Flowers of Freedom: Voice, Defiance, and Coming of Age in Purple Hibiscus

Lesson 4
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ELA

Unit 2

10th Grade

Lesson 4 of 24

Objective


Analyze how Adichie develops the motifs of silence and speech through certain key scenes in the novel.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  pp. 27 – 51 — "Speaking With Our Spirits: Before Palm Sunday"

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Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

Analyze how Adichie develops the motifs of silence and speech through certain key scenes in the novel. Use at least one text based vocabulary word in your response.

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Close Read Questions

Describe the dialogue between Kambili, Jaja, Mama, and Papa. What contrast does Adichie create between what is said and what is not said? In what ways does Kambili's dialogue contrast with her inner thoughts?

Trace the red motif throughout this reading. What does the color red symbolize at Church versus in the Achike household? 

What is the significance of Ade Coker's response to the coup?

Consider the scenes on pages 48–49. What do these two scenes at school—the assembly and the classroom—reveal about how Kambili's home life impacts her outside life?

Vocabulary


Literary Terms

motif

n.

a recurring element—an object, image, sound, phrase, or idea—in a story

external dialogue

n.

what characters say aloud

internal dialogue

n.

a character's inner voice

Text-based

subdued

adj.

(p. 27)

controlled or restrained

thwart

v.

(p. 32)

 to stop something from happening or someone from doing something

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Standards


  • RL.9-10.2 — Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RL.9-10.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
  • RL.9-10.6 — Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

Supporting Standards

L.9-10.1
L.9-10.6
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.3
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.6
W.9-10.9
W.9-10.10

Next

Analyze how Audre Lorde uses structural elements to develop the speaker's perspective.

Lesson 5
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