Things Fall Apart

thumb|right|335 pxthumb|right|335 pxThings Fall Apart is a post-colonial novel written by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe in 1958. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, one of the first to receive global critical acclaim. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and is widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world. It was first published in 1958 by William Heinemann Ltd in the UK; in 1962, it was also the first work published in Heinemann's African Writers Series. The title of the novel comes from a line in W. B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming".
== Tossup Questions ==
# One character in this novel is renamed Isaac after converting to Christianity and is sent to a teachers' college in Umuru. In this novel, Ekwefi follows Chielo after Chielo tells her that Agbala wants to see her daughter, Ezinma. The protagonist's gun explodes during Ezeuda's funeral, and he is exiled to Mbanta. After a feast of the locust swarm, the protagonist kills his adopted son, Ikemefuna. This novel ends with Obierika asking the District Commissioner to cut down the protagonist's body after he had hanged himself after killing a messenger sent to break up a town meeting. For 10 points, name this novel by Chinua Achebe following Okonkwo and his village during British colonization.
# One legend from this novel tells the story of why tortoises do not have soft shells, and one character in this work is assaulted by her husband for having her hair braided. Another character in this work frequently remarks that he wishes his daughter Ezinma would have been born a boy. The gun of the protagonist of this work explodes at a funeral, killing a son of the man being buried, so the protagonist is exiled for seven years. The town in this novel, which is visited by Christian missionaries, is Umuofia. Name this novel in which Ikemefuna is killed by Okonkwo, a work by Chinua Achebe.
# In this work, when twins are born, they are abandoned in the Evil Forest. Another brutal scene sees a wicked newborn torn apart to keep it from reentering its mother. The Oracle of the Hills in this book demands to see a woman's only daughter, which causes her to drag a girl to a cave. In this novel, the protagonist moves to the clan of his mother after violating the Week of Peace. That protagonist faces exile after killing his foster son, an action that causes Nwoye to convert to Christianity. The protagonist's exploits include wrestling with "Amalinze the cat." For 10 points, name this novel set in Umuofia about the Igbo man Okonkwo, a work by Chinua Achebe.
# Characters in this novel eventually discover that the royal python was killed by Enoch. Its main character gains respectability by throwing "the cat." One figure of authority in this book is the Oracle of the Hills and Caves. In this novel, a school is built by Mr. Brown, who is a missionary sent to the village. The central figure is exiled for killing (*) Ikemefuna (IK-ey-muh-FOO-nuh). For 10 points, name this novel, which is about the downfall of Okonkwo in British-colonized Nigeria and was written by Chinua Achebe.
# This novel includes a search for the iyi uwa, a sacred stone that links the ogbanje Ezinma with the spirit world. In this novel, the District Commissioner wrote a study of the Igbo people entitled "The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger." The protagonist's son Nwoye is converted to Christianity in this novel, which describes the colonization of Umuofia. For 10 points, name this novel in which Okonkwo hangs himself, a work by Chinua Achebe.
Category:Literature