On Achebe's Writing Style, Ch. 1-3

Achebe's style is rich in figurative language and descriptive diction. As I read the first few chapters of Things Fall Apart, I quickly felt transported to the world of Okonkwo and his people by the descriptions of the legendary wrestling match, when "drums beat and the flutes sang and the spectators held their breath" (p. 1). The intensity of the wrestling match is emphasized by this mix of excited sounds and tense silence. Achebe's use of different types of imagery, from auditory to organic, captivates the reader's imagination by appealing to multiple senses. Rhetorical devices such as similes and personification serve to add layers of meaning to the novel. For instance, Achebe attributes the music of the flutes to the instruments' own singing through personification, thus implying the important and familiar role of these instruments in the community's life, almost as if the flutes were also villagers. The parallel structure achieved through the frequent use of "and" to connect short clauses allows Achebe to infuse his novel's narration with a rhythym of its own. The syntax of the narration seems to imitate the poetic speech of the Igbo people. Indeed, the Igbo words neatly inserted into the novel enable readers to connect with the culture featured therein.