Characterization
How is Unoka, Okonkwo's father, characterized at the beginning of the novel? (You can simply list adjectives/descriptions/etc)
Any of the following are correct: lazy, weak, poor, a debtor, unmanly, a musician/music lover, easygoing
Why is it ironic that Obierika jokingly tells Okonkwo to kill himself as penance during his exile?
Okonkwo really ends up killing himself at the end of the book, which is an abomination to the Igbo people.
What happens to Ikemefuna after the locusts arrive in Umuofia?
He is killed by Okonkwo.
What does reading with a Feminine Lens involve?
Looking closely at how female characters and femininity are treated in a book (both by characters and the author) to reveal cultural assumptions and themes that might be at play.
Why is Mr. Brown liked so much more than Mr. Smith?
Mr. Brown is curious about Igbo culture and holds open, respectful conversations without imposing his will on Umuofia. Mr. Smith is strict and believes that dissenters should be punished, particularly for violating his church. He has no respect for Igbo tradition.
She is thought to be an obanje, an evil spirit the re-enters the mother's womb and dies over and over again.
What is ironic about Okonkwo revering Ezinma, a girl, as his favorite child?
Acceptable answers:
- Okonkwo tends to treat women very poorly, but a woman is his favorite child.
-Okonkwo wishes his son, Nyowe, was strong, so it is ironic that Ezinma, his daughter, is instead.
-Ezinma is thought to be an obanje and thus should be viewed as evil
To celebrate the coming wedding of his daughter.
What does reading with a Post Colonial lens involve?
- Looking at exchange and imposition of cultures
- Looking at the impact of colonialism on a narrative, even in the modern day
What is the significance of the egwuwu to the villages of Umuofia? (egwuwu = masked spirits of the clan)
The egwuwu are comprised of the most powerful men in the clan and represent the founding spirits of the clan. They are used as a sort of 'court' to arbitrate tough decisions, and their decisions are respected by clan members.
Identify a time when Okonkwo is characterized positively and explain how you know.
Answers will vary. Ex: Throwing the cat, following the oracle through the night to check on Ezinma, treating Ikemefuna like another son
What is ironic about Okonkwo and his peers being caught defenseless during their supposedly 'friendly' meeting with the District Commissioner?
Okonkwo constantly espouses the importance of being armed and goes so far as to blame the destruction Abame on its unarmed people. He turns around and makes the exact same mistake by taking off his machete at the meeting.
Where does Okonkwo go to during his exile and why?
What is the difference between cultural exchange and cultural imposition?
Cultural exchange seeks to share ideas and traditions across cultures, even if they won't necessarily be adopted.
Cultural imposition involves forcing one culture's traditions, morality, and rules upon another. Generally promotes a 'single story'
What makes Okonkwo's murder of a young boy with his gun a 'female' crime to the elders of Umuofia?
In what ways might Okonkwo fit the tragic hero archetype? You don't have to believe he really does, but try to imagine how he might, at least in some ways.
- Fatal flaws: anger, impatience, obsession with manliness, need for control, need for success
- Literally caused his own death
Explain how Okonkwo's death could be an example of situational irony.
What is the main reason Nyowe converts to Christianity?
The gentleness of the faith, especially the hymns, call to him as someone who has never valued 'manliness' as much as his father.
Looking through a post-colonial lens... how does the mocking of the leaders of Umuofia in prison (shaving their heads, kicking them, etc.) relate to colonialism?
The district court saw Igbo resistance as something that needed to be punished. Colonization was often justified with ideas like 'The White Man's Burden,' so punishing the Igbo leaders was synonymous to the colonizers with "civilizing" them.
Why are yams so revered in Igbo culture?
Seen as a manly crop, as they are more difficult to cultivate and harvest than something like cassava. They represent the honor shown to men in this society.
How do the final pages of the book influence the District Commissioner's characterization?
They give us insight into his way of thinking: he views Okonkwo's whole life as only being worth a paragraph in his book. Additionally, he sees the Igbo people as needing to be 'pacified'. We can intuit that he likely holds a similar perspective to Rudyard Kipling in "The White Man's Burden" when it comes to colonization.
What type of irony is displayed when Things Fall Apart ends with the passage: "The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading. One could almost write a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a whole chapter, but a reasonable paragraph at any rate," (Achebe 209)? Briefly explain how you know.
Dramatic: We the audience know that Achebe managed to write an entire book about Okonkwo.
GIVE TWO ANSWERS: What animal does one of the Christian converts kill that incites the wrath of the people of Umuofia? What happens to the convert almost immediately after?
1. The sacred python
2. He dies, seemingly because he killed a god
Looking at Nyowe's mother through a feminist lens... what impact does her never receiving a name from the narrator have on your understanding of women in the book?
Answers may vary.
Why is it seen as so awful that one of the converts pulls the mask off an egwuwu?
Egwuwu are sacred beings and are considered dead if they are unmasked. To them, he has killed one of the greatest ancestors of the clan.