Chapters+1-2


 * 1) ** Describe Okonkwo, the protagonist of // Things Fall Apart .//** Consider him as an Igbo heroic character: How does he work to achieve greatness as defined by his and culture? What are strengths and weaknesses?
 * 2) **Describe Unoka, Okonkwo’s father.** What are Okonkwo’s feelings toward Unoka, and why? How does the (negative) example of his father shape Okonkwo’s character and actions? What do the early descriptions of Okonkwo’s success and Unoka’s failure tell us about Igbo society? How does one succeed in this cultural context? What do we learn from the system of the taking of titles? Who seems to be excluded from opportunities to gain such success?
 * 3) **Describe the narrator of //Things Fall Apart//** //,// the "voice" telling us the story of Okonkwo, Umuofia, and the Igbo world of the nine villages. How would you describe this narrative voice, its point of view, its values and perspectives?
 * 4) ** Consider the impact of Achebe’s use of "African English. "** Describe who Achebe’s intended audience(s) might be. What is the effect on you, as an outsider to Igbo culture? Consider how Achebe’s language choices contribute to the novel. For example:
 * · Achebe’s use of Igbo words like __egwugwu__ and __iyi-uwa__, untranslated in the novel itself, but briefly explained by the glossary.
 * · his selection of Igbo character names like **Unoka** ("Home is supreme"), **Nwoye** (from __nwa__ = "child") and **Okonkwo** (from __oko__ = attributes of masculinity + __nkwo__ = the third day of the Igbo 4-day week, the day on which Okonkwo was born);
 * · his integration of proverbs and folktales, oral art forms characterizing key elements of Igbo thought and speech. For example, "proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten." What does this proverb mean? Palm oil is rich yellow oil pressed from the fruit of certain palm trees, used in food preparation and cooking, and later became a major cash crop exported to Europe.
 * 5. Describe the setting (time, place, culture) of the novel. ** Try to apply what you have learned from reading the essay "Igbo Culture and History". 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? Compare /contrast Igbo lifestyle, customs, perspectives, beliefs, and values to those of your own culture.
 * 6. What do we learn from the kola ceremony of hospitality? **
 * 7. What effect does night have on the people in Chapter Two? **What do they fear? How do they deal with their fear of snakes at night?
 * 8. What is the cause and nature of the conflict with Mbaino? **Keep this situation in mind when you read Chapter Thirteen, where a serious incident has tragic consequences for Okonkwo, though it would be treated as a accidental manslaughter under others’ laws.