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Things Fall Apart: An independent reading Students, you will engage in an independent reading of Things Fall Apart. One of the new Common Core Standards is that students will read and comprehend literary texts independently and proficiently. Each Monday, we will engage in classroom discussion of the previous weeks reading assignment. There will be questions to accompany each weeks reading assignment. These questions must be completed and brought to class on Monday. You need to read the material and do the questions! If at any time in class you finish the assigned work Tuesday through
Friday, you will be expected to read the assigned portion of Things Fall Apart. Since the text is on the computer, there is no excuse for not reading the text when given extra time to do so. Prior to reading the text, please engage in the following three pre-reading assignments: (answer all of them on notebook paper in ink or on the computer, which must be printed off to give me a copy) *Task one: exploration of author, Chinua Achebe Complete the web search on Achebe *Task two: research the meaning of Colonialism and imperialism What are the differences?
After reading about both topics, which, in your own opinion, is best for a country? Why? *Task three: Research “The Race for Africa” What was it? Who participated in it? What were the results of it? *****Questions to accompany your first weeks reading of TEA: (chapters 1-7) 1. Describe the narrator’s voice. You know, the “voice” telling us the story of Okonkwo, Umuofia, and the Igbo world. How would you describe this voice, its values and perspectives? 2. Essayist Simon Gikandi suggests the storyteller is a witness. What does this mean? What do you think about his suggestion?
What might he bear witness to? 3. Describe the setting(time, place, culture) of the novel. Pay attention to the details of everyday village life ways, values and beliefs of people, importance of rituals, ceremony, personal achievement in their culture. Social life? Role of war? Religion? (6-8 sentences) 4. Compare/contrast that setting to our setting, the “now’ audience of the text. (5-6 sentences) 5. What effect does “night” have on the Igbo people? What do they fear? How do they deal with fear? 6. Okonkwo is our main character, the protagonist. He fears, also. What does he fear?
Why? 7. Describe him thus far. Be complete. What are his virtues? Faults? What values does he associate with manliness? 8. It is said the world is made of two kinds of men: thinkers and doers. What are your thoughts on that suggestion? Which one does Okonkwo most resemble? Why? Which one are you? Explain. Which kind makes good leaders? Why? 9. Consider Ikemefuna. Who does he foil? (a character in a literary work who parallels or contrasts another character: Tybalt and Romeo in R&J, for example) Why would Achebe put these two characters together in scenes from the text? . In the Igbo culture, one becomes influential by earning titles. In our society how does one become influential? 1 1 . What motivates mankind? Make a list of what you believe to be the top 10 motivating factors. What seems to motivate Okonkwo? Why? In a separate paragraph, tell me what motivates you? ( 10-12 sentences) 12. What are proverbs? One of the most famous lines in the novel occurs in this first reading: “The art of conversation is regarded very highly and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten. ” What does this mean? What is palm oil? 13.
Describe your initial reading experience of this novel. How are you responding to traditional Igbo life? What have you read about that seems most strange/ foreign to you? Anything stand out? Schedule for the independent reading of text: Tuesday, November 12th Pre-reading activities due Friday, November 1 5th: Part one completed with questions Friday, November 22nd: Part two completed with questions (Chapters 1-7) (Chapters 8-13) Monday, December 2nd: Part three completed with questions (Chapters 14??”19) Monday, December 9th: Part four completed with questions (Chapter of text)