Honors Oral Exam Africa Unit--Mrs. Loomis 1. In the story of Son-Jara (“Pulling Up the Baobab Tree”), what mythological elements exist? 2. What details in the poem “The Second Coming” connect with Things Fall Apart? 3. Provide several examples of foreshadowing from both “Life is Sweet at Kumansenu” and Things Fall Apart. What do the details foreshadow? 4. How is the impact of family heritage (or the discovery of one’s heritage) portrayed in the film Rabbit Proof Fence? 5. How do superstitions play a role in both Rabbit Proof Fence and Things Fall Apart? 6. Explain how the title of the film Rabbit Proof Fence applies to the story it tells. 7. Discuss how Nwoye and Unoka serve as foils to Okonkwo. 8. Okonkwo is described (in Chapter 2) 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. 9. “His whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw” (Chapter 2). What does this tell us about Okonkwo? 10. Okonkwo is “ruled by one passion--to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness” (Chapter 2). Discuss the significance of this quotation as it pertains to Okonkwo. 11. Comment on the statement that “Okonkwo knew how to kill a man’s spirit.” (Chapter 4) 12. Why does Okonkwo believe that “to show affection is a sign of weakness”? (Chapter 4) 13. What is the significance of Ekwefi’s comment about Ezinma, “Perhaps she has come to stay”? (Chapter 6) 14. Why does Okonkwo strike the final blow to Ikemefuna and what is the function of his death in the story? 15. How would you describe the relationship between Ezinma and Ekwefi? 16. Why would the idea of ogbanje be necessary in a society? Include examples from both Things Fall Apart and “Life is Sweet…” in your analysis. 17. Okonkwo worries about Ezinma. Comment on this side of his personality. 18. What similarities do you see between the stories of “Tortoise” and Odysseus? What lessons do they attempt to teach? 19. Why is the destruction of Okonkwo’s compound (in Chapter 13) seen as “the justice of the earth goddess”? 20. “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 offense he had committed inadvertently? But although he thought for a long time, he found no answer. He was merely led into greater complexities. He remembered his wife’s twin children, whom he had thrown away. What crime had they committed?” (Chapter 13) What is Obierika’s attitude toward the day’s events and those of the past, and what does this passage show about the changes that are coming? 21. Comment on the statement, “Clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things. A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi. The saying of the elders was not true--that if a man said yea his chi also affirmed. Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation” (Chapter 17). 22. Comment on the quotation, “Okonkwo felt a cold shudder run through him at the terrible prospects, like the prospect of annihilation” (Chapter 17). 23. How does exile affect Okonkwo? 24. Comment on Obierika’s statement, “The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. How 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” (Chapter 20). 25. Nwoye takes the name Isaac from the Bible. Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah. Isaac’s name, which means laughter in Hebrew, refers to his father’s reaction to the news that Sarah would have a child at her advanced age. To test Abraham’s faith, God told him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham began to do so, but God stopped him, and Abraham sacrificed a ram instead. Isaac married Rebekah and had twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Given this historical background, why is Nwoye’s choice of his new name significant? 26. Where is Okonkwo’s suicide foreshadowed earlier in the novel? 27. 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 title ironic or satirical? 28. Why does the D.C. consider the tribes to be primitive? 29. Compare and contrast Obierika’s view of Okonkwo with that of the D.C. 30. Why does Achebe shift the point of view in the last chapter, alternating between Obierika and the D.C.? 31. In what ways is Okonkwo a tragic hero? 32. In what ways is the novel about pride/hubris? 33. In what ways is the novel about ambition? 34. In what ways is the novel about the loss of tradition? 35. In what ways is the novel about the devastation of culture? 36. In what ways is the novel about loneliness and isolation? 37. In what ways is the novel about humiliation and retaliation? 38. In what ways is the novel about disillusionment? 39. In what ways is the novel about the arrogance of the conqueror? SCORING-WORTH 100 POINTS (50 FROM STUDENTS, 50 FROM TEACHER) 1ST LEVEL—Teacher will randomly draw one of the above questions for you to answer. You may use any of your notes to assist you. You will have one full minute to answer. Teacher and your peers will evaluate your CLARITY, FLUENCY, AND USE OF SUPPORTIVE DETAILS to present a viable argument. 2ND LEVEL—Following a level 1 response teacher will randomly select a student to clearly summarize a level one response, adding a rebuttal or agreement with reasons and/or additional information. Two minutes. Scoring Rubric: Category Purpose/Thesis Organization of Speech In Progress (1-5) Vague, confusing, and/or missing information; no distinct opening or closure Audience and Presentation Strategies Little evidence of audience—presentation lacks awareness of formal discussion; no enthusiasm, inaudible, no eye contact Time Limit Unaware of time constraints; rushes or generalizes with extensive time remaining Partially Proficient (6-7) Sometimes vague or confusing; points sometimes made without support or are irrelevant; little transitions between points Evidence of some awareness of audience; looks up; eye contact; audible; however, some disengagement with the audience Uses time effectively, but tends to generalize when time is left over or tends to rush. Proficient (8-8.5) Clear, relevant thesis; points made with clarity and support; distinct opening and closure; logical progression of ideas with transitions Clear evidence of audience awareness; words chosen with care; little distractions such as “you know,” “uh,” rocking or swaying Finishes with some time remaining but all points have been made and was not rushed. Advanced (9-10) All elements of “Proficient”— Points made are clear, relevant, and INTERESTING Presentation is consistently appropriate and engaging; specialized jargon is used effectively Within time limits; not rushed ; “just right”