Ifeoma

Question 1

Influential, freedom, self-sufficient, independent

Answer 1

• ‘Her laughter floated upstairs into the living room.’
• Tells Mama to stop being grateful Papa hasn’t taken another wife and says, ‘ he would be the loser not you’ and tells Mama, ‘sometimes life begins when marriage ends’
• Papa Nnukwu says he will pray for a good man to look after her and her children. Ifeoma dismisses this and replies, ‘ Let your spirits ask Chukwu to hasten my promotion to senior lecturer’
• Kambili describes Ifeoma as ‘proud ancient forebear … nursing babies until they walked and talked, fighting wars…’

Question 2

Influential, catalyst for change, rebellious, challenging to Papa

Answer 2

• Nsukka began to lift the silence. Jaja’s defiance seemed to me now like Aunty Ifeoma’s experimental purple hibiscuses.’
• Kambili has a dream about laughter and describes it as being, ‘Cackling and throaty and enthusiastic, like aunty Ifeoma’s. ‘
• When Aunty Ifeoma speaks flippantly to Papa the narrator explains, ‘I wanted to reach out and press her lips and get some of that shiny brown lipstick on my fingers.’

Question 3

Care for family, tolerance of other religions and more positive religion

Answer 3

• Aunty Ifeoma wakes Kambili up and tells her, ‘Your Papa Nnukwu is on the verandah. Go and watch him.’
• Kambili compares Ifeoma’ methods of parenting to Papa. ‘Setting higher and higher jumps … talked to them, what she expected from them. She did it all the time believing they could scale the rod.’
• Ifeoma corrects Kambili various times explaining how Papa Nnukwu is a ‘traditionalist’ not a ‘pagan’
• After the rosary, the family sings, uplifting Igbo sings that made Aunty Ifeoma sing in echoes’
• Papa Nnukwu jokes that they are trying to kill him for his ‘gold and lands’ and Auntie Ifeoma replies, ‘If you had gold and lands, we would have killed you ourselves years ago.’

Question 4

Welcoming, affectionate, exuberant, joyous

Answer 4

• ‘clasped me in her arms’ instead of the usual side hug
• ‘She spoke the way she walked, as if to get as many words out her mouth in the shortest time.’
• ‘wide smile’
• calls Mama ‘nwunye m’ (my wife). Papa calls this the ‘remnants of ungodly traditions’ but Mama explains to Kambili how it shows Ifeoma accepts Mama into the family.

Question 5

Paragraph topics

Answer 5

• Independent
• Catalyst
• Contrast
• Warm