AP English Literature Homework--Things Fall Apart Chapters 2-4

Directions: Answer the following in a notebook or composition book or section or your spiral entitled Things Fall Apart. I will not collect your responses, rather I will either stamp them or quickly peruse them.
Chapter 2
1. How does Okonkwo display his fierce and warlike nature at important occasions in the village?
2. Give examples illustrating the Igbo people’s vague terror of darkness.
3. Why would the people of Umuofia be beaten in the war with Mbaino if they disobeyed the Oracles of the
Hills and Caves?
4. Why is Ikemefuna selected by the people of Mbaino to serve as the peace sacrifice for Umuofia?
5. Okonkwo is very strong and rarely feels tired. How would you describe Okonkwo’s three wives and
children?
6. Why is Nwoye developing into a sad-faced youth?
7. Which one of Okonkwo’s wives is the most afraid of him and why?
8. Why does Okonkwo rule his household with a heavy hand?
9. How is Unoka regarded by many members of the village?
10. Why is Okonkwo asked to become Ikemefuna’s guardian?
11. What narrative technique/s predominate in this chapter

Chapter 3 Questions
Study Questions
1. Why is Unoka, who dies of swelling in the stomach, abandoned and left to die in the Evil Forest?
2. Why is Nwakibie considered a successful man in Igbo society?
3. Nwakibie says, “You will have what is good for you and I will have what is good for me. Let the kite perch
and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to the other, let his wing break.”
(p. 14) What is the meaning of Nwakibie’s words?
4. What is the meaning of the proverb “A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing”? (p. 15)
5. Why does Okonkwo laugh uneasily at the story of Obiako and the oracle?
6. What is the meaning of the proverb “The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he
would praise himself if no one else did”? (p. 16)
7. Why is sharecropping a slow way to build up a barn?
8. Give two examples of how Okonkwo tries to save his yams during the drought.
9. Why is the poor harvest like a sad funeral for the Igbo people?
10. What narrative technique/s predominate in this chapter

Chapter 4 Questions and Answers
Study Questions
1. An old man refers to Okonkwo saying, “Looking at a king’s mouth, one would think he never sucked at
his mother’s breast.” (p. 19) What does he mean?
2. How does Okonkwo demonstrate his fondness for Ikemefuna? How is demonstration both ironic and acceptable?
3. Why does Nwoye’s mother claim that Ojiugo has asked her to feed her children?
4. Why is Okonkwo’s first wife always called “Nwoye’s mother”?
5. What does the kola nut symbolize, and why does Ezeani refuse to accept it from Okonkwo during the Week
of Peace?
6. Why do Okonkwo’s enemies called him the little bird nza?
7. In the past, a man who broke the sacred peace was dragged around the village until he died. Why was the
custom stopped? What narrative technique/s predominate in this chapter

Great Books/Expository Composition Homework

1. Write or type a one or more page reflection or letter to another classmate in which you explain the purpose of a narrative, identify techniques used in narratives, and discuss the patterns and structures common to slave narratives.
2. Read The Narrative of Frederick Douglass Chapters 2-3. Respond to the following questions. You may respond to each question individually, or you may group your answer together in EACH in a narrative response.
Who were the family members of Frederick’s master Colonel Edward Lloyd?
What is the relationship of Colonel Lloyd to Frederick’s master?
Explain the pecking order among slaves.
Why would a slave whose life on a plantation was very bad fear being sold to a slave-trader?
Why was Severe an appropriate name for the overseer?
QUESTIONS- Chapter 3
How did Colonel Lloyd keep the slave boys from taking his fruit?
Why was it particularly difficult to be the slaves in charge of Colonel Lloyd’s horses?
What is ironic about Colonel Lloyd’s treatment of his horses compared to the treatment of his slaves? (English) *
What happened to the slave who told Colonel Lloyd the truth about his master?

Read The Character Analysis essay. Your Character Analysis Essay is not due on Monday, but bring your rough draft on Monday.

AP ENGLISH LITERATURE

Read Chapters Two and Three of Things Fall Apart. Respond to the following: Know what happens in each chapter. What details indicate that the novel is not during contemporary times? What values of Umofia are illustrated in a chapter 2. In what ways is Okonkwo's behavior "normal" considering his background? Why is the third person omniscient narrator appropriate in chapter 2. Also know the setting of the novel. What conflicts emerge from chapter 2 and 3? Construct four of your own questions, two for chapter 3 and two for chapter 3. Your questions may be abouy anything anything theme, motivation or a question about the culture of the Ibo people during this time
Be ready to discuss.