English 220
Purple Hibiscus
Lecture 1:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
- Born in Eastern Nigeria
- Parents & grandparents caught up in Biafran conflict after independence
Historical context of novel:
- 1960= Nigeria became independent
- Eastern Nigeria= site for intense Catholic missionary activity during colonial period; this
produced concentration of westernized, English- speaking Nigerians who were well-equipped
to take on positions in government after independence
- Catholic missionaries viewed Igbo culture as barbaric & aligned with devil
- Catholic church promoted speaking & writing of English, Igbo was not permissible in church
- English takes on connotations of morality & civilization, in contrast to the connotations of Igbo
with evil
Comparison between Things Fall Apart & Purple Hibiscus:
- Allusion to Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart “things started to fall apart at home”: signal that
relationship between texts is being evoked, important intertext for novel
- Why did Adichie choose to begin text in this way? It pays homage & respect to first generation
of Nigerian authors; this act of writing novel is only possible because of their efforts in western
dominated sphere
- Achebe = pioneer of African literature
- Signals that reader should view texts as engaged in dialogue, required to note differences &
similarities between texts
- Things Fall Apart = published in 1958, set during this time period (on cusp of Nigerian
independence)
- Purple Hibiscus-= published in 2003, set in 1980s (post-independence period, military coup,
taking over of democratic government by military & how this affects society – limits on freedom
of speech, movement, intimidation, torture)
- Based on period when Nigeria is under dictatorship
- Both of novels are concerned with historical legacy of colonialism
- They lookback at colonial period & try to understand ways that colonialism still affects Nigerian
society in present
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF JENNA ROSE LOPES- DO NOT ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE.
(SUMMARIES MADE USING ENG 220 LECTURES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: INTELLECTUAL
CREDIT IS DUE TO THE LECTURERS OF THIS MODULE.)
, - Explore long-lasting effects of colonial rule (both are examples of post-colonial literature)
- Difference to note: this novel carries much greater focus on post-colonial violence that
continues
What falls apart in each novel?
- Things Fall Apart = ends with arrival of missionaries & marks gradual disintegration of pre-
colonial Igbo society, focused on broader social canvas
- Purple Hibiscus = focus on private & intimate affairs of family that are derailed & disintegrated
Post-colonialism:
- Involved studied engagement with experience of colonialism & its past & present effected
Jaja’s opposition to his father’s authority:
- Jaja publicly refuses communion
- Makes taboo statements: instead of calling communion wafer “host” he describes it as “wafer”
which strips it of its sacred connotations & reduces it to an ordinary biscuit; as well as suggests
that priest engages in inappropriate behaviour “the priest keeps touching my mouth and it
nauseates me”
- Jaja refuses to participate in family ritual of sampling father’s products & complimenting them at
dinner
- Moment of crisis = son is defiant against absolute authority of controlling, abusive father
- Resistance to patriarchy is not taken as liberated moment for Kambili; she is consumed with
fear based on fact that Jaja has not opted to sink back comfortably into submissive roles
- Kambili experiences disintegration of her world as she knows it
Family drama is played out against backdrop of turbulent political context:
- Main focus of novel= intimate relations of domestic life
- Also moves outwards towards socio-political context in which family exists
- References to growing military presence in streets, roadblock, soldiers asserting violence on
people, breakdown of state services (absence of fuel, lack of electricity), growing political
unrest
- Novel uses juxtaposition to connect violence within family & violence on community level
- Example = abuse against mother who suffered miscarriage is contrasted with violence suffered
by drug traffickers who were executed by government
- Events of political world are echoed at home (both forms of violence lead to psychological &
physical trauma
- Suggestion that by analyzing violence in 1 sphere, will begin to understand violence in another
sphere
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF JENNA ROSE LOPES- DO NOT ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE.
(SUMMARIES MADE USING ENG 220 LECTURES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: INTELLECTUAL
CREDIT IS DUE TO THE LECTURERS OF THIS MODULE.)
Purple Hibiscus
Lecture 1:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
- Born in Eastern Nigeria
- Parents & grandparents caught up in Biafran conflict after independence
Historical context of novel:
- 1960= Nigeria became independent
- Eastern Nigeria= site for intense Catholic missionary activity during colonial period; this
produced concentration of westernized, English- speaking Nigerians who were well-equipped
to take on positions in government after independence
- Catholic missionaries viewed Igbo culture as barbaric & aligned with devil
- Catholic church promoted speaking & writing of English, Igbo was not permissible in church
- English takes on connotations of morality & civilization, in contrast to the connotations of Igbo
with evil
Comparison between Things Fall Apart & Purple Hibiscus:
- Allusion to Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart “things started to fall apart at home”: signal that
relationship between texts is being evoked, important intertext for novel
- Why did Adichie choose to begin text in this way? It pays homage & respect to first generation
of Nigerian authors; this act of writing novel is only possible because of their efforts in western
dominated sphere
- Achebe = pioneer of African literature
- Signals that reader should view texts as engaged in dialogue, required to note differences &
similarities between texts
- Things Fall Apart = published in 1958, set during this time period (on cusp of Nigerian
independence)
- Purple Hibiscus-= published in 2003, set in 1980s (post-independence period, military coup,
taking over of democratic government by military & how this affects society – limits on freedom
of speech, movement, intimidation, torture)
- Based on period when Nigeria is under dictatorship
- Both of novels are concerned with historical legacy of colonialism
- They lookback at colonial period & try to understand ways that colonialism still affects Nigerian
society in present
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF JENNA ROSE LOPES- DO NOT ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE.
(SUMMARIES MADE USING ENG 220 LECTURES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: INTELLECTUAL
CREDIT IS DUE TO THE LECTURERS OF THIS MODULE.)
, - Explore long-lasting effects of colonial rule (both are examples of post-colonial literature)
- Difference to note: this novel carries much greater focus on post-colonial violence that
continues
What falls apart in each novel?
- Things Fall Apart = ends with arrival of missionaries & marks gradual disintegration of pre-
colonial Igbo society, focused on broader social canvas
- Purple Hibiscus = focus on private & intimate affairs of family that are derailed & disintegrated
Post-colonialism:
- Involved studied engagement with experience of colonialism & its past & present effected
Jaja’s opposition to his father’s authority:
- Jaja publicly refuses communion
- Makes taboo statements: instead of calling communion wafer “host” he describes it as “wafer”
which strips it of its sacred connotations & reduces it to an ordinary biscuit; as well as suggests
that priest engages in inappropriate behaviour “the priest keeps touching my mouth and it
nauseates me”
- Jaja refuses to participate in family ritual of sampling father’s products & complimenting them at
dinner
- Moment of crisis = son is defiant against absolute authority of controlling, abusive father
- Resistance to patriarchy is not taken as liberated moment for Kambili; she is consumed with
fear based on fact that Jaja has not opted to sink back comfortably into submissive roles
- Kambili experiences disintegration of her world as she knows it
Family drama is played out against backdrop of turbulent political context:
- Main focus of novel= intimate relations of domestic life
- Also moves outwards towards socio-political context in which family exists
- References to growing military presence in streets, roadblock, soldiers asserting violence on
people, breakdown of state services (absence of fuel, lack of electricity), growing political
unrest
- Novel uses juxtaposition to connect violence within family & violence on community level
- Example = abuse against mother who suffered miscarriage is contrasted with violence suffered
by drug traffickers who were executed by government
- Events of political world are echoed at home (both forms of violence lead to psychological &
physical trauma
- Suggestion that by analyzing violence in 1 sphere, will begin to understand violence in another
sphere
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF JENNA ROSE LOPES- DO NOT ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE.
(SUMMARIES MADE USING ENG 220 LECTURES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: INTELLECTUAL
CREDIT IS DUE TO THE LECTURERS OF THIS MODULE.)
