Paper 2 Thesis Statements

1Discuss the significance of social status in Things Fall Apart, and comment on its contribution to characterization.

Social status is the most important thing for and individual that belongs to the Igbo culture, in which characteristics such as rudeness and toughness are valued and seen as a virtue more than anything else, and where not having titles can make a man be considered a woman.

Social status is the part of the individual that is placed above anything else, including family, and friends. Example: Okonkowo killing Ikemefuna in order to show toughness. 

Any sign of weakness and ability of empathy displayed by a male character, is only subject of contempt and hate that leads to a bad reputation. Throughout the stories we have seen how characters such as Unoka and Nwoye are being despised for lacking rudeness and showing a more human personality and hobbies, such as playing the flute. 

In order to portray the characteristics and attitude of the protagonist Chinua Achebe shows how Okonkowo has to deal with an internal conflict in which he has to struggle to keep his social status intact, in order not to diplay any weakness.  Example: Throuhout the story it is possible to see how the free will of the protagonist is against his destiny. Even after being advised not to kill Ikemefuna, Okonkowo decides that his priority is to keep his socials status no matter what, therefore deciding to kill the child in front of the leaders of the tribe.

4. With reference toThings Fall Apart, how does the text conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose?

In order to show and portray the values of the Igbo culture Chinua Achebe shows in Things Fall Apart how the role of the woman deviates from its conventions in order to show how the man holds a superior role in society.

In the Igbo culture the man is able to access privileges that the woman is not able to access, and enjoys a freedom that the woman is not given. Throughout the story, it is pretty evident that the woman does not enjoy the freedom that the man does. First off, the man is given the right to have several wives that are expected to cook and take care of the man without questioning his decisions. Besides of this, when in this story we see how when conflicts arise among different tribes women are subject of trade in order to settle the disputes.

In the Igbo society the role of the woman is portrayed as only taking care of the husband and taking care of the children. In several parts of the story we see how the main character, Okonkowo, gets angry when finding out that one of his wives, Ekwefi, has not given food to his daughter Ezinma, getting angry and stating that this is the only that Ekwefi has to do, responding to this action by beating her.