Things Fall Apart

Revisit the epigraph, which is an excerpt from William Butler Yeats’s poem, “The Second Coming.” Why did Achebe select this epigraph to introduce his novel? What elements of the novel’s plot and language draw upon the content and emotion of Yeats’s poem?

Manhood and womanhood are emphasized throughout the novel, and not only in Okonkwo’s mind. How do the gendered elements of Ibo society empower and erode the community? Is masculinity a positive force in Okonkwo’s life?

What is the relationship between spiritual and physical life in Things Fall Apart?