The structure of the African novel is considered to consist of two different frameworks, the external, or international, and the 'native. “mode of discourse and artistic expression”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Therefore, the typical African novel contains elements in its narrative that originate from European colonizers as well as the customs of other African writers. The African element may even contain some Arabic influences due to the proximity to Arabic-speaking countries. Such characteristics of how the narrative is told to the reader can be found in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Petals of Blood. The main objective of this essay will be to determine which European or African narrative techniques are used in the novels and to analyze how they enhance the way the story is told. Watching Petals of Blood, the reader will first be struck by how the story is told in flashbacks of the past, rather than an ongoing narration of the present. Although today flashbacks are used very frequently (this narrative technique is said to have its origins in the tales of the Arabian Nights), the use of flashbacks in the books of Achebe and Wa Thiongo is part of the African element. While the story of Ilmorog and its inhabitants is told from a future perspective, past events follow each other chronologically. The book begins with a reference to present-day Ilmorog, where four people are arrested, and the reader sees a newspaper clipping from the Daily Mouthpiece, announcing the deaths of three prominent Kenyan men. The next chapter takes the reader back twelve years and the development of Ilmorog is gradually shown, while the story of how the four murder suspects met. the other is slowly reconstituted. The flashback method is used so that the first chapter which takes place in the present tense makes sense in the reader's mind after the novel is finished. Therefore, the reader is kept in a state of curiosity and ignorance of what is happening until the very end. This enhances the experience of reading the book, which comes to feel like a detective murder mystery. Another possible reason why the author specifically chose the flashback narrative in order to reveal the events that took place throughout the twelve year interval between the present and Munira's emergence in Ilmorog is that the past would demonstrate what led certain actions to occur. on the other hand, the use of flashbacks is not as prominent in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart; However, important examples of this narrative technique can be found, for example in the first chapter where Okonkwo's father is described as a "failure" whose "wife and children barely had enough to eat." And also in chapter nine, when Ezinma directs the film. healer to the “exact place” where his “iyi-uwa” is buried. In the first mentioned flashback, the reader is allowed to peek into Okonkwo's past in order to understand his persistence in becoming the epitome of masculinity in and around Umuofia. nine villages. The flashback recounting Ekwefi's numerous miscarriages and Ezinma's "iyi-uwa" sheds more light on Okonkwo's family history and enlightens the reader about some of the traditions and superstitions of Okonkwo's tribe, because this refers to the theme of friction between African and European religions. as in Petals of Blood, the flashback story is used in the novelby Achebe in order to give the reader the information necessary to understand the decisions and performances of the different characters in the novel. Another aspect associated with African narrative techniques is the fact that African writers do not simply create a hero or protagonist throughout the book. In both Fall Apart and Petals of Blood, we can see that the main hero of the two novels is the "collective entity" of Ilmorog and Umuofia. The idea of ​​a collective hero is closely linked to one of the main themes that characterizes both Achebe and Wa Thiongo's books – the idea of ​​fighting against colonizing invaders. It does not fight the closure of a thematic past, which goes against Fanon's belief that it is necessary to reclaim one's past and debunk the colonial myth that African history and culture are without importance. The element of the collective hero, however, suggests continued struggle and unity despite changing times and conventions. Ngugi strove to find a narrative technique that would inspire people to come together and inspire them to fight for their own rights. This element is also evident in Fanon when he insists that the colonized writer must become “a galvanizer of people” rather than letting them slide into passivity. The author therefore uses literature as a collective voice belonging to Africans, in a plea for rights. and freedom. In Petals of Blood, we can see the element of the collective hero come into play several times. Plot-wise, this is seen in the journey of the people of Ilmorog to Nairobi, in order to ask the MP for help. The people of Ilmorog thought that “it’s [their] turn to make things happen.” We can also consider the songs sung by the community as another characteristic of the collective narrative technique, in that the songs unite the entire village through language. A good example occurs during the festivities of the circumcision ceremony, where Njugana sings a few verses to which a choir responds. The element of collective voice is also present in Things Fall Apart; Some critics have also pointed out that the narrator of this novel has "no personality at all", nor is he given an age, gender, or any other attribute to describe him. This narrator is often described as a character who exists in events that have significance for the members of a particular colony and who also represents the concerns and ideologies of those communities. The narrator is therefore disembodied because his objective is to symbolize the entire colony. in general. Like the narrator of Petals of Blood, the narrator of Things Fall Apart is there to give voice to the inhabitants of Umuofia. The unity that unites the community is found throughout the novel, for example in the way in which the "ekwe speak to the clan" in order to announce the death of Ezeudu to the entire village and not to a single individual in particular. This shows how separate beings contribute to the constitution of a single unit – their clan, in this case Umuofia. On the other hand, community events, such as wrestling matches, are accompanied by songs sung by the crowd present, in order to honor the winner. This aspect is identical to the songs sung by the inhabitants of Ilmorog in Petals of Blood. Both novels use this narrative technique, in which the author gives the community a shared spirit, as they can unite not only in their celebrations, but also in their struggle for a better life. Another thing to consider is the use of foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is used to build tension in the novel because it suggests to the readerwhat events might happen later in the narrative. This also creates consistency throughout the novel. Examples of foreshadowing appear in ancient texts such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. Foreshadowing is intrinsically a European narrative technique, unlike the use of flashback and collective voice. Foreshadowing can be found in both Petals of Blood and Things Fall Apart and gives the reader an idea of ​​certain important themes or events taking place in the novels. The first epigraph of the “First Part” of Petals of Blood is a biblical quote that speaks of how “a white horse... emerged victorious” and again of “a pale horse: and he who sat/on him , his name was Death..." These quotes from Revelation foreshadow the destruction that followed the colonization of Kenya by Europeans, and how Africans ended up being oppressed by their conquerors. We can see the word "Death" as a metaphorical death of African history and culture, as shown in the episode of Chui's appearance as headmaster of Siriana's school. The element of foreshadowing in Things Fall Apart also relates to colonialism. Obierka describes the white colonizers as being as white as a “piece of chalk” and that, according to rumors, they “have no toes.” Machi jokingly responds that one of these white people is Amadi, a leper. Achebe concludes the chapter by commenting that "the polite name for leprosy was 'white skin.' The fact that this is the last sentence of the chapter makes the reader wonder if it has a deeper meaning and if it is not just a joke or a banal remark. In fact, Richard J. Lane suggests that it could foreshadow the invasion and aggression of the colonizers, in a rather complex way. Achebe specifies that white chalk is used by guests to draw “lines on the floor” before eating kola nuts. Lane states that the action of drawing lines is a symbol of “boundary creation.” This foreshadows the episode of the white man as a guest in the area, and receiving a supposedly cursed piece of land in the evil forest to build his church. outside the boundaries of their community. Over time, “guests” began to infiltrate the country as the beliefs and ideologies of the colonizers spread among Africans. Thus, the white colonizer begins to “draw” his own borders while conquering more land. The idea that white skin is reminiscent of leprosy also foreshadows that the colonizers will spread to Umuofia and neighboring villages like a disease. The colonizer here is very similar to leprosy, as the latter erases body parts, and the Europeans wiped out an entire village. It must be remembered how much a village is very much like a body, in that each individual is required to make up the entire colony, and hence Achebe's image of leprosy used to foreshadow destruction of colonizers is very appropriate. This narrative technique, used by Ngugi and Achebe specifically to make the reader aware of the devastation wrought by the Europeans themselves, is very ironic and revealing in itself. Perhaps the reason why the authors chose this method to construct their novel is to reach international readers and show other Europeans what is really happening in Africa. An important element to discuss when watching Blood Petals and Things. Fall Apart is the point of view through which the narrative takes place. Ngugi decided to tell his story through a multiplicity of points of view, where the past of the four main characters -/)