What are the themes in half of a yellow sun?

War and Violence – War and Violence is a central theme in Half of a Yellow Sun as the novel does take place prior to and during the Nigerian Civil War. One of the key events that catalyzed the war occurred in 1966, when thousands of Igbo people were massacred.

What are the themes of Purple Hibiscus?

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus tells the story of a young Nigerian girl, Kambili, and her family. Throughout the novel, the author wrestles with themes of identity, freedom, oppression, love, and tradition as she explores the tensions within Kambili’s family and within the country of Nigeria itself.

What does the Half of a Yellow Sun represents?

The half of a yellow sun is the symbol of the Republic of Biafra, appearing on both its national flag and military uniforms. This novel follows the course of the Nigerian-Biafran civil war through the experiences of the ethnically Igbo characters: Olanna, Odenigbo, Kainene, and Ugwu.

What is the main conflict of Half of a Yellow Sun?

War and Violence

Most of the novel centers around the Nigerian Civil War, and the excessive cruelty and violence of this conflict affects all of the characters. This war was sparked by the massacres of Igbo people in 1966, when angry mobs killed soldiers and citizens as “retribution” for a government coup.

What is the theme of Americanah?

Identity is an important theme in the novel, as the plot follows Ifemelu and Obinze growing up and finding their place in the world. Because of their life situations, identity as a person is inextricably linked to racial and national identity for both these main characters.

Why is Papa abusive in Purple Hibiscus?

Papa uses violence to enforce his own kind of oppression on his family, as he beats them, whips them, and pours boiling water on them. This violence then leads to more violence in the very attempt to escape it.

What does red symbolize in Purple Hibiscus?

The colour red is a recurring motif throughout the novel. It becomes a symbol associated with pain, suffering and most importantly represents the blood that is shed throughout the novel. A important example of this is when Mama has a miscarriage due to a beating she faces from Papa.

Why are the figurines so important to Mama?

Thus the figurines symbolize the submissiveness and silence the family lives with under the fear of Papa’s violence, and when the figurines are broken it means the beginning of freedom and free speech.

What does the color purple mean negative?

The negative meanings of purple are decadence, conceit, and pomposity. Purple is also a color of mourning.

Why is Purple Hibiscus titled that?

Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus is titled so because of the purple hibiscus flowers in Aunty Ifeoma’s garden. Unlike Kambili and Jaja’s father, Eugene,…

Is there a blue hibiscus?

Blue Hibiscus is not actually a member of the hibiscus family, though it is just as beautiful. It is commonly called Lilac Hibiscus, and it is a lovely hot weather blooming shrub that adds gorgeous accent color into a broad range of landscapes.

What do Hibiscus symbolize?

Hibiscus flower meanings include ephemeral beauty, romantic love and passion, friendship, hospitality, and joy.

Is Purple Hibiscus a true story?

Purple Hibiscus draws on certain aspects of her background – her home town and her Catholicism, for example – but it is very far from autobiographical. It is an evocative and moving portrayal of a childhood in a fanatically religious household, one ruled by a charismatic and violent Catholic patriarch.

Who is Jaja as described in the novel?

Kambili’s older brother, a seventeen-year-old who is also quiet but an excellent student. Jaja feels guilty about being unable to protect Kambili and Mama from Papa.

Who killed Eugene in Purple Hibiscus?

In the novel Purple Hibiscus, Mama kills Papa by putting poison in the tea that he shared with his children, which is not lost on Kambilli.

Is Father Amadi White?

A young, handsome Nigerian priest who is friends with Aunty Ifeoma and her children. He is a Catholic who also respects his Nigerian roots, incorporating Igbo songs into his prayers and blending the old ways with the new.

What is mama like in Purple Hibiscus?

Kambili’s mother, a quiet, submissive woman who takes care of her children but does not speak out against Papa’s violence.

How old is Obiora in Purple Hibiscus?

around age fourteen

Obiora is the second child and the oldest son of Ifeoma and Ifediora, at around age fourteen. He wears glasses, and is very good at math. He is reserved, yet often speaks up when he feels someone is wrong, as is seen when he contradicts Chiaku.

How does Kambili describe herself in Purple Hibiscus?

She is an intelligent, observant, religious young woman, aged fifteen for much of the novel. Often, she says nothing at all to other characters, only revealing to readers what she wishes she had said.

How was Mama abused in Purple Hibiscus?

One Sunday pregnant Beatrice makes a half-hearted visit to Father Benedict (their church priest). That night Kambili and Jaja hear heavy thuds from their parents’ room. Mama Beatrice was being cruelly beaten up by Eugene for not obeying him willingly to come to visit church priest.

What Aunty Ifeoma calls Mama?

Ifeoma calls Mama nwunye m, which means “my wife,” to show that she accepts her as the wife of the family—but it is part of an “ungodly tradition” according to Papa.

How did Kambili change?

In the novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kambili’s stay in Nsukka with Aunty Ifeoma allows her to be in a new environment, where she meets new people such as Father Amadi and gets closer to her other family members, leading to a drastic change; Kambili becomes more open to speak her mind and stand up …

How does Purple Hibiscus end?

Many tragedies have occurred, but the novel closes at a time of tentative hope for both the Achikes and Nigeria. The corrupt Head of State has died, and so there is a chance for a renewed democracy, and now Jaja is about to be released, so the family will be reunited at last after three years.

What is the relationship between Jaja and Kambili?

Kambili and Jaja are very close, though they rarely speak. They also have very little contact with their grandfather, aunt, or cousins, and live secluded in their immediate family.

What Kambili thinks about Nsukka?

Kambili feels strange calling him “father,” as he is young and dressed only in a t-shirt and jeans. Father Amadi asks what Jaja and Kambili think of Nsukka, and Amaka immediately says that they hate it. Kambili continues to show her privileged lifestyle in her inability to live as frugally as Ifeoma and her children.

What year is Purple Hibiscus set in?

Such was Nigeria, in which the novel is set, under the grip of serial brutal military dictatorships from 1983 to 1999. One of the most striking successes of the novel is how skilfully it dramatizes its characters’ intense and often fatal psycho-social struggles to overcome these obstacles and find their voices.

What is Enugu in Purple Hibiscus?

In Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, Enugu city is where Kambili and Jaja live with their parents, Beatrice and Eugene. There, Eugene is known by the community as a devout and magnanimous Catholic. However, he is extremely emotionally and physically abusive towards his family.