14 replies to this topic

[ecieee]

Hi. I'm starting on my world literature 2 now, and I'm wondering
why is Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart a world literature text for English A1? It was written in English,
so technically I can't do a world lit on that,can I?

I'm confused.

Edited by ecieee, Jul 11, 2011 - 12:14.

[Desy Glau]

well your teacher should have told you which works you can use for WL. but anyway I just googled Chinua Achebe and he's a Nigerian so I guess Things Fall Apart was not originally written in English but in Nigerian. hence why it's considered a WL text. but of course the one that you read is in English.

[ecieee]

Chinua Achebe is Nigerian, but he wrote Things Fall Apart in English, I'm pretty sure.
Even when googling, wikipedia says that it is an English novel. My teacher told everybody that we can things fall apart
but I'm doubting if she is correct.

[Desy Glau]

look at the Language A1 syllabus page 8. if you don't have it, it's downloadable on this site, Files section.

you have 3 WL texts, from part 1, which are chosen from the IB Prescribed WL List. they must be originally written in a language other than English.
did your teacher tell you which works you studied are from which part? because my teacher did, so I know exactly which works I studied I can use for IOP, WL, IOC, paper 2 exams... and your teacher must have chosen from the IB Prescribed WL List. so if she said you can use it, the work must have been in that list. try to ask her again.

[IBCONQUERER]

Are you sure its a world literature text? We used things fall apart in IOP! For world lit we used The Outsider, Metamorphosis and So Long a letter!

[I`m Potato]

Desy Glau, on Jul 11, 2011 - 12:51, said:

well your teacher should have told you which works you can use for WL. but anyway I just googled Chinua Achebe and he's a Nigerian so I guess Things Fall Apart was not originally written in English but in Nigerian. hence why it's considered a WL text. but of course the one that you read is in English.

Things Fall Apart shouldn't be a World Literature text. A world literature should be one that is a 'work in translation' meaning that the original text must be written in a language other than English. As you have mentioned, the original text was written in English albeit the fact that Achebe was Nigerian. You may want to raise this point to your teacher that it shouldn't be qualified as a WL text and ask her to double check her selection of the novel as a WL text because it certainly shouldn't be one.

P.S. There's no such language called 'Nigerian'.

Edited by I`m Potato, Jul 12, 2011 - 14:13.

[Desy Glau]

I`m Potato, on Jul 12, 2011 - 14:09, said:

P.S. There's no such language called 'Nigerian'.

Okay. Shoot that was embarrassing haha I'm so stupid.

[Trololol Marf]

I have read Things Fall Apart as well, but I was told it was not available as a World Literature Text. It was one of the texts I could use for the IOP instead. Achebe wrote the book in English to appeal to a larger audience instead of writing it in his own language

[robyah18981]

My teacher and my class recently had this discussion. Its a world lit book because its subject is Africa. But us English speakers cant use it for World Lit because its originally in English. Spanish speakers, for example probably could if the book was translated into spanish.

[ecieee]

robyah18981, on Aug 30, 2011 - 14:33, said:

My teacher and my class recently had this discussion. Its a world lit book because its subject is Africa. But us English speakers cant use it for World Lit because its originally in English. Spanish speakers, for example probably could if the book was translated into spanish.

Actually, English A1 students still can use this book for world literature. I got this clarified with my teacher who is a world literature marker. She told me that Things Fall Apart was considered a world literature book because it was such a prominent and a salient novel in the era and definitely a masterpiece from Nigeria. IB made exception to a few books for world literature, and Things Fall Apart is one of them.

[robyah18981]

ecieee, on Aug 30, 2011 - 14:43, said:

robyah18981, on Aug 30, 2011 - 14:33, said:

My teacher and my class recently had this discussion. Its a world lit book because its subject is Africa. But us English speakers cant use it for World Lit because its originally in English. Spanish speakers, for example probably could if the book was translated into spanish.

Actually, English A1 students still can use this book for world literature. I got this clarified with my teacher who is a world literature marker. She told me that Things Fall Apart was considered a world literature book because it was such a prominent and a salient novel in the era and definitely a masterpiece from Nigeria. IB made exception to a few books for world literature, and Things Fall Apart is one of them.

I loved that book, and I thought I couldn't use it...oh well. Not starting a whole new essay now... :/

[ecieee]

robyah18981, on Aug 30, 2011 - 14:56, said:

ecieee, on Aug 30, 2011 - 14:43, said:

robyah18981, on Aug 30, 2011 - 14:33, said:

My teacher and my class recently had this discussion. Its a world lit book because its subject is Africa. But us English speakers cant use it for World Lit because its originally in English. Spanish speakers, for example probably could if the book was translated into spanish.

Actually, English A1 students still can use this book for world literature. I got this clarified with my teacher who is a world literature marker. She told me that Things Fall Apart was considered a world literature book because it was such a prominent and a salient novel in the era and definitely a masterpiece from Nigeria. IB made exception to a few books for world literature, and Things Fall Apart is one of them.

I loved that book, and I thought I couldn't use it...oh well. Not starting a whole new essay now... :/

Things Fall apart is AWESOME! I love that book. After the first page into the book, I decided that I loved Okonkwo no matter how rude/arrogant/bold/obstinate he is!

[Harsh Agarwal]

I have "Things fall apart" in literary genre section which is part 3..!!!

[mrchitownsports12]

Wait...so can we use this text or not? I thought we could, because everywhere that I checked, it said that 'Things Fall Apart' was a WL text, but one of my friend's teacher from some other school said that they can't use it as a WL essay, so now I'm just confused. And since I joined the school that I currently go to in 12th grade, this book was not on any of their reading lists, so my teacher doesn't even know if it is approved or not. If someone could please clarify this ASAP, that would be greatly appreciated!

[little penguin]

If you're taking your exams in May of 2012, you can use Things Fall Apart.  As some of the above posters have noted, the work is a salient piece on Nigeria, even though it is written in English.  However, IB revised the English A1 curriculum to include only works in translation for future examination sessions (after May 2012).

^ according to my teacher