Civil Peace

What conflict sets the scene for the story?

Nigeria enters a civil war, but after three years Brifrar surrendered

What does Johnathan get in exchange for the rebel money?

He gets 20 pounds in his money

What type of people show up at Johnathan's door one night, and what do they demand?

thieves, and they demand 100 pounds

What do Johnathan and his family do the morning after they were robbed?

they go back to work as if nothing had happened

Who is the author of this story?

Chinua Achebe

How many kids did Johnathan have?

He had 4 kids, but one died during the civil war.

What are Jonathan's "five inestimable blessings" for which Johnathan is grateful?

5 heads, his head, his wives head, and his 3 out of 4 kids heads.

What does his attitudes toward the blessings tell you about the civil war?

It shows that the civil war was very nasty and ugly, and it shows that he was grateful to just be alive.

How is Johnathan's reaction different to the loss of his egg-rasher different from that of the man robed at the Treasury?

He was a lot more calm and didn't care about the money because at least his family was alive. The other man threw himself on the ground and started screaming and crying.

After the robbery, Johnathan says, "Or is it greater than other things that went with the war?" To what is he referring?

He's referring to life, after everything that happened with the war, a little money doesn't matter, as long as his 5 inestimable blessings are still alive.

theme

the central message or insight into life it expresses; must be full sentences

setting

The time and place of a story

historical and cultural context

the events, conflicts, and beliefs that affect the people in the society of the story may offer thematic clues

characters

people in a story; their statements, behavior, actions, and reactions may be clues to the theme

plot development

the sequence of related events in a story

description

the use of sensory details to show what a setting or character are like

Juxaposition

placement of two things side by side for emphasis

What does Johnathan mean when he says "Nothing Puzzles God"

It's meant to be

inestimable

too great to count or measure

blessings

things that benefit or bring happiness

amenable

agreaable

influence

dishonest persuasion; bribery

surrender

act of giving up

windfall

unexpected good fortune

What is a compound noun?

noun formed by combining two or more separate words

open compound noun

ex. pizza parlor, corn mean

hyphenated compound noun

ex. meat-eater, stock-fish

closed compound noun

ex, firewood, basketball

dialect

form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group

demijohn

large bottle with a short narrow neck