Things Fall Apart: Chapter Notes

Chapter 1: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Why is Okonkwo’s defeat of Amalinze the Cat such a great achievement?
  2. Describe Okonkwo.
  3. What did Unoka do with his money?
  4. What is the harmattan?
  5. Why does Unoka sing to the kites?
  6. Why does Unoka enjoy playing music for the egwugwu (the masqueraders who impersonate the ancestral spirits of the village)?
  1. What is the meaning of the proverb “He who brings kola brings life?”
  2. Why is Okonkwo ashamed of his father, Unoka?
  3. How is Okonkwo different from his father?
  1. Why is Ikemefuna offered to the village of Umuofia?

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Chapter 2:Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. How does Okonkwo display fierce and warlike characteristics at important occasions in the village?
  2. Give examples illustrating the Igbo people’s beliefs about and terror of darkness.
  3. Why would the people of Umuofia be beaten in the war with Mbaino if they disobeyed the Oracles of the Hills and Caves? Explain this belief.
  1. Why is Ikemefuna selected by the people of Mbaino to serve as the peace sacrifice for Umuofia?
  2. Okonkwo is very strong and rarely feels tired. What characteristics would describe Okonkwo’s three wives and children?
  1. Why is Nwoye developing into a sad-faced youth? What is affecting his character?
  2. Which one of Okonkwo’s wives is the most afraid of him and why?
  1. Why does Okonkwo rule his household with a heavy hand? What does this reveal about his character?
  1. How are Unoka and Okonkwo regarded by the village? Compare and Contrast Unoka’s character with Okonkwo’s character using the Venn diagram below.

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Chapter 3: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Why is Nwakibi considered a successful man in Igbo culture?
  2. Why is the poor harvest like a sad funeral in the Igbo culture?
  3. Why does Okonkwo laugh uneasily at the story of Obiako and the oracle? What does this reveal about his character?
  1. Give two examples of how Okonkwo tries to save his yams during the drought. What does this reveal about his character?
  1. What does Okonkwo learn through the drought and poor harvest? How has his character changed?

Proverbs illustrate Igbo beliefs and values. Explain the following proverbs:

  1. “You will have what is good for you and I will have what is good for me. Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to the other, let his wing break.”
  1. “A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing”
  1. “The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did.”

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Chapter 4:Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. How does Okonkwo demonstrate his fondness for Ikemefuna?
  2. Why is Okonkwo’s first wife always called “Nwoye’s mother”? What does this tell us about the role of women in Igbo culture?
  1. What do others in the village (the old man and Okonkwo’s enimies) think about Okonkwo’s actions?
  1. In the past, a man who broke the sacred peace was dragged through the village until he was dead. Why did the Igbo people discontinue this tradition?
  1. What do the Igbo people believe is the result of casting the bodies of those who die into the Evil Forest?
  1. What does the kola nut symbolize, and why does Ezeani refuse to accept it from Okonkwo during the Week of Peace?
  1. Compare and contrast the planting season with the month of harvest. How are these times of year different in the Igbo culture? Use the Venn diagram below.

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Chapter 5: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. What is Ani’s relationship with the ancestors? Why are new yams offered?
  1. Describe the New Yam Festival. What is the purpose of the Feast of the New Yam?
  1. What happened to the banana tree?
  2. What did Okonkwo shoot at?
  3. How does Okonkwo react to the sound of the beating of the drums?
  1. Why can’t Ezinma carry her father’s chair to the wrestling match? What does this demonstrate about the role of men and women in Ibo culture?
  1. Okonkwo is angry because he is unable to work on his farm during the preparations for the New Yam Festival. Earlier in the book, the narrator tells the reader that Okonkwo was terrified of resembling his father. How does Okonkwo’s frustration demonstrate that “his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness”? (13).

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Chapter 6: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Look up the word ilo in the Glossary at the back of the book. Define the word.
  1. What are the Ibo beliefs about the ancient silk-cotton tree?
  1. Why do the young boys of 15 and 16 wrestle first?
  1. What is the most exciting moment in a wrestling match?
  1. What role do the drums play in the wrestling match?
  1. What would be the powers of the god Amadiora? What natural phenomena are important to the Ibo?
  1. Describe the relationships among Chielo, Ekwefi, and Ezinma. How do you know that Chielo is really no ordinary person?

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Chapter 7: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Why is Ikemefuna compared to a yam tendril in the rainy season?
  1. Even though Nwoye knows he should be masculine, why does he still prefer his mother’s stories?
  1. Okonkwo’s feelings toward Ikemefuna are more positive than his feelings toward Nwoye. How are the characters of Ikemefuna and Nwoye different?
  1. Why are the people of Umuofia excited about the locusts? How does this demonstrate that the culture of the Ibo is different from western culture?
  1. Why does Okonkwo kill Ikemefuna? Why didn’t Okonkwo heed Ezeudu’s advice? Is Okonkwo making up his own rules, regulations, and customs? Prove your points using references from the text.

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Chapter 8: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Okonkwo is haunted by the memory of Ikemefuna. Why is he unable to forget?
  1. Okonkwo springs to his feet to visit his friend Obierka. What does this scene reveal about Okonkwo’s character?
  1. Explain Okonkwo’s reaction to the deaths of Ogbuefi Ndule and Ozoemena and the idea that they had “one mind.” What does this reaction reveal about Okonkwo’s understanding of the feminine?
  1. Why does Akueke’s mother say that waist beads and fire are not friends?
  1. Marriage is an important part of Ibo culture. What is Akueke’s bride-price, and how do the men arrive at the price?

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Chapter 9: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Describe the story Okonkwo’s mother used to tell about mosquitoes.
  1. Prove with at least two pieces of evidence that the relationship between Ezinma and Ekwefi was a relationship of equals.
  1. Why did the medicine man drag the corpse of the dead ogbanje child into the Evil Forest?
  1. As Ezinma and Ekwefi are cooking yams, they discuss the fact that large quantities of vegetables cook down into smaller quantities. How do they do this? What aspect of their culture does this illustrate?
  1. The religious beliefs of the Ibo are very different from Western religion. How areIbo religious beliefs expressed in this chapter? Explain the concepts of ogbanje, rebirth, and the spirit world in the Ibo society.

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Chapter 10: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. How do you know Okonkwo is one of the egwugwu? Support your points with quotes from the text.
  1. Why does the leader of the egwugwu, Evil Forest, address Uzowulu saying, “Uzowulu’s body, I salute you”?
  1. Explain the law of Umuofia concerning the bride-price of a woman who runs away from her husband.
  1. What role do Uzowulu’s neighbors play in the trial?
  1. What was the decision of the egwugwu? Do you agree or disagree? Cite evidence to support YOUR argument.

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Chapter 11: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. How does the author use figurative language to create a vivid setting?
  1. In chapter 2, Chinua Achebe describes the night in Umuofia. Based on the descriptions in both chapters, what can you infer about people’s beliefs and fears?
  1. Why don’t the birds want Tortoise to join them at the feast in the sky?
  1. How does Tortoise convince the birds to allow him to join them at the feast?
  1. How does Tortise fly with the birds of the sky?
  1. How does Tortoise’s wife prepare for Tortoise’s fall?
  1. Why does Ezinma cry when Chielo calls her “my daughter”?
  1. Explain why all the characters, Okonkwo, Ekwefi, Ezinma, and Chielo were powerless to alter the events of this dark night.

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Chapter 12: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Why does Ekwefi join the betrothal feast later?
  1. Explain the story of the man and the goat. What does this story demonstrate about the Umuike market?
  1. The members of Obierika’s extended family sit in a half-moon. When his in-laws arrive, they complete the circle. What is the significance of the seating arrangement?
  1. Why does Obierika’s family say their daughter will be a good wife and bear nine sons? Why is this important to understanding Ibo culture?
  1. How do you know that Okonkwo is a respected member of Obierika’s extended family?

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Chapter 13: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. What is the role of the ekwe, or drum?
  1. How do the men express their anguish at Ezeudu’s death?
  1. It is a crime against the Earth goddess to kill a clansman. There are two types of crimes: male and female. Explain Okonkwo’s crime and its importance.
  1. How is Okonkwo punished?
  1. The elders say “If one finger brought oil it soiled the others”. How does this pertain to Okonkwo and what does it mean? Explain.

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Chapter 14: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Why does Okonkwo seek refuge in his motherland?
  1. How does Okonkwo start his yam farm in Mbanta?
  1. How does Uchendu establish his authority when he addresses Okonkwo?
  1. When a woman dies, the Ibo people sing “For whom is it well, for whom is it well? There is no one for whom it is well.” What does this show about Ibo beliefs?
  1. Okonkwo and his family work hard to create a new farm, but Okonkwo is not the same. How has Okonkwo changed from the character he was at the beginning of the novel?

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Chapter 15: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. What are the names of some of the clans Uchendu knows in the area?
  1. What did the fearless men of Abame do when they met the white man?
  1. The Oracle compared white men to locusts. What is the significance of this comparison?
  1. The Oracle warned that a great evil would descend upon the Abame. What was the evil that the Oracle described?
  1. Obierika and Okonkwo’s friendship endured throughout Chapters 13-15. Explain how Obierika acts as a loyal friend to Okonkwo.

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Chapter 16: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. How do the leaders of Umuofia feel about the new religion?
  1. What does Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, mean when she calls the converts “the excrement of the clan”?
  1. Why do the men of Umuofia laugh at the missionary? Explain how this incident demonstrates misunderstanding of culture?
  1. How does Nwoye feel when he hears the Christian hymn?
  1. Both the Ibo and the Christians have aspects of their religion that they cannot explain to one another. How does thisreveal Achebe’s belief that all religion and culture have value?

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Chapter 17: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Why is the Evil Forest a strange site for the missionary’s church?
  1. Why do some converts suspend their new faith until after the seventh market week?
  1. Why does Nneka convert to Christianity?
  1. Why is Okonkwo called“Roaring Flame”?
  1. Explain why Nwoye’s interest in Christianity may result in the annihilation of Okonkwo and his ancestors.

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Chapter 18: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Why do the villagers think the Evil Forest is a good home for the Christians?
  1. Why would an Igbo who killed a Christian have to flee from the clan?
  1. Why are the Igbo Christians upset about admitting the osu?
  1. How does Mr. Kiaga react to the osu?
  1. Why are some of the osu afraid to shave off their long hair?
  1. Why is the python revered?
  1. When does Okonkwo grind his teeth and why?

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Chapter 19: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Why does Okonkwo regret his exile so bitterly even though he prospers in his motherland?
  1. What is the significance of the names Okonkwo gives the children who were born during his seven years in exile?
  1. Why doesn’t Obierika build Okonkwo’s obi or the walls of his compound in Umuofia?
  1. Why can’t Okonkwo return to Umuofia before the rains stop?
  1. Why does Uchendu throw one of the kola nuts on the ground?
  1. Why are the elders fearful for the young people?

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Chapter 20:Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. What is the significance of the saying “The clan was like a lizard; if it lost its tail it soon grew another”?
  1. How is Okonkwo able to grow yams in Umuofia when he is actually located in Mbanta?
  1. What is a kotma? Where does the word come from?
  1. How does Okonkwo want his sons to be raised?
  1. Why does Okonkwo regret that Ezinma is a girl?
  1. What is the sacrament of Holy Communion called in Ibo? What does Ogbuefi Ugonna do?
  1. The Igbo prisoners sing a song about the “kotma of the ashy buttocks.” How do the court messengers react to being called “Ashy-Buttocks”?
  1. How does Okonkwo compare the people of Abame with the people of Umuofia?

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Chapter 21:Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. What arguments does Akunna use to convince Mr. Brown that lesser gods act as messengers to Chukwu?
  1. Why does Mr. Brown disapprove of Enoch’s behavior?
  1. What is Mr. Brown’s attitude toward the traditional Ibo religion?
  1. Why does Mr. Brown visit Okonkwo? How does Okonkwo respond?
  1. What is Nwoye’s new Christian name?
  1. Why does Mr. Brown leave his mission?
  1. Describe Okonkwo’s homecoming.

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Chapter 22:Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.

  1. Why is Reverend Smith filled with wrath when he hears that a woman in the congregation allows her husband to mutilate her dead child?
  1. Why do the villagers call Enoch “The Outsider who wept louder than the bereaved”?
  1. What is the greatest crime a man can commit in Umuofia?
  1. Why is Enoch disappointed to be hidden in the parsonage?
  1. Why does Ajofia address Mr. Smith by saying, “The body of the white man, do you know me?”
  1. Explain why Okeke is not on the best terms with Reverend Smith.
  1. How does Reverend Smith feel about Okeke, his interpreter, as he stands by him confronting the angry spirits?
  1. What were the words Okeke interprets for Mr. Smith to the spirits and leaders of Umuofia? What is the reaction of the leaders of Umuofia?

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Chapter 23: Include evidence from the chapter with a citation.