Things fall apart, part 1 discussion Work with your egwugwu partner

Part one Refer back to your 1.1 tragic hero notes, and assess Okonkwo’s circumstances against the story archetype. Where do you see his life aligning with the archetype? Where do you not? Is Okonkwo a tragic hero?

Part one Discuss the impact of gender roles/ideas on Things Fall Apart, and Okonkwo in particular. Where do you see ideas of masculinity and femininity impacting Okonkwo’s: Personal choices Family relationships Relationships with others

Chapter 11 What is the moral of the fable of the tortoise? What values does it reflect?

Chapter 12 Notice the traditional attitudes of all small villagers toward large marketplaces like Umuike. Draw parallels between this attitude and American culture.

Chapter 12 How is the importance of family emphasized in the uri ceremony? Compare/contrast the Ibo marriage ceremony with the one you are familiar with.

Chapter 13 Re-read the paragraph on page 122 ("The land of the living...") and describe the relationship between the living and the dead in Ibo culture.

Chapter 13 Okonkwo has killed people before this, including his adopted son, Ikemefuna. What makes this incident so serious, though it would be treated as a mere accident under our law?