ENGLISH 4

THINGS FALL APART

STUDY QUESTIONS

CHAPTER 1

  1. Okonkwo is a member of an African tribe. What is he like as a person in his culture?
  2. Identify Amalinze the Cat.
  3. Unoka was Okonkwo’s father. What was he like as a person, and how does Okonkwo feel toward him?
  4. Okoye is another member of the tribe and one of Okonkwo’s neighbors. Summarize the content of his conversation with Okonkwo.
  5. What is the importance of the kola nut, pepper and chalk in this chapter when visitors arrive?

CHAPTER 2

  1. Mbaino is a neighboring village. Summarize what has happened that has called all the men together.
  2. Why was Ikemefuna sent to Okonkwo’s village to live?
  3. Why is this act considered a just way to resolve the problem?
  4. Why does Okonkwo behave in cruel ways in this chapter?
  5. What examples of magic and superstition do we see in this chapter?
  6. Umuofia is the name of Okonkwo’s village. Give a brief description of it.
  7. Who is Ogbuefi Ezeugo?
  8. In any society, what is an oracle supposed to do?
  9. Nwoye is Okonkwo’s first son. What is he like as a person?
  10. Okonkwo is described as “a man of action, a man of war . . . In Umuofia’s latest war he was the first to bring home a human head. That was his fifth head; and he was not an old man yet.” Comment.
  11. “And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion—to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness.” Comment.

CHAPTER 3, 4 AND 5

Chapter 3

  1. Does Okonkwo deserve the success he has? Why or why not?
  2. What proverbs do we see in this chapter, and what do they say about the culture?
  3. What side of Okonkwo do we see here in the face of drought and loss of crops?
  4. How do Okonkwo’s wives get along?

Chapter 4

  1. Why does the Week of Peace come before the Festival of the New Yam?

Chapter 5

  1. What is the purpose of the Feast of the New Yam?
  2. Okonkwo’s daughter Ezinma is introduced in this chapter. Comment on her personality.
  3. Identify Obiageli.

CHAPTERS 6 AND 7

Chapter 6

  1. What do the egwugwu look like, and how do they affect their audience?
  2. What role do the other villagers play in the ceremonies with the egwugwu?
  3. What is the purpose of the wrestling match?

Chapter 7

  1. What is the relationship between Nwoye and Ikemefuna?
  2. How does Okonkwo feel toward Nwoye? How does this compare to his feelings toward Ikemefuna?
  3. Why does the Oracle give instructions for Ikemefuna to be killed?
  4. Why does Okonkwo become a party to Ikemefuna’s murder even though he has been warned not to?

CHAPTERS 8 AND 9

Chapter 8

  1. How does Okonkwo react to Ikemefuna’s death?
  2. What is Okonkwo’s attitude toward women? What references in this chapter demonstrate this attitude?
  3. In what ways does Unoka still influence Okonkwo’s life?
  4. How does Obierika’s react to the Oracle’s decree about Ikemefuna?

Chapter 9

  1. Why is Ezinma so important to Ekwefi and Okonkwo?
  2. What do you think happened when Ezinma went with Chielo to the Oracle?

Chapter 10

  1. Why are the egwugwu (ancestral spirits) hearing this case between the man and

wife?

CHAPTERS 10, 11, 12 AND 13

Chapter 10

  1. Why are the egwugwu (ancestral spirits) hearing this case between the man and wife?

Chapter 11

  1. How does Ekwefi feel as she trails Chielo? Why does she do this? Why does Okonkwo follow, too?

Chapter 12

  1. Okonkwo worries about Ezinma. Comment on the side of his personality shown by this reaction.

Chapter 13

  1. “Obierika was a man who thought about things. When the will of the goddess had been done, he sat down in his obi and mourned his friend’s calamity. Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offence he had committed inadvertently? But although he thought for a long time he found no answer.” Comment on this quotation.
  2. How does Obierika react to the destruction?
  3. How is Okonkwo received by his mother’s family in Mbanta?
  4. What things are falling apart at this point in the novel?

CHAPTERS 14, 15, 16 AND 17

Chapter 14

  1. What advice does Uchendu give Okonkwo?

Chapter 15

  1. How is the story about Abame an example of foreshadowing?
  2. What is the point of Uchendu’s story of the kite?

Chapter 16

  1. What is the message of the missionaries? How do the villagers react to it?
  2. What attracts Nwoye to Christianity?

Chapter 17

  1. What is the significance of the EvilForest?
  2. What is the importance of the following quotation: “Living fire begets cold, impotent ash.”

CHAPTERS 18 AND 19

Chapter 18

  1. What stories are white men telling throughout the villages?
  2. Why does the tribe not unite and revolt against the outsiders?
  3. What kind of person is Kiaga?
  4. Why is the sacred python important, and in what ways is the punishment a just one?

Chapter 19

  1. What does Uchendu say to Okonkwo at the feast?
  2. How does he help him over the years of the exile?
  3. How has exile affected Okonkwo?
  4. What is Okonkwo expecting upon his return to Umuofia? What does he find?
  5. How does Okonkwo remember Mbanta during the exile? What thoughts and comments does he make or have?

CHAPTERS 20 AND 21

Chapter 20

  1. “The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at this foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” Comment on Obierika’s words.
  2. How does Okonkwo plan to reinstate himself in the power structure in the village?
  3. How has Umuofia changed? How has Okonkwo changed?

Chapter 21

  1. Mr. Brown and Akunna discuss religion in this chapter. Summarize the discussion and the points raised by each man.
  2. Why is Mr. Brown respected by the village?
  3. How are Okonkwo’s hopes for a victorious return destroyed?

CHAPTERS 22, 23 AND 24

Chapter 22

  1. Compare the approaches used by Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith. Why was Mr. Brown the better person to work with the tribe?
  2. Describe Reverend Smith and evaluate his effect on the village.
  3. Why is it such a violation of the code of the village to unmask the egwugwu?

Chapter 23

  1. How are Okonkwo and his friends treated in jail?
  2. Discuss the attitudes of the District Commissioner.

Chapter 24

  1. Why does Okonkwo kill the messenger?
  2. What is his reaction after the murder?

THINGS FALL APART

STUDY QUESTIONS

CHAPTER 25

Chapter 25

  1. The District Commissioner says, “One of the most infuriating habits of the people was their love of superfluous words.” Comment on this quotation.
  2. Obierika says about Okonkwo, “That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog.” Why is this significant?
  3. “Okonkwo never did things by halves.” Comment.
  4. Okonkwo remembers something his father said: “It is more difficult and bitter when a man fails alone.” Why does Okonkwo remember this thought, and how does it affect him?
  5. How does the tribe regard suicide?
  6. The Commissioner considers putting this episode in a book he is writing, THE PACIFICATION OF THE PRIMITIVE TRIBES OF THE LOWER NIGER. In what ways is this ironic or satirical?
  7. Compare and contrast the view of Okonkwo as described by Obierika at the end and the District Commissioner’s description.