How does Ngugi's extract help me understand TFA?

Ngugi’s extract is an example of how language can be important to a community, specifically his own. This also reflects on the novel Things Fall Apart due to Chinua Achebe’s seamless inclusion of igbo words and proverbs. A big part of the culture is communication, having read Ngugi’s extract it makes it clearer just how important it was. It was a way to share stories or play games, it was an entire community effort that had united everyone. The language used in TFA wasn't just for inclusivity, it was to further enhance the communal efforts of everyone in the villages. For igbo readers, it's a solid nod of recognition. To foreign readers, it is a statement of education and mindfulness.

Igbo readers would already know the traditions and the language, how the writing is woven with proverbs and idioms. But for foreign readers, it's something new and interesting. As a foreigner and language & literature student, I get to read and analyze the precise language used. After reading Ngugi's extract, I now understand the deeper importance of language to the Igbo community. Even though Things Fall Apart already outright told the readers that the Igbo enjoy proverbs, it wasn't described in the way that it is a melodic, unifying language that has many capabilities beyond communication. It is more than that, it is entertainment and a way of expression. It forms bonds and creates memories, which is one of the most important thing about Ngugi's text. Language, for the Igbo culture, means much more than just simple words.

Practice essay statement.

PROMPT: The personal history of an author can have a significant influence on the way meaning is constructed in his/her writing. Comment on specific instances of such influence in Things Fall Apart.

THESIS:

Authenticity comes from having a personal history with a specific context. This could range from experiences, cultural or ethnic identity. Chinua Achebe provides this authentic perspective of the colonisation of his culture in Things Fall Apart because of his background as an Igbo man.

TS1:

There will always be more of an emotional connection between the author and the personal context they are writing about.

TS2:

Authenticity of the context can be seen through specific cultural customs or familiar feelings within it.

TS3:

Things Fall Apart is an indirect representation of the dual beliefs held in traditional Igbo beliefs.