Things Fall Apart Questions

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A few other members of the class and I had to lead a discussion on chapters 12 - 14 of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. These are the questions (both closed and open ended) I came up with for the chapters.

Closed-Ended Questions

Chapter 12

  • Reason for the big celebration.
    - Okonkwo's friend, Obierika's celebration of his daughter's uri
  • This person comes form a village "known for being close fisted" (p 116).
    - Obierika's daughter's suitor, Ibe
  • Number of pots of wine brought.
    - 50
  • Okonkwo's gift to Ibe's family.
    - 2 roosters
  • Amount of time Obierika's daughter will spend with Ibe's family.
    - 7 weeks

Chapter 13

  • Reason the ekwe talks
    - Ezeudu has died
  • Many of these come to visit during the funeral
    - egwugwu – masqueraders who impersonate the ancestral spirits of the village
  • Dies from Okonkwo's gun exploding
    - Ezendu's son
  • Town where Okonkwo flees
    - Mbanta

Chapter 14

  • Number of seed-yams each of Uchendu's five sons contributes to Okonkwo
    - 300
  • The meaning of "Nneka"
    - "Mother is Surpreme"

Open-Ended Questions

Chapter 12

  • On page 110, Achebe writes, "But it was really a woman's ceremony and the central figures were the bride and her mother." Is this statement really true? How does this ceremony reflect on the clan's perceptions and treatment of gender roles?
  • Okonkwo is unable to sleep because of the trip the night before (112). What does this say about his character?
  • The theme of gender roles is prominent in the novel. Obierka's daughter's name isn't even mentioned in chapter 12. Any comments on this?

Chapter 13

  • What is the significance of Ezeudu's death?
  • Is it right for Okonkwo to have to leave?
  • On page 124, Achebe points out the culture's distinction between two types of murder – male and female. How do the presence of and the name of these two murder types reflect on the society's perceptions of gender?
  • On page 124, Obierika seems to challenge the clan's religion, questioning, "Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offense he had committed inadvertently?" What could this reveal about Obierka? How could Obierka's reactions be considered foreshadowing? Why is it that the injustice Obierka points out must occur?

Chapter 14

  • Why doesn't Okonkwo find as much pleasure in his work back in Mbanta?
  • What is different between how Amikwu and Ibe take their wives?
  • What's the significance of the phrase "Mother is Supreme" in this male dominated society? Why do the men need females for "refuge?"

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