Week 4 Syllabus: November 12-16
UNOKA DIES A POOR MAN, YET HE IS CULTURED nonetheless. He is a drunkard, yet he also is talented, and his musical abilities are appreciated in his village. Unoka is likewise lazy, but he knows how to greet his guest, offering him kola nut and welcoming him into his home. In contrast, Okonkwo has great physical prowess, but words fail him when he becomes angry. He is respected as a leader, yet he struggles to show affection to his children. It seems nobody is perfect according to Achebe…but because these men are flawed, does it follow that they are failures? Achebe notes in The Novelist as Teacher “that [Africa’s] past—with all its imperfections—was not one long night of savagery from which first Europeans acting on God’s behalf delivered them (Achebe 45). Where is there good in Unoka? And in Okonkwo?
MONDAY, November 13
Starting with small group review of the annotations questions for chapters one through four. Are you noting the essential moments in the novel?
Completing a google sheet in which students identify three quotes that illustrate Okonkwo’s greatness, AND write some short analysis, explaining HOW Okonkwo is thus great (according to Achebe and Ibo culture).
Watching a documentary and keeping notes, an interview between Bill Moyers and Achebe.
HW: Read chapters 5 and 6 for class on Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY, November 15—BSAD
Reading chapters seven and eight together in class.
HW: Review the annotation questions for chapters 5-8 tonight, clarifying your notes as needed.
Thursday, November 16
Reading an article on the Festival of the Yam.
Discussion of chapter three’s visit to the oracle, the brotherhood of Nwoye and Ikemefuna in chapter four, and the misfortune of chapter five.
Returning to and watching the end of part two, the Nigerian documentary, “Journey of an African Colony.”
Vocabulary Friday!
HW: Read chapters 9-11 for homework. Pre-read and post-review the annotation guide questions.