Title of the things fall apart and the Igbo culture

             Title of the novel

 The novel takes its title from a verse in the poem "The Second Coming" by W. B. Yeats, an Irish poet, essayist, and dramatist:

Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

In this poem — ironically, a product of European thought — Yeats describes an apocalypticvision in which the world collapses into anarchy because of an internal flaw in humanity. InThings Fall Apart, Achebe illustrates this vision by showing us what happened in the Igbosociety of Nigeria at the time of its colonization by the British. Because of internal weaknesseswithin the native structure and the divided nature of Igbo society, the community of Umuofia inthis novel is unable to withstand the tidal wave of foreign religion, commerce, technology, and government. In "The Second Coming," Yeats evokes the anti-Christ leading an anarchic world to destruction. This ominous tone gradually emerges in Things Fall Apart as an intrusive religiouspresence and an insensitive government together cause the traditional Umuofian world to fall apart.

               Igbo culture

Igbo names usually represent meanings — often entire ideas. Some names reflect the qualitiesthat a parent wishes to bestow on a child; for example, Ikemefuna means my power should not be dispersed. Other names reflect the time, area, or other circumstances to which a child is born; for example, Okoye means man born on Oye Day, the second day of the Igbo week. And Igboparents also give names to honor someone or something else; for instance, Nneka means motheris supreme.

Prior to Nigerian independence in 1960, the spelling of Igbo words was not standardized. Thusthe word Igbo is written as Ibo, the pre-1960 spelling throughout Things Fall Apart. The newspellings reflect a more accurate understanding and pronunciation of Igbo words. The List ofCharacters includes a pronunciation that uses equivalent English syllables for most of the main characters' names.