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

2. 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?

3. 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

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

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

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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?