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

Lesson 9
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ELA

Unit 2

10th Grade

Lesson 9 of 24

Objective


Analyze how Adichie uses characterization and imagery to develop themes about love and religion.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  pp. 89 – 109 — "Speaking With Our Spirits: Before Palm Sunday"

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Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

Explain how Adichie develops a theme about love or religion using evidence from today's reading.

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Close Read Questions

What truths does Aunty Ifeoma reveal about Papa in her conversation with Mama on pp. 95–96? How might these truths impact Kambili's image of her father inside and outside the home? 

Consider Papa's reaction after he beats his family and when the children leave for Aunty Ifeoma's house. How do these details add complexity to Papa's character?

Consider the moments Kambili recounts interactions with Father Benedict. What ideas about religion does Adichie develop through Father Benedict?

Vocabulary


Literary Terms

theme

the author's message in a text about the way the world works or what it means to be human. 

Text-based

pilgrimage

n.

(p. 107)

a journey to a sacred place

Homework


  • Book: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  pp. 110 – 139

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • What are some details that you noticed in the descriptions of Aunty Ifeoma's house?

  • What does Amaka assume that Kambili thinks about Nsukka?

  • What music does Amaka listen to? What does she say about the musicians that she likes?

  • What are some things Kambili notices as she eats lunch with Aunty Ifeoma and her cousins?

  • How does Aunty Ifeoma react when Jaja hands her Papa's schedule?

  • How does Kambili react when Amaka begins singing in the middle of the rosary?

  • What does Jaja notice in Aunty Ifeoma's garden?

  • What does the inscription on the lion statue at the university say?

  • What does Kambili notice about Father Amadi?

Annotation Focus

Note moments in the reading where you see Kambili unable to speak, Kambili's observations about the way people speak and laugh, as well as references to music/singing. Add quotes to your motif tracker for the rows "Silence," "Speech/Laughter," and "Music/Singing."

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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.9-10.3 — Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
  • 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).

Supporting Standards

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

Next

Analyze the mood of Aunty Ifeoma's home and compare it with Papa's home

Lesson 10
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