Papa

Question 1

Devout, fanatic about religion, intense, rigidity, judgement

Answer 1

• ‘watched the congregation troop to the alter’
• Papa tells Mama, ‘Ifeoma was busy tending to a heathen’ before letting her know that he is dead.
• ‘Ifeoma did not have the sense to call a priest. He might have converted before he died.’
• when Papa prays he, ‘ would hold his eyes shut so hard that his face would tighten into a grimace.’
• Papa prays for the conversion of Papa Nnukwu so that he would be saved from hell and Papa, ‘spent some time describing hell as if God did not know that the flames were eternal and raging and fierce.’

Question 2

Comtroversial character, generous, stands up for democracy

Answer 2

• ‘Spoke out for freedom’ / ‘human rights award’
• Father Benedict speaks of ‘the pope, Papa and Jesus - in that order.’
• Ade Coker thanks Papa and says he’s ‘a man of integrity, the bravest man I know’
• Guests warn Papa about the danger of standing up to the government. The repetition of ‘remember’ followed by the brutal examples of deaths if others who stood for democracy is shocking.

Question 3

Dictator, oppressive, controlling, violent, brutality, over-bearing

Answer 3

• ‘Breaking Gods’ and ‘love sip’ -> ‘when the tea burned my tongue, it burned Papa’s love into me’
• ‘I wondered when Papa would draw up a schedule for the baby.’
• Flung his heavy missal across the room and broke the figurines on the étagère.’
• Papa is enraged by sick Mama asking to miss visiting Fathe Benedict as she feels sick. When at home, Papa beats her and she miscarries. The family say nothing to each other, Mama simply stating that, ‘there was an accident, the baby is gone.’ During this attack ‘Papa turns to stare at her.’ when she asks and later Kambili describes the ‘swift heavy thuds’ and the way Mama is ‘slung over his shoulder like the jute sacks…’

Question 4

Shame of culture, shaped by upbringing, colonial product

Answer 4

• Papa’s admiration for his Father in Law is described when he says, ‘He did things the right way, the way the white people did.’
• As a boy, a priest poured boiling water on his hands after he, ‘ committed sins against his own body’
• Papa is ‘gracious, in the eager-to-please way that he always assumed with the religious, especially the white religious.’ and speaks to white people in a British accent.
• Aunty Ifeoma says, ‘“he is too much of a colonial product.” … She said this in a mild forgiving way as if it were not Papa’s fault.’
• Papa only speaks in Igbo when he is angry.

Question 5

Paragraph topics

Answer 5

• religious fanatic
• oppressive dictator
• shame in culture
• kind , generous