The Novelist as Teacher
Prose
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Chinua Achebe
The Novelist as Teacher Main Text
Writing of the kind I do is relatively new in my part of the world and it is too soon to try and describe in detail the complex of relationships between us and our readers. However, I think I can safely deal with one aspect of these relationships which is rarely mentioned. Because of our largely European education our writers may be pardoned if they begin by thinking that the relationship between...
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The Novelist as Teacher Characters
C. Achebe: This is the abbreviated form of Chinua Achebe’s name. In the essay, a reader addresses him this way in a letter: “Dear C. Achebe.”I. BUBA YERO MAFINDI: He is a real reader mentioned in The Novelist as Teacher. He was from Northern Nigeria and wrote a letter to Chinua Achebe. In the letter, he said that he usually does not write to authors, but Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and No Longer at...
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The Novelist as Teacher Key Facts
Key FactsFull Title: The Novelist as TeacherAuthor: Chinua Achebe (1930–2013)Language: EnglishWritten Date: 1964First Published: 1965 (in the essay collection “Morning Yet on Creation Day”)Genre: Literary Essay / Cultural CriticismForm: Non-fiction prose essay (argumentative, reflective, cultural)Type of Work: A critical essay explaining the social, cultural, and moral duties of an African writerP...
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The Novelist as Teacher Literary Devices
Figures of SpeechImageryDefinition: Imagery uses descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates mental pictures. Achebe uses imagery not for nature, but to show cultural contrast, social expectations, and emotional situations.Example: “Cleanliness was next to godliness.” “I ain't gonna wash for a week.”Explanation: Achebe uses cultural images from Europe, cleanliness as godliness, and...
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The Novelist as Teacher Quotations
“A writer or an artist lives on the fringe of society.” (Achebe, quoting the European idea)Explanation: Achebe uses this line to show how Europe sees the writer as a strange outsider. This helps him explain that Africa does not follow this pattern.“Your novels serve as advice to us young.” (I. Buba Yero Mafindi, Northern Nigeria)Explanation: The young reader tells Achebe that his novels work as gu...
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The Novelist as Teacher Summary
Writer–Reader Relationship Is Different in Africa: Chinua Achebe begins his essay by saying that modern creative writing in Africa is very new. In Europe, literature is part of a tradition thousands of years old. But in Africa, especially modern novels written in English, this is a comparatively recent development. Because of this, the relationship between writer and reader has not formed in the s...
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The Novelist as Teacher Themes
Social Responsibility of the Writer: The central theme of this essay is that an African writer is not just a storyteller; he is a teacher of society. Colonial rule distorted African history and identity. Therefore, the writer’s task is to correct false ideas, present true history, and help people regain confidence in themselves. According to Achebe, the writer must lead from the front because he i...
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