The six Umuofian leaders who were imprisoned return home after being released. Okonkwo swears vengeance on the white men at an urgent village meeting to discuss the imprisonment. Okika, one of the returned prisoners, begins speaking at the meeting. Five court messengers then arrive to end the meeting, but Okonkwo kills one of the messengers with his machete. The others flee as the crowd becomes turbulent, with Okonkwo concluding the disrupted meeting by wiping his machete before leaving.

1. Ch 23
By John Butler
http://rschs.rcsnc.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_4792664/Image/jpatton/things-fall-apartbook.jpg

2. Basic Events
•
•
Mr. Smith meets with the District Commissioner
•
The District Commissioner pretends to meet with the Umuofian leaders and has them
handcuffed and imprisoned
•
The Men are then told to pay a fine of 250 bags of Cowries immediately or they will be
hanged
•
After three days of silence Okonkwo tells the others they should have killed the white man
and the messenger overhears Okonkwo and they all get beaten by the messenger with a
few blows to there head and back
•
The People of Umuofia are told by the court messengers that they have to pay a fine of
250 bags of Cowries for their leaders to be released
•
•
The Village Crier calls all the men of Umuofia to a meeting in the marketplace
The District Commissioner is told that the the six Umuofian leaders molested others,
Burned houses, and their church
The men of Umuofia agree to collect the 250 bags of Cowries and pay the white men

3. Cowries

4. Conflicts
Village vs. White men
Smith vs. Umuofian leaders

5. Cultural Norms
•
The Village Crier beating the ogene for the men of Umuofia to meet in
the marketplace
•
Village Meetings

6. Terms and Definitions
•
•
•
egwugwu: Men who disguise themselves as the ancestral spirits of the
village
ilo: Village green
ogene: a musical instrument; a kind of gong
http://www.total-facts-about-nigeria.com/image-files/ogene-music.jpg

7. Connections to Today
•
Consequences of not paying a fine
•
Torture

8. Characters
Okonkwo: He meets with the District commissioner and is imprisoned until the village pays the
fine of 250 bags of Cowries
District Commissioner: Returns from tour and talks to Mr. Smith. He then pretends to meet with
the six Umuofian leaders and has them imprisoned because of molesting others, Burning
houses and their church
Ogbuefi Ekwueme: One of the six leaders to be imprisoned. Began telling story of how Enoch
murdered an egwugwu but was then interrupted by the twelve men who handcuffed the six
Umuofian leaders.
Mr. Smith: Meets with District Commissioner and accuses the six Umuofian leaders of molesting,
destroying houses and the church.
Head Messenger: He is the Prisoners Barber. Took a razor and shaved the hair off of all six of
the Umuofian leaders
Ezinma: She had past the final day for visiting her future husband’s family.

9. Questions
1. Do you think holding the six Umuofian
leaders hostage will lead to war?
2. In your opinion, what contributes most to
things falling apart in Umuofia?

10. Things Fall Apart
Chapter 24
by Sam Estabrook

11. Basic Events
•
•
•
•
•
The six men return home to the village after being released
•
During the speech five court messengers approach the meeting to
order it to end
•
•
Ezinma prepares food for Okonkwo in his obi
The village crier announced another meeting would held in the morning
Okonkwo swore vengeance on the white man
Okika is the first to speak at the meeting in the marketplace, he is one
of the six prisoners and an orator
Okonkwo then kills one of the messengers with his machete
The other messengers leave and the meeting is concluded with the
crowd in turmoil
Okonkwo wipes his machete and leaves

12. Conflicts
The Village vs. White Men
Okonkwo vs. Egonwanne

13. Cultural Norms
•
Village meetings
•
The Crier going around town to let everyone know of the meetin
•
Welcoming the prisoners with food

14. Terms and Definitions
nno- to welcome

15. Connections to Today

16. Characters

17. Questions