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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—The Living Earth:
Ibo/Igbo spiritual beliefs feature prominently in Things Fall Apart, guiding Achebe's stylistic choices as well as the events of the novel. Ibo beliefs generally center nature, which often gets personified and exalted as a kind of god. The forces of nature are holy, powerful, and feared by the Ibo people, so much so that Nature's personification functions as a motif in Things Fall Apart.
In Chapter 13, for instance, Achebe reflects on the practice of abandoning "evil" twins in the forest. Reasoning through the lens of Ibo spirituality, Achebe personifies the Earth:
What crime had [twin children] committed? The Earth had decreed that they were an offense on the land and must be destroyed.
Ruling as a king or god might, in this passage the "Earth" decrees that the twins must be destroyed. Nature is holy, humanoid, and accorded the power of governance by the Ibo people.
Similarly, in Chapter 14, Achebe uses personification to characterize the weather:
At last the rain came. It was sudden and tremendous. For two or three moons the sun had been gathering strength till it seemed to breathe a breath of fire on the earth.
Again, nature's power and agency are all-encompassing in Ibo mythology. In the above instance of personification, the sun "breathe[s] a breath of fire on the earth," exhibiting its power over Umuofia and the nearby clans.
Related Themes:
Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—The Living Earth:
Ibo/Igbo spiritual beliefs feature prominently in Things Fall Apart, guiding Achebe's stylistic choices as well as the events of the novel. Ibo beliefs generally center nature, which often gets personified and exalted as a kind of god. The forces of nature are holy, powerful, and feared by the Ibo people, so much so that Nature's personification functions as a motif in Things Fall Apart.
In Chapter 13, for instance, Achebe reflects on the practice of abandoning "evil" twins in the forest. Reasoning through the lens of Ibo spirituality, Achebe personifies the Earth:
What crime had [twin children] committed? The Earth had decreed that they were an offense on the land and must be destroyed.
Ruling as a king or god might, in this passage the "Earth" decrees that the twins must be destroyed. Nature is holy, humanoid, and accorded the power of governance by the Ibo people.
Similarly, in Chapter 14, Achebe uses personification to characterize the weather:
At last the rain came. It was sudden and tremendous. For two or three moons the sun had been gathering strength till it seemed to breathe a breath of fire on the earth.
Again, nature's power and agency are all-encompassing in Ibo mythology. In the above instance of personification, the sun "breathe[s] a breath of fire on the earth," exhibiting its power over Umuofia and the nearby clans.
Related Themes:
