

Select a specific quote from the interview or a general idea from the discussion and write a brief reflection.

"The society of Umuofia, the village in Things Fall Apart, was totally disrupted by the coming of the European government, missionary Christianity, and so on. That was not a temporary disturbance; it was a once and for all alternation of their society."

As you can see, Chinua Achebe was reflecting on the colonisation of the European government into Umuofia, stating that they were planning on staying and reshaping the village permanently. This was stated by Achebe during the interview. I believe that this had an importance because the British reshaped the community. Like said previously; they did not only reshape the culture but the political and economic landscape of the country. Meaning that it had a significant impact on the Ibo community during the colonisation; people started were unclear what was going on.