proactive reading

Chapter 14

summarize: Okonkwo arrives to Mbanta his mother land to beggin his seven years of exile.His maternal uncle and mother welcome him happily after they assume what has happened to him. Now okonkwo and his family must work hard to develop a new farm and try to go back to normal. Ochendu lets him know that others suffer more than a seven -year exile.

Questions: Did Okonkwo get somewhat furious that uchendu exposed him out with those questions? Did okonwo feel embarrassed infront of the children when he couldn’t answer some questions?

Clarify: According to the dictionary To be exile means to be away from one’s home while either being explicity refused permission to return. It can be a form of  punishment.

prediction:  Okonwwo will learn from his mistakes and now he will learn to love his mother more,also now their family will grow with more communication.

Chapter 15

Summarize:  During Okonkwo’s second year of exile Obierka his old friend,and other two men visit him at Mbanta, but brings tragic news to okonwo from the village. A white man in a bike arrived to the village (Abame) and he was killed because the Oracle told informed them that he was going to destroy their clan. His bike was hung on the sacred tree. Weeks later other natives arrived and destroyed the village. Obierka promises that he will keep giving Okonkwo profit.

Questions:  Are these the British men, those who were whit natives ,and that one who arrived in the bike was he British? Why bwould the village kill a men that they knew nothing of? Did the Abame village believe the stories said about the slaves taken away over seas, is that why they killed the white man?

 

 

Clarify:  An iron horse was another name for a bicycle.

prediction:   These “white men” will be the famous British men wiping out people from villages and taking them over seas for slavery, Okonkwos family might expirience this at one point.

 Chapter 16

Summary: Obierka visitst Mbanta aagain two years later, because the missionaries had moves to Umofia already. Also he went to tell Okonkwo that he had seen Nwoye amongs the others were the missionaries had brainwashed. The leaders of the clan were sad because of the new religion,but they think it will fade away.

Questions: Will the villages get brainwashed completely,and transfer to the other religion? What about Nwoye he seems very interested in this new religion, what will be Okonkwo’s reaction if Nwoye would want to transfer?  Why would the missionaries want to create this new religion amongs these particular people? Wouldn’t it be really challenging for the missionaries to persuade people that there is only one God due to their past beliefs?

Clarify: According to the dictionary missionaries are those who are members of a religion and they send messages throught the communities. That is why the white men were doing in Nigeria.

Prediction: In my opinion I think the white man will be very powerful,and they are sarting by forming this religion as a step to help them gain a little control.

Chapter 17

summary: The missionaries arrived to Mbanta to asked them about the land structure so they could build a church. The elders in Mbanta give them a piece of the Evil forest because they are sure the forest will finish them. Time passed, and nothing happened to the church in the forest. This caused the village to question, and it caused controversy. Also Nwoye gets beaten by Okonkwo. Then vanishes with the Christians.

Question: Will the people in Mbanta start to wuestion their Gods? Will they start to realize that the white men are correct,and that there is only one God in this earth? If so will they let the white men dominate them?

Clarify: Christians are a religion that focuses on life and teachings of Jesus of  Nazareth. The white men (missionaries) are christian,and the religion they bring amongs them is Christianity.

Prediction: I think that Nwoye will hate Okonkwo as much as Okonkwo hated Unoka, this is because Nwoye is now frustrated because his father doesn’t seem to understand him,and also the way Okonkwo refers to him as”a womenly son”.

Chapter 18

Summary: The people of  Mbanta learned that the white man had a strategy, and will not stop with thiertask of introdusing their religion to the village. They even created a place to keep the missionaries safe. A man was hanged for killing a missionary. People in Mbanta were not all that freaked out because Mr.Kiaga was not a threat. Mr.kiaga allowed outcasts to be welcome to the christian church.  One outcast killed the sacred python,and this created conflit withe the elders of Mbanta,and the christians. The outcast fell ill and died this proved to the people in Mbanta that their Gods still lived.

Question: Why did the man accused of the crime fell ill? Was he possibly killed by the people in Mbanta? Are the people in Mbanta mad and possibly start getting crazy and start harming people? Does Okonkwo feel useless,and weak now that he can’t do anything agains these white men?

Clarify: An outcast is a person who has been rejected from home, or society. Okonkwo can be considered an outcast because he was rejected from umofia for a while.

Predict: In my opinion Mbanta will be really weak because the Christians are starting to have some power over them. Sooner or later Mbanta will have to give in to christianity.

Chapter 19

Summary: This is Okonkwo’s last year in exile. He send money to Obierka in order for him to build a home for Okonkwo and his family in their native village. Just before Okonkwo left Mbanta he gave a feast to thank his kinsmen in Mbanta for their great hospitality. In this ceremony one of the elders gave a speech about the new religion,and teir bad ways because it made it easy for their sons to join the new religion,and break the ways of their traditions.

Questions: what are kinsmen? are these like the leaders? Will all the people in Umofia treat Okonkwo the same after these long seven years? Will Okonwko be less now because he lost rank?

Clarify: Kinsmen is a mans relative so Ochendu is one of his kinsmen. That is why the people in Mbanta respect Okonkwo because he is a relative.

Prediction: When Okonwo arrives he won’t be recieved as happily as before because in a way he has dishonored his ex-village. This will affect his family because maybe they won’t get the same respect.

Chapter 20

Summary: Okonkwo,and his family returned to their native home in Umofia. It was greatly changed by thr presence of the  white man’s church,and his government. Now even men that had rank were put down,and renounce their tribal titles. There was also a district commisioner who judged cacses concerning the Ibo people,without any knowledge of their customs,and religion.

Questions: Is this commisioner mean? Is he scared that the people might rebel against him? Why did the so strong man give up for something so important like their religion,and customs? Was Okonkwo scared internaly when he saw the difference now that the men with rank had no rank?

Clarify: A district commisioner was like a judge on the white men’s side that juged cases dealing with the Ibo people,but judging them without knowing anything about them,and their cultures.

Prediction: Knowing Okonkwo’s toughness throughout the story He won’t stay with his arms crossed even if he stood alone he will fight the white people.

Chapter 21

Summary: Okonko stood his ground,and he knew that the destruction of the clan was the white men’s fault,but not everyone agreed with him. Mr.Brown did learn about the native’s religion,and built a school so that children would be leaders of their own villages. Mr.Brown had to leave Umofia because his health was deteriorating. He visited Okonkwo to let him know about Nwoye,and Okonkwo chased him down with threats.

Questions: Does Okonkwo really hate his son Nwoye,or is he just hidding his feelings again? Is MR.Brown really trying to help out the village,or is it another white men’s plan in order to gain power,and domination over Umofia.?

Clarify: Children were not the only people who attended school,also did the adults this was because they also had to learn. To “be leaders” of their villages.

Prediction: I think that when Mr.Brown leaves problems will evolve because he did a great part on maintaining peace in the village.

Chapter22

Summary: Mr.Smith came to Umofia to replace Mr.Brown. And like predicted he encuraged the church to act against the tribe. Enoch this crazy christian unmasked an egwugwu,which was considered,a great cime to the tribe against the ancestral spirits. The tribe was determined to kill Enoch. The egwugwu came over night to seek revenge. They burned the christian church!

Question: Is the egwugwu like a spirit? If he was why does the story said there was some kind of burning fire coming out his head? Can he harm the church? Does MR.Smith feel scared?

Clarify: Egwugwu are men who deguised them selves as ancestral spirits of the village,and judged desputes amongs the villages.

Prediction: In my opinion Enoch will not be killed,and the fact that the Ibo people were rebelling it will cause consequenses for them,the white men will get their vengange.

Chapter 23

Summary: Okonkwo was finally happy because his tribe had man up,and burned the church into shrines. For several days the people of the village took care of them selves so they wouldn’s be caought by surprise like the Abame people did. Okonkwo and other five men were caught by the messengers,and imprisoned for several days, while they had met with the commisioner.They wouldn’t be left free until the village paid two hundred  cowries. They were treaded horrible in prisoned.

Questions: Did the phisical pain hurt Okonkwo more than the emotional pain? Why didn’t the men complain,and stood up? Did the other five men go with Okonwko because they felt stong about the issue,or just to please their village?

Clarify: Cowries are shells used for currency,and the people with the commisioner wanted a great amoun of them in order to set the 6 men free.

Prediction: The people will pay the cowries ,but when Okonkwo is released he will get revenge no matter what.The way they treated him in prison he will do something much worse to the  messengers. He will get revenge even if the consequenses are crusial.