Purple Hibiscus - Chapters 4 and 5

Purple Hibiscus - Chapters 4 and 5

Recap what you have read in Chapters 4 and 5 of the novel.

Self-paced lesson

This self-paced lesson will recap Chapters 4 and 5. Have your English workbook and pens with you! At times, you should take notes and, at other times, you will be asked to respond to a question. As the creator of this quiz, I can see who has and has not completed the task (and how each person answered the questions). Keep this in mind!

Before you begin...

Have a think about how you will organise your notes. When I give you information about a key idea in the novel, where will you record it? When you are given a key quote related to a character, where will you record it? Consider dedicating a full A4 page to significant characters like Jaja, Mama and Papa.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 begins with Kambili struggling to study after her father's violence against her mother. Later in the chapter readers learn that Kambili has ranked second in her class and that this is highly stressful for her, as her father expects her to come first.

The chapter also opens with the disappearance of the newspaper editor Ade Coker. After accusing the new governmental powers of drug trafficking in a newspaper that Papa owns, Ade Coker has been kidnapped. It is not until the end of the chapter that readers learn that Ade Coker is alive.

Multiple Choice

What is the name of the newspaper that Papa owns and that Ade Coker is the editor for?

• Standard

• Nigeria Today

• Amnesty World

• Newspaper Today

Key quotes to record (and language choices to take note of)

Despite receiving a glowing report from her teacher, Kambili is stressed about coming second in her class. She feels 'stained by failure' (p 39) and she knows without even telling her father that he 'would not be proud' (p 39).

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Notice the language used on page 39. As the narrator, Kambili states 'I wanted to make Papa proud' and then opens successive sentences with the words 'I needed him to...' and, in this way, creates a pleading and desperate tone. Her admission of failure ends this paragraph abruptly. Record this information in your workbook and write about its significance.

Key quotes to record in your workbook

When Papa speaks to Kambili in his bedroom, Kambili reveals that her imaginary vision of heaven as a child was the image of 'Papa's room' (p 41), but when she describes it in the present moment it appears to also pose a threat. She states that all the cream coloured items blend to make 'the room seem wider, as if it never ended, as if you could not run even if you wanted to, because there was nowhere to run to' (p 41).

Symbolism - walls and boundaries

Unusually, Papa drives Kambili to school. He wants to see the girl who ranked first in her class. Once there, he asks 'why did you let her come first?' and tells his daughter that God 'expects perfection' (p 47).

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Take note of the description of the school as they arrive (as well as how it compares to her own home): 'The walls that surrounded the Daughters of Immaculate Heart Secondary School were very high, similar to our compound walls, but instead of electrified wires, they were topped by jagged pieces of green glass with sharp edges jutting out. Papa said the walls had swayed his decision when I finished elementary school. Discipline was important, he said.' (p 45) Add this information to your notes about the symoblism of walls and boundaries.

Multiple Choice

When Kambili's father speaks to her teacher, Kambili realises that he...

• speaks down to the teacher (as though he is superior)

• changes his accent to sound more British

• accuses the teacher of being the reason Kambili came second

• praises her for her excellent teaching

Key idea - silence

It is clear that Kambili's silence at home extends to her time at school as well. She is isolated from the other children, stutters when she tries to speak, and she describes herself as 'awkward and tongue-tied' (p 49). To add to that, her peers take her silence as snobbery and label her a 'backyard snob' (p 51). They believe that she considers herself superior because her father owns a newspaper and many factories.

Optional extension task

Record your thoughts about the irony of Papa's actions. Although he exercises immense control over his family, he stands up for free speech and supports Ade Coker. Both he and Ade Coker are some of the only ones who are willing to publicly criticise the corrupt regime that has just overthrown the government. It endangers their lives to do so. 

Chapter 5

As Christmas approaches, the family make their way to their hometown of Abba. Here readers learn more about both Papa and Mama's history. The children do not know their paternal grandfather (known as Papa-Nnukwu) very well because their own Papa will not speak to him. He believes Papa-Nnukwu to be 'a heathen' (p 62) because he still engages in traditional Igbo customs (such as offering food to his ancestors).

The children visit their grandfather and Kambili comments to Jaja that although Papa-Nnukwu is rejected by his son, he 'takes it well' (p 68). Jaja corrects her and says he 'hides it well' (p 69) and this hints to the reader that Jaja is perhaps hiding his own pain and frustration.

Multiple Choice

Through his driver Kevin, Eugene (Papa) passes on some money to his own father (Papa-Nnukwu), however, Kambili notes that it is less than...

• the money she receives at Christmas time from her father

• the money that he has given at previous Christmas holidays

• the money that he gives Kevin as a bonus at Christmas time

• the money that he gave his editor, Ade Coker, as a gift at Christmas time

Questioning her father

The reader can see that although Kambili still seeks her father's approval, she also shows signs of being unsure about his actions and beliefs. When she visits her grandfather, she looks 'for signs of difference, of Godlessness' and even though she feels 'sure they were there somewhere' (p 63), the reader can take note of her uncertainty.

Multiple Choice

When her father prays, Kambili sarcastically notes that 'Papa spent time describing hell as if...' (p 61)

• '...as if God did not know that the flames were eternal and raging and fierce'.

• '...as if the family did not know that hell was eternal and raging and fierce'.

• '...he is angry that his own father does not know that hell was eternal and raging and fierce'.

Key idea - Silence

Ade Coker (the editor of the Standard) visits the family in Abba. When he questions the children about their time there, their responses are minimal and they often look to their father to check his reaction. Ade Coker jokes that they are very quiet and then says, 'Imagine what the Standard would be if we were all quiet' (p 58). This joke angers Eugene.

Optional extension

Consider how the relationship between Eugene (Papa) and Eugene's own father (Papa-Nnukwu) is both hypocritical and a tragic consequence of colonialism. While Eugene owns an empty mansion, readers learn that Eugene had offered to build his father a house, buy him a car and hire him a driver 'as long as he converted' (p 61) and abandoned Igbo customs.

Well done!

You have finished this self-paced lesson. Send me a photo of your result and I will record that you have completed this task. If you have not already, it is important for you to add to your activities in your workbook. Track Kambili's journey as a protagonist. How would you describe her in the first 5 chapters of the book? Also record your summary of these chapters on the designated pages in your workbook.