E tfa 7 8

Chapters 7 and 8

By Jennifer Daniele and Becca Shepherd

Chapter 7

● Nwoye:○ Fond of old childhood stories○ Cares for Ikemefuna like a brother

● Okonkwo:○ Inwardly pleased with Nwoye’s progress○ Doesn’t want to kill Ikemefuna

● Ogbuefi Ezeudu:○ Tells Okonkwo what the town has decided about

Ikemefuna

Characters

● Okonkwo tells Nwoye and Ikemefuna stories of the land

● Nwoye and Ikemefuna help Okonkwo with fixing up the house

● Locusts come● Ogbuefi Ezeudu tells Okonkwo that the

town has decided that Ikemefuna must die● Okonkwo and other members of the town

walk with Ikemefuna into the woods● Ikemefuna is killed

Basic Events

● Okonkwo vs. Himself

● Ikemefuna vs. Fate

Conflicts

● Men / older boys cannot show any compassion towards childhood stories or women

● Locusts are a rare and treasured food source

● Fix houses in the after-harvest season

● Don’t question the Oracle

Cultural Norms, Expectations, Rituals and Beliefs

● Eneke-nti-oba: a bird

● Ekwe: type of drum made

from wood

● Ozo: title or rank

Terms and Definitions

● Story telling and use of interesting characters to tell a story that relates to a situation the child/receiver of the story may be going through

● Devastation from the loss of a loved one

Connections to Today

1. Do you think it was right of Okonkwo not to question the Oracle and let Ikemefuna be killed?

2. Was Okonkwo justified in killing Ikemefuna when he asked for help?

Discussion Questions

Chapter 8

● Okonkwo - Killed Ikemefuna; has a hard time moving on; Does not eat for two days

● Ezinma - Daughter of Ekwefi; gives Okonkwo food, water, and his goatskin bag

● Obierika - friend of Okonkwo; gives up daughter to her suitor

● Maduka - Obierika’s son (age 16); won wrestling match by throwing opponent

● Ogbuefi Ndulue - Oldest man of Ire Village; dies

● Ozoemena - Ogbuefi Ndulue’s first wife; dies after her husband

● Akueke - Obierika’s daughter; is to marry Ibe

● Ibe - Suitor for Akueke

● Ukegbu - Father of Ibe; negotiates with Obierika

Characters

● Okonkwo does not eat for two days after death of Ikemefuna

● Okonkwo goes to Obierika● Obierika is not fond of what Okonkwo has done -

should have stayed home○ Should not dispute it and should not be the one

to do it● Ogbuefi Ndulue and Ozoemena die● Ibe and relatives come to determine the bride-price

for Akueke○ 20 bags of cowries

● The relatives discuss the “white men”

Basic Events

Okonkwo vs Self

Okonkwo vs the Earth

Obierika vs Ukegbu

Conflicts

● People killing who the Oracle says to

● Giving away young daughters to older men for marriage at a bride-price○ Negotiate with broomsticks to

reach a price of cowries

Cultural Norms, Expectations, Religion and Beliefs

● Cam wood - a shrubby, hard, African tree; commonly used to make red dye

● Uli - a dye used by women for drawing patterns on the skin

● Jijida - a string of waist beads

Terms and Definitions

Cam Wood

● Parents Discussing the future of their children

● Bride-price asking permission to marry someone’s child

Connections to Today

1. Arranged marriages are common in some places around the world. What is your opinion about not just this arranged marriage of the 16 year old girl and the 25 year old man, but also of the fact her father sells her to the family?

2. Would you consider Okonkwo weak like a shivering old woman for not being able to quickly forget and move on about the death of Ikemefuna, who was practically a son to him?

Discussion Questions