Thursday, March 8, 2012

Proverbs and Metaphors

Hey guys. One of my favorite things about Things Fall Apart is the proverbs and metaphors. I especially like the one in the beginning of Part Three, "The clan was like a lizard; if it lost its tail it soon grew another." This quote depicts how once Okonkwo and his family have been away from their clan for seven years, they know they have been replaced. I think that the proverbs and metaphors in Things Fall Apart are very telling of the culture. For example, they often allude to nature like in this one. What is your favorite example of a proverb in the novel?

8 comments:

Christine Catinis said...

My favorite was definitely "Those whose palm-kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble." We pointed it out in class and i love it.

Christine Catinis said...

I also really loved "A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness." The proverbs in this story are so cool. I think proverbs were big in African culture and served as ways to teach lessons.

alyb said...

I also really like the one Christine pointed out. I think that it is really interesting that many different cultures used proverbs to teach lessons. We hear stories about Jesus teaching through proverbs. Proverbs help people relate to a lesson, so i think they are a really important part of understanding a culture.

Ravin S said...

I really enjoyed the story about the tortoise's shell. It reminded me much of Native American culture in which fables are created to represent common irregularities in the world. Many religions/cultures resort to stories to explain the world. I think it signifies the creative nature of African culture.

ParkerC said...

It kind of reminds me of frazier and how magic leads to religion. This is a good example and I can see how he came to that conclusion if he was studying these people.

Unknown said...

i need write this book analysis
and for me is so difficult..
maybe someone can help me please :(

Unknown said...

hello. i need write this book analysis
and for me is very difficult.
maybe someone else could help me ? :(

Unknown said...

i need write this book analysis
and for me is so difficult..
maybe someone can help me please :(