Tradition vs. Change: Things fall apart
Storyboard Text
- Another boy calls Unoka agbala, or woman. (Chapter 1).
- Your father is an agbala.
- Nwoye shows a resemblance to Unoka. (Chapter 7).
- I prefer my mother's stories..
- I have gotten my 5th human head and I am not yet old..
- How men in Abame decide on bride price. (Chapter 8).
- 15 bags of cowries
- No, 20 bags.
- In chapter 1 of things fall apart, a character called Unoka is introduced. Unoka is the father of Okonkwo, a mighty wrestler and rich farmer. In traditional Igbo culture, men are supposed to be strong, and iron-willed, and they are the leaders of the house. His women and children belong to him. Unoka was the opposite of this, he was more feminine and believed in being gentle and kind. Okonkwo grew up hating his father because of this, and this scene shows how different Unoka was from the other Umofia men.
- A mad dog turns on his master (Chapter 19).
- In chapter 2, Nwoye is introduced as Okonkwo's young and lazy son. He is then again mentioned in chapter 7, where Okonkwo is pleased with Nwoye's growth into a man. However, Nwoye seems to be less masculine than his father and represents his grandfather, Unoka. Throughout the story, Nwoye is mentioned, again and again, each time he is becoming more and more like Unoka until he leaves his family to become a Christian. It seems that Nwoye was a foil to Okonkwo, just as Unoka was.
- The death of an egwugwu (Chapter 22).
- He unmasked an egwugwu!
- In chapter 8, one of Okonkwo's friend's daughters is married off to a man. They decide on the bride price using sticks, and they finally agree on 20. In Albame, they bargain for the bride price, and in Anita, the suitor keeps bringing bags or cowries until the in-laws are happy. Even during this period, there were still major changes and differences between tribes and their traditions.
- Okonkwo gives his last speech (Chapter 23).
- YAH!
- We must make enoch pay for his crimes! Burn the church!
- In chapter 19, Okonkwo throws a feast to celebrate his departure from Mbanta. During the feast, one of his mother's kinsmen gives a speech. He says that Christianity is an abominable religion that has settled among the people. This new religion allows men to turn their backs upon their brothers and fathers, to betray them as if they were mad dogs turning on their masters. This speech shows that things are starting to fall apart in the story.
- In chapter 22, Enoch unmasks an egwugwu, resulting in the death of the spirit. This scene shows how Christianity changed the Igbo people. Christianity divided the Igbo people, and this led to violence and lash back from both sides. After this, Enoch's compound was burned to the ground along with Mr. Smith's church. In return, Mr. Smith and his men ambushed 6 of the village leaders and threw them in jail, treating them horribly. This division in the community led to the demise of the Igbo.
- In chapter 23, Okonkwo gives one last speech before his demise. He mentions at the beginning of the chapter that things had changed since he had been banished, that men had gone soft, yet he felt that they were making a comeback and making amends with him. He felt that punishment was needed for Enoch's act of crime he wanted to kill the white men, but his followers didn't agree. They went on to burn down Enoch's compound and Mr. Smith's church.
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