Reading due Tuesday 5/30

Please read Things Fall Apart through chapter 13 for Tuesday.

If you were absent in class on Thursday, please answer these questions to turn in for points.

Chapters 1-8 Questions

What are some key character details about Okonkwo in the first few chapters? How do the details given about his past affect his character? In what way is he complex?

What role do women play in the novel? What inferences can be make about their role in society?

What understanding of the religion of the Ibo people does the reader develop in chapters 1-8? What inferences can be made about the role religion plays in the society of the Ibo people?

What foil character relationships are established in the novel so far? Why are they important? What purpose do they play?

What are some key character details about Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye? What is the importance of these details in developing the relationship with Okonkwo?

The people’s reaction to the arrival of the locusts in chapter seven is a memorable and illuminating section of your reading. View this through two different lenses: a western lens and an African lens. From a western perspective, what associations exist with the arrival of locusts? What is the western perspective on the eating of locusts? From an African perspective, what associations exist and what is their perspective on their consumption? What does this help to reveal about cultural mores? (mores: essential customs or conventions of a community)

The death of Ikemefuna is one of the most significant plot elements of chapters 1-8. What is the importance of this event in developing Okonkwo’s character and contributing to the larger themes and conflicts of the novel?

You’re familiar with the concept of hubris from your study of Greek tragedy. To what extent do you feel that Okonkwo demonstrate hubris in chapters 1-8?