Things Fall Apart

Lesson 18
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ELA

Unit 2

11th Grade

Lesson 18 of 25

Objective


Analyze how Achebe develops both the theme of community and colonization in these chapters.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe  — Chapters 18 & 19

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Target Task


Question 1

“If a man kills the sacred python in the secrecy of his hut, the matter lies between him and the god.” Based on this passage from p. 158 and chapter 18 as a whole, which of the following best describes what the elder is advocating for in this statement.

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Question 2

Which of the following best describes the importance of chapter 18 to the novel as a whole?

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Question 3

In the final paragraph of chapter 19, an elder of Mbanta predicts that the younger generation’s abandonment of community will lead to the destruction of Igbo society. What evidence has Achebe provided the reader that the young people are in fact abandoning their community? Can you prove or disprove the elder’s statement? Use evidence from throughout the text.

Key Questions


  • Who are the osu and what crisis does their presence cause in the new church? Explain.
  • Describe the conflict between the church and the villagers over the python. What larger conflict does this incident mirror? How does it help to develop the theme of colonialism and culture?
  • How does Okonkwo’s response to the incident differ from that of some of the elders of Mbanta? What does he advocate for? What do they? (pp. 158–159)
  • How does this conflict add to Achebe’s development of Okonkwo’s fatal flaw?
  • Who is Mr. Brown?
  • On pp. 160–161, what convinces the clan that they made the right decision not to attack the Christians?
  • What further evidence of Okonkwo’s fatal flaw does Achebe provide on pp. 162–163?
  • What is Achebe’s most likely purpose in including the lengthy descriptions of the preparations and of the feast?
  • What does the proverb “A child cannot pay for its mother’s milk” convey in this context? (p. 166)
  • What praise does one of the elders offer Okonkwo at the bottom of p. 166? What fear does he share?
  • How do the descriptions at the beginning and end of the chapter work together to develop the theme of community? Of culture and colonization?
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Lesson 17

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Lesson 19

Lesson Map

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