Paper 2 - TFA (Thesis + Outline)


Thesis Statement

Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" portrays Africa, particularly the Ibo society, right before the arrival of Europeans. Things Fall Apart analyzes the destruction of African culture by the appearance of the white man in terms of the destruction of the bonds between individuals and their society. Achebe, who teaches us a great deal about Ibo society and translates Ibo myth and proverbs, but most importantly, he emphasizes on how social status plays a big role in the culture.The Ibos rely on one's successes to determine how much one should be respected. In Umuofia, it appears that the big factors in success are the amount of wives and barns that a man has as well as a man social status. Social status plays a big role in characterization, especially with Okonkwo. 

Outline:

Body 1

• The role of social class in Umofia

Body 2

The importance of social class to Okonkwo 

Body 3

How Achebe uses social class as a major contribution to characterization.