Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ Period: ______

Close Reading Organizer - Chapter 2

Directions: Read each summary entry and think about which themes listed in the
Themes Key apply to it, then color in those themes in the Theme Tracker. Next, write a
few sentences of Analysis to explain how the themes you chose apply to each summary
section.

Themes Key
1 Colonialism and Nigerian Politics
2 Religion and Belief
3 Family
4 Freedom vs. Tyranny
5 Silence and Speech
6 Violence

Summary Theme Tracker Your Analysis

Kambili’s narration now jumps

months back in time to describe
the events leading up to Palm
Sunday. Mama brings Kambili’s
school uniforms inside before it
rains. Jaja and Kambili wash
their own uniforms in the half
hour Papa allocates for uniform- 1 2 3 4 5 6
washing. It isn’t proper for an
older person to do a younger
person’s chores, but Mama
doesn’t mind bringing in the
clothes. Kambili thinks about her
mother that “there was so much
that she did not mind.”

Mama tells Kambili that she is 1 2 3 4 5 6

pregnant, and the baby is due in
October. Mama is pleased with
this, because after having
Kambili she had several
miscarriages. The people of their
home village started to gossip,
and even to suggest that Papa
should marry another woman

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Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ Period: ______

who could have more children.

But Papa stayed, and Mama is
grateful he did. She compares
him to another man who took a
second wife. Kambili agrees that
Papa should be praised for this.
Kambili doesn’t even like
comparing Papa to other men,
as she considers him so far
above them.

Mama and Sisi are cooking to

host the members of the Our
Lady of the Miraculous Medal
prayer group, which consists of
some women in Enugu. During
the event, the sisters clap and
1 2 3 4 5 6
sing in Igbo for half an hour and
then Sisi brings in the feast she
and Mama have prepared. The
sisters chide Mama for going to
so much trouble, but then thank
her and eat.

Jaja comes home from school,

wearing his neatly ironed
uniform. Last year he was voted
“neatest junior boy” at school,
which pleased Papa greatly. Jaja
goes to Kambili’s room and the
two talk about Mama’s 1 2 3 4 5 6
pregnancy. They speak in a kind
of special language using mostly
their eyes. Jaja declares that
they must protect the baby, and
Kambili knows that he means
protect the baby from Papa.

Jaja goes downstairs and 1 2 3 4 5 6

Kambili looks at the written
schedule posted on her wall.
Papa makes a daily schedule for
both Kambili and Jaja, allocating
time for every activity, including
studying, praying, eating, and
“family time.” Kambili knows
that “Papa liked order,” and she

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Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ Period: ______

wonders when he will first start

making a schedule for the new
baby.

During family time the next day,

Papa and Jaja are playing chess
and they are all listening to the
radio. A general comes on the
air and announces that there
has been a coup, and that there
will be a new government in
Nigeria. Papa excuses himself 1 2 3 4 5 6
and goes to call Ade Coker, the
editor of Papa’s paper the
Standard. Papa returns, looking,
sad, and says that coups always
lead to other coups, as “military
men would always overthrow
one another.”

The Standard had been critical

of the past government, running
stories about cabinet members
stashing public money in foreign
bank accounts. Papa declares
that though the politicians are
corrupt, Nigeria needs a
“renewed democracy” instead of
a military leader. The next day
the Standard is the only paper 1 2 3 4 5 6
to criticize the new Head of
State and ask him to return the
government to a democracy.
The other papers all praise the
new leader for saving the
country from the corrupt
politicians. Kambili says “God
will deliver us,” hoping to please
Papa, and he takes her hand.