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Things Fall Apart Foils

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The use of these literary devices flashback, imagery, foil, and symbolism in the novel " Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe help demonstrate the way that Okonkwo, and the Umofian culture defines masculinity and femininity. These devices help define masculinity and femininity through the characters in the novel, and how they explain the way that the differences of people have masculinity, and femininity. Chinua Achebe uses the flashback device to help define masculinity and femininity in the way that looking back on your past can either break you down, or build you up. When Achebe writes " Unoka, the grown up, was a failure" (Achebe 5) this helps define masculinity in Okonkwo because he is the strongest man in his village, and that is nothing like what his father Unoka is like. Unoka was a very lazy and poor man, and Okonkwo was very strong. Okonkwo did not want to be like his father so …show more content…

As an example achebe uses "Worrhy men are no more" ( Achebe 200 ). This defines masculinity in Okonkwo as in he is trying to stop the new religion and government from coming into his village and taking over. He says "worthy men are no more" to the ones who have switched to the new religion, and will not help Okonkwo fight against the enemies that have come to take over his clan. Without the people of Okonkwos clan to help Okonkwo he does not succeed in stopping the new religion and government from taking over his village. This also shows his femininity in which it shows that he has given up, and that is his son has went to the new religion then there is nothing more worse then that, and there is no point in trying to save anyone else because the world as they know it is coming to an end. By Achebe writing that Okonkwo has given up this prevents him from succeeding in stopping the new religion as well, and shows his feelings which is also

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