In "The Novelist as Teacher," Chinua Achebe says his duty as a writer is "to help [my] his society regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of the years of denigration and self-abasement." Discuss the extent to which Things Fall Apart, Death and the King's Horseman and Osundare's poems can help to educate the world about Africa. Please note that examples from the book about specific points (I expect both positive and negative - and at best, an affirmation of certain aspects that show that African culture is not wholly positive) are needed to get full points for this question.
Write a thoughtful critical essay on Sizwe Banzi is Dead, Nervous Conditions and So Long a Letter as important models that show the heterogeneity of African experience, politics, and aesthetics.
Commenting on the use of language in African literature, Achebe argues that when an African writer uses the English language, he should "aim at fashioning out an English which is at once universal and able to carry his peculiar experience." Discuss how language performs both "universal" and "peculiar experience" functions in any three texts (novel, play, and poetry) studied in this class. Please note that this question asks for peculiar use of English language in these books, and this should be the focus of your argument. It is important that you provide textual evidence to support your points.
Requirements of the Essay:
an introduction, body of multiple paragraphs, and conclusion (This is not a five-paragraph essay.) ?
an introduction that mentions the (1) name of the work, correctly punctuated, (2) its author, (3) background information that engages the reader, (4) information that puts the literary work in its geographical location, genre, and period of time and (5) a thesis statement that is easily identifiable, sophisticated, insightful, and crystal clear ?
clear organization with transitions and topic sentences ?
evidence to back up statements in each topic sentence (quotes, anecdotes, examples. . . .) ?
no use of the same anecdote or example for more than one point ?
not merely a rehashing of the plot; an analysis that is fresh and exciting ?
ideas that flow logically ?
no comma splices, run-on sentences, or fragments ?
no mistakes in grammar, spelling, or punctuation ?
no redundancy ?
no false statements ?
no use of "&"or "+"
We will use the MLA citation method in this paper. Also note that it must be DOUBLE-SPACED. Use font 12, please.