Skip to main content

Chinua Achebe's "The Novelist as Teacher" Short Summary in English

 "The Novelist as Teacher" explores the role of the writer and African writer. European and African writers are different. The European writer with a beard and strange clothes tries to attract readers. He's minor. Achebe has different concerns. He says it's a writer's job to complete society's tasks. A writer isn't a parasite. He should teach people in the dark.

Achebe discusses student and teacher expectations. Baba Yero Mafindi praised his novels. Achebe's books teach kids. Another wrote that Achebe's books would be useful if he added exam answers. He wants a guide for Achebe's "Things Fall Apart." A teacher wanted Achebe to write about young men who resist parental pressure and marry their own choice. Teacher dislikes Achebe's book. The young man in this novel gives in to his father's wishes and leaves his lover. The teacher misses Achebe's realism.

Achebe says a writer shouldn't be an audience slave. He needs a personal vision. A Nigerian journalist criticises "soulless industrialisation" Realist Achebe is. He's cliché-free. He says Africa's development requires efficiency.

Change is life, says Achebe. Flux and reflux happen. Maypole dance was an African woman's only outlet. Schoolgirls now dance western dances at festivals. Historically, women carried water in earthen pots. It's gone. Metalware is used.

Achebe resists change. Westernization has made Africans disrespect their culture. Black boy avoids writing about harmattan but loves winter. He sees beauty in palm trees and harmattan. Achebe supports African democracy and socialism. They restore Africa's glory. Achebe supports Ezekiel and William Abraham. Achebe hopes for Africa's culture.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Search

Popular posts from this blog

Sir Roger at Church by Joseph Addison - Essay Summary & Analysis

Introduction: "Sir Roger at Church" is an essay written by Joseph Addison, first published in "The Spectator" in 1711. In this essay, Addison reflects on the character of Sir Roger de Coverley, a fictional country gentleman, and his behavior and attitudes during church services. Background of the Essay: Joseph Addison, along with his friend Richard Steele, founded "The Spectator," a periodical publication that featured essays, social commentary, and satire. "Sir Roger at Church" is part of a series of essays that depict the life and adventures of Sir Roger de Coverley. Summary: Sir Roger's Character: Sir Roger de Coverley is depicted as a benevolent, traditional English country gentleman. He embodies virtues such as kindness, generosity, and a deep sense of duty to his community. Despite his old-fashioned ways, Sir Roger is well-respected and admired by those around him. Sir Roger's Religious Observance: In the essay, Addison observes Sir...
Post a Comment
Read more

Not Just Oranges by Isai Tobolsky Short Summary

 Isai Tobolsky is the author of the short story titled "Not Just Oranges." The narrative explores a range of human experiences, including love, innocence, arrogance, and repentance. A mother raises her young daughter all by herself in the narrative's fictional setting. She has a tremendous amount of love for her daughter. Her income is not very significant due to the fact that she is employed as a charwoman in a medical facility. On the other hand, she provides an exceptionally healthy diet for her daughter. At one point, the young girl makes a request to her mother to purchase a blue ball. She has a lot of fun with the ball that her mother buys for her when she plays with it. However, there comes a day when the ball hits the window of their next-door neighbours, the Malachovs. It shatters a pricey vase that was sitting on the window sill.  The elderly woman, Mrs. Malachov, gets worked up into a rage. The young girl and her mother pay a visit to the Malchakovs' home, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Glove and the Lion Poem by Leigh Hunt Summary, Notes & Explanation in English

The poem The Glove and the Lion has four stanzas. Six-line stanzas rhyme aa bb cc. 13 feet (?) per line. The poem's setting is far from Hunt's time. The poem's kings, noblemen, and ladies give it a pre-Renaissance feel. Hunt's poem describes an unusual experience. A royal court watches two beast kings battle. Courtiers watch the king's spectacle from comfortable seats. Many of Hunts' poems have a metaphorical secondary meaning, such as a battle between two powerful people. In the midst of the spectacle, the poet shows us Count de Lorge's love affair with a woman. The poet lists values held by his poem's people: pride, gallantry, valour, and love. The second stanza features vivid images. "Rampled and roared" is alliterative and paradoxical ("horrid laughing jaws"). The short verbs show how quickly the beasts moved: "They bit, glared, and gave beam blows." The repeated /w/ sound in "wind went with their paws" emphasi...
Post a Comment
Read more