Things Fall Apart
Reading and Writing Workshop: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe follows the tragic story of a high performing but deeply flawed African native inhabiting an exalted place within his traditional Umuofia society.
Reading: Students may read independently or in groups while completing a Literary Thinking Guide. If a rapid reading is necessary, the book can be divided among the groups, and each group summarizes their section and then the groups present their sections sequentially.
Workshop Groups
This workshop uses small group reading, rotating roles, and sustained analytical and reflective writing developing relationships and creating a learning community.
Central Focus: Culture, Power, and Collision
Driving Question:
What happens when a powerful culture is forced to change?
Session 1 — The World Before It Falls
Focus: Igbo culture, values, social order
Core Question
How does a society define honor, justice, and belonging?
Group Roles
“The Ibo of Nigeria” – G. T. Basden (1912)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54389
Students read selected sections on:
Groups create a visual map of Igbo society:
“How does Achebe’s Umuofia match or challenge Basden’s account?”
Writing Task
Short Response:
How does understanding Igbo society change how we judge Okonkwo?
Session 2 — Masculinity, Power, and Fear
Focus: Okonkwo as a tragic hero
Core Question
When does strength become self-destruction?
Primary Source (Public Domain)
Aristotle – Poetics (Tragic Hero)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1974
Read the section on:
Groups collect:
“Is Okonkwo a hero destroyed by fate—or by himself?”
Writing Task
Write a paragraph identifying Okonkwo’s tragic flaw using Aristotle’s terms.
Session 3 — Law, Justice, and Tradition
Focus: Igbo vs. British legal systems
Core Question
Who decides what is right?
Primary Sources (Public Domain)
“An African Court” – Mary Kingsley (1899)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59428
British Colonial Law Excerpts – Nigeria (1900s)
https://archive.org/details/africanlawandcus00john
Activity: Two Justice Systems
Groups create a T-chart:
| Igbo Justice | British Colonial Law |
Then connect to:
Which system is more just? Why?
Session 4 — Missionaries and Cultural Collision
Focus: Religion, power, and resistance
Core Question
Is conversion persuasion or invasion?
Primary Sources
“Christianity and the Negro” – Edward Blyden (1887)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28145
“Travels in West Africa” – Mary Kingsley
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59428
Activity: Missionary vs. Elder Debate
Groups role-play:
Writing Task
Who is really benefiting from conversion?
Session 5 — When Things Fall Apart
Focus: Collapse, resistance, and tragedy
Core Question
What happens when identity is stripped away?
Primary Source
“The Destruction of African Societies” – J. A. Hobson (1902)
https://archive.org/details/imperialismstudy00hobs
Activity: Collapse Timeline
Groups build a timeline of:
Why is Okonkwo’s final act both political and personal?
Session 6 — Writing the Literary Analysis
Focus: Theme, evidence, argument
Essay Prompt
How does Achebe show that cultural destruction is more tragic than physical death?
Workshop Stations
“Voices from Umuofia” Museum Exhibit
Each group creates:
Why This Workshop Works for Your Students
This structure:
Reading: Students may read independently or in groups while completing a Literary Thinking Guide. If a rapid reading is necessary, the book can be divided among the groups, and each group summarizes their section and then the groups present their sections sequentially.
Workshop Groups
This workshop uses small group reading, rotating roles, and sustained analytical and reflective writing developing relationships and creating a learning community.
Central Focus: Culture, Power, and Collision
Driving Question:
What happens when a powerful culture is forced to change?
Session 1 — The World Before It Falls
Focus: Igbo culture, values, social order
Core Question
How does a society define honor, justice, and belonging?
Group Roles
- Culture Curator
- Vocabulary Chief
- Evidence Finder
- Discussion Leader
“The Ibo of Nigeria” – G. T. Basden (1912)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54389
Students read selected sections on:
- Family structure
- Village leadership
- Religious beliefs
Groups create a visual map of Igbo society:
- Roles of men and women
- Justice system
- Religion
- Community values
“How does Achebe’s Umuofia match or challenge Basden’s account?”
Writing Task
Short Response:
How does understanding Igbo society change how we judge Okonkwo?
Session 2 — Masculinity, Power, and Fear
Focus: Okonkwo as a tragic hero
Core Question
When does strength become self-destruction?
Primary Source (Public Domain)
Aristotle – Poetics (Tragic Hero)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1974
Read the section on:
- Hamartia (tragic flaw)
- Hubris
- Downfall
Groups collect:
- Evidence of heroism
- Evidence of flaw
- Evidence of fate
“Is Okonkwo a hero destroyed by fate—or by himself?”
Writing Task
Write a paragraph identifying Okonkwo’s tragic flaw using Aristotle’s terms.
Session 3 — Law, Justice, and Tradition
Focus: Igbo vs. British legal systems
Core Question
Who decides what is right?
Primary Sources (Public Domain)
“An African Court” – Mary Kingsley (1899)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59428
British Colonial Law Excerpts – Nigeria (1900s)
https://archive.org/details/africanlawandcus00john
Activity: Two Justice Systems
Groups create a T-chart:
| Igbo Justice | British Colonial Law |
Then connect to:
- The egwugwu trial
- The missionaries’ courts
Which system is more just? Why?
Session 4 — Missionaries and Cultural Collision
Focus: Religion, power, and resistance
Core Question
Is conversion persuasion or invasion?
Primary Sources
“Christianity and the Negro” – Edward Blyden (1887)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28145
“Travels in West Africa” – Mary Kingsley
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59428
Activity: Missionary vs. Elder Debate
Groups role-play:
- Igbo elders
- Converts
- Missionaries
Writing Task
Who is really benefiting from conversion?
Session 5 — When Things Fall Apart
Focus: Collapse, resistance, and tragedy
Core Question
What happens when identity is stripped away?
Primary Source
“The Destruction of African Societies” – J. A. Hobson (1902)
https://archive.org/details/imperialismstudy00hobs
Activity: Collapse Timeline
Groups build a timeline of:
- Okonkwo’s losses
- Umuofia’s losses
- African independence being eroded
Why is Okonkwo’s final act both political and personal?
Session 6 — Writing the Literary Analysis
Focus: Theme, evidence, argument
Essay Prompt
How does Achebe show that cultural destruction is more tragic than physical death?
Workshop Stations
- Evidence sorting
- Thesis writing
- Quote integration
- Peer review
- One full analytical paragraph
- One claim-evidence-analysis chart
“Voices from Umuofia” Museum Exhibit
Each group creates:
- 1 Igbo elder speech
- 1 colonial document
- 1 Okonkwo diary entry
- 1 cultural artifact
- 1 theme explanation
Why This Workshop Works for Your Students
This structure:
- Matches your AP-style evidence and argument focus
- Supports ELL learners through group roles and primary sources
- Fits station-based, interactive notebooks, and portfolio models
- Connects literature to world history, colonialism, and identity