Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ Period: ______

Close Reading Organizer - Chapter 3

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

In the weeks after the coup

Kambili notices some changes
in the outside world. The
Standard grows more critical,
while the other papers seem
more subdued. People are
protesting in Government
Square, chanting “Freedom” and
blocking cars. The family’s 1 2 3 4 5 6
driver, Kevin, puts green
branches on the car to show
solidarity with the pro-
democracy protestors when he
drives the children to school.
Soldiers set up roadblocks and
randomly search people at
gunpoint.

Nothing changes inside the 1 2 3 4 5 6

Achike household, however. Jaja
and Kambili stick to their strict
schedules, while Mama’s
pregnancy progresses. At Mass
on Pentecost Sunday there is a
visiting priest at St. Agnes. He is

1
Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ Period: ______

young and sincere, and does not

praise the church’s lavish altar
like other visiting priests have
done. During his sermon he
starts singing a song in Igbo.
This surprises the congregation
at first, but then most of them
start to sing along. Papa keeps
his lips closed and checks his
family to make sure their lips
are closed as well.

Papa always greets people after

church, as people flock around
him. Then the family goes to
visit Father Benedict. Papa
says that the young visiting
priest was “Godless” to sing a
song during the sermon, and
that he will bring trouble to the
church. They arrive at Father 1 2 3 4 5 6
Benedict’s, but Mama says she
feels sick and wants to stay in
the car. Papa stares at her
meaningfully and asks her again
to come in. She insists that she
doesn’t feel “right,” but Papa
asks again and she agrees to
come in.

Papa talks to Father Benedict

while the rest of the family waits
in the living room. Father
Benedict asks about Mama’s
health, but she blames her
sickly appearance on allergies.
After the visit Papa grits his
teeth on the drive home as they 1 2 3 4 5 6
listen to “Ave Maria.” When they
get home Mama offers to pour
Papa’s tea, but he refuses. He
gives Jaja and Kambili their
“love sips” of the tea. Kambili is
happy to “feel the love burn my
tongue.”

Mama, Jaja, and Kambili then 1 2 3 4 5 6

2
Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ Period: ______

go upstairs to change. The

children are scheduled to quietly
reflect on a Bible verse and pray.
Even the “family time” on
Sundays is silent. Mama runs
into her room to vomit, and the
children hear her. At lunch Papa
prays over the food, asking God
to forgive “those who had tried
to thwart His will” by not
wanting to visit “His servant
after Mass.” Mama loudly says
“Amen.”

After lunch Kambili is reading

the Bible when she hears
thumping sounds from her
parents’ room. Kambili imagines
that Papa is trying to get the
door unstuck, thinking that if
she imagines it hard enough it
will be true. After 20 seconds 1 2 3 4 5 6
Papa comes out of the room,
carrying Mama slung over his
shoulder. He carries her
downstairs and takes her
outside. There is blood on the
floor, and Jaja and Kambili clean
it up.

Mama doesn’t come home that

night, and Jaja and Kambili
have dinner alone. They don’t
talk about Mama, but instead
talk about the three men who
were publicly executed for drug
trafficking the day before. The
children go to their rooms after 1 2 3 4 5 6
dinner. Papa comes home and
goes into Kambili’s room. His
eyes are red from crying. He
says that Mama will be back
tomorrow, and he hugs Kambili
so that she can feel his
heartbeat.

Mama comes home the next 1 2 3 4 5 6

3
Name: __________________________________ Date: ___________________ Period: ______

day, her eyes looking vacant.

She says “there was an
accident” and she has had a
miscarriage. She stands there
hugging herself for a while, and
then starts polishing the ceramic
figurines on the étagère.
Kambili tries to help her, but
Mama insists that she go up to
her room and study, as it is her
“study time.” Kambili looks at
her textbook, but all the letters
seem to blur into an image of
Mama’s blood.

The next Sunday Papa makes

the family stay behind after
Mass and recite extra prayers
“for Mama’s forgiveness.”
Father Benedict sprinkles holy
water over them as they recite, 1 2 3 4 5 6
trying hard to get the words
right so Papa doesn’t make
them start over. Kambili tries
not to think about what Mama
might need to be forgiven for.