Things Fall Apart—Spring Final
English 10H
Mr. Bassett
2015
Directions: Answer one of the following prompts in a 3-page essay (not 2.5 pages) that includes
introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs. You need to incorporate quotes from the text
into your response (at least 2 quotes per paragraph). Be sure to cite your quotes in MLA
format. The test will be graded on Ideas (10), Organization (10), Conventions (10), Sentence
Fluency (5), and Format (5). This means that GRAMMAR COUNTS!
1. Describe the setting (time, place, culture) of the novel. Apply what you have learned
from Igbo culture notes. Attend to Achebe’s presentation of the details of everyday
village lifeways in Umuofia, the values and beliefs of the Igbo people, and the
importance of ritual, ceremony, social hierarchy, and personal achievement in Igbo
culture. How is social life organized? What are the important celebrations? What is the
role of war, of religion, and of the arts? What is the role of the individual in relation to
the community of Umuofia?
2. One of the most famous lines in the novel is "proverbs are the palm-oil with which words
are eaten." What does this mean? (Palm oil is a rich yellow oil pressed from the fruit of
certain palm trees and used both for fuel and cooking.) Identify two different proverbs in
the novel. Explain the proverbs as well as the context from which they are taken. Also,
address how the proverbs you have chosen affect the novel.
3. Identify the dual roles in the human and spiritual worlds played by the egwugwu and
Chielo, the priestess of Agbala. Chielo, the priestess of Agbala is introduced in Ch. 3.
What does her power and status in Umuofia suggest about women’s roles in Igbo culture
and religious beliefs? Later in the novel, note Chielo’s roles in the village (e.g., in Ch. 6).
What are those roles? What does the Ch. 11 incident involving the priestess of Agbala tell
us about the values of the culture? What side of Okonkwo is revealed by his behavior
during that long night?
4. Compare Obierika—a man "who thinks about things"--to Okonkwo. Consider Obierika
as a kind of foil—a parallel or contrasting character--to Okonkwo: Note the instances
when Okonkwo fails to heed the advice of others, especially of Obierika: what are the
consequences? Three times in Part I, Okonkwo breaks Igbo taboos: what drives him to do
so in each case, and what are the consequences to Okonkwo, to his family, and to his
community?
5. Consider the case of Ikemefuna. What is the purpose of the taking of Ikemefuna? How
does he come to stay in Okonkwo’s home? What is Okonkwo's relationship with
Ikemefuna? Compare Okonkwo’s feelings to Nwoye’s affection for Ikemefuna? ? Why is
Okonkwo disappointed with his son Nwoye?" How has Nwoye begun to "act like a man"
(Ch. 7)? What values does Okonkwo associate with manliness? How does Nwoye relate
to these values? What are the reasons and circumstances of Ikemefuna’s death? Why
does Okonkwo act as he does, despite the advice of others not to participate in the killing
of Ikemefuna? How does Nwoye feel and (re)act? Compare Okonkwo’s attitude toward
Nwoye to Okonkwo’s attitude toward his daughter Ezinma.
6. Part I presents Igbo life and culture before the coming of the white man and colonialism.
In what way(s) can Things Fall Apart be considered a "response" to depictions of
Africans in Western literature and Western media, film, books, etc., that you are familiar
with? How does Achebe’s novel "correct" such European depictions of Africa and
Africans, and offer you an Afrocentric (Africa-centered), rather than a Eurocentric (or
Western-centered), perspective? Use post-colonial Theory to defend your response.
7. Identify the following the quote. Who is speaking to whom? Before this quote is spoken,
how have the roles of women in Igbo culture been defined in the novel? How does this
quote affect the audience’s understanding of the roles of women in Igbo culture?
“A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there
is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to
protect you.”
8. At the end of the novel the District Commissioner plans on writing a book about his
experiences in Africa. What role does he believe Okonkwo’s life will play in the book he
plans to write? What is the title of this book? How does this title reflect the District
Commissioner’s beliefs about Igbo culture? How does the title of the book reflect actions
and thoughts of the missionaries in earlier chapters of the book? Again, use post-colonial
theory to defend your response.
Grading Rubric:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ideas
Conventions
Organization
Sentence Fluency
MLA Format
10 points
10 points
10 points
5 points
5 points
Total:
40 points