Essay/Term paper: The second coming vs. things fall apart

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Book Reports

The book

Things Fall Apart , by Chinua Achebe , is very similar to the

poem , "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats. A

comparison of "The Second Coming" to Things Fall Apart

will show many corresponding aspects between both of

these literary masterpieces. Seeing the line "Things fall apart"

in the poem , Achebe makes an outstanding association. At

this point in time he says to himself, "I should name my book

Things Fall Apart , It will show the main idea of the book."

One of the many coinciding concepts between the two is the

daunted apprehension of both the poem and the book. In

Things Fall Apart it seems like whenever the main character,

Okonkwo, gains hope things happen to fall apart . The

contents of "The Second Coming" told of a chaotic world

and a base that could not hold because of it"s own inner

conflicts. In Addition to the synonymous feeling both the

book and the poem give, they both expose a great shift from

and old era to a new era. "The Second Coming" reveals an

apocolypse. Yeats shows this change by describing the

conversions our world, as a global community, made

throughout history . Key lines that refer to these changes in

time are "Turning and Turning in the widening gyre the falcon

cannot hear the falconer". These lines refer to the constant

adjustments we have to make and also the fact that we

cannot go back in time . Chinua Achebe also reveals a

major shift by describing Umuofa as it was in the beginning.

In describing Umuofa as it was originally he makes it easier

to catch sight of the major changes throughout the story .

Another coinciding idea in both pieces is the sacrifice of

something to avoid changes that come along . Okonkwo

ends his life as a last resort . In doing this he feels that he

saves his honor and heritage . He also kills himself to dodge

the pain and suffering that Christianity brought to his culture .

"The Second Coming" warns us of an apocolypse . The

apocolypse is the end of civilization in our world . What

makes the poem so synonymous to the book is that in either

case it is not possible to stop the changes from happening .

A fourth coinciding idea in "The Second Coming" and

Things Fall Apart is the loss of control of a higher power

over a lower power . In Things Fall Apart Okonkwo tries to

teach Nwoye the old ways of their people . He also tries to

make his son unlike Okonkwo"s father . Nwoye wanted to

be his own man . He didn"t want to have to live up to the

expectations of his father , Okonkwo . Nwoye takes on the

ways of Christianity in hope of a better life . Okonkwo feels

dishonored by Nwoye"s turn towards Christianity.

Okonkwo now looks his son as he did his father . Nwoye"s

move to Christianity shows the loss of Okonkwo"s power

over his life . In "The Second Coming" the loss of control is

symbolized by the line "the falcon does not hear the falconer

" . Where the falcon is the symbol of the lesser power and

the falconer the symbol of the higher power . The line says

that after time passes and changes take place powers

change . The last reflective idea between the poem and the

book is the respect towards a superior force . The superior

force is not always an object that one can feel or hold in his

or her hand but it could be as simple as an idea. The

superior force in "The Second Coming" was not the

apocolypse but it was time . Time cannot be paused or

turned back so whatever is done may never be changed .

Time does not allow the world to prepare for "The Second

Coming" , So all hope is lost . The Superior force in Things

Fall Apart is the spread of Christianity . Christianity creates

Chaos in Umuofia . It makes all the people that were loyal to

their ancestors forget about where they were from . The

culture of the people in Umuofia was slowly put to extinction

by the spread of Christianity . Our world changes from day

to day . Everything we do now reflects on how the future

will be . If there is one concept one learns from comparing

these two fine literary works . It is to not dwell on mistakes

in the past but to make them up by doing well in the future .

Chinua Achebe and William Butler Yeats make this idea

understandable to us by using it in their works of art.

Okonkwo new the end of his culture was coming so he tries

to do whatever he can to stop it . After years of

hopelessness he finally sees a way out through death . In

"The Second Coming" there is no way to stop the

apocolypse from happening . So the world becomes

helpless and falls victim to "The Second Coming" . The

stories that both the book and the poem told were of life"s

end .