Honors English I - Things Fall Apart Test

Ekwefi

Okonkwo’s second wife; mother of Ezinma; treated Ezinma as her equal; loved Ezinma because Ezinma was her tenth child and only child to survive infancy

Ezinma

Okonkwo’s oldest daughter; daughter of Ekwefi; closest to Okonkwo; equal to Ekwefi

Okonkwo

famously strong and wealthy man; three wives; fear of weakness and ending up like his father; tough and masculine; hates his father

Unoka

weak and lazy man; died in heavy debt; unable to provide for his family; used to socialize and play the flute

Nwoye

Okonkwo’s oldest son; seen as lazy until Ikemefuna befriends him and changes him; became Christian and joined the missionaries; renamed Isaac

Ikemefuna

given to Umuofia from Mbaino to avoid war; adopted by Okonkwo; warmed up to Okonkwo’s family and became popular; was killed by Okonkwo

Obierika

Okonkwo’s close friend; son won a wrestling match; daughter got married; sold Okonkwo yams during exile; questions Igbo tradition; told Okonkwo he should not have killed Ikemefuna

Chielo

priestess of Agbala, the Oracle of the hills and caves; kidnapped Ezinma and took her to the oracle; fond of Ezinma and calls her “daughter”

Rev. Brown

kind and compromising missionary; the first missionary; left due to old age and health reasons

Rev. Smith

harsh and firm missionary; would not let church be destroyed; strict and uncompromising

Umuofia

composed of nine villages; where Okonkwo lived until his banishment; Okonkwo’s fatherland; powerful village

Mbaino

weak village that offended Umuofia after killing a Umuofian woman; gave up Ikemefuna and a virgin girl to avoid war; Ikemefuna’s homeland

New Yam Festival

everyone in Umuofia celebrates the Earth goddess, Ani, and honors their ancestors before the harvest season begins; there is a wrestling match on the second day

Week of Peace

occurs before the planting season; honors Ani, the Earth goddess, so that the plants grow; no work is done and everyone is kind to one another

Obi

a hut in a compound: Okonkwo has his own obi and each of his wives have their own obis

Chi

a personal God; a benevolent spirit; one for each person; does good for that person

ilo

modern day park/meeting place where people play sports or meet; where the trial took place

cowries

Umuofia’s currency; seashells

Ani

the Earth goddess

locusts

large grasshoppers; they descended upon the village and were cooked since they were uncommon

bride price

a price paid by the groom/his family to the father of the bride

iba

fever; Ezinma caught a fever that almost killed her

why Okonkwo hates his father

Unoka was weak, lazy, and unlikely; Okonkwo feared that he would end up like him

How Okonkwo became famous

he beat Amalinze the Cat at wrestling

Okonkwo’s fears

failure, weakness, ending up like his father, damaging his reputation, being unsuccessful, his sons will end up like his father, Nwoye will end up like Unoka, he will be seen as a woman

Okonkwo’s strengths and weaknesses

strengths: well-known, famous, respect, physically strong, great wrestler, wealthy farmer; weaknesses; life is dominated by fear; prideful; impatient; hates weakness; rules with a heavy hand

how Okonkwo began his farm yada yada

he sharecropped and had to feed his whole family

what Okonkwo did during the week of peace

he beat his wife, when he was not allowed to, for braiding her hair instead of making dinner

what takes place during the feast of the new yam

a wrestling match between Okonkwo’s village and neighboring villages

Ikemefuna’s influence on Nwoye

made him more masculine, tough, grown-up

who killed Ikemefuna and why

Umuofia decided to kill him; Okonkwo delivered the final blow to not seem weak

where Ikemefuna came from and why

Mbaino; came to appease Umuofia after someone killed a woman from Umuofia; done to avoid war

how many children Ekwefi had borne

10

what happened to Ezinma

she caught a bad fever; she was kidnapped by Chielo and taken to Agbala; then she was returned

How Okonkwo killed Ezeudu’s son

his gun exploded and iron hit the boy in the chest and killed him

how someone achieves high status

have many wives, be wealthy, have titles

how Okonkwo achieves his fortune

he was a sharecropper who worked hard

Ezeudu’s advice to Okonkwo

do not kill Ikemefuna since he sees you as his father

Ibo traditions and customs

worship/honor ancestors and many gods; titles are earned; men are in charge

What Okonkwo does before departing Mbanta

he throws a big feast to thank everyone for helping him in his exile

why Rev Brown is well liked

he is kind, respectful, and compromising; his gentleness appeals to people and he converts many people

How Rev Smith was described

strict and uncompromising

why and how Okonkwo was arrested

Okonkwo and other villagers are arrested for destroying the church; the District Commissioner makes the men meet him in his office and surprises them with officers that handcuff them after they put down their machetes to talk