Purple hibiscus by kate22

TABLE OF CONTENTS About the Author 3 .... Introduction 4 - 5 .... Map & Historical Snapshot 6 .... Background 7 .... Characters 8 .... Objectives & Title Meaning 9 .... Summary 10 - 13 .... Themes 14 .... Culture 15 .... Bibliography 1 - 2 ....

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Enugu Nigeria. She grew up in Nigeria in Nsukka and studied medicine at the University of Nigeria, but then moved to the US. She then attended Eastern Connecticut State University, where she studied communications and political science. Finally, at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, she earned an MA in Creative Writing.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Her first work was a play called For Love of Biafra, which touched on topics like the war between Nigeria and the Biafra republic. She also had many short stories published about the same conflict. Purple Hibiscus was Adichie's first novel, and the story is slightly reminiscent of Adichie's own life. A girl who is growing up in Nigeria is the protagonist, and the two towns featured in the book, Enugu and Nsukka, are places familiar to her. The book itself is the first book set in Africa to gain noticeable popularity after Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Adichie's 2009 TED Talk, "The Danger of A Single Story," highlights the importance of literature from many different cultures. Purple Hibiscus does just that, by giving Nigerian children characters that are like them, characters that they understand and relate to. Adichie only gained more popularity after Purple Hibiscus. She has published several novels since then, focusing on topics centered around Nigeria, including feminism in Nigeria. Her 2012 TED Talk "We Should All Be Feminists," was featured in Beyonce's song "Flawless" which came out in 2013.

Introduction Throughout the novel, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, fifteen-year-old Kambili Achike struggles with violence, family, and her religious identity in both in her home and in the outside world. From her opulent home in Enugu, Nigeria, where her Catholic father's terror and abuse reign, to her loving aunt's cramped but joyful flat, Kambili and her brother Jaja embark on a journey that leads us through the human experiences of loneliness, terror, and violence. As Kambili and Jaja emerge from the shadows of the high expectations and the fearfulness their father expects of them, they flourish, just as the purple hibiscuses grown in their aunt's home do - in surprising and unnatural yet beautiful circumstances.

Through Kambili's struggles with the concepts of perfection, obedience, and silence, Adichie shows teenagers and people everywhere that no one should ever be made to fit in one specific box like everyone else. Kambili was made to shine, and so was everyone else in the book and in the real world. As Kambili learns to speak for herself and act on her beliefs, she proves to be a model for anyone struggling with finding one's voice, domestic abuse, or individuality.

Themes Explored: Family

Religion and Belief

Violence

Map of Nigeria Number 3 on the map is Enugu, the city that Purple Hibiscus is set in

Historical Snapshot In Nigeria in the late 1980's and early 1990's military coups were in control of the country. A military coup overthrows a government using the military power. At the time, a leader named Ibrahim Babangida was in charge. One of the biggest controversies during his rule was the killing of Nigerian journalist Dele Giwa. Giwa was critical of Babangida's rule and received a package with a bomb inside that ended his life. This is similar to the way one of the characters died in Purple Hibiscus.Â

Background of Purple Hibiscus Purple Hibiscus took place in Nigeria in the 1990s. At the time, it was ruled by multiple military coups that were always changing. In Nigeria, from January 1970 to the 1990s, they had been fighting in a civil war. After the civil war, there were 6 more coups added to the 2 coups that had already been ruled Nigeria. These military men were always trying to overthrow one another all the time. Even though they were always fighting, their beliefs and ways were very similar as well. Each coup started with the idea of changing the leader with violence and not in a peaceful democratic election. After the violence, a coup always finishes with a new leader but also ends up with lots of damages in Nigeria. The citizens did not have a peaceful life either. They were beaten or killed if they opposed the new government. They lived a life with military force and violence. Overall, the Nigerians at this time lived a dangerous and violent life because of the military leaders in their country in the 1990s.Â

Characters Kambili Achike Kambili is the main protagonist of Purple Hibiscus and narrates the story. She is a quiet and reserved 15-year-old girl who lives in Nigeria with her mother, father and older brother, Jaja. Her family is wealthy and religious. She is constantly stresses out because of her abusive father to be number one in her class. Jaja Achike Jaja is Kambili's brother and he is 17-years-old. Like Kambili, Jaja's personality is also effected by Papa's abuse. However, Jaja is more of an extrovert and is protective of his mother and sister. Jaja is also a bit of a rebel throughout the book. In the beginning of the book when Jaja refuses to receive communion even though he knows that Papa will abuse him as a consequence. Eugene Achike (Papa) Eugene Achike (aka Papa) is Kambili and Jaja's father. He is a religious man who abuses his children. Papa makes a living by publishing a newspaper called The Standard where he discusses how the Nigerian government is corrupt. He also runs a few factories selling food products. He provides wealth for his family and even uses his money to feed local people at Christmas. Beatrice Achike (Mama) Beatrice is Kambili and Jaja's mother. She is quiet and obedient to her husband, Eugene Achike. Like her children, Mama is a victim of Papa's abuse. At the beginning of the book she would just go along with it but by the end of the book she poisons papa to save her children. Aunty Ifeoma Aunty Ifeoma is Eugene's sister and has a caring and positive personality. She works at the University of Nigeria and her husband died. She is a practicing Catholic but not as conservative as her brother. Aunty Ifeoma give Kambili and Jaja a different outlook on life when they come to stay with her.

Objectives - You will learn the importance of family. - You will see the changes in Nigeria's political system. - You will see the unique culture of Nigerians. - You will see the effects of domestic violence.

Title Meaning The title Purple Hibiscus is one of the biggest elements of symbolism in the novel. The purple hibiscus was a flower grown in Aunty Ifeoma's garden. It was created by her friend because hibiscuses are not usually purple. The purple hibiscus symbolizes a mental awakening of Jaja and Kambili. It represents freedom and individuality. Kambili and Jaja lack these things when they are under their father's house. In the end, Kambili hopes that her brother will plant purple hibiscuses when he gets out of prison. That would show her hope that freedom will blossom brand new even after they went through so much tragedy.

Summary Purple Hibiscus begins on Palm Sunday. Fifteen year-old Kambili’s brother Jaja refuses to go to communion at Holy Mass. Papa notices and is infuriated by this, and he throws a Church missal at his son. This leads to him breaking his wife’s beloved figurines. This act marks the beginning of the end of the Achike family. Kambili then goes into detail about the events leading up to Palm Sunday, including the seeds of rebellion that are planted in the children’s minds by their Aunty Ifeoma. Papa is a very prominent man in Enugu, and he owns several factories and publishes a newspaper, the Standard. Papa is praised by a priest, Father Benedict, and his editor, Ade Coker. He is a man with a lot of money compared to others in his city. Since his newspaper tells the truth, the staff is under constant pressure from the Head of State (military leader who assumes the presidency following a coup). Papa takes out his anger on his family. Kambili and Jaja always feel they cannot speak around their father, and they must make him proud or they will be punished. Mama is also always silent around him as well. This violence eventually leads to a time period where Kambili and Jaja stay at the house of their father’s sister. This was their Aunty Ifeoma. Her household was the complete opposite of theirs. It practiced a different kind of Catholicism and made for a happy, nurturing environment. Kambili and Jaja became more open and more able to use their voice to say their opinions while they were staying at their aunt’s house. Kambili also experiences her first love with a young priest at her aunt’s house. This was another awakening for Kambili. Once they are back at their house, Mama has had enough of Papa’s violence, and she had finally found her voice. She then decides to poison him. Jaja takes the blame for his mother and ends up in prison. Kambili is upset when she hears that her Aunty Ifeoma and her family is moving to America after she was unfairly fired from her job. A couple years later, Kambili became eighteen years old, and she was more confident than ever before. Jaja was about to be released from prison, and he was hardened but not broken by his experience there. Mama had become terribly psychological to a great degree that was worse than when Papa was still alive.

Themes: Family The theme of family is intricately woven through the plot of Purple Hibiscus. Kambili's intermediate family is quietly tense and dominated by her abusive father. Her home is not a haven, and the way she perceives the world solely depends upon her father's opinion, that is until she moves in with her Aunty Ifeoma and three cousins. As she begins to learn what a happy and thriving family truly looks like, the friction builds between Kambili's immediate family and her extended family. This continues when her grandfather, Papa Nnukwu, moves in with Aunty Ifeoma. Kambili's Catholic papa, Eugene, claims that Papa Nnukwu is a heathen and she must not sleep in the same house as him; for doing so, he punishes her with boiling water on her feet.

Family proves to be challenging in Purple Hibiscus. When Kambili's papa rules with an iron fist, she accepts it because she knows no differently, but her heart is conflicted when she witnesses Papa Nnukwu's heathen religion bringing him joy and happiness. Luckily, Kambili's aunt mediates the tension between Eugene and Papa Nnukwu. Even as the family is mediated though, conflict arises and Kambili and Jaja are torn between two worlds: a loving but fleeting world full of joy and laughter or a cold, abusive, and inevitable future.

Family is essential to the conflict that swirls around the Achike siblings. As the Achike family fights and clashes, the siblings are caught in the middle, and they become collateral damage. Although this may be the case, Adichie makes it clear that family means everything to Kambili and Jaja, whether that family is abusive or not. They love their father unconditionally, regardless of the abuse. The prominent theme of family within Purple Hibiscus proves that when it comes to family, people are often blind to major dilemmas and are willing to sacrifice everything: freedom, health, and even sometimes their lives, for those that they love.

Themes: Family ily m a e F d i ts Ou

Imm edia te F amil y

Mama (Beatrice) Papa (Eugene)

Aunty Ifeoma

Kambili

Obiora

Jaja

Amaka Chima Papa Nnukwu Father Amadi

Thought Questions: What elements of your family make you blind? Why? When is family a burden? A blessing? How does family motivate you and affect the way you live?

What's the difference in relationship between your immediate and your extended families?

Themes: Religion and Belief The themes of religion and belief take center stage in this novel, causing the vast majority of conflict and disagreement. From Aunty Ifeoma accepting Papa Nnukwu's heathen ways, to Papa abusing his children when they sin, to intolerance of another's religion overall, religion and belief in God dictate every aspect of the Achike children's lives.

For most of Purple Hibiscus, the Achike kids' belief in God is solely based upon fear of their own god-like and terrible reality: their father. Papa rules his home with an iron fist based solely upon redemption, sinless actions, and ironically, abuse. After exposure to other ways of believing in a higher power within the safety and acceptance of Aunty Ifeoma's home, Kambili and Jaja blossom, each taking their own paths in religion at the end of the book.

Religion and belief is a way of achieving unity for many, but for the Achike family, it is their downfall. The breaking of Beatrice's figurines on Palm Sunday signifies the unraveling of the family, the undoing of everything Papa has ever tried to do for his children. While religion brings Aunty Ifeoma and her children closer together because the way they practice Catholicism is kind, gentle, and beautiful, try as Papa might, he ultimately destroys his family and facilitates his own downfall through his blind and loveless following of Catholicism.

Thought Questions: Are you religious? If you are, why? Whether or not you're religious, does relgion affect your life in some way? How? WhyÂ do you think Kambili stays Catholic but Jaja does not?

Themes: Violence Violence has a chokehold on everyone in Nigeria. Ade Coker's assassination shakes the Standard. Men lying in the street intrigue Kambili, and Papa is murdered. The deaths of the people of Nigeria hold everyone captive.

During Kambili's life, she simply did as best she could not because she wanted to, but because she feared what would happen if she didn't. Coming 2nd in her class meant punishment; any sin was met with abuse from her father, a father who seemed sad he had to abuse her to prevent her from sinning. The damage Papa does to Kambili is evident in her social anxiety, silence, and fear of speaking her mind. When she visits Aunty Ifeoma's house and meets Amake and Fr. Amadi, she starts to come out of her shell and realize there should not be punishment in being an individual.

Throughout the book, violence holds everyone hostage, yet it is also a means of escape. Papa is murdered, but that means that Kambili and, eventually Jaja, are free of his abuse. Mama is free of him as well. Papa is violent with Kambili when he beats her so badly that she is hospitalized, but that too becomes a means of allowing her an escape to Nsukka and to Fr. Amadi and the love of her aunt and cousins. While violence in this book is extreme and harmful, it always brings about change for the better for the characters who experience it.

Thought Questions Why does violence often incite positive change? What role does violence play in your life? How does violence affect different cultures around the world? Why do

people feel the need to use violence.

Culture In the Igbo culture, they believe in one, supreme god called Chukwu Abiama. They also believe in many, many minor gods. Those gods are subject to human passions and weaknesses. They not only just believe in gods but they also celebrate major holidays. Some of those being New Year's Day (January 1); Easter (March or April); Nigerian Independence Day (October 1); and Christmas (December 24 to 26). In the Igbo culture, they are also divided by social status. This status is based off of wealth, regardless of that person's occupation. They have deep respect for the elders and male in their societies. In the culture, they have naming ceremonies. When a child is born there is a naming ceremony for the child where the friends and families help choose names for the child. The umbilical cord of that baby is then cut and buried under a tree. The way the tree grows will reflect how successful the child will be in life. They also have a main staple of their culture is yams. They rely on this food for their ceremonies and a lot of their courses throughout their lives.

Bibliography