Things Fall Apart

Lesson 1
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ELA

Unit 2

11th Grade

Lesson 1 of 25

Objective


Infer Achebe’s purpose(s) for writing Things Fall Apart.

Readings and Materials


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Target Task


Question 1

The main purpose of the quotation from Kwame Anthony Appiah in Achebe’s obituary (“It would be impossible…Pushkin influenced Russians.”) is to

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Question 2

With which of the following statements about Africa would Conrad’s narrator most likely agree?

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Question 3

How do the excerpts you have read today help to explain Achebe’s motivation for writing his famous novel, Things Fall Apart? Use evidence from at least two sources to support your answer.

Key Questions


  • What can we infer about Things Fall Apart based on Adichie’s allusion to the novel in her first sentence of Purple Hibiscus?
  • There is an Igbo proverb that says, “Until the lion writes his own stories, history will always glorify the hunter.” Which quotation in Achebe’s obituary seems to capture this same sentiment in his own words? How do these two quotations help to explain Achebe’s motivation for writing Things Fall Apart?
  • What is Conrad’s tone toward Africa? According to the obituary, what was Achebe’s opinion of Conrad? What lines in the excerpt might help explain why Achebe felt this way?

Notes


  • Students will read multiple short pieces today in order to understand Achebe’s purpose for writing the novel: the back of the novel, an excerpt from Purple Hibiscus, an excerpt from Heart of Darkness, an Igbo proverb, and Achebe’s obituary. The teacher may determine what order makes the most sense for his or her students.
  • It is recommended that the teacher use the lengthy paragraph from pp. 8 and 9 of Heart of Darkness, beginning with “I left on a French Steamer.”
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Lesson 2

Lesson Map

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