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Lesson 4

We will begin reading Part 2 of Things Fall Apart. We will discuss tragic flaws and the cultural conflict introduced in Chapter 15.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I use connections among details, elements, and effects to make logical deductions about purpose and meaning in Things Fall Apart?

  • Can I develop and clearly communicate meaningful and defensible claims that represent valid, evidence-based analysis?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, Penguin Random House, 1994

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Discuss

We will consider the unit’s Central Question.

Review the unit’s Central Question:

What does it mean for things to fall apart?

Consider all of the texts you have read in the unit. Discuss the following questions with a partner or small group:

  1. What is the relationship between the Central Question and the texts you have read so far? How do the texts shed light on the question? How does the question help you understand the texts?

  2. How has your response to the Central Questionevolved, deepened, or changed?

In your Learning Log, write your responses. You will return to this response in later lessons to examine how your understanding of the Central Question has evolved.

Activity 2: Read

We will consider the literary concept of the tragic flaw and explore some examples from literature or movies.

A tragic flaw is a trait a character has that leads to their downfall.

Think about the characters from popular movies, television shows, or novels. In your Learning Log, list at least four characters and their tragic flaws.

Share your examples with your group, then share one example with the class.

Activity 3: Read

We will read chapter 14 as a class and answer text-specific questions about the chapter.

As you read Chapter 14 with the class, respond to the following questions in your Learning Log:

  1. What is Okonkwo’s attitude now that he has been exiled? What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

  2. What does "Mother is Supreme" mean?

  3. Do you believe Okonkwo will learn from his talk with Uchendu beginning on page 133? Why?

After you have responded to these questions, discuss the following question in your group:

  1. Does Okonkwo have a tragic flaw? What is it? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Participate in a class discussion about the following questions:

  1. Where else in the novel has this flaw been observed?

  2. What are some possible consequences of this flaw?

  3. Do you believe Okonkwo is capable of change? Why?

Activity 4: Read – Write

We will read chapter 15 and take notes about the introduction of the cultural conflict in the novel.

Read Chapter 15 on your own. When you finish, read through it again while completing the Evaluating Ideas Tool.

  1. Write down the following guiding question in the space provided at the top. “What are Okonkwo’s and Obierika’s reactions to the destruction of Abame?”

  2. As you read, note details (words, phrases, or sentences) that relate to the guiding question or that might give you evidence of the author’s perspective. Depending on how long the section of text is, you might find several examples.

  3. Determine and analyze the author’s perspective based on the details you have identified. The Analyzing Perspective row asks you to look at the words or phrases you selected in the previous row and think about why the author chose those words or phrases and not others. For example, if the author is using words like urgent or critical, you can get a sense that the author considers the issue to be important and in need of immediate attention or action.

  4. Evaluate the author’s ideas, the author’s position, and the information the author presents. The guiding question hints at what you are supposed to evaluate.

  5. Evaluate the text based on the evidence you have gathered and your analysis of that evidence. In the Evaluate the Text row, make connections between your analysis and your evaluation. For example, if your evaluation involved determining whether the author’s argument is reliable, you would draw on the previous rows to support your judgment and observations about the text’s reliability.

Activity 5: Read

We will review vocabulary words from chapter 15.

Review the terms on the Vocabulary List for Chapter 15. Add words that are unfamiliar to you to your Vocabulary Journal. When you see each word in context, determine if you can understand its meaning. If you can, write a definition. Then, verify your definition using an online dictionary.

Choose five vocabulary words from the Vocabulary List for Chapter 15 to learn more deeply. Contextualize these words following the process described below, which uses the word retain as an example:

  • Contextualize the word: Explain how the word is used in the text. You might say, “In the article ‘The Colonial Era, 1882-1960,’ the Fulani ruling class used the British Colonizers to keep their power and acquire wealth.”

  • Create a new context: Explain another context or situation where the word would apply. You might say, “After sliding on a patch of ice, she struggled to retain her balance.”

  • Extend the context: Select five objects or situations that might be described by the word and explain how. For example, you might choose shoes as one of your objects and say, “People retain their favorite shoes for years, even if they collect dust in the closet.” Or, you might choose fight as your situation and say, “It’s amazing to watch my friend retain her composure, even in the middle of an argument.”

Activity 6: Read

We will read chapters 16–17 for homework.

Read Chapters 16-17 and respond to the following questions from the Section 2 Question Set to focus your understanding:

Chapter 16:

  1. What type of villagers are early converts for the church? Why do you think Nwoye joins? The elders believe that the White man’s god “would not last” (p. 143). Why do you think they underestimate the influence of the missionaries?

In which ways are the religions of the Igbo and the missionaries similar? In which ways are they different?

Chapter 17:

  1. What is the evil forest? Why do the elders decide that the missionaries can build their church there?

  2. How did the elders’ plan of having the missionaries build the church in the evil forest fail?

  3. Describe Mr. Kiaga. Support your interpretation with evidence from the text?

Write down new or interesting words from Chapters 16 and 17 in your Vocabulary Journal. Write down at least two sentences from Chapters 16 and 17 in your Mentor Sentence Journal.