This document summarizes chapters 7 and 8 of Things Fall Apart. In chapter 7, Okonkwo tells stories to Nwoye and Ikemefuna. Locusts come to the village. Ogbuefi Ezeudu tells Okonkwo that the village has decided Ikemefuna must die. Okonkwo and others take Ikemefuna into the woods and kill him. In chapter 8, Okonkwo does not eat for two days after killing Ikemefuna. Ezinma cares for Okonkwo. Obierika's daughter Akueke is to be married to Ibe for a bride price of 20 bags of cowries. The

1. Chapters 7 and
8
By Jennifer Daniele and Becca Shepherd

2. Chapter 7

3. ● Nwoye:
○ Fond of old childhood stories
○ Cares for Ikemefuna like a brother
● Okonkwo:
○ Inwardly pleased with Nwoye’s progress
○ Doesn’t want to kill Ikemefuna
● Ogbuefi Ezeudu:
○ Tells Okonkwo what the town has decided about
Ikemefuna
Characters

4. ● Okonkwo tells Nwoye and Ikemefuna
stories of the land
● Nwoye and Ikemefuna help Okonkwo with
fixing up the house
● Locusts come
● Ogbuefi Ezeudu tells Okonkwo that the
town has decided that Ikemefuna must die
● Okonkwo and other members of the town
walk with Ikemefuna into the woods
● Ikemefuna is killed
Basic Events

5. ● Okonkwo vs. Himself
● Ikemefuna vs. Fate
Conflicts

6. ● Men / older boys cannot show any
compassion towards childhood
stories or women
● Locusts are a rare and treasured
food source
● Fix houses in the after-harvest
season
● Don’t question the Oracle
Cultural Norms, Expectations,
Rituals and Beliefs

7. ● Eneke-nti-oba: a bird
● Ekwe: type of drum made
from wood
● Ozo: title or rank
Terms and Definitions

8. ● Story telling and use of interesting
characters to tell a story that
relates to a situation the
child/receiver of the story may be
going through
● Devastation from the loss of a
loved one
Connections to Today

9. 1. Do you think it was right of
Okonkwo not to question the
Oracle and let Ikemefuna be killed?
2. Was Okonkwo justified in killing
Ikemefuna when he asked for
help?
Discussion Questions

10. Chapter 8

11. ● Okonkwo - Killed Ikemefuna; has a hard time moving
on; Does not eat for two days
● Ezinma - Daughter of Ekwefi; gives Okonkwo food,
water, and his goatskin bag
● Obierika - friend of Okonkwo; gives up daughter to
her suitor
● Maduka - Obierika’s son (age 16); won wrestling
match by throwing opponent
● Ogbuefi Ndulue - Oldest man of Ire Village; dies
● Ozoemena - Ogbuefi Ndulue’s first wife; dies after her
husband
● Akueke - Obierika’s daughter; is to marry Ibe
● Ibe - Suitor for Akueke
Characters

12. ● Okonkwo does not eat for two days after death
of Ikemefuna
● Okonkwo goes to Obierika
● Obierika is not fond of what Okonkwo has done -
should have stayed home
○ Should not dispute it and should not be the
one to do it
● Ogbuefi Ndulue and Ozoemena die
● Ibe and relatives come to determine the bride-
price for Akueke
○ 20 bags of cowries
● The relatives discuss the “white men”
Basic Events

13. Okonkwo vs Self
Okonkwo vs the Earth
Obierika vs Ukegbu
Conflicts

14. ● People killing who the Oracle says
to
● Giving away young daughters to
older men for marriage at a bride-
price
○ Negotiate with broomsticks to
reach a price of cowries
Cultural Norms, Expectations,
Religion and Beliefs

15. ● Cam wood - a shrubby, hard, African tree;
commonly used to make red dye
● Uli - a dye used by women for drawing
patterns on the skin
● Jijida - a string of waist beads
Terms and Definitions
Cam Wood

16. ● Parents Discussing the future of their
children
● Bride-price asking permission to marry
someone’s child
Connections to Today

17. 1. Arranged marriages are common in some
places around the world. What is your
opinion about not just this arranged marriage
of the 16 year old girl and the 25 year old
man, but also of the fact her father sells her
to the family?
2. Would you consider Okonkwo weak like a
shivering old woman for not being able to
quickly forget and move on about the death
of Ikemefuna, who was practically a son to
Discussion Questions