The Legal Case
This is the specific crime for which Obi is being tried at the very start of the novel.
What is accepting bribes?
The UPU originally sent Obi to England to study this subject, hoping he would help them with land legalities.
What is Law?
Obi first meets Clara in this location while traveling back to Nigeria.
What is on a ship?
This character represents the "old generation" of Africans who defer completely to their white bosses.
Who is Mr. Omo?
The novel starts with the ending and moves backward, a technique known by this Latin term.
What is In Medias Res?
While the UPU is upset by the trial, this is the primary reason they are disappointed in the nature of Obi's crime.
What is the fact that he got caught for such a small amount of money?
Obi chose to study this subject, which the UPU found less practical.
What is English Literature?
This is the term for a person dedicated to a deity, making them a social outcast in Igbo tradition.
What is an Osu?
This is the term for the "flat" or "standard" English that Obi refuses to use when speaking to the UPU, which they find disrespectful.
What is "educated" or "Is it" English? (As opposed to the flowery, deferential English they expected).
This is the literary term for a character who serves as a contrast to the protagonist (like Mr. Green is to Obi).
What is a foil?
The opening scene of the novel takes place in this bustling Nigerian city.
What is Lagos?
This is the monthly amount Obi is expected to repay to the Union for his education loan.
What is twenty pounds?
When Obi tells this character—his best friend in Lagos—that he wants to marry Clara, the friend is horrified.
Who is Joseph?
Mr. Green believes Obi’s downfall is a result of this specific "theory" about the African mind.
What is the theory that the African is corrupt/uncivilized beneath the surface?
Achebe often includes these types of traditional stories to show the tension between Obi's parents’ Christian faith and Igbo heritage.
What are folktales?
This colonial officer expresses his belief at the trial that Africans are fundamentally corrupt and can't handle the civil service.
Who is Mr. Green?
Beyond the loan, Obi faces this specific financial pressure involving his younger brother.
What is paying for his school fees?
Clara holds this professional position, which initially makes her a "modern" and desirable match.
What is a nurse?
This character is the successful, flashy minister who represents the "new" corrupt African elite that Obi initially looks down upon.
Who is the Honorable Sam Okoli?
The title "No Longer at Ease" is an allusion to a poem by this famous English poet.
Who is T.S. Eliot?
The judge in the trial expresses surprise that a man with this specific educational background would end up in such a position.
What is a university degree from England (or a "B.A.")?
Obi buys this expensive item shortly after his return, which symbolizes his status but drains his savings.
What is a car?
Obi calls himself by this term to justify ignoring traditional taboos, implying he is leading the way for others.
What is a "pioneer?"
Obi claims that education has made him a stranger in this specific place.
What is "his own country?"
The fact that the reader knows Obi is guilty from page one creates this type of irony throughout the flashback.
What is dramatic irony?