Jess Lakritz

This is one of 40 lesson plans I’ve created for different works of literature, both fiction and nonfiction. More examples are available upon request.

About the Author

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born on September 15, 1977 in Enugu, Nigeria. Before her birth, Adichie’s family lost nearly everything as a result of the Nigerian Civil War. She was raised in Nsukka, near the University of Nigeria. Her father, James Nwoye Adichie, was a professor of statistics and later became the deputy vice-chancellor of the university. Her mother, Ifeoma Adichie, was the university’s first female registrar. Adichie is the fifth child in a family of six children. Her family is of Igbo descent.

Adichie enrolled at the University of Nigeria, where she studied medicine and pharmacy. After a year and a half, Adichie relocated to the United States to continue her studies, though switched her focus to communication and political science. Although she did not originally study literature, Adichie nourished her longstanding interest in writing. She worked as an editor for her university’s student-led publication, and she published both a collection of poems and a play before completing her undergraduate studies. She graduated with a B.A. summa cum laude from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2001. She went on to receive master’s degrees from both John Hopkins University (creative writing) and Yale University (African history).

From a young age, Adichie was inspired by Chinua Achebe’s literary representation of Nigerian people. In 2003, Adichie published her first novel, entitled Purple Hibiscus. It was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and awarded the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book. She was awarded the Orange Prize in 2007 for her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun. In 2008, she received a MacArthur Fellowship. Her collection of short stories, entitled The Thing Around Your Neck, was published in 2009, and Americanah, Adichie’s 2013 novel, won the US National Book Critics Circle Award and was listed in the New York Times’ Top Ten Best Books of 2013.

Adichie’s work centers around the themes of Nigerian culture, African identity in the United States, and feminism. In 2009, Adichie gave a TED Talk entitled “The Danger of a Single Story.” The video clip later went viral on YouTube. In 2012, Adichie gave another TEDx talk called “We Should All be Feminists,” which was later sampled in Beyonce’s 2013 hit song, “***Flawless.” TIME Magazine named Adichie one of their 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2015.

In 2017, she published an epistolary manifesto, Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. Her most recent work, published in 2021, is a memoir centered on her experience of losing her father, called Notes on Grief.

Adichie currently lives between the United States and Nigeria.

Study Objectives

1. Students will learn about the complex history surrounding the Nigerian Civil War.
2. Students will identify and analyze important themes (such as colonialism, the futility of war, bigotry, and betrayal) in the text and their relevance throughout recent history and today.
3. Students will explore and communicate their ideas related to complex, difficult, and controversial topics related to the text using multiple forms of expression.
4. Students will be able to write and speak insightfully about the social and moral messages in the novel.

Introduction to Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) is one of the seminal works of literature written by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born in 1977). It chronicles the Nigerian Civil War of the late 1960s, depicting a politically charged climate. In particular, Adichie focuses on the fates of characters of Igbo descent. Members of this ethnic group were targeted in a series of attacks that took place in northern Nigeria in 1966. This bloodshed was followed by the formation of the state of Biafra out of southern Nigeria and by a war that, as depicted in the novel, saw the Biafrans fighting more formidable Northern forces. Hostilities came to an end in 1970.

The text falls under the category of historical fiction. Beyond depicting the realities faced by civilians, the novel is an extensive critique of war – a source of disruption, starvation, sickness, and senseless violence in Half of a Yellow Sun. The novel is more concerned with people who exist at some remove from the center of power than with the machinations of governments and politicians. Premised on a few important structural splits, the story is told from the perspectives of three significant characters: Olanna, Ugwu, and Richard. Two of these characters – Olanna and Ugwu – are of Igbo descent, while Richard is a white British expatriate who is sympathetic to the Biafran cause. Adichie in this manner explores a diverse set of facets of African life, depicting characters who can no longer take their privileges for granted (Olanna, Richard) or who are just beginning to enjoy some of the benefits of a changing modern world (Ugwu).

Half of a Yellow Sun, along with the novels Purple Hibiscus and Americanah, helped to establish Adichie as a prominent voice in global and postmodern literature. Reviewing Adichie’s chronicle in the New York Times, Rob Nixon praised the novel for speaking “through history to our war-racked age not through abstract analogy but through the energy of vibrant, sometimes horrifying detail.” The book would go on to win the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction (since renamed the Women’s Prize for Fiction), and Adichie herself would receive a MacArthur “Genius Grant” worth half a million dollars in 2008.

While works of fiction such as Half of a Yellow Sun form much of the basis of Adichie’s acclaim, the author may be best known to casual readers for her much-publicized TedX talk, “The Danger of a Single Story.” This presentation emphasizes the need to see past stereotypes and to ask critical questions about modern cultures – including one’s own. Although Adichie herself did not live through the Nigerian Civil War, her book was meticulously researched and was meant to capture the complex reality of a fraught historical period. Her willingness to consider a balance of cultural perspectives, her focus on Igbo culture in the face of modernization, and her stark, unsentimental prose have helped to cast her as a successor to Chinua Achebe – a hallowed Nigerian author who exhibits similar strengths of expression and whose words provide the epigraph for Half of a Yellow Sun.

In 2013, a film adaptation of Half of a Yellow Sun novel was released. Despite the talents of its all-star cast – Thandie Newton as Olanna, John Boyega as Ugwu, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as the professor Odenigbo – the film received mediocre reviews.

Tone

The tone of the novel shifts depending on the time period it is depicting.

In the sections of the novel that depict the early 1960s, the tone is mostly optimistic and hopeful, though the love affairs of the main characters often create moments of tension.

In the sections of the novel that depict the late 1960s, the tone begins as hopeful and patriotic, but as the war continues and the human and social cost of the war becomes apparent on the Biafran side, it shifts to desperate and despairing.

Setting

The novel takes place in Nigeria in the 1960s.

Point of View

The novel uses the alternating third-person limited perspectives of three characters: Ugwu, Olanna, and Richard. At the end of some chapters, it also includes short excerpts from The World Was Silent When We Died, the book Ugwu later wrote.

Character Development

Olanna – Olanna is one of the novel’s three protagonists. She is the daughter of a wealthy Igbo family, studied in London, then moved back to Nigeria. Olanna takes a job as a Sociology instructor at the University of Nsukka to be with Odenigbo, the man she loves. Their relationship and love are tested by infidelity and the brutal civil war. Olanna has a fraught relationship with her twin sister Kainene, though the war ends up bringing them closer together as the people of Biafra struggle for their lives. She is a strong, moral woman, though her hopeful outlook about the war often precludes her seeing Biafra’s reality.

Ugwu – Ugwu, another protagonist, is a boy from a small Nigerian village who works as a houseboy for Odenigbo, a mathematics professor at the University of Nsukka. When he begins working for Odenigbo, it becomes clear that he has not had much exposure to modern luxuries like refrigerators, running water, and plentiful food. Odenigbo pays for Ugwu’s education, and he becomes a keen reader right away. He maintains the culture of superstition acquired from his upbringing throughout the novel, though it fades a bit as he furthers his education. The war is challenging for Ugwu, having become accustomed to modern luxuries. He eventually is conscripted into the Biafran army, where he is forced to participate in the horrors of war, including committing violence against civilians. He ends up writing a book about the Civil War; snippets of it appear throughout the novel.

Richard – Richard is a white British expatriate and aspiring writer with a fascination with Igbo-Ukwu pottery and the culture that created it. Upon meeting Kainene, he quickly falls in love with her. Eventually, they become a couple and their bond grows. Richard seems to be unlike most white expatriates in Nigeria, maintaining a humble and curious attitude where others project superiority. When Biafra separates from Nigeria, Richard feels like he is part of the new country instead of an outsider, even if others don’t necessarily view him that way. During the war, he is genuinely interested in alleviating the suffering he sees all around him.

Odenigbo – Odenigbo is Olanna’s lover and later her husband. He is a mathematics professor at the University of Nsukka with strong political opinions, even during times of peace. Other characters often refer to him as a revolutionary. While he loves Olanna, he ends up getting another girl pregnant, which threatens their relationship. Odenigbo tries to be true to his moral positions, including supporting education for everyone, which is why he offers to educate Ugwu. He is an uncompromising supporter of Biafra, though this stance sometimes clouds his judgment, not allowing him to see the grim reality of Biafra during the war. When things in Biafra get worse and his mother died, Odenigbo turns to alcohol and his relationship with Olanna suffers for it.

Kainene – Kainene is Olanna’s fraternal twin sister. She is a sharp, sophisticated, and strong-willed businesswoman involved in her father’s companies. However, she is not nearly as classically beautiful as her sister, which ends up creating a wall between them. Kainene gets into a serious relationship with Richard, though an instance of infidelity causes tension in their relationship for a while. After the war breaks out, Kainene eventually becomes involved in humanitarian efforts on behalf of refugees. At the end of the novel, she has disappeared

Baby – Baby (whose real name is Chiamaka, though the only one who calls her that is Kainene) is first introduced as the young daughter of Olanna and Odenigbo. However, it is later revealed that she is Odenigbo’s child with Amala, the woman with whom he was unfaithful to Olanna. Amala doesn’t want the child, so Olanna, having fertility issues, decides to take her in to raise her with Odenigbo. The deprivations of the Civil War cause Baby some health issues.

Mama – Mama is Odenigbo’s mother, a traditional Igbo woman who lives in a rural village. She does not like Olanna, so she connivingly figures out a way to get her son drunk to sleep with Amala and get her pregnant. During the Civil War, Mama refuses to leave her home even when enemy forces arrive, and she ends up getting killed.

Madu – Colonel Madu Madu is a close friend of Kainene. Richard is skeptical of him, thinking he and Kainene may have something going on behind his back. This creates some tension between them. When the second coup occurs, Madu is forced to flee from the North, hiding in a chicken coop and water tank in order to reach safety.

Eberechi – Eberechi is Ugwu’s love interest during the Civil War. Ugwu is attracted to Eberechi at first because of her voluptuous buttocks, though he eventually also grows fond of her personality. While Eberechi dies in the war, Richard is the one who discovers what happened to her and decides against telling Ugwu.

Themes

Colonialism – Since the novel is set in Nigeria in the 1960s, just after the country becomes independent from England, colonialism is an important theme in the novel. Colonialism has caused cultural, religious, economic, and personal issues for the country and for many Nigerians. England as a colonial power brought 300 different ethnic tribes together as one country in the early 20th century, and many historians say the colonizer purposefully let animosity between the groups flourish for its own benefit. This resulted in hostilities between different territories, namely between the Igbo tribes, the Yoruba tribes, and the Hausa tribes in the north. The British government has helped the Hausa people gain control in the government, leaving particularly the Igbo people unrepresented. This is the cause of the coups that led to the vicious and deadly Civil War. It also results in hostilities between those who have chosen modernization brought in by the Western colonizers over traditional culture, a dichotomy that causes tension between characters like Mama and Olanna.

The Futility of War – In response to years of hostility and finally the Hausa massacre of Igbo people in the north after an Igbo coup, Igbo revolutionaries declare their people will separate from Nigeria and become a new country called Biafra, free from ethnic violence. The Biafran declaration of independence leads to the Civil War, and the major characters of the novel, including Odenigbo, Olanna, Kainene, and Richard, fully support the cause. In these characters live hope and dreams of flourishing as an independent nation. However, the world’s major powers side with Nigeria over Biafra, providing weapons and supplies to Nigeria and keeping supplies and food from reaching Biafra. The result is mass death and starvation on the Biafran side. Biafra’s aspirations become futile, and they eventually lose the war. On a political level, the tension between the Igbo and Hausa people is not resolved, though dissent by the Igbo people is squashed when the war ends. The lofty ideals and aspirations of the characters don’t survive either, seen more cuttingly though Odenigbo and Ugwu. The novel begins and ends in Nsukka, suggesting a vicious cycle created by the war. Odenigbo, Olanna, Ugwu, Richard, and Baby return to their Nsukka homes after the war as mentally dejected, poorer, and angrier versions of themselves.

Betrayal – Adichie presents the theme of betrayal on both personal and political levels in the novel. Politically, the massacre of the Igbo people represents a devastating betrayal that leads to the secession of Biafra and increased hostility between the Igbo and Hausa. On a personal level, betrayal occurs several times throughout the novel. Odenigbo betrays Olanna by being unfaithful and getting another woman pregnant. In response to this betrayal, Olanna decides to sleep with Richard, a betrayal that impacts both Odenigbo and her twin sister Kainene, as Richard is Kainene’s partner. Richard allows himself to be seduced by the beautiful Olanna, thus betraying Kainene himself. Because Olanna is much prettier than Kainene, the sting of Olanna and Richard’s behavior is magnified. Kainene’s response is to burn Richard’s manuscript, a betrayal in its own right. Odenigbo’s mother betrays her son by orchestrating Odenigbo’s infidelity, with the explicit aim of having Odenigbo impregnate Amala. The betrayals cause lingering pain, suffering, and tension between the involved parties.

The Perseverance of Love – Despite the deeply wounding betrayals between Odenigbo, Olanna, Kainene, and Richard, love persists. Part of this may be linked to the war, as Biafra’s independence initially inspires hope in the characters. Later, as Biafra’s situation becomes desperate, the persistence of love may be linked to the shared experience of trauma the characters undergo as well as the need to stay together for survival. This is particularly true between Olanna and Kainene, as the threats to survival brought on by the war make the sisters closer than they’ve ever been. This brings about a perspective shift that allows Kainene to finally forgive her sister. Olanna also stays with Odenigbo when he turns to alcohol, semi-excusing his despicable behavior because of his depression over the dire state of Biafra and his mother dying. However, this theme is complicated by Kainene’s disappearance at the end of the novel. Will Richard’s love for her, and Olanna’s, persist in spite of her absence?

Self-Improvement and Its Reversals – Parts 1 and 3 of the novel depict Nigeria before the war, where the story is one of modernization, both of the country and the characters. Ugwu becomes employed by Odenigbo, which introduces him to modern luxuries and education. This is life-changing for the boy, moving out of a tribal village into a cosmopolitan scene where he’s under the influence of fairly wealthy intellectuals. The more educated Ugwu becomes, the more he moves away from his tribal culture and superstitions. Ugwu is dedicated to reading and educating himself throughout the novel, eventually writing a book about the war. However, because of the war, the wealthier characters—Olanna, Kainene, Odenigbo, Madu, and others—lose their wealth. This movement is a sad reality of war for many people. And for all of Ugwu’s personal and professional development, which should move him forward to rewards and opportunities, he ends up forced into serving in the war as a soldier and committing sexual violence. His intellectual development then works against him, as he must grapple intellectually, morally, and emotionally with what he’s done.

Bigotry – The novel portrays the racial and ethnic stereotyping of African people and culture through various characters. African society and people are seen as inferior by white European people. Susan openly expresses her bigotry, as do the white American journalists Richard meets during the war. Furthermore, Madu enlists Richard, a white Englishman, to write about what’s happening in Biafra from the inside in an attempt to get the world to pay attention and lend a hand. The stereotyping and racist remarks against African people highlight the binaries and cruelties created by colonialism.

Symbols

Refrigeration and Running Water – When Ugwu arrives to Odenigo’s house he encounters, for the first time in his life, a refrigerator and running water. These are symbols of modernization and wealth, showing the huge discrepancy between the wealthier people in Nigeria and the poorer people. The fact that Ugwu does not have these amenities in his whole village paints a picture of the poverty that continues to exist in Nigeria despite colonization, showing that colonizers don’t provide enough support to fully develop their colonies.

Roped Pots – The roped pots from earlier Igbo-Ukwu culture are what initially drew Richard to Nigeria. They come to symbolize his love for Nigeria (later just Biafra) as well as his love for Kainene. He holds the country dear even when it is overrun by warfare. Because Richard is an outsider, people assume he does not have strong emotions about the war and that he, like most white people, feels superior to Africans. Richard feels—and over time, Kainene comes to trust—that he has genuine interest in and love for Nigeria, far beyond investigating the roped pots.

Half of a Yellow Sun – The half of a yellow sun, which is pictured on the Biafran flag, is meant to symbolize the glorious, prosperous future of Biafra as an independent nation in the form of a rising sun. However, that half of a yellow sun could just as well be the sun setting. As the war progresses and it becomes clear that Biafra will lose, that half of a yellow sun seems to also symbolize the end of hope for Biafra. At one point, Adichie mentions Biafran soldiers fighting without the symbol on their uniforms, representing the struggle and hopeless state of Biafra near the end of the war.

Girl’s Head in Calabash – As Olanna flees Kano by train after the massacre, a woman beside her has the head of a young girl in her calabash. The girl’s hair is braided, and the woman comments that it took a long time to braid her daughter’s hair. This is a gruesome symbol of the horrors and atrocities of war, and the war hasn’t even technically started yet. It serves as an early signal of what is to come in Biafra for the Igbo people. Later in the novel, during the war, Kainene and Richard witness their steward’s head get blown off during an air raid.

Hot Peppers – Amala eats hot peppers in an attempt to get rid of her pregnancy. They are a symbol of traditional culture to contrast with modern culture. Amala’s hometown, like many Igbo villages, rejects modern medicine in favor of the power of certain herbs, plants, and concoctions to have real effects on the human body and spirit. Characters like Olanna, Odenigbo, and Kainene reject these superstitious beliefs, whereas Mama, Amala, Jomo, and Harrison, who all come from small villages, maintain them. Ugwu, having come from a village, eventually begins to reject these traditional aspects of culture the more he spends time with Odenigbo and Olanna.

Climax

The climatic points of the novel occur during the horrific final stages of the war and Kainene’s disappearance after going to trade across enemy lines.

Structure

The novel contains four parts, skipping back and forth between the early 1960s before the war (Part 1 and Part 3) and the late 1960s during the war to its end (Part 2 and Part 4).

Relationship to Other Books

Some of Adichie’s books address overlapping themes with Half of a Yellow Sun, including Purple Hibiscus, Americanah, and The Thing Around Your Neck. These can provide additional insight into the realities of life for Nigerians in and out of Africa.

Reading other contemporary literature by Nigerian authors can provide another perspective on the lived experiences of Nigerians. For example, Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen and The Bride Price deal with themes of racism, gender and racial oppression, and immigration. Chinua Achebe is a widely recognized and acclaimed Nigerian author whom Adichie found inspirational. His novels include Things Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah.

Bringing in Technology

In the Day #1 activity “A Character in Your Corner,” students will use a website or app to make infographics.

In the Day #2 activity “Diving Further into Nigerian History,” students will use the internet to research Nigerian history surrounding the Civil War.

In the Day #2 activity “Diving Further into Nigerian History,” students will make digital presentations on the history of the Civil War in Nigeria.

In the Day #3 activity “Video Analysis of Two Adichie Texts,” students will use an app to make their video analyses.

In the Day #4 activity “The Theme of Love,” students will use the internet to find appropriate images for their collages and use an app to make digital collages.

In the Day #5 activity “Who Said It Quiz,” students will use their digital devices to participate in the game.

Notes to the Teacher

Half of a Yellow Sun contains outright racism, violence, explicit sexual violence and sex scenes, gender oppression, and adult language. It will be necessary to have serious conversations with the class addressing things these subjects ahead of reading the book. The book’s violence, racism, explicit sexual violence, and gender oppression in particular are sensitive and often disturbing topics. The teacher should prepare the students for all of this sensitive and potentially very personal and traumatic content, reinforcing that the classroom, above all, will remain a place for respectful and understanding discourse. Depending on the maturity of the class, it might be helpful to have a broad discussion about sexuality and its role in romantic relationships.

DAY ONE

Reading assignment: Read Part 1: The Early Sixties (Chapters 1-6).

Chapter Summaries:

Chapter 1: Chapter One is written from the perspective of Ugwu, a young man whose Aunty found him employment as a houseboy. His employer is a mathematics professor at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka named Odenigbo. Ugwu is eager to please Odenigbo but is surprised by the amenities – running water, books, abundant food – in the professor’s house. Odenigbo is serious but generous; he learns that Ugwu has not had a chance to get an education and decides to enroll Ugwu in a primary school.

Ugwu’s eagerness to please Odenigbo is apparent. He keeps his car and house exceptionally clean. He even irons—and, in the process, melts—a pair of Odenigbo’s socks. Soon, Ugwu’s duties include cooking and serving drinks to Odenibgo’s academic friends—Dr. Patel, Professor Ezeka, the poet Okeoma, and Miss Adebayo—when they visit.

After the first four months of Ugwu’s employment, a woman comes to live with Odenigbo, and Ugwu is impressed by the musical English that this alluring guest speaks. She helps Ugwu with some of his cooking and laundry duties. Ugwu feels conflicted: he does not want to give up his responsibilities in taking care of Odenigbo but feels an affinity with Odenigbo’s new companion. Late in the first day of this new arrangement, he also hears Odenigbo making love to the new woman.

Chapter 2:

Chapter Two shifts to the perspective of Olanna, the woman who came to live with Odenigbo in Chapter One. Olanna is catching a flight from Nsukka to Lagos, where she will visit her parents. While waiting for the plane, she begins to talk with a Nigerian family who is waiting for a relative—the first person from the family’s village to go overseas. When a plane begins to land and does not stop, the family’s grandmother begins to panic, but Olanna calms this older woman down. Olanna also reflects on when she first met Odenigbo. They had been waiting for a theater performance; Odenigbo had spoken out in anger when a white man was invited to skip to the front of the line. They had an immediate connection upon introduction.

Olanna arrives for dinner with her parents, her twin sister Kainene, and Chief Okonji, a possible business contact for the family. When Chief Okonji gets Olanna mostly alone, he tries to seduce her; Olanna rejects his advances. She suspects her parents arranged for the rendezvous with Chief Okonji but does not mention it to them. Olanna and Kainene later talk about how Kainene’s love interest Richard is moving to Nsukka. Olanna then travels to Kano to visit her relatives Uncle Mbaezi and Aunty Ifeka, people whose simpler lifestyle she finds refreshing at times. She also pays a visit to Mohammed, the wealthy, modern Muslim who was her boyfriend before she became Odenigbo’s lover. Eventually, Olanna returns to Nsukka, where she begins teaching and settles into Odenigbo’s household, though she resists the idea of marriage.

Chapter 3:

Chapter Three is written from the perspective of Richard, a British expatriate who has settled into life in Nigeria. An aspiring writer, he is romantically attached to Susan, a white woman who introduces him at parties and becomes jealous when he talks to white women but not to women of African descent. At one such event, Richard meets Kainene and learns that she is the daughter of Chief Ozobia, a rich and well-connected Nigerian. Richard is intrigued by her.

The two meet soon afterward at a hotel; during their conversation, Richard reveals that he lost his parents when he was nine and was raised by his Aunt Elizabeth. These hotel meetings continue and a sexual attraction grows. Richard, however, often fails to have an erection.

Eventually, Richard breaks up with Susan on mostly-pleasant terms. She seems to assume they’ll get back together eventually. Richard’s relationship with Kainene progresses; she suggests that he stay with her in her large house in Port Harcourt on weekends and gives him advice on how to settle in at Nsukka, where he will be pursuing his writing career.

In these new settings, Richard finds himself on good terms with his cook Harrison, his gardener Jomo, and his new contacts Olanna and Odenigbo. He is slightly bothered by Kainene’s acquaintance with Major Madu Madu, an imposing military man who is clearly a longstanding business and family—and may, as Richard suspects, be her lover.

The chapter ends with Excerpt 1 of The World Was Silent When We Died. This excerpt explains that an undefined “he” has heard a story from Olanna—the story of a woman carrying a child’s head in a calabash container. (In historical genocides such as those in Germany and Rwanda, women also fled with parts of their children’s bodies.)

Chapter 4:

Ugwu is going about his duties in Odenigbo’s home and cleaning up chicken bones from a meal. Ugwu then turns to his studies: his teacher, Mrs. Oguike, has begun praising his “innate intelligence.” Unfortunately, news arrives through Ugwu’s aunt that Ugwu’s mother is sick. Odenigbo decides to handle the situation personally. He drives to Ugwu’s village to retrieve Ugwu’s mother, arranges for Dr. Patel to see her, and lets Ugwu’s mother rest at the house in Nsukka before she returns home.

Odenigbo’s own mother also visits the university community. Accompanied by a young woman named Amala, she arrives at the house and begins to talk with Ugwu; though she is pleasant towards him, she also takes over the cooking. Olanna arrives and is greeted with an outburst from Odenigbo’s mother, who accuses Olanna of being a witch and of brainwashing her son. Offended, Olanna goes to her personal flat. Ugwu goes to find Odenigbo to tell him what happened, and they return home together. Ugwu is surprised Odenigbo doesn’t go to comfort Olanna.

Chapter 5: Odenigbo goes to see Olanna. Although he attempts to apologize, Olanna remains offended by how she was treated. She worries that he sees her as a person who isn’t high-minded. After he leaves, Olanna places a call to Kainene and tries to talk about the distant relationship between the two sisters, only to be greeted with Kainene’s aloofness. Olanna then reflects on her desire to have Odenigbo’s child, and, when Odenigbo returns to the flat, she decides to return home with him. The two continue to have an active sexual relationship, yet Olanna intuits that she is not becoming pregnant.

Chapter 6:

The chapter opens with Richard eating Nigerian pepper soup in the company of some of Odenigbo’s regular guests for drinks and debate. Even though Richard’s cook, Harrison, gravitates to European cuisine, Richard is eager to fit into African culture. While Odenigbo and Professor Ezeka debate political events, Okeoma asks Richard about Richard’s own writing. When he begins talking about his love for Igbo-Ukwu art and how he wants to make it a central part of his book, Okeoma senses some surprise in his voice that “these people” are capable of making art like this. Richard is offended by the insinuation.

Richard feels that his manuscript is not quite coming together; upon his return home, he crumples his written pages. Then, he leaves for Kainene’s house in Port Harcourt, where he spends an easygoing morning yet admits that his writing is a source of personal confusion. He also brings up Okeoma’s comment, as it is still bothering him, and Kainene says that just because Richard loves Igbo-Ukwu art does not mean that he couldn’t also disrespect it in some ways at the same time.

The chapter ends with Excerpt 2 of The World Was Silent When We Died. This segment describes how the British took control of an area near the Niger River; these colonizers preferred the more arid and apparently more orderly North to the more tumultuous South. In 1914, these regions were joined under the common name Nigeria.

Discussion Questions:

1) What context clues does the first chapter provide about Ugwu’s life?

Responses should focus on how Ugwu’s thoughts and behaviors help to characterize him and help readers get a clear sense of who he is. For example, the fact that he’d never seen a fridge or a sink before working for Master are clear signals of his extreme poverty and cultural isolation—as is, perhaps, the fact that he’s very attached to the term “Master.” Another is the fact that he seems in awe of the food in Master’s fridge and even puts some chicken in his pockets for Anulika. His family structure includes polygamy, indicated by the “junior wife” the narrator refers to when Ugwu recalls his home life. He’s also barely gotten an education, and this is fairly normal for him. Ultimately, he is presented as a person who comes from a more tribal, traditional Nigeria, ignorant of Western modernization and almost everything that comes along with it. This is a sharp contrast to the other main characters in the book.

2) Why do you think the author shifts the narrative perspective between chapters? Also, consider the novel’s three protagonists. Why do you think Adichie chose them?

Readers should recognize the opportunity that comes of three distinct perspectives: to see into the minds of different people and how they think/feel/interact with the world, or more specifically, Nigeria and its place in the world, during this period of time, the 1960s. Ugwu is poor, grew up without education, grew up with Igbo tribal customs and mentality, and is largely unaware of issues outside of his own life or his village until he begins to work for Odenigbo. Olanna is wealthy, privileged, beautiful Nigerian woman who was educated in England, a colonizer country. This is a stark contrast to Ugwu’s perspective, which helps situate the diversity of Nigeria for foreign readers. Richard provides the perspective of an outsider, a white Englishman living as an expatriate in Nigeria. He is part of the colonizer class and culture and, though he seems to deviate from many of the local white colonizers and is in love with a Nigerian, who he is naturally comes with privileges and ignorance about African experiences.

3) Discuss Adichie’s representation of tradition versus modernity in Part 1 of the novel.

Strong responses will recognize and articulate the way Adichie places modernity and tradition in opposition to one another throughout this section of the book. They should provide examples of where they see tradition and modernity represented as well as how they are represented in opposition to one another. Characters like Olanna, Kainene, and their family; Odenigbo and his friends; Richard; and Mohammed are representations of modernity. Their wealth, class, and status have allowed them an opportunity for Western education and access to the modernity of Western life and society. This separates them from tradition. Richard is the only main character who does not have tribalist tradition in his past, though it can be argued that certain characters (like Olanna and Kainene) never experienced it firsthand either, at least not very much. Ugwu and his family; Olanna’s family in Kano; and Odenigbo’s mother are clear representations of tradition. Particularly Ugwu and Odenigbo’s mother provide the sharp contrast between the old and the new, tradition versus modernity.

4) In a political discussion with his academic cohorts, Odenigbo says, “What people fail to see is this: If Europe had cared more about Africa, the Jewish Holocaust would not have happened […] In short, the World War would not have happened.” Most of his friends seem to outwardly disagree with his position on this. Why do you think Adichie includes this intense perspective in the novel?

Readers should consider why Adichie is including these kinds of heavy political discussions in a book that in the first section seems to be a mild account of life in Nigeria for wealthier, educated folks. The conflicts or tensions that arise seem to result from the contrast between tradition and modernity. The strongest responses (also considering that some students may know that the book is headed into the Nigerian Civil War) will posit that this is foreshadowing. Specifically, this comment by Odenigbo may reflect what is coming for Nigeria at the hands of European neglect and how that relates to the Holocaust.

5) At the end of Chapters Three and Six (Richard’s chapters), there are excerpts from or perhaps descriptions of a book called The World Was Silent When We Died. How do you see these passages connecting with the rest of the book?

Strong responses will likely hypothesize that these are passages from or descriptions of the book Richard will eventually write. This hypothesis can easily be made by the fact that Richard is a writer working on a book about Nigeria, and they appear at the end of his chapters. However, it is impossible to know exactly what these passages are at this point, so the question invites students to ponder this, whether or not they think Richard will write this “book.” The subject matter of these passages include scenes of violence (a child’s bloody head inside of a calabash and how this is presented alongside scenes from seemingly the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide). Olanna is a witness, providing some context for this violent scene and foreshadowing her involvement. The excerpts also describe some Nigerian history, including northern versus southern Nigeria, and superficial reasons for why the British preferred the north. Especially astute responses might include how this positioning sets up a division within Nigeria that could be foreshadowing civil war.

Activity 1: History of Colonialism and Postcolonialism in Nigeria

Objective: Students will learn about Nigerian history related to British colonial rule in Nigeria and Nigerian independence and postcolonialism and connect it to the values and lifestyles of the characters in the book.

Structure: In Part 1 of Half of a Yellow Sun, the novel, as a work of historical fiction, represents what Nigeria was like during this period: post-colonialism, the country’s newly gained independence from Britain, and the clash between traditional tribal elements and many facets of modernity brought in, in large part, by the west. As such, it is important for readers to understand Nigerian history during this time to contextualize what is going on in his section of the book, taking place in the early 1960s.

First, have students read the article, “The Fight for Nigerian Independence.”

After reading the article, students will write an ~300-word piece that considers the ways British colonization and Nigeria’s subsequent independence impacted Nigerian values and lifestyle as seen in the novel. Before they begin writing, students should come up with a thesis statement (one sentence clearly stating the main idea of their essay) and a brief outline. Their outlines should include the different values they see in the characters in the novel and how British colonization and Nigerian independence in 1960 seem to have influenced them (or not).

Differentiated Instruction Ideas:

1) You might follow the video with a brief group discussion on the values of the characters in the book and how they might be connected to British colonization and post-colonial lifestyle before students write their essays.

2) You might recommend or allow students to use external (reliable) resources when writing their essays to help deepen and solidify their understanding of this part of Nigerian history and how it relates to the book.

Assessment Ideas: Assess students on their how well they articulate the connection between Nigerian history (related to British colonial rule/Nigerian independence/postcolonial Nigeria) and the values of the characters in the novel.

Activity 2: A  Character in Your Corner

Objective: Students will analyze the characters in the novel and clearly and creatively articulate their analyses in the form of infographics.

Structure: To begin this activity, present the class with the following question:

– Which of the characters in the book would you want to have you back in times of serious trouble/crisis/emergency?

Break students up into pairs. With their partner, they will choose a character and then make a list of at least five reasons why they would choose that character. They should cite evidence from the text to support their reasoning where appropriate.

Using their lists, student pairs will create infographics (either using an app like Canva or a web platform like Piktochart) to illustrate why they would want that character to have their back. Students should be encouraged to be creative in designing their infographics, combining words and images in a way that is both informative and engaging. They should consider things like font choice/size, image choice/size/placement, and color.

Provide students with examples of quality infographics to use as inspiration. Before sending them off to make their own, discuss some of the examples in terms of what elements make them effective.

Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5

Differentiated Instruction Ideas: You might have students work individually instead of in pairs for this activity.

Assessment Ideas: Assess students on the accuracy and depth of their character analysis, looking at their reasoning for why they think that character would be a good person to have their back in a crisis. Assess students on the effort, creativity, informativeness, and clarity of their infographics.

(Lesson Plan is abbreviated here, but also includes daily vocabulary and short answer questions. DAYS TWO-FIVE, available upon request.)

Final Paper and Exam

Essay Questions

1) The novel includes several instances of rape. The most noteworthy is when Ugwu participates in the rape of a girl working at a bar with his fellow soldiers. Other instances include Ugwu’s idea to drug Nnesinachi with tear gas in order to have sex with her; Anulika, Ugwu’s sister, getting raped; a reference to Nigerian soldiers raping women in Kano during the massacre; and Father Marcel raping children at the refugee camp in Orlu.

Discuss the use of rape in the novel in and outside the context of war. Why do you think Adichie includes so much rape in the novel? Why does she include the rape Ugwu is involved in?

Rape in the novel exists in the context of war, though it also exists outside of that context. Strong responses will note the following: during wartime, rape is often used as a form of punishment, intimidation, and humiliation, as when Nigerian soldiers are thought to have raped the women in Kano during the massacre and when Anulika is raped. While rape is always inexcusable, including during war, more gruesome rape events in the novel are not acts of war. Ugwu considers raping Nnesinachi out of a lack of education. He doesn’t seem to realize drugging someone to have sex with them is wrong. Father Marcel raping children also has nothing to do with war. Instead, he’s just a morally abhorrent human being who rapes children and even gets one pregnant. The most graphic depiction of rape in the novel is when Ugwu and his fellow soldiers rape the bar girl. While it is clear that Ugwu would not have done it had his fellow soldiers not peer pressured him into it, he still committed rape instead of doing the right thing. At this point in the novel, he realizes how wrong it is to force sex on an unwilling party, yet he gives into the peer pressure to do it anyway.

In general, Adichie’s inclusion of rape in the novel in the context of war may symbolize the power and corruption of Nigeria over Biafra. Outside of the context of war, she may be equating rape with a lack of education in some instances, as seen through Ugwu and other Biafran soldiers’ behavior. It also speaks to the state of society, the gender inequality and power dynamic between men and women, that allows rape—in this book, particularly, men raping women—to be so common. Adichie adds complexity and nuance in the instance of Ugwu’s participation in the rape of the bar girl. Throughout the novel, he is seen sexually objectifying women. However, Ugwu clearly did not think it was right to rape the girl in the bar, nor did he want to participate. Adichie presents the situation as Ugwu acting out of fear. Ugwu makes a horrible mistake that haunts him for the rest of the novel. The fact that the situation was complicated does not make Ugwu’s behavior defensible; it simply helps to humanize him, an interesting juxtaposition with his dehumanizing the bar girl.

2) Why did Adichie choose to have Kainene disappear?

Because readers are connected to Kainene, a main character, perhaps the tragedy and loss of the war will have a stronger impact in the novel. It feels like a loss for readers when Kainene is never found and has presumably died in the war. She is a symbol of the many empty caskets, of people lost in the war who were never found. This facet of the novel also serves to help readers more deeply empathize with the characters, and through them, the real people who suffered in the real Biafra War. This is a part of history that many (perhaps most) Americans know little about, despite, the role of the US in the suffering and starvation. Thus, providing a situation of emotional weight, like a character they have come to know and like becoming one of the empty graves of the war, provides an opportunity to better understand the horrors of this war and how it impacted people.

3) After finishing the book, have the students watch the 2014 film adaptation of the novel (available for free on Tubi).

Compare and contrast three elements of the novel to the film.

Strong responses will look at elements like character development, setting, themes, plot, and resolution. For each element they include, they should thoroughly discuss how the book and the movie are similar, different, or both, using specific examples from the book and the film. For example, the does the book’s character development go deeper than the film’s? Are certain plot elements changed (and why that might be the case)? Because the film is more directly visual, how is the symbolism of the Biafra flag impacted (is it stronger in the film than in the novel)? Is the tone the same or different in the book versus the film? These are the kind of comparisons students should be making to provide an in-depth analysis of the similarities and differences between the book and the movie.

4) Discuss Ugwu’s servitude as a houseboy to Odenigbo and the irony of this situation considering Odenigbo’s moral stance against exploitation. Do you think this system is just? Explain.

Strong responses provide thoughtful analysis of why this ironic setup is occurring. For example, while having a houseboy is a norm in the society in which Odenigbo lives, his strong stance against exploitation could make his choice entirely hypocritical. Although Odenigbo insists that Ugwu not call him sir or master, many times throughout the novel, he does treat him as an inferior servant. On the other hand, students might posit that Odenigbo was not totally exploiting Ugwu, knowing he was also receiving an education. Students might also mention the way colonialism has passed down this tradition of servitude and exploitation to the wealthy class, still to be inflicted on the impoverished people of the country. Whether or not they find the system of this kind of servitude to be just (expanding further than how Odenigbo treats Ugwu to how the majority of wealthy people treat their house servants) is a matter of opinion, but they will have to defend their position with thoughtful analysis and evidence from the text.

5) Does the novel present a one-sided story regarding the Civil War in favor of the Biafrans?

Strong responses will note that Adichie clearly aligns readers with the Biafran side, often presenting the North and the Nigerian army as an antagonistic presence. From the massacre in Kano to the air raids and other ruthless violence to allowing the Biafran side to starve, it may be hard for a reader to see the Nigerian side as anything but a cruel enemy. Furthermore, Adichie doesn’t suggest that the Biafran side would be as ruthless if they had the upper hand. However, the novel also provides some reminders that the Biafran side is not innocent. The original coup was an Igbo coup, and the Biafran soldiers, as we see when Ugwu joins the army, behave just as cruelly (and to their own people) as the other side. Finally, the inclusion of Mohammed, who saves Olanna and remains a friend to her as the war rages on, helps ensure that totally vilifying the North is out of the question.

6) Discuss the theme of infidelity in the book, analyzing why Adichie included it in the story and the underlying reasons for why different characters behaved that way.

Infidelity happens between both the novel’s major couples, and strong responses will consider the purpose for including this in the novel as well as underlying issues that may have led to each infidelity. Adichie likely included the drama of the infidelities for a couple of reasons. One is to contrast the drama of war and the drama of interpersonal relationships. While the infidelities were hurtful and disruptive to each relationship, compared to the horrors of war, they may feel much less significant. But by the same token, just because war is present doesn’t mean the intricacies of domestic life disappear. Including this drama likely also helped readers feel more connected to the characters and the plot, allowing for feeling a greater connection to the history itself. Some of the underlying issues related to the infidelities are jealousy and insecurities. In the case of Richard sleeping with Olanna, it may be based on his unsettled and insecure feelings about Madu and his relationship with Kainene. In the case of Olanna sleeping with Richard, it serves as a way to cure her jealousy through revenge.

7) Half of a Yellow Sun is considered a work of historical fiction. Might it also be considered a romance novel? Explain.

This question will require students to do some research on the qualities of romance novels to determine whether or not the book could be considered that way. While there is no right or wrong answer, because the major focus of the book is political and historical relating to the war, many students will likely land on the side of it not being a romance novel. It does have certain elements of romantic fiction, but overall, those plotlines and themes help to paint a rightly complex picture of the lived experience of the war rather than sounding too much like a history textbook. Regardless of their position, they should use direct evidence from the text to defend their point of view.

Short Answer Essay Questions

1) Discuss the symbolism of the hot peppers Amala eats.

Strong responses will explain the role of the hot peppers in the novel, where Amala eats them to try to get rid of her pregnancy. In this way, they serve as a symbol of tradition. Amala, coming from a small village, represents more traditional, superstitious, tribal views. The peppers also present a sharp contrast to modernity, where the view that eating a certain kind of pepper could serve in a medical way represents an older, markedly unmodern perspective and culture. Interestingly, it is Ugwu who points out that he doesn’t think the peppers will work, because his perspective is changing to become more modern the longer he lives with Odenigbo. He wants to believe it, signifying that he still has ties to traditional, tribal culture, but in his heart, he doesn’t believe it.

2) Discuss how being witnesses to gruesome deaths and other harsh and violent realities of war transforms different characters in the story.

Strong responses will look at how characters like Olanna and Kainene, who started out as rich, privileged socialites in many ways transform because of seeing things like a child’s head in a bag and seeing a servant’s head blown off meters away. Being traumatized by these semi-parallel situations brought the sisters back together because they both could deeply relate to one another, which could provide some comfort. Also, they started out wealthy and privileged, but especially in war, money can’t necessarily save you from trauma, and that becomes clear. Olanna will never be able to go back to who she was before once the war is over. Students might also mention Ugwu and how being a part of the violence is transformative for him as well, causing shame but also providing and deeper understanding of morality and ethics.

3) Do you think historical accuracy in the novel is important? Why or why not?

Because the novel is a work of historical fiction, it has an obligation to present the historical elements accurately. However, the implicit bias may also skew some facts and present the conflict in favor of Biafra instead of conveying what was going on on both sides. Whether or not students feel it is Adichie’s duty to have presented a less biased account is a matter of opinion. In the end, a novel, historical or not, is a work of fiction where the author is free to take liberties, so it is her right to decide how she tells the history of the war, and strong responses will acknowledge this.

(Final Paper and Exam section also includes 20 multiple choice questions, a vocabulary exam, and a short answer quiz, all available upon request.)