Warm Up Activity

• Answer the following in your journal

– The story we will read involves a
conflict between generations. Do you
think that it is inevitable that
generations clash? Describe a situation
that you have witnessed or heard about
that illustrates the problem of conflict
between older and younger generations.
Marriage is a Private Affair

10th World Literature – Honors

September 2, 2010
 Marriage is a Private Affair
• Author – Chinua Achebe
• World Literature textbook – pgs. 1345-1349
• NOTE: Largest ethnic groups
– Ibo and Ibibio
 About Chinua Achebe
• Date of birth: Nov 16, 1930
• Achebe’s parents converted to Christianity,
and all of their children’s names have spiritual
connotations. Chinualumogu (Chinua’s full
first name) means “May God fight on my
behalf.”
• In 1990, Achebe was in a serious car accident
that left him paralyzed from the waist down
• A former teacher
 NIGERIAN CULTURE
• Nigeria is in West Africa, along the
eastern coast of the Gulf of Guinea, and
just north of the equator.
Nigeria covers an area of 356,669
square miles (923,768 square
kilometers), or about twice the size of
California.
• English is the official language of
Nigeria
• Pidgin, a mix of African languages and
English common form of
communication among people who have
not had formal education in English.
- education they have received.
• Major agricultural products produced
in Nigeria include cocoa, peanuts,
palm oil, rice, millet, corn, yams,
rubber, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs,
timber, and fish.
• The highest tier of Nigerian society is
made up of wealthy politicians,
businessmen, and the educated elite.
• Today the members of the wealthy
elite are easily identifiable by their
fancy clothing and hairstyles and by
their expensive cars and Western-
style homes. the elite tend to have a
much better command of English, a
reflection of the higher quality of
 Status of Women and Marriage
in Nigeria
• MEN ARE DOMINANT OVER WOMEN IN
VIRTUALLY ALL AREAS.

• According to Nigeria's Penal Code, men have the right to beat their
wives as long as they do not cause permanent physical injury.
Wives are often seen as little more than possessions and are
subject to the rule of their husbands.
Mothers and sisters have great say in the lives of their sons and
brothers, respectively. The blood relationship allows these women
certain leeway and influence that a wife does not have.
 Nigerian Marriages
• Marriage. There are three types of marriage in Nigeria
today: religious marriage, civil marriage, and traditional
marriage. A Nigerian couple may decide to take part in one or
all of these marriages. Religious marriages, usually Christian
or Muslim, are conducted according to the norms of the
respective religious teachings and take place in a church or a
mosque. Christian males are allowed only one wife, while
Muslim men can take up to four wives. Civil official
weddings take place in a government registry office. Men are
allowed only one wife under a civil wedding, regardless of
religion. Traditional marriages usually are held at the wife's
house and are performed according to the customs of the
ethnic group involved. Most ethnic groups traditionally allow
more than one wife.
About Marriage is a Private Affair
• In "Marriage is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe,
he explores the problems of individuals seeking love
and fulfillment in a changing culture. The main
character (protagonist) is confronted with the
problem of having many obstacles stand in between
his true love. He must make the choice of whether to
follow his heart or follow his culture. In "Marriage is
a Private Affair" the main character must decide
whether he will obey his father or marry the one he
loves.
 Literary Terms
• Verbal Irony – Occurs when a writer or speaker says one
thing but really means the opposite. (ex. – title of the story)
• Theme – The central idea or insight of a work of literature. It
is also the idea the writer wishes to convey about the subject.
(Directly stated or implied???)
• Conflict (Internal and External) –
– Rural vs. Urban Lifestyles, Arranged marriages vs. Love marriages,
Main character vs. father, wife vs. father-in-law
– Father-in-law vs. Father-in-law
– Main character vs. Main Character
• Setting – The time and place of a story, play, or narrative
poem
– Lagos, Nigeria
– ~1950s
 How does your world topic apply to
your life in America?
• Marriage is a Private Affair?
– It was not too long ago that groups of parents would
conspire to set up sons and daughters to prepare them for
marriage. Marriage to one another. For years, parents and
grandparents played a major role in the ‘private’ lives of
their children. My high school boyfriend’s mom had
planned our ‘wedding’ before we even graduated. The
whole family was extremely disappointed when I decided
to move on to a better life. Had I decided to succumb to
the public scrutiny of our relationship, I would be
experiencing my private relationship in the public. Maybe
even a DIVORCE!
 Individual Activity
• Think-Tac-Toe – Handout
Map of Nigeria