Shmoop: Flashcards Overview - Things Fall Apart Chapter 14-21 Study Guide

Who is Uchendu? Okonkwo's uncle How is Okonkwo greeted by his mother's kinsmen? Why do you think they do not judge him negatively for his crime? He is well received by his mother’s kinsmen. They didn’t judge him negatively for his crime, because it was only a female crime What was Ochendu trying to teach to Okonkwo? He was trying to teach him that he is not the greatest sufferer in the world, so he has to move on. What story does Obierika bring to Okonkwo? That the white men killed almost everyone in Abame. Why did the white men kill the Abame people? They killed them, because the Abame people killed an innocent white person first. Who were the first ones to convert? They were titleless men and women. Why did Obierika visit Okonkwo? He talk to him about Nwoye who appeared among the missionaries. Why did people laugh when the interpreter was talking? He wasn't fluent with Ibo language, so he translated things wrong. He said "my buttocks" instead of "myself". Why did Okonkwo try to kill Nwoye? Because he found out that Nwoye became a convert. Why did the elders give the missionaries, land to build a church? Because they believed that the evil spirits of evil forest would kill the missionaries. What did the converts kill? The converts killed a sacred Python, which is considered as an object of the god. Why were the Ibo people reassured with their gods? Because the converts that killed Python, died soon after. Why doesn't Okonkwo like Mbanta? He thinks it's a bad place to farm and too woman-like. What were the things that Okonkwo lost by leaving the village for 7 years? He had lost many things like his place among the nine masked spirits who administered justice in the lcan, the chance to lead his warlike clan against the new religion, and he lost the years in which he might have taken the highest titles in the clan. How is Ezinma similar to Okonkwo? She would snap at everybody like an angry dog for no apparent reason just like Okonkwo. Also, she could bear no one when she’s angry like Okonkwo. What was the white men's government like? They created their own rules and ruled Umuofia, according to their rules. They also had messengers, who were foreigners, bring men to the commissioners for trial and they also abused people. Why can't they drive the white men out of Umuofia? Because the men and women of Umuofia were on their side now. What things did the white men do to Umuofia? The white man had brought a lunatic religion, but he had also built a trading store and more money flowed into Umuofia. What does Mr. Brown say to persuade people to send their kids to school? He said that the leaders of the land in the future would be men and women who had learned to read and write. If Umuofia failed to send her children to school, strangers would come from other places to rule them. Why did Mr. Brown visit Okonkwo? What was the result of the visiting? To tell Okonkwo about Nwoye, who was now Isaac and how he went to the new training college for teachers in Umuru. Okonkwo didn’t like this, so he sent him away with the threat that if he came into his compound again, he would be carried out of it. metaphor a type of figurative language that compares two unlike things, suggesting that one has the qualities of the other Simile like metaphors, compare two unlike things. Unlike metaphors, similes are signaled by the use of "like" or "as. Hyperbole a form of figurative language that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point Man versus man a common form of conflict where one character struggles against another character of similar nature Man versus nature places a character in conflict with a force of nature, perhaps a hurricane, drought, or unwelcoming environment. Man versus self shows the character struggling with an internal conflict of some kind Man versus the supernatural places a character against magical forces larger than him- or herself, forces outside the natural realm. Man versus society gives us a struggle between a single individual and a larger society. Man versus technology a character struggles against a man-made machine that may or may not possess intelligence Man versus destiny pits the hero against a foretold path or future.