Things Fall Apart Flashcards
Quotes, names, context and significance. Also practise questions and ideal answers.
Name two quotes about Okonkwo that describe his character.
“Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength.”
“Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements.”
Name a famous quote by Okonkwo.
“Let us not reason like cowards,” said Okonkwo. “If a man comes into my hut and defecates on the floor, what do I do? Do I shut my eyes? No!”
Name a quote relating to colonialism.
Quote by Obierika:
“Now he has won over 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.”
This quote shows the deceptive nature of colonialism, which didnt declare itself to be outrightly destructive.
Why does Okonkwo hang himself?
No one applauds his action (the beheading of the messenger), and Okonkwo sees that he alone wishes to go to war with the Europeans. Caught between his rage that the nine villages would succumb to European rule and the futility of fighting the Europeans alone, Okonkwo retreats to his compound and hangs himself.
What does Obierika say in contrast to Okonkwo’s mindset regarding the British?
Whereas Okonkwo’s solution is to use violence against the British, Obierika understands that rising up against the British is too late. He comments that the white man “has put a knife on the things that help us together and we have fallen apart.”
Provide a quote that gives context to Obierika yelling at the Commissioner after Okonkwo’s body is taken down.
Obierika exclaims, “that was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself, and now he will be buried like a dog.”
What does Ezeudu warn Okonkwo before Ikemefuna’s death?
He warns him “to not bear a hand in his death… he calls you his father.”
How does Ikemefuna become Okonkwo’s adopted son?
Ikemefuna becomes Okonkwo’s adopted son through a dispute between the village of Umuofia and a neighboring village, Mbaino. After a woman from Umuofia is murdered in the Mbaino market, Okonkwo travels to Mbaino and demands that the village surrender a virgin and a young man in order to avoid war with Umuofia. Mbaino complies, and upon return to Umuofia, Okonkwo turns the young man, Ikemefuna, over to his first wife for safekeeping.
[sourced from spark notes]
Why is Ezinma so special to Okonkwo?
Ezinma is the only child of Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi, and she is also Okonkwo’s favorite daughter. Okonkwo feels drawn to Ezinma for her precocious intelligence and her strong will. More than any of Okonkwo’s other children, Ezinma possesses all of the personality traits required to grow into a distinguished member of society. In other words, she is the most masculine of Okonkwo’s children, and Okonkwo frequently laments that she was not born a boy.
[sourced from spark notes]
Why does Nwoye convert to Christianity?
Nwoye converts to Christianity largely to reject the excessive standard of masculinity his father wants him up to uphold. Nwoye is not at all like his father, and Okonkwo constantly punishes him for being different. Stifled by his father’s expectations, Nwoye runs away and joins the European church. Nwoye’s conversion also provides him an opportunity to learn reading and writing, which, along with the poetry of the Bible, feeds his love of storytelling.
[sourced from spark notes]
What causes Okonkwo’s exile from Umuofia?
Okonkwo’s gun goes off unexpectedly during Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s funeral, accidentally killing the dead man’s son. Killing a clansman, even unintentionally, constitutes a crime against the earth goddess. To compensate for the crime and protect the rest of the villagers from the earth goddess’s wrath, Ezeudu’s descendants burn Okonkwo’s compound, slaughter his livestock, and banish him from the village for a period of seven years.
[sourced from spark notes]
Why are the villagers shocked when Okonkwo beats his wife during the Week of Peace?
The villagers are shocked when Okonkwo beats his wife during the Week of Peace because these days mark a sacred time during which the villagers of Umuofia honor the earth goddess and secure her protection and blessings for the year. As the narrator explains, “It was unheard of to beat somebody during the sacred week.” Any violation of peace during the week puts the community at risk for a bad harvest—or worse. For his crime, Okonkwo is fined one length of cloth and one hundred cowries, and he is asked to sacrifice one of his goats and one of his hens.
Why are the villagers excited whenever the locusts come?
The villagers are excited whenever the locusts come because the locusts are a delicious, plentiful source of food. For this reason, the villagers view the locusts as a blessing rather than a nuisance. According to the elders, the locusts are guarded in a cave by a race of “stunted men” who release the locusts once for seven years, one time per generation.
[sourced from spark notes]
Why does Nwoye admire Ikemefuna?
Nwoye admires Ikemefuna because Ikemefuna possesses many skills Nwoye lacks and Ikemefuna is an engaging presence to be around. Nwoye looks up to Ikemefuna as an older brother. Ikemefuna knows how to set traps to capture rodents and make flutes out of bamboo sticks. Even though Nwoye knows most of the folk tales Ikemefuna tells, Ikemefuna’s versions have a fresh spin to them since he comes from a different clan, and this fascinates Nwoye.
Why does Okonkwo kill Ikemefuna?
Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna because he doesn’t want to appear weak in front of his fellow clansmen. Ogbuefi Ezeudu, a village elder, informs Okonkwo that the Oracle has decreed that Ikemefuna must be killed but that Okonkwo should not be the one to kill him, since Ikemefuna regards Okonkwo as a father. When Okonkwo and a group of clansmen take Ikemefuna to the woods to be killed, a clansman’s blow fails to do the job, and the clansman yells to Okonkwo for help. Afraid of appearing weak, Okonkwo deals the fatal blow to Ikemefuna despite Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s warning.
[sourced from spark notes]
