Year 10 Exam text 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe
Chapter 6 - describes the family and Obi’s relationships with its members, the sacrifices and religiousness of his parents. Glossary
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Chapter 8
- Glossary agent provocateur
- Glossary moral capitulation
- Extension Activity 1
- HEART OF DARKNESS By Joseph Conrad
- Extension Activity 2
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 18
- Activities on Chapters 1-9 A guide to life in Lagos for the uneducated foreigner
- Activities on Chapters 10-19 Prediction exercise
- Essay on extract from Chapter 7
- How does the writer create tension and convey sympathy for Obi in this passage from the novel
- Part One –The sense of distance between Obi and Clara in the dialogue
- Part Two –The metaphorical ways that Obi’s idea of love is described : The over-romantic attitude Achebe makes us aware of in Obi eg ‘when the glamour had evaporated
- Part Four –other ways that the tension is created and then broken
- Conclusion
- Strengths Weaknesses
Chapter 6 - describes the family and Obi’s relationships with its members, the sacrifices and religiousness of his parents. GlossaryJalousie - a blind or shutter made with horizontal slats that can be adjusted to admit light and air but exclude rain and the rays of the sun.
Chapter 7 - describes Obi’s attempts to mix with the new black middle class through Sam Okoli and the crisis he suffers when Clara tells him she can’t marry him because she is an osu. Glossary Osu–a bilingual, mixed-race person who is disowned by the ethnic groups of both their parents (half-caste) because they are seen as serving an inferior god
How does the writer create tension and convey sympathy for Obi in this passage from the novel? Comment on:
Use quotations to support your points. See additional writing frame for help in structuring your answer.
'Look at me, Obi...What you are going to do concerns not only yourself but your whole family and future generations. If one finger brings oil it soils the others. In future, when we are all civilised, anybody may marry anybody. But that time has not come. We of this generation are only pioneers. What is a pioneer? Someone with new ideas but who waits for the right moment to put them into practice...It is not too late to change your mind. What is an engagement ring? Our fathers did not marry with rings. It is not too late to change. Remember you are the one and only Umuofia son to be educated overseas. We do not want to be like the unfortunate child who grows his first tooth and grows a decayed one. What sort of encouragement will your action give to the poor men and women who collected the money?' Chapter 8 - shows the UPU meeting in which Obi requests extra time to pay back his loan but then explodes when challenged about going out with an ‘untouchable’ caste girl. Glossary___agent_provocateur'>Glossary 'Umuofiakwenu!' 'Ya!''Ife awoluOgoliazuan'afia,' – “Live Umuofia nation!” “Yes!” “Love Ogoli/Rise up from all traps.”
Extension Activity: Obi starts his meeting speech, 'Our fathers also have a saying about the danger of living apart. They say it is the curse of the snake. If all snakes lived together in one place, who would approach them? But they live every one unto himself and so fall easy prey to man.' Do some research into which part of Nigeria Igbo people come from and into the Nigerian civil war which they fought shortly after. What was the outcome of that war for the Igbo? How is this history relevant here? Chapter 9 - the description of Miss Tomlinson as Obi’s non-racist European secretary, Obi’s break with Joseph for telling the UPU about Obi’s relationship with an osu, the narration of Mr Mark’s bribe attempt at Obi’s office, Elsie Mark’s visit to Obi’s home and the resultant conflict with Clara. Glossary agent provocateur - during the French Revolution, a secret policeman who would say or do provocative things in order to make others say or do similar things so that there was then evidence to arrest them pounded yams and egusi soup–sweet potato and melon soup P.W.D.–Public Works Department (for planning and building roads and other infrastructure)
Chapter 10–in which the financial pressures mount on Obi but he rejects Ms Tomlinson’s, Joseph’s and the UPU’s help, laying down new money-saving rules with his servant and arguing with Clara as a result of his money problems. Glossary moral capitulation – betraying one’s ideas what is right and wrong eg when Obi accepts a bribe Oga - Master ojare - Leave me
Extension Activity 1: read A.E.Housman’s poem ‘Easter Hymn'below and explain in your opinion why Obi likes it so much. (clue on p113) Extension Activity 2: for each numbered section of the poem, explain how it relates to Obi’s story as a prodigal son, sacrificed in a way similar to Jesus, the Son described in this poeml Extension Activity 3: read the extract below from ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad. Why is Achebe’s reference to it so important? I - EASTER HYMN If in that Syrian garden, ages slain, You sleep, and know not you are dead in vain, Nor even in dreams behold how dark and bright Ascends in smoke and fire by day and night The hate you died to quench and could but fan, Sleep well and see no morning, son of man.
For ought that I can see, Because this cursed trouble Has struck my days and me. The stars of heaven are steady, The founded hills remain, Though I to earth and darkness Return in blood and pain. Farewell to all belongings I won or bought or stole; Farewell, my lusty carcase, Farewell, my aery soul. Oh worse remains for others And worse to fear had I Than here at four-and-twenty To lay me down and die. XXII Ho, everyone that thirsteth And hath the price to give, Come to the stolen waters, Drink and your soul shall live.
And leap the guarded pale, And pull the flower in season Before desire shall fail. It shall not last for ever, No more than earth and skies; But he that drinks in season Shall live before he dies. June suns, you cannot store them To warm the winter's cold, The lad that hopes for heaven Shall fill his mouth with mould. XXXI Because I liked you better Than suits a man to say, It irked you, and I promised To throw the thought away.
We parted, stiff and dry; `Good-bye,' said you, `forget me.' `I will, no fear', said I. XLVII - FOR MY FUNERAL O thou that from thy mansion Through time and place to roam, Dost send abroad thy children, And then dost call them home, That men and tribes and nations And all thy hand hath made May shelter them from sunshine In thine eternal shade: We now to peace and darkness And earth and thee restore Thy creature that thou madest And wilt cast forth no more. HEART OF DARKNESS By Joseph Conrad IN THE FIRST SECTION BELOW, WE HEAR ABOUT THE PROTAGONIST’S JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF AFRICA DOWN A HUGE RIVER TO FIND ONE OF THE COLONISTS WHO WERE SENT TO HELP GET THE COUNTRY’S RESOURCES OUT AND BACK TO EUROPE TO SELL… "Towards the evening of the second day we judged ourselves about eight miles from Kurtz's station. I wanted to push on; but the manager looked grave, and told me the navigation up there was so dangerous that it would be advisable, the sun being very low already, to wait where we were till next morning. Moreover, he pointed out that if the warning to approach cautiously were to be followed, we must approach in daylight—not at dusk or in the dark. This was sensible enough. Eight miles meant nearly three hours' steaming for us, and I could also see suspicious ripples at the upper end of the reach. Nevertheless, I was annoyed beyond expression at the delay, and most unreasonably, too, since one night more could not matter much after so many months. As we had plenty of wood, and caution was the word, I brought up in the middle of the stream. The reach was narrow, straight, with high sides like a railway cutting. The dusk came gliding into it long before the sun had set. The current ran smooth and swift, but a dumb immobility sat on the banks. The living trees, lashed together by the creepers and every living bush of the undergrowth, might have been changed into stone, even to the slenderest twig, to the lightest leaf. It was not sleep—it seemed unnatural, like a state of trance. Not the faintest sound of any kind could be heard. You looked on amazed, and began to suspect yourself of being deaf—then the night came suddenly, and struck you blind as well. About three in the morning some large fish leaped, and the loud splash made me jump as though a gun had been fired. When the sun rose there was a white fog, very warm and clammy, and more blinding than the night. It did not shift or drive; it was just there, standing all round you like something solid. At eight or nine, perhaps, it lifted as a shutter lifts. We had a glimpse of the towering multitude of trees, of the immense matted jungle, with the blazing little ball of the sun hanging over it—all perfectly still—and then the white shutter came down again, smoothly, as if sliding in greased grooves. I ordered the chain, which we had begun to heave in, to be paid out again. Before it stopped running with a muffled rattle, a cry, a very loud cry, as of infinite desolation, soared slowly in the opaque air. It ceased. A complaining clamour, modulated in savage discords, filled our ears. The sheer unexpectedness of it made my hair stir under my cap. I don't know how it struck the others: to me it seemed as though the mist itself had screamed, so suddenly, and apparently from all sides at once, did this tumultuous and mournful uproar arise. It culminated in a hurried outbreak of almost intolerably excessive shrieking, which stopped short, leaving us stiffened in a variety of silly attitudes, and obstinately listening to the nearly as appalling and excessive silence. 'Good God! What is the meaning—' stammered at my elbow one of the pilgrims—a little fat man, with sandy hair and red whiskers, who wore sidespring boots, and pink pyjamas tucked into his socks. Two others remained open-mouthed a while minute, then dashed into the little cabin, to rush out incontinently and stand darting scared glances, with Winchesters at 'ready' in their hands. What we could see was just the steamer we were on, her outlines blurred as though she had been on the point of dissolving, and a misty strip of water, perhaps two feet broad, around her—and that was all. The rest of the world was nowhere, as far as our eyes and ears were concerned. Just nowhere. Gone, disappeared; swept off without leaving a whisper or a shadow behind. Chapter 11 - paints Ms Tomlinson’s friendship with Obi and Mr Green’s character in more detail. We see Clara resolving Obi’s money problems with a loan, a ‘high-life’ night-out in Lagos but then the robbery of Clara’s fifty pounds from the car. Glossary boma-boy –boy who is paid to look after farm animals in a livestock enclosure 'dash' – tip Anchor – person who keeps everything together (a compliment), the leader of festivities (the person who is best fun) Jeje - gentleman
Extension Activity 1: listen to'Gentleman Bobby'. Explain the appeal of the words and music for young men at the time... I was playing moi guitar jeje, A lady gave me a kiss. Her husband didn't like it, He had to drag him wife away. Gentlemen, please hold your wife. Father and mum, please hold your girls. The calypso is so nice, If they follow, don't blame Bobby. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R26cqyTxis
"'Intimacy grows quickly out there,' I said. 'I knew him as well as it is possible for one man to know another.' "'And you admired him,' she said. 'It was impossible to know him and not to admire him. Was it?' "'He was a remarkable man,' I said, unsteadily. Then before the appealing fixity of her gaze, that seemed to watch for more words on my lips, I went on, 'It was impossible not to—' "'Love him,' she finished eagerly, silencing me into an appalled dumbness. 'How true! how true! But when you think that no one knew him so well as I! I had all his noble confidence. I knew him best.' "'You knew him best,' I repeated. And perhaps she did. But with every word spoken the room was growing darker, and only her forehead, smooth and white, remained illumined by the inextinguishable light of belief and love. "'You were his friend,' she went on. 'His friend,' she repeated, a little louder. 'You must have been, if he had given you this, and sent you to me. I feel I can speak to you—and oh! I must speak. I want you—you who have heard his last words—to know I have been worthy of him.... It is not pride.... Yes! I am proud to know I understood him better than any one on earth—he told me so himself. And since his mother died I have had no one—no one—to—to—' "I listened. The darkness deepened. I was not even sure whether he had given me the right bundle. I rather suspect he wanted me to take care of another batch of his papers which, after his death, I saw the manager examining under the lamp. And the girl talked, easing her pain in the certitude of my sympathy; she talked as thirsty men drink. I had heard that her engagement with Kurtz had been disapproved by her people. He wasn't rich enough or something. And indeed I don't know whether he had not been a pauper all his life. He had given me some reason to infer that it was his impatience of comparative poverty that drove him out there. "'... Who was not his friend who had heard him speak once?' she was saying. 'He drew men towards him by what was best in them.' She looked at me with intensity. 'It is the gift of the great,' she went on, and the sound of her low voice seemed to have the accompaniment of all the other sounds, full of mystery, desolation, and sorrow, I had ever heard—the ripple of the river, the soughing of the trees swayed by the wind, the murmurs of the crowds, the faint ring of incomprehensible words cried from afar, the whisper of a voice speaking from beyond the threshold of an eternal darkness. 'But you have heard him! You know!' she cried. "'Yes, I know,' I said with something like despair in my heart, but bowing my head before the faith that was in her, before that great and saving illusion that shone with an unearthly glow in the darkness, in the triumphant darkness from which I could not have defended her—from which I could not even defend myself. "'What a loss to me—to us!'—she corrected herself with beautiful generosity; then added in a murmur, 'To the world.' By the last gleams of twilight I could see the glitter of her eyes, full of tears—of tears that would not fall. "'I have been very happy—very fortunate—very proud,' she went on. 'Too fortunate. Too happy for a little while. And now I am unhappy for—for life.' "She stood up; her fair hair seemed to catch all the remaining light in a glimmer of gold. I rose, too. "'And of all this,' she went on mournfully, 'of all his promise, and of all his greatness, of his generous mind, of his noble heart, nothing remains—nothing but a memory. You and I—' "'We shall always remember him,' I said hastily. "'No!' she cried. 'It is impossible that all this should be lost—that such a life should be sacrificed to leave nothing—but sorrow. You know what vast plans he had. I knew of them, too—I could not perhaps understand—but others knew of them. Something must remain. His words, at least, have not died.' "'His words will remain,' I said. "'And his example,' she whispered to herself. 'Men looked up to him—his goodness shone in every act. His example—' "'True,' I said; 'his example, too. Yes, his example. I forgot that.' "But I do not. I cannot—I cannot believe—not yet. I cannot believe that I shall never see him again, that nobody will see him again, never, never, never.' "She put out her arms as if after a retreating figure, stretching them back and with clasped pale hands across the fading and narrow sheen of the window. Never see him! I saw him clearly enough then. I shall see this eloquent phantom as long as I live, and I shall see her, too, a tragic and familiar Shade, resembling in this gesture another one, tragic also, and bedecked with powerless charms, stretching bare brown arms over the glitter of the infernal stream, the stream of darkness. She said suddenly very low, 'He died as he lived.' "'His end,' said I, with dull anger stirring in me, 'was in every way worthy of his life.' "'And I was not with him,' she murmured. My anger subsided before a feeling of infinite pity. "'Everything that could be done—' I mumbled. "'Ah, but I believed in him more than any one on earth—more than his own mother, more than—himself. He needed me! Me! I would have treasured every sigh, every word, every sign, every glance.' "I felt like a chill grip on my chest. 'Don't,' I said, in a muffled voice. "'Forgive me. I—I have mourned so long in silence—in silence.... You were with him—to the last? I think of his loneliness. Nobody near to understand him as I would have understood. Perhaps no one to hear....' "'To the very end,' I said, shakily. 'I heard his very last words....' I stopped in a fright. "'Repeat them,' she murmured in a heart-broken tone. 'I want—I want—something—something—to—to live with.' "I was on the point of crying at her, 'Don't you hear them?' The dusk was repeating them in a persistent whisper all around us, in a whisper that seemed to swell menacingly like the first whisper of a rising wind. 'The horror! The horror!' "'His last word—to live with,' she insisted. 'Don't you understand I loved him—I loved him—I loved him!' "I pulled myself together and spoke slowly. "'The last word he pronounced was—your name.' "I heard a light sigh and then my heart stood still, stopped dead short by an exulting and terrible cry, by the cry of inconceivable triumph and of unspeakable pain. 'I knew it—I was sure!'... She knew. She was sure. I heard her weeping; she had hidden her face in her hands. It seemed to me that the house would collapse before I could escape, that the heavens would fall upon my head. But nothing happened. The heavens do not fall for such a trifle. Would they have fallen, I wonder, if I had rendered Kurtz that justice which was his due? Hadn't he said he wanted only justice? But I couldn't. I could not tell her. It would have been too dark—too dark altogether...." Marlow ceased, and sat apart, indistinct and silent, in the pose of a meditating Buddha. Nobody moved for a time. "We have lost the first of the ebb," said the Director suddenly. I raised my head. The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.
Extension activity 1: Education for what? Reread Mr Green’s speech about the educated classes in Nigeria: 'You know, Okonkwo, I have lived in your country for fifteen years and yet I cannot begin to understand the mentality of the so-called educated Nigerian. Like this young man at the University College, for instance, who expects the Government not only to pay his fees and fantastic allowances and find him an easy, comfortable job at the end of his course, but also to pay his intended. It's absolutely incredible. I think Government is making a terrible mistake in making it so easy for people like that to have so-called university education. Education for what? To get as much as they can for themselves and their family. Not the least bit interested in the millions of their countrymen who die every day from hunger and disease.' Write a 300 word speech in which you argue for or against the statement, ‘Education is a right only if you use it to better your society.’ Extension activity 2: Corruption – how can we get rid of it? The International Corruption Index measures how much bribery and other corruption can be seen in each country in the world. Canada is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Malaysia is number 40; Nigeria is number 100. For the country of your choice, what could be done to make it less corrupt? Write 100 words. Chapter 13 - describes Clara’s breaking off of marriage and Obi’s visit back to his home village to see his sick mother. Glossary lifu – leave from work (meaning to squander) pieze – veranda/porch uli– a tree that has a dark juice which stains and can be used for writing or designs to paint on the body ‘uli that never fades’ – writing printed in a book (made by the white man) symbolizing how Western laws don’t change and words are not forgotten.
Extension activity 1: listen to the song, 'The Song of the Heart'. “A letter came to me the other day. I said to Mosisi: 'Read my letter for me.' Mosisi said to me: 'I do not know how to read.' I went to Innocenti and asked him to read my letters. Innocenti said to me: 'I do not know how to read.' I asked Simonu to read for me. Simonu said: 'This is what the letter has asked me to tell you: He that has a brother must hold him to his heart, For a kinsman cannot be bought in the market, Neither is a brother bought with money.' Is everyone here? ( Heleee he ee he ) Are you all here? ( Heleee he ee he ) The letter said That money cannot buy a kinsman, ( Heleee he ee he ) That he who has brothers Has more than riches can buy. ( Heleee he ee he )...” Write your own ‘Song of the Heart' about the importance of family and community.
I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend if it makes you feel alright I'll get you anything my friend if it makes you feel alright Cos I don't care too much for money, and money can't buy me love I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so Can't buy me love, no nono, no Say you don't need no diamond ring and I'll be satisfied Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so Can't buy me love, no nono, no Say you don't need no diamond ring and I'll be satisfied Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love Chapter 14 – The confrontation between Obi and his parents over Clara takes place. Mr Okonkwo tries to reason with Obi for the first time in his life. His mother disowns him and says she will commit suicide if Obi tries to marry an osu while she is still alive. Glossaryleprosy – chronic,mildlyinfectiousdiseasecausedbyMycobacteriumleprae,affectingtheperipheralnervoussystem,skin,andnasalmucosaandvariouslycharacterizedbyulcerations,tubercularnodules,andlossofsensationthatsometimesleadstotraumaticamputation white termites – Like ants, and some bees and wasps termites divide labor among castes, mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests. Their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance. tribal infanticide – when a child is killed as a sacrifice or to ward off evil spirits from a tribe
Extension activity: write a script with your partner in which one of you is a father against a marriage and one of you is a child who wishes to marry someone who is ‘untouchable’ according to the rules of your family/religion/culture. Be ready to perform this to the class. Chapter 15 – In which Obi returns prematurely to Lagos and almost crashes because he tries to do the journey non-stop (12 hours). He is given his ring back by Clara and asks Christopher for help with getting Clara an abortion. The first doctor refuses because religious; the second doctor asks for them to return the next day. GlossaryOlorun – lords Fiam - excessive speed Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim – a Nigerian spiritualist church
Chapter 16 – in which Obi struggles to find the money to pay for Clara’s abortion and decides he wants to marry her when it is already too late. He finds out she is seriously ill after the operation.
Chapter 17 – in which Obi confronts Mr Green’s racism about his black employees, asks for a wage advance then tries to write a letter to Clara and go to see her at the hospital. Glossary/keywords a swan – a free-ride, an easy (lazy) time Patois –a dialect created in the colonies by local people from the language of the colonists, slang Antagonist – the character in a novel or play who antagonises the main character/protagonist/hero, usually a villain who makes our hero’s life difficult or, in a tragedy, ends our hero’s life somehow.
PEEAL: make your POINT; give EVIDENCE; EXPLAIN your evidence; ANALYSE the language used in the evidence quote; LINK back to the question (how Achebe makes Green into Obi’s antagonist).
Extension activity: Achebe creates a very interesting debate between Mr Green/Ms Tomlinson and Obi about ethnicity, laziness and corruption (see pages 88-89 and 112). Write an article for which you research the same topic in another country (eg Malaysia, the UK or China) and look at the topic from different points of view. You should include at least ten facts and five quotes of opinions from public figures/politicians about corruption/the reasons for a country failing. Chapter 18 – in which Obi’s distance with Clara grows, the UPU meeting gossips about their ‘prodigal son gone bad’ and we see Obi’s reactions to his mother’s death. GlossaryBedbug – an insect which eats the skin of those who sleep in a bed with them Ndo–pledge Nza–the bird symbolizes pride in Igbo culture. Idiom - anexpressionwhosemeaningisnotpredictablefromtheusualmeaningsofitsconstituentelements,as‘kickthebucket’or‘hangone'shead’
King David was the second king of the United Kingdom of Israel, and according to the New Testament, an ancestor of Jesus. Depicted as a valorous warrior of great renown, King David is widely viewed as a righteous and effective king in battle and civil justice. He is described as a man after God's own heart. David becomes a hero when the 'men of Israel' under King Saul faced the Philistines near the Valley of Elah. The two armies are encamped within sight of each other for several days but battle has not been joined; instead the Philistine's champion, the giant Goliath, issues daily challenges to single combat. David arrives in camp, sent by his father to bring provisions to his brothers with the army. He hears Goliath's challenge and comments that the uncircumcised Philistine should not insult the army of the living God. Brought to the king, he expresses confidence that he can defeat Goliath just as he has a lion and a bear that threatened the flock. Before the ordeal David picks five smooth stones from a nearby brook to use as ammunition. During the duel he avoids Goliath's thrown spear and easily kills him with his sling, afterword removing the giant's head with his own sword as the Philistines flee in terror. (adapted from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David )
Emasculation – taking away someone’s strength or virility
How do these three reactions help to show the speed of Obi’s downfall?
Extract essay: In the following extract, how does the writer create tension and create social commentary in this passage from the novel? Comment on:
Use quotations to support your points and see additional writing frame for help in structuring your answer. 'He is teaching in a Community Secondary School.' She was now looking very sad. 'He returned at the end of the last year because our father died and we had no more money.' Obi felt very sorry for her. She was obviously an intelligent girl who had set her mind, like so many other young Nigerians, on university education. And who could blame them? Certainly not Obi. It was rather sheer hypocrisy to ask if a scholarship was as important as all that or if university education was worth it. Every Nigerian knew the answer. It was yes. A university degree was the philosopher's stone. It transmuted a third-class clerk on one hundred and fifty a year into a senior Civil Servant on five hundred and seventy, with car and luxuriously furnished quarters at nominal rent. And the disparity in salary and amenities did not tell even half the story. To occupy a 'European post' was second only to actually being a European. It raised a man from the masses to the élite whose small talk at cocktail parties was: 'How's the car behaving?' 'Please, Mr Okonkwo, you must help me. I'll do whatever you ask.' She avoided his eyes. Her voice was a little unsteady, and Obi thought he saw a hint of tears in her eyes. 'I'm sorry, terribly sorry, but I don't see that I can make any promises.' Another car drew up outside with a screech of brakes, and Clara rushed in, as was her fashion, humming a popular song. She stopped abruptly on seeing the girl. 'Hello, Clara. This is Miss Mark.' 'How do you do?' she said stiffly, with a slight nod of the head. She did not offer her hand. 'How did you like the soup?' she asked Obi. 'I'm afraid I prepared it in a hurry.' In those two short sentences she sought to establish one or two facts for the benefit of the strange girl. First, by her sophisticated un-Nigerian accent she showed that she was a been-to. You could tell a been-to not only by her phonetics, but by her walk---quick, short steps instead of the normal leisurely gait. In company of her less fortunate sisters she always found an excuse for saying: 'When I was in England. ...' Secondly, her proprietary air seemed to tell the girl: 'You had better try elsewhere.' 'I thought you were on this afternoon.' 'It was a mistake. I'm off today.' 'Why did you have to go away then, after making the soup?' 'Oh, I had such a lot of washing to do. Aren't you offering me anything to drink? O.K., I'll serve myself.' 'I'm terribly sorry, dear. Sit down. I'll get it for you.' 'No. Too late.' She went to the fridge and took out a bottle of ginger-beer. 'What's happened to the other ginger- beer?' she asked. 'There were two.' 'I think you had one yesterday.' 'Did I? Oh yes, I remember.' She came back and sank heavily into the sofa beside Obi. 'Gosh, it's hot!' 'I think I must be going,' said Miss Mark. 'I'm sorry I can't promise anything definite,' said Obi, getting up. She did not answer, only smiled sadly. 'How are you getting back to town?' 'Perhaps I will see a taxi.' 'I'll run you down to Tinubu Square. Taxis are very rare here. Come along, Clara, let's take her down to Tinubu.' 'I'm sorry I came at such an awkward time,' said Clara as they drove back to Ikoyi from Tinubu Square. 'Don't be ridiculous. What do you mean awkward time?' 'You thought I was on duty.' She laughed. 'I'm sorry about that. Who is she, anyway? I must say she is very good-looking. And I went and poured sand into your garri. I'm sorry, my dear.' No Longer at Ease copyright © Chinua Achebe (Penguin Books Ltd)
Use quotations to support your points and see additional writing frame for help in structuring your answer. 'I had tea with the Greens yesterday,' she might say. 'They are a most delightful couple, you know. He is quite different at home. Do you know he pays school fees for his steward's sons? But he says the most outrageous things about educated Africans.' 'I know,' said Obi. 'He will make a very interesting case for a psychologist. Charles---you know the messenger---told me that some time ago the A.A. wanted to sack him for sleeping in the office. But when the matter went up to Mr Green, he tore out the query from Charles's personal file. He said the poor man must be suffering from malaria, and the next day he bought him a tube of quinacrine.' Marie was about to place yet another brick in position in their reconstruction of a strange character when Mr Green sent for her to take some dictation. She was just saying that he was a very devout Christian, a sidesman at the Colonial Church. Obi had long come to admit to himself that, no matter how much he disliked Mr Green, he nevertheless had some admirable qualities. Take, for instance, his devotion to duty. Rain or shine, he was in the office half an hour before the official time, and quite often worked long after two, or returned again in the evening. Obi could not understand it. Here was a man who did not believe in a country, and yet worked so hard for it. Did he simply believe in duty as a logical necessity? He continually put off going to see his dentist because, as he always said, he had some urgent work to do. He was like a man who had some great and supreme task that must be completed before a final catastrophe intervened. It reminded Obi of what he had once read about Mohammed Ali of Egypt, who in his old age worked in frenzy to modernise his country before his death. In the case of Green it was difficult to see what his deadline was, unless it was Nigeria's independence. They said he had put in his resignation when it was thought that Nigeria might become independent in 1956. In the event it did not happen and Mr Green was persuaded to withdraw his resignation. A most intriguing character, Obi thought, drawing profiles on his blotting-pad. One thing he could never draw properly was a shirt collar. Yes, a very interesting character. It was clear he loved Africa, but only Africa of a kind: the Africa of Charles, the messenger, the Africa of his garden- boy and steward-boy. He must have come originally with an ideal---to bring light to the heart of darkness, to tribal head-hunters performing weird ceremonies and unspeakable rites. But when he arrived, Africa played him false. Where was his beloved bush full of human sacrifice? There was St George horsed and caparisoned, but where was the dragon? In 1900 Mr Green might have ranked among the great missionaries; in 1935 he would have made do with slapping headmasters in the presence of their pupils; but in 1957 he could only curse and swear. With a flash of insight Obi remembered his Conrad which he had read for his degree. 'By the simple exercise of our will we can exert a power for good practically unbounded.' That was Mr Kurtz before the heart of darkness got him. Afterwards he had written: 'Exterminate all the brutes.' It was not a close analogy, of course. Kurtz had succumbed to the darkness, Green to the incipient dawn. But their beginning and their end were alike. 'I must write a novel on the tragedy of the Greens of this century,' he thought, pleased with his analysis.
Use quotations to support your points and see additional writing frame for help in structuring your answer. 'Everything you have said is true. But there is one thing I want you to learn. Whatever happens in this world has a meaning. As our people say: "Wherever something stands, another thing stands beside it." You see this thing called blood. There is nothing like it. That is why when you plant a yam it produces another yam, and if you plant an orange it bears oranges. I have seen many things in my life, but I have never yet seen a banana tree yield a coco yam. Why do I say this? You young men here, I want you to listen because it is from listening to old men that you learn wisdom. I know that when I return to Umuofia I cannot claim to be an old man. But here in this Lagos I am an old man to the rest of you.' He paused for effect. 'This boy that we are all talking about, what has he done? He was told that his mother died and he did not care. It is a strange and surprising thing, but I can tell you that I have seen it before. His father did it.' There was some excitement at this. 'Very true,' said another old man. 'I say that his father did the same thing,' said the first man very quickly, lest the story be taken from his mouth. 'I am not guessing and I am not asking you not to mention it outside. When this boy's father---you all know him, Isaac Okonkwo---when Isaac Okonkwo heard of the death of his father he said that those who kill with the matchet must die by the matchet.' 'Very true,' said the other man again. 'It was the talk of Umuofia in those days and for many years. I was a very little boy at the time, but I heard of it.' 'You see that,' said the President. 'A man may go to England, become a lawyer or a doctor, but it does not change his blood. It is like a bird that flies off the earth and lands on an ant-hill. It is still on the ground.' Obi had been utterly prostrated by the shock of his mother's death. As soon as he saw a post office messenger in khaki and steel helmet walking towards his table with the telegram he had known. His hand trembled violently as he signed the receipt and the result was nothing like his signature. 'Time of receipt,' said the messenger. 'What is the time?' 'You get watch.' Obi looked at his watch, for, as the messenger had pointed out, he had one. Everybody was most kind. Mr Green said he could take a week's leave if he wished. Obi took two days. He went straight home and locked himself up in his flat. What was the point in going to Umuofia? She would have been buried by the time he got there, anyway. The thought of going home and not finding her! In the privacy of his bedroom he let tears run down his face like a child. The effect of his tears was startling. When he finally went to sleep he did not wake up even once in the night. Such a thing had not happened to him for many years. In the last few months he had hardly known any sleep at all. He woke with a start and saw that it was broad daylight. For a brief moment he wondered what had happened. Then yesterday's thought woke violently. Something caught in his throat. He got out of bed and stood gazing at the light coming in through the louvres. Shame and guilt filled his heart. Yesterday his mother had been put into the ground and covered with red earth and he could not keep as much as one night's vigil for her. 'Terrible!' he said. His thoughts went to his father. Poor man, he would be completely lost without her. For the first month or so it would not be too bad. Obi's married sisters would all return home. Esther could be relied upon to look after him. But in the end they would all have to go away again. That was the time the blow would really fall---when everyone began to go away. Obi wondered whether he had done the right thing in not setting out for Umuofia yesterday. But what could have been the point in going? It was more useful to send all the money he could for the funeral instead of wasting it on petrol to get home. He washed his head and face and shaved with an old razor. Then he nearly burnt his mouth out by brushing his teeth with shaving cream which he mistook for toothpaste. No Longer at Ease copyright © Chinua Achebe (Penguin Books Ltd) Activities on Chapters 1-9
Working in a group, prepare display materials on one of these areas:
You will need to find relevant information from the novel and may do extra research using the resource centre / library or the internet. Use this as a basis for a group presentation for speaking and listening assessment.
At the beginning of the novel we see the ‘end of the story’ before we hear how Obi ended up in this situation and got the disapproval from his community. What do you see as Obi's strengths and weaknesses and how does the reordering of parts of the story make us see his error differently? Focus particularly on chapters 1-4 (and if you want to extend your answer use the final chapter). Activities on Chapters 10-19
On two of occasions, Obi returns to his homeland of Umuofia. How does he react to his first visit? How do you think his second visit might add to his difficulties?
Essay on extract from Chapter 7 Find the passage which begins ‘Obi sat with Clara in the back ..…' on page 52 to ‘...waiting in vain for him to speak.' on page 54. Use quotations to support your points. Remember to use embedded quotations and Point-Evidence-Explain-Analyse-Link. How does the writer create tension and convey sympathy for Obi in this passage from the novel? Comment on:
Introduction: In this Chapter 7 extract, which describes the first problems between Clara and Obi, Achebe has used a number of techniques to create tension and make the reader feel sympathy for Obi’s situation. Part One –The sense of distance between Obi and Clara in the dialogue created by:
Part Two –The metaphorical ways that Obi’s idea of love is described:
Part Three –His lack of understanding and ability to close the distance:
Part Four –other ways that the tension is created and then broken:
Conclusion- Sum up the way this extract from the novel affects you as a reader. Analysing Obi’s character Match the quotations to the characteristics on the chart.
Adapted fromteachit resources about ‘Things Fall Apart’. Mr Gorst Page of Yüklə 238,85 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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