Things Fall Apart, Chapters Nine and Ten

Welcome to the very different world of the Ibo, or is it so very different from our own? Chapters Nine and Ten follow two very unique aspects of the tribe: the concept of ogbanje children and the process of a trial. Your challenge will be to find some kind of connection between their culture and ours with regard to these two chapters. You will notice that the writing style changes subtly; Achebe does not use nearly as much figurative language as in previous chapters. Achebe's writing style almost seems to be more journalistic in nature: the who, what, where, when, why and are mixed in with storytelling.

Essential Question

• How does superstition shape a community’s belief system?