Antigone
This is the ruler of Thebes and the main antagonist of the play.
Who is Creon?
Chikako has this prominent physical feature that symbolises her intrusive and controlling nature.
What is a large, ugly mole?
This Singaporean playwright wrote "Boom."
Who is Jean Tay?
In "The Road Not Taken," this object is used as a metaphor for life choices.
What are two roads / paths?
In "Cell One," this family member is sent to prison.
Who is Nnamabia / the narrator's brother?
This is the name of the brother that Antigone is determined to bury, despite it being forbidden.
Who is Polynices?
Kikuji becomes entangled in a relationship with these two women, both connected to his deceased father.
Who are Mrs. Ota and Chikako Kurimoto?
This is the term used to refer to the sale of an entire building or group of properties as a single unit.
What is "en bloc"?
In "Out, Out," a boy dies after an accident involving this piece of equipment.
What is a buzz saw?
In "Imitation," Nkem lives in the US while her husband lives in Nigeria. She makes this significant discovery which makes her question her marriage.
What is the discovery of her husband's mistress (living in their home in Lagos)?
This is the Greek god Antigone believes mandates her brother’s burial.
Who is Zeus?
This object appears as a symbol of purity and unfulfilled potential in Kikuji’s relationship with Yukiko.
What is the thousand-crane patterned kerchief?
This is the method in which Corpse dies.
What is a bus accident / fire?
In "Mending Wall," this repeated line emphasises the neighbour's belief in maintaining boundaries.
What is "Good fences make good neighbours"?
In "A Private Experience," two women of differing cultural / religious backgrounds find shelter together during a violent riot.
What is Christian and Muslim?
This is the name of the prophet who warns Creon about the wrath of the gods and the dire consequences of his refusal to bury Polynices.
Who is Tiresias?
This is the name of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony which serves as a central symbol in the novel.
What is chanoyu / the Way of Tea?
This is the name of the character who can speak to Corpse.
Who is Jeremiah?
In "Birches," the speaker imagines the birch trees bent down from an ice storm. They also describe this cause for their bending.
What is a boy swinging on them?
In "Ghosts," Professor James Nwoye believes he sees the ghost of a former colleague, which reflects on this major historical event?
What is the Nigerian Civil War / Biafran War?
This is the name of the ode where Chorus discuss the inevitability of human suffering and the inescapable will of the gods, using the metaphor of a wave that destroys happiness.
What is the Ode to Man / Second Stasimon?
The tea bowl used by Mrs. Ota symbolises Japan's cultural past. This is the name of the specific historical period represented by this traditional tea ware.
What is the Edo period?
The tree in Mother's backyard is a symbol of this.
What is the connection to the past / the desire to preserve heritage?
In "Home Burial," the central conflict arises from a couple's inability to communicate their grief after this incident.
What is the death of their child?
In this story, the narrator, Akunna, emigrates to the US where she metaphorically experiences loneliness, alienation, and the weight of her immigrant experience.
What is "The Thing Around Your Neck"?