Traditions G

Question 1

Gender roles

Answer 1

“He (Okonkwo) was a man of action, a man of war… he could stand the look of blood. In Umuofia’s latest war he was the first to bring home a human head” Chapter 2

‘Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness’ Chapter 2

“The birth of her children should be a woman’s crowing glory” Chapter 9

Question 2

Oral traditions

Answer 2

“A snake was never called by its name at night, because it would hear. It was called a sting”. Chapter 2

“Ezinma did not call her mother Nne like all children”. Chapter 9

‘His shell broke into pieces… Tortoise’s wife sent for him and he gathered all the bits of shell and stuck them together, That is why Tortoise’s shell is not smooth”. Chapter 11

“Among the Ibo […] proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.”

Question 3

Authority/ Power (spiritual

Answer 3

“She (Chielo) was the priestess of Agbala (the Oracle) … In ordinary life, Chielo was a widow with two children.” Chapter 6

“People come from far and near to consult the Oracle”

Okonkwo stores ‘wooden symbols of his personal God and of his ancestral spirits’ in the shrine.