What did Chinua Achebe say about proverbs?
Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten. Writers don’t give prescriptions. They give headaches!
What notable quotes does Chinua Achebe have?
Chinua Achebe > Quotes
- “If you don’t like someone’s story, write your own.”
- “The world is like a Mask dancing.
- “While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary.”
- “The white man is very clever.
- “Nobody can teach me who I am.
What are the three proverbs in things fall apart?
Terms in this set (19)
- “Proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten” (Chapter 1).
- “If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings” (Chapter 1).
- “When the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for walk”(Chapter 2).
- “A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness” (Chapter 3).
What are the proverbs in Arrow of God?
Proverbs in Arrow of God “Unless the wind blows, we do not see the fowl’s rump” (p. 59). This proverb is uttered by the time Oduche, the son of Ezeulu incarcerates the sacred python which is an abomination in Umuaro. It shows people’ resentment to Ezeulu for allowing his son to embrace white man’s religion and culture.
What is Chinua Achebe’s overall purpose in using Igbo proverbs in the novel?
He integrated Igbo words and phrases, proverbs, folktales, and other elements of communal storytelling into the narrative in order to record and preserve African oral traditions and to subvert the colonialist language and culture.
Why did Chinua Achebe write things fall apart?
Why did Chinua Achebe write the book Things Fall Apart? Achebe’s primary purpose of writing the novel is because he wants to educate his readers about the value of his culture as an African. Things Fall Apart provides readers with an insight of Igbo society right before the white missionaries’ invasion on their land.
Why Achebe use proverbs in things fall apart?
Proverbs, or short sayings that convey some acquired wisdom, appear throughout Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The Igbo sometimes use the proverbs to clarify an idea; often the clan uses proverbs to add color to their speech and to provide an image of some universal truth.
What is the significance of the three proverbs in chapter one?
“Proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten” (Chapter 1). Basically, this one means that proverbs are an essentially words of wisdom. “If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings” (Chapter 1).
What is the plot of Arrow of God?
The novel centres on Ezeulu, the chief priest of several Igbo villages in colonial Nigeria, who confronts colonial powers and Christian missionaries in the 1920s. The novel was published as part of the influential Heinemann African Writers Series.
What is the significance of the title Arrow of God?
‘Arrow of God’ (1964) represents the struggle for power and authority between the African and the missionaries and within the Igbo clan. The title of the novel comes from an Igbo proverb in which an event or a person is said to represent the will of God.