Things Fall Apart Test Study Guide

Who is Okonkwo?

Okonkwo is the flawed protagonist

Who is Unoka?

Okonkwo's father who is weak and a failure

What is the significance of kola nut?

It is often broken and shared to welcome guests.

What verbal device are the Ibo people fond of?

idioms

What is the name of the ethnic group to which the tribes belong?

Ibo

Where is Okonkwo / What is the name of the tribe where this story is mainly taken place?

Umuofia

What is the key crop ?

Yams

What symbolizes social prestige among the Ibo people?

The titles,

What is the name of the boy from the other village?

Ikemefuna.

Who was Ikemefuna? / Why was he important?

He was treated like a son in Okonkows family and became like a brother. Okonkow played a role in his death and this caused or was said to cause alot of his problems later on in the story.

What does Okonkwo struggle with?

He has a Stutter

What is Okonkwo's tragic flaw?

His pride and inability to break with the strict traditions of the clan to avoid appearing weak will ultimately bring about his downfall

What is Okonkwo's biggest fear

weakness and becoming like his father

How long does ikefuma live with okonkow ?

three years

Who is Nwoye?

Okonkwo's oldest son

What does okonkwo think of nwoye?

a disappointment because he reminds him of his father. Lazy

He contiunley expresses to his other children to not be like nwoye.

How many wives did okonkwo have?

three

What is a chi?

life force energy, a personal God. In the story when okonkows ¨CHI¨ is when he makes mistakes he needs to ¨amend¨ his chi

What happend during the week of peace?

Okonkow beat his wife and was forced to pay a fine. This is alos the first time we witness him break traddition which he is so fond of

Why / what is okonkows motivation in being so harsh on his sons?

To make them like him, ¨honorable¨ strong, great men

What goes along with the feast of the new yams?

The big Wresting match

Why did Okonkwo kill Ikemefuna?

He didnt want to be seen as weak even though he was fond of the boy

How was the death of Ikemefuna a turning point for nwoye and how does okonkow view this?

Nwoye was sadden about this and any show casing of emotion is seen as weakness in okonkows eyes. This was one of the very first breaks in there already broken relationship

What did okonkwo want Ezinma to be and why?

He wanted / wished she was boy because they were the same and shared the same mentality and way of living. ( bouts of rage, follows tradition, good worker )

the emissary between Earth and Sky?

Sky who withheld rain for seven years.

What kinds of stories does nwoye prefer to hear? Why has he given them up?

Stories his mother would tell, and they get told to the younger kids. He must be a man so he can't care for women stories. His father was pleased by this.

What descended on the village in a thick cloud? How did the villagers view this?

locust - this was seen as a good sign and a good event to happen

why did nwoye leave his father's hut when his father fell asleep?

He was afraid of his father, his father had killed a person who like his own son

For what were the broomsticks used

to decied the bride price

How many miscarriages did eznima have

she had 9 / her first 9 kids died

How do the miscarriages effect eznima ?

she gives up and says may death please him self. She is defeted as all her children have died / she has had alot of misscarriages.

What was eznima supposed to do to help her miscarriage issues?

Go out and find a nice rock - Iyi-uwa-rock

What is the moral of the snake tail story?

Look before you jump

What is a message that came out of the story in the early chapters

be warry of strangers with a sweet tonuge

What does night =

the unknown and mistress aspects of the world, they just don't know, night/darkness hides the evil spirits

How is this celebration different than wrestling matches and the yams

This one is a women's celebration, they aren't being beaten, used, they get to celebrate They are the essential figures

how many trips were made to the shrine?

4 trips

why didnt he wait at the shrine?

if he was to wait and be seen waiting he would be seen as weak

what caused okonkwo to be banished for 7 years?

He had his gun accidently go off and kill someone

What was ironic about okonkows crime?

The crime was seen as a feminine crime because of it being an accient. The ironic part is okonkwo never and hates the idea of anything being seen as feminine.

HOw was Okonkwo greeted by the kingsmen

He was welcomed nicely

What does okonkwo blame his failuers on?

He cant see any other reason to why his life is going to poorly so he balmes his CHI

What is the addiute okonkwo shows?

He is sulking, ungratfull, and dosent understand he isnt banished for life just 7 years.

Why did eureka come to visit okonkwo

To get his yams so he could sell them and give the money to okonkwo.

What do the ebo call the first transport seen by the white men?

an Iorn horse

What does echo mean when there is no story that is not true

anything can be possible

Why did echudo say the men of obama are fools?

Why did echudo say the men of obama are fools? - because they didn't listen to the Gods, they killed the white man before knowing why he was there, they shouldn't have killed him

What was the White mens message of killing a whole tribe?

The white men killed them to worn the others to not kill there messengers

What people were teh first to convert to the new relgion and why?

efulefu - Worthless men with no title, the undesirable people of the clan. They didnt do anything.

what was the promis of the iorn horse the white men gave?

That everyone would be abel to ride the iorn horse and they would bring more

Who are the new arrivals in umuofia

the white men / missionaries

the efulefu are described as everything but

mad dogs

Based on the speech given in umuofia, the missionaries view themselves and the ibo as?

savory's, deceived

What is the metaphor for Nwoye's soul

Dry Earth

In the ibo tradition, the motherland is seen as a place of what

refuge

Uchedu's attitude towards okonkwo is one of

acepting and wlecoming

The oracle compared the white men to what

loctus

As a joke, what did obierika tell okonkwo he should do

kill him self or his son

what is the verbal irony of obierikas joke?

His son has already been killed and he will end up killing him self

Why did the missionaries give land in the evil forest

they gave them the land because it was where all the unwanted, the babys who were sent to die went. In idea it is a graveyard of unwanted souls. They dont lose anything by giving it to them, the same way they dont lose anything by the ofulue people going to be christains. They thought if they were dumb enough to take the land the evil inside the land would distory them.

thy did some of the new converts suspend their allegiance to the church when the seventh week in the evil forest approached?

the gods would only allow them to sin for so long afer 28 days the gods would then punish them

Who stoped oknkwo from killing nywoe ?

Okonkows uncle stopped him from continuing to choke out nwoye.

What way did the missionarys overstep

they bostaed about how the clains Gods were all dead

Ous

outcasts, twins, abominations all the unwanted.

Knowing the different types of conflict used in literature,what type of conflict might the clan members expect to arise after the missionaries received their land?

Man vs Supernatural Because they believe that the land they gave the missionaries is haunted per say and will destroy them in 4 days.

What is the clan's attitude toward the missionaries?(angry rebellion; silent awe; passive resistance; openhearted camaraderie)

Passive resistance

The symbols of "fire" and "ash" represent...

Okonkwo and his sons

Where/when does the first major conflict between converts and the rest of the clan occur?

when the convert comes out and starts bragging and boasting about.They said their God was dead and incompotinit.

How do the people of Mbanta treat the news of the white man's government?

here had not yet been any change or effect on the Church and Claim relationship. The church was too absorbed in its own troubles to annoy the calin.It's an unsubstaiuated rumor, it's not real

Why is the taboo of the osu so difficult to overcome?

Social and religious taboos.

Why can't the elders of Mbanta decide on a punishment for the killing of the python?

1. No one saw the killing of the python 2. there hadnt been anyone who purposely killed the python

Even though Okonkwo's kinsmen are very generous, how does Okonkwo still view them?

They are feminine and weak.

Why does Okonkwo throw a feast?

Just to thanks his kinsmen. It's a big deal, he wants to thank them even though he thinks of htem as weak.

The tone of the elder's speech is best described as

foreboding

What things did Okonkwo lose during his seven years in exile?

1. What things did Okonkwo lose during his seven years in exile?- His place in his claims, lost the yers to take the highest clain title, he lost his place among the igogo, his chance to lead his clain, he lost the chance to take the highest place in the calin. - Thoses are the consequences of being exiled. He lost more than his time.

Why did Okonkwo call his five sons together? Does his message to his sons reflect an understanding of the lessons Uchendu tried to impart? Explain your response

To tell them not to turn against him or he will not acept them. If they follow their brother's way and disney him he would come back to kill them. It shows he is still the same, all he does it offer threats.

What does cutting the anklets of one's titles symbolize? From Okonkwo's perspective, how would this make one a madman?

They are letting go of the traditions of the clain. This makes a madman because in his eyes this is seen as being disrespectful, all the traditions, he dosent understand why someone would wnat to let this stuff go.

What names were given to the court messengers?

Ashy buttocoks

What did Mr. Brown and Akunna talk about? What does the conversation reveal about the character of Mr. Brown?

They would talk about religion, and God, along with Heaven and Earth. All though Mr.Brown has a strong religion he is willing to hear out about other religions.

In what ways is the Ibo belief system similar to the English political system?

The english system is similar because of the Queen appoints other messengers. Where the Gods have smaller Gods. They believe in one great GOd but he has smaller gods to assist him.

Why did Okonkwo's return not cause the stir that he had hoped it would?

The clain had undergone so much change his return was not as important or spectacular. Everyone was to busy, no one really cared.

Evaluate Mr. Brown's methods of gaining support within the clan. Are these methods fair and ethical? Support your ideas with evidence from the text

He was a weseal, he tricked them into fake beliefs. He dosent have the power to say who will be the leaders of the future. He was fair but not ethical. The people can see what he is trying to do and they can decied for what they want.

What is ironic about the way okonkwo died?

It is said it is agianst there culter/ tradions / relgion to kill ones self, it is seen as weak, a cowradly move. The whole book okonkwo did everything to not be weak, he killed a son, he was never to be seen as weak and yet teh last thing he did was weak.