Nwakibie granted him 800 yams, a more generous offer than Okonkwo had thought he would receive, and Okonkwo left feeling happy. With his meager harvest, he hoped to feed his mother, two sisters, and father, as well as himself.
How many yams did Okonkwo get?
Okonkwo succeeds in exceeding all the other clansmen as a warrior, a farmer, and a family provider. He begins by asking a wealthy clansman, Nwakibie, to give him 400 seed yams to start a farm. Because Nwakibie admired Okonkwo’s hard-working nature, he gave him eight hundred.
How much of the harvest does Okonkwo keep?
According to the share-cropping contract, Okonkwo would return two-thirds of what he grew to Nwakibie and receive only a third of the total crop for himself, his parents, and his sisters.
How many yam seeds does Nwakibie give Okonkwo?
800
In a very generous gesture, Nwakibie gives Okonkwo twice the number of seed yams he asks for: 800 instead of 400. That’s a lot of yams!
What happened to Okonkwo’s first crop of yams?
The erratic weather devastates Okonkwo’s first crop, but he manages to recover because of his hard work and determination. Others do not fare so well that year, and one man hangs himself because his yam crop has failed. This event demonstrates that, for the Umuofia, successful yam production is crucial.
Why is yam the king of crops?
A man’s ability to produce a successful yam harvest is symbolic of his ability to provide for his family. Yams are called the ”king of crops” because they are even more important than other masculine crops, being such a central staple in the community’s diet.
Why is the poor harvest like a sad funeral?
Why is the poor harvest like a sad funeral for the Igbo people? The livelihood of the Igbo people is dependent upon the yam. A good harvest means prosperity and life; a poor harvest is like death.
What does the devastating harvest have on Okonkwo?
test
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What effect does that devastating harvest have on Okonkwo? | For the rest of his life he considers his survival during that difficult period proof of his inner strength |
| Who is Ezinma? | Okonkwo’s favorite child |
| When Enoch unmasks an egwugwu, the clan responds by: | burning down the church |
Who believed that the yam was a man’s crop?
When Okonkwo says “His mother and sisters worked hard enough, but they grew women’s crops, like coco-yams, beans and cassava. Yam, the king of crops, was a man’s crop” (Achebe 23), it shows that yams are associated with masculinity.
What does the terrible harvest teach Okonkwo about himself?
One man hanged himself because of the year’s terrible harvest. Okonkwo later says that since he survived that awful year, he’ll survive anything. Despite Okonkwo’s hard work, he can’t predict the weather, and he runs into very bad luck.
What happened to Okonkwo’s farm the year he received eight hundred seed-yams from Nwakibie?
The year that Okonkwo took eight hundred seed-yams from Nwakibie was the worst year in living memory. Nothing happened at its proper time; it was either too early or too late. It seemed as if the world had gone mad. The first rains were late, and, when they came, lasted only a brief moment.
What did Okonkwo inherit from his father?
Okonkwo did not inherit anything from his father, except ignominy. He had to build his own barn and wealth. His father Unoka once consulted the village oracle, agbala, to find out why he always had a miserable harvest—a story told widely in Umuofia. At the time, the priestess was Chika.
What happened in chapter 9 of Things Fall Apart?
In Chapter 9 of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo and second-wife Ekwefi’s daughter, Ezinma, falls ill. Ekwefi’s sad history with her past nine children before Ezinma, all of whom died, is recounted.
What do yams symbolize in the Igbo society?
After the prayer of thanksgiving to their god, they eat the first yam because It is believed that their position bestows the privilege of being intermediaries between their communities and the gods of the land.
Who was Okonkwo’s favorite child?
Ezinma
2. Who was Okonkwo’s favorite child, and what did he often say about the child? His favorite child was Ezinma, daughter of Ekwefi. He often said it was a shame she wasn’t a boy.
What are yams?
What Is a Yam? Yams are edible stem tubers native to the tropical regions of Africa and Asia. Because yams have dry starchy flesh, they can be stored in humid environments without fear of spoilage. This makes them an excellent staple food in the tropical climates where they are grown.
How do yams symbolize masculinity in Things Fall Apart?
Yams are a crop grown exclusively by men. Growing yams is labor intensive, and the size of a man’s fields and harvest say much about his work ethic. Yams are grown to gain wealth and also to feed one’s family. They are a symbol of masculinity and ability as a provider.
What do yams symbolize in Invisible Man?
In Invisible Man, the narrator buys a baked yam from a street vendor in New York City. The yam reminds the narrator of his childhood in the South; he decides he will enjoy his food without guilt or shame. The yams serve as a metaphor for authenticity.
What unacceptable thing did Okonkwo do just before the feast of the new yam?
Q. What unacceptable thing did Okonkwo do just before the Feast of the New Yam? He got drunk in public. He beat his second wife, Ekwefi, then fired his gun at her.
Is Things Fall Apart sexist?
In Things Fall Apart sexism is shown in many ways such as the abuse of women, social expectations and the power of males. But the Igbo culture views that as normal while the rest of the world despises the cultures way of treating women.
What does Okonkwo learn through the drought and poor harvest?
A good harvest means prosperity and life; a poor harvest is like death. 10. Okonkwo learns that he can survive any disaster.