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

Lesson 5
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ELA

Unit 2

10th Grade

Lesson 5 of 24

Objective


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

Readings and Materials


  • Poem: “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde 

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Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

Write a two-three stanza poem about your own worries in a stream of consciousness style. Alternatively, write the poem from the point of view of Kambili or a fictional character of your own invention. Use enjambment to create the stream of consciousness effect. Include rhetorical questions and a refrain. Consider beginning your poem with the line "I am [your age]".

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Close Read Questions

How would you describe the speaker's emotional state? How does Lorde's structural choices help develop the speaker's emotional state?

What do you notice about the speaker's worries? Why do you think Lorde has chosen to write a poem that includes these different types of worries?

What can we infer about the speaker's racial identity? Why is the racial identity of the speaker important for understanding the poem?

Vocabulary


Literary Terms

enjambment

when a word, sentence, or phrase runs over from one poetic line to the next, without punctuation.

refrain

a phrase or line repeated at intervals within a poem, especially at the end of a stanza

rhetorical question

a question asked for a desired effect rather than for an answer

Homework


  • Book: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  pp. 52 – 70

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • What is Papa's title in Abba and what does this title mean? What does this title show about how the Abba community regards him?

  • What details does Adichie use to further characterize Ade Coker?

  • What does Ade say about Kambili and Jaja? What does he say about the Standard?

  • What does Papa call Papa-Nnukwu?

  • What does Papa Nnukwu complain to the umunna, or extended family, about?

  • Why do Jaja and Kambili not know their cousins well? 

  • What does Papa say about Jaja and Kambili's maternal grandfather?

  • Why does Papa get angry at Kambili and Jaja?

  • How does Papa react when Anikwenwa shows up at their house?

Annotation Focus

Note moments in the reading where you see Papa's attitude toward his father and traditional Igbo culture. 

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Standards


  • 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.9-10.5 — Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Supporting Standards

L.9-10.1
L.9-10.6
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.2
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.6
W.9-10.3
W.9-10.10

Next

Analyze how Adichie develops the reader's understanding about the dichotomy between European culture and Igbo culture in Nigeria.

Lesson 6
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