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How Does The Writer’S Style And The Message Make A Story More Compelling To Read? Things Fall Apart

With reference to the story Things Fall Apart, I agree with this statement to a certain extent. Both the writer’s style and the message the writer conveys play integral roles in propelling the story to such great depth. The writer’s use of style helps to highlight the rich Igbo culture that was fairly unknown to people from other countries. While the message not only does it’s obvious job of conveying the desired purpose Chinua Achebe wants, it also adds much variety and action to the whole novel. Together, these two elements work as a flawless couple in driving the whole novel to excellence. However, I feel that it is not so much about which element is more important and how much more does one element contribute as compared to the other, but how one element contributes to amplifying the other. In this case, Achebe’s style has a dual purpose. It not only does it help to bring out the Igbo culture as mentioned above, it also helps to bring out the intended message, making the intended message far more significant and contrasting. This will be furthur elaborated later in the essay.

Achebe writes this novel with an intended purpose, which is to respond the European stereotypes of the African culture. As a response to novels that discriminate Africans and their culture such as Joseph Conrad’s Heart Of Darkness, he wishes to use this novel to highlight the rich African culture and to prove the Europeans wrong.

Achebe’s careful use of style brings out the very much-disregarded Igbo culture. Throughout the novel, Achebe highlights some of the more significant aspects of the Igbo culture such as when he mentions that ‘the art of conversation is regarded very highly and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.’ This shows the highly rhetorical and sophisticated art of conversation that the Igbo people practiced. The metaphor of words as food is very aptly used, as it is synonymous with the agricultural nature of the Igbo people. It emphasizes the...