Things Fall Apart Study Guide Flashcards, Chapters 1-25

Vocabulary flashcards for Things Fall Apart, Chapters 1-25.

How did Okonkwo gain his fame?

To defeat Amalinze the Cat in wrestling at 18 years old.

Okonkwo's characteristics

Strict, harsh, believes strongly in prayer, never wanted to have characteristics similar to his father, tall huge bushy eyes, mouth-breather, walked on springs (ready to pounce), used his fists over his words, had no patience for unsuccessful men.

Okonkwo's father's characteristics

Very soft, takes things from people and never returns him, lazy, nice.

Why is Okonkwo's father considered a failure?

He never had a position of power or was well-known by any.

Characteristics of a good orator

Should be able to communicate, talk loudly, and have a strong sense of identity and power.

What was the meeting about in Chapter 2?

What to do regarding Umuofia (a strong, neighboring town).

What event sparked the meeting?

A man’s women were killed at the marketplace, once the crowd understood this, they wanted revenge.

How was the conflict finally solved?

A boy would be given as a sacrifice (Ikemefuna). A virgin girl would be given to the community.

What did Okonkwo fear most?

He fears turning out like his father, Unoka.

How is Okonkwo's fear reflected in his behavior?

Ruled by one passion, which was to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. Very strict with his children, disagreeing with gentleness and idleness.

Okonkwo's attitude toward his son

Wants to appear as a strong father but feels that his son won’t follow in his footsteps. Punishes his son when he doesn’t do any work or complain. Hits him and screams at his laziness.

What defines Okonkwo as a prosperous man?

He had a large compound, enclosed by a thick wall of red earth. It had the only gate in the red walls.

What is the Oracle of Agbala, and why did people go to visit it?

Allows them to discover what the future held for them, how to proceed in life.

Describe the physical place and the ritual surrounding seeing the Oracle.

Round hole in the side of a hill. Had to crawl on one’s belly and knees to get there. Dark, endless space. Priestess (Chielo) speaks for the god Agbala.

What did Unoka want to find out from the Oracle?

He wanted to find out why he was poor and had bad crops.

What advice did the oracle give Unoka?

The oracle said it was his own fault, due to his laziness.

What is a chi?

A person’s personal god and destiny.

What kind of a chi did Unoka have?

His chi was bad because of his harsh death, poverty, failure.

How did Unoka die and what was his burial like?

Had an illness and his stomach was swollen. Taken into the Evil Forest, left there to die. Was not given a proper burial in the Earth because he disrespected the God of Earth.

How does one pay respect when visiting someone's family?

Bring a kola nut. Bowing, greeting properly. Accepting drinks from the host, such as palm wine.

What privileges are governed to a man's first wife?

More power than his second and third wives. Holds a position of power and receives greater respect from her family. Okonkwo speaks more gently to his first wife and relies on her for cooking, cleaning, and household coordination.

The purpose of proverbs

Show lessons.

What does this proverb mean: 'When a man says yes, his chi says yes also.'?

Success is not achieved alone, and that people should always stay humble; humility is valued over pride.

What is chi?

A personal spirit/God that shapes a person’s fate, success, identity. Involves both destiny, individual effort, and complexity.

How does Okonkwo treat Ikemefuna?

He likes Ikemefuna more than his children. Thinks his actual son isn’t manly enough, thinks Ikemefuna is manly and thinks he is a good role model for his other son.

Week of Peace

During the week of peace, no one is allowed to speak bad or do anything violent.

What was Okonkwo's crime during the Week of Peace?

Okonkwo beat his youngest wife, and was punished.

Describe the Feast of the New Yam.

Held every year before the harvest began.

Who is Ani and what is her role in Ibo culture?

Earth goddess, source of all fertility. Known as the judge of morality and conduct. Provides for the harvest with the yams. In close communication with the fathers of the clan that have passed away.

How did Ekwefi become Okonkwo's wife?

Okonkwo won her heart by throwing the Cat (wrestler) during the wrestling match.

Who is Chielo and what is her role in the village?

Priestess of Agbala, the Oracle of the Hills and Caves.

Why do you think Okonkwo is happy to hear Nwoye grumbling about women?

He was grumbling due to Ikemefuna; wanted to toughen Nwoye up by telling him these stories.

What kind of stories does Okonkwo tell?

Tells stories about violence and bloodshed.

What kind of stories does Nwoye's mother tell?

Told stories about the tortoise, silly stories.

How did the people of the village receive the coming of the locusts?

Known as a miracle, and they covered the whole town; ate and killed them.

Why does Ikemefuna have to die?

Ekwefi told her friend Chielo about Okonkwo trying to shoot/kill her; Chielo prophesized with the oracle that Ikemefuna would die.

Why does Okonkwo help to finish Ikemefuna off?

He doesn’t want to be seen as weak or scared.

What does this event tell you about the Ibo's faith in their Oracle?

They trust the oracle full heartedly, and are willing to follow it no matter what (even if it means killing innocent people).

How specifically did Okonkwo react to Ikemefuna's death?

He is upset and feels like he can’t shake the loss.

Describe the process of how Obierika's daughter's engagement takes place?

Men gather at the house, and talk and eat food. Bride-price decided with sticks.

At the end of this chapter who is referred to as the 'white skin'?

A man named Amadi, who passes frequently; leprosy.

What is 'the white skin' euphemism for, and why?

Foreshadows the potential threat and European invasions.

What is ogbanje?

A child that has died numerous times, and been reborn.

What is the ritual to prevent the return of the ogbanje?

The medicine man has to find an object in the bottom of the Earth that connects a child’s spirit to the world.

What is iyi-uwa?

A bead that connects an ogbanje child to the spirit world; planted by medicine man.

What's Okonkwo's way of curing Ezinma?

He boils medicine leaves and then puts a large mat on top of her; allows her to sweat out the illness.

Describe in some detail who the egwugwu are and what their function is in Ibo society.

They settle disputes between people, and listen to cases; modern equivalents could be a jury or judge.

What is the purpose of the egwugwu meeting?

To discuss a dispute and solve the case between a man Uzowulu and his family.

How is the problem resolved in the egwugwu meeting?

Uzowulu is in the wrong; beg for his wife to return to you.

What do you think is the moral of the story that Ekwefi tells her daughter Ezinma?

The tortoise is similar to the Europeans, who are first treated with respect, but then violently when they turn greedy.

The narrator says that Chielo was not a woman that night, then what was she?

Controlled by her god, greeted her god, praised him, and was possessed by him. Chanted too.

Who is invited to the wedding ceremony, how does that compare to today's society?

Whole village is invited; family, friends, neighbors.

What does the toast mean that the Ibo's consider important in marriage?

Marriage is not just a bond between people, values lineage and the importance of family ties.

Describe, roughly, the death rituals.

Dancing, drums, guns are shot, people dance and sing, the whole community gathers.

Okonkwo kills the dead man's son. But what is actually the crime for which he needs to be punished?

He disrespected the earth goddess; had to be cleansed from the earth.

What is Okonkwo's punishment for his crime?

Exiled to his family’s village (for 7 years). Compound was burned, animals were killed, farms were destroyed

Why does Okonkwo end up exiled?

His downfall is that Okonwko can’t change, he is unwilling to change.

Describe how Okonkwo was received by his mother's clan.

He is well received, the clan is very welcoming; built himself an obi, three huts for his wives; given yams to start a farm.

How does Uchendu comfort Okonkwo?

He says that everyone has it rough; explains the importance of a mother in a family.

How has Uchendu suffered?

Lost 22 children; all six of his wives died; he only has one son left.

What is the meaning of the song at the end of Chapter 14?

People are not well, no matter what; everyone is dealing with their own battles.

How have things changed, according to Uchendu, in Chapter 15?

There are more white men; lots more violence and destruction.

What happened in the village of Abame?

It was wiped out.

What is the 'iron horse'?

Something that the white men ride on when they enter villages; a bicycle.

What was the Oracle have to say about the man on the iron horse?

Feared that they are next; would bring destruction to the clan and break them.

How have things changed in Umuofia since Obierika's last visit to Okonkwo?

Missionaries had come; churches, evangelists, strange new faiths; lots more white men.

What is 'efulefu'?

A man who sold his machete and wore the sheath to battle.

What does Chielo, the priestess of Agbala think of the converts?

She thinks they will be the excrement of the clan; the new faith is going to be detrimental to the clan.

What has Nwoye done to get Okonkwo real mad?

He became friends with the missionaries and converted to Christianity.

Why do the elders decide to give the missionaries a plot of land in the Evil Forest?

The elders didn’t want the missionaries in their clan because the Evil Forest is full of bad spirits and death.

Who is their first female convert, and why does she decide to convert?

Nneka, the wife of Amadi, a prosperous farmer.

What's Okonkwo's reaction when he finds out that Nwoye has converted?

At first, he didn’t move or say anything; then he choked his son; threatened to kill him.

How is this new religion more democratic than the religion of the clan?

Age doesn’t matter, social status doesn’t matter; gender doesn’t matter – women have equal power.

Traditional Umuofia custom

Welcome an erring member once he has paid for his crime, which gives the member time to reflect and fix his mistakes.

What crimes had the prisoner's committed, and how were they treated in the prisons?

Prisoners beat, forced to work and clear wood to make a government compound.

Why do you think the people think that the District Commissioner judged cases in ignorance?

District Commissioner judged cases through his own ignorance and doesn't care for the tribe.

Not everyone in Umuofia was against the new changes, what did they like?

People were drawn in by new changes, more money and trade flowing, outcasts had a say and were able to thrive, and there was an increase in modernization.

How was Mr. Brown as priest?

He built friendship and trust with the clan, believed overtime, things would work in his favor, and treated everyone with patience.

How was Reverend James Smith's way of dealing with the Africans different from Mr. Brown's way?

Was against the new changes, believed Christianity was the most important religion, and wanted to cause confrontation.

Who is Enoch.

Christian convert, disrespectful to traditional Igbo beliefs, and unmaked an egwugwu in public, or 'killed' the spirit.

How does the District Commissioner deal with the crime of Enoch?

Puts the men in jail without giving them water, whips them, and makes them pay food fires.

How do the court messengers humiliate the clan leaders?

They whip them on their backs and heads, mock them , keep them in the cage, and change their language.

How has Okonkwo's mood changed since his release from prison?

He is angry for being released from prison, and wants revenge as it is his solution to dealing with the white man.

What's Okonkwo's crime?

He kills a white messenger out of anger because they want to discuss the white colonizers, who have taken control over Umuofia.

How does Okonkwo die?

He hangs himself because he doesn’t want to suffer white man rule, and knew he would be punished for killing a white man if he stayed alive.

What does 'The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger' mean?

Shows that the tribes in Africa were thought of as unruly, tribes were uncivilized and that Okonkwo's like could be boiled into a single paragraph.