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English - Coggle Diagram

- - - - "A mouth of nothing"
    - - "The horror of the jaw" - Is a simple, and brutal/gothic imagery of the jawbone. It emphasises the menace and violence in natural survival.
      - "A mouth of nothing" - Portrays death as absolute & consuming - total annihilation and unmerciful.
      - "Feeding and being fed" - The cycle of consumption
- - - - Struggles with traditional masculinity and identity
      - Attracted to his mother’s stories, not war or violence.
      - Quote: “Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell...” (Chapter 7)
      - Feels emotionally scarred by Okonkwo’s expectations and cruelty
      - Suffers when Ikemefuna is killed, leading to inner conflict.
      - Quote: “Nwoye had heard that twins were put in earthenware pots and thrown away in the forest...” (Chapter 7)
      - Symbol of cultural transformation
      - Converts to Christianity, renames himself Isaac.
      - Represents the younger generation breaking from tradition.
      - His choice contributes to Okonkwo’s downfall and isolation.
  - - - Ambitious, proud, and deeply afraid of failure
      - Determined to be the opposite of his father, Unoka.
      - Quote: “His whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness.” (Chapter 2)
      - Links to masculinity, fate vs free will, and tradition vs change.
      - Embodies toxic masculinity and emotional repression
      - Sees strength in violence and despises anything seen as feminine.
      - Quote: “When did you become a shivering old woman?” (Chapter 8)
      - Fear of appearing weak leads to rash actions (e.g. killing Ikemefuna).
      - Ultimately destroyed by inability to adapt to colonial change
      - Cannot understand peaceful resistance; clings to old values.
      - Quote: “He knew that Umuofia would not go to war.” (Chapter 25)
      - His death is symbolic of the fall of traditional Igbo society.
  - - - Peaceful, musical, but viewed as weak and irresponsible
      - Loved music and conversation; feared war and debt.
      - Quote: “Unoka... was a failure. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat.” (Chapter 1)
      - Symbol of a different kind of masculinity
      - Not respected in Igbo society but loved by his son (secretly, perhaps).
      - His memory haunts Okonkwo, who is determined to reject him completely.
      - Represents a traditional way of life rooted in joy, not dominance
      - Achebe subtly critiques society’s harsh judgments through Unoka’s legacy.
  - - - Voice of reason and moderation
      - Questions cultural norms but remains loyal to tradition.
      - Quote: “The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion...” (Chapter 20)
      - More emotionally open and less rigid than Okonkwo
      - Doesn’t go to extremes; warns Okonkwo to think.
      - Quote: “Your chi is very much awake, my friend.” (Chapter 8) — gentle teasing, but insightful.
      - Witness to the collapse of the clan
      - Provides commentary on colonialism’s effects.
      - Helps preserve Okonkwo’s memory, even when he fails.
  - - - Okonkwo’s favourite child, yet a girl — a powerful contradiction
      - She is the only one he openly wishes were a boy.
      - Quote: “She should have been a boy.” (Chapter 8)
      - Highlights tension between love and patriarchal values.
      - Wise beyond her years and emotionally close to both parents
      - Speaks confidently with Okonkwo and understands him.
      - Quote: “Ezinma took the dish in one hand and the empty water bowl in the other and went back to her mother’s hut.” (Chapter 5)
      - A symbol of balance between strength and sensitivity.
      - Represents hope, healing, and survival
      - The only surviving child of Ekwefi after many losses.
      - Quote: “Ezinma was an only child and the centre of her mother’s world.” (Chapter 5)
      - Linked to the spiritual world through her past as an ogbanje
      - Her survival shows the power of belief and resilience in Igbo cosmology.
  - - - Once a village beauty, now defined by grief and love
      - Left her first husband to marry Okonkwo out of love.
      - Quote: “She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy.” (Chapter 5)
      - Her suffering reflects the vulnerability of women in a patriarchal society.
      - Strong, brave, and openly emotional — contrasts with Okonkwo
      - Follows Chielo into the forest to protect Ezinma, despite the danger.
      - Quote: “She followed her into the bush, determined to chase her all night.” (Chapter 11)
      - Demonstrates maternal courage and quiet defiance.
      - Shares a deep emotional bond with Ezinma
      - Their relationship represents the strength of female ties and love.
      - Offers a counterpoint to Okonkwo’s violent parenting.
- - - - Stella's older sister. At the start of the play she's portrayed as nervous and constantly on edge, as though any slight disturbance could shatter her sanity or burst her "bubble of delusion". When Blanche arrives at the Kowalski's, she's at the end of her rope, having spiralled into this state of delusion and alcoholism. We can already see she clings to this delusional idea of herself - how she sees herself as "pure" and "innocent" as she is described by Stanley as her "delicate beauty must avoid harsh light, she suggests a moth".
        
        This motif or comparison of a moth emphasises or suggest Blanche's fragility - and her attraction to light symbolizes her past experiences - or love using many stage drections of light in important scenes.
  - - - The flowers are a symbol in the play used to represent illusion vs reality, memory and loss & seduction and ruin.
        
        “The unmistakable aura of the state institution with its cynical detachment… and the lingering scent of jasmine and tuberose.” - The scent of tuberose is often linked to funerals - a deep, heavy scent. Could be used to create an atmosphere of loss or death, however the scent of Jasmine is a flower often used to represent desire and memory. These could be symbolic to Blanche's character and represent the two different factors which had led to her downfall. This symbolises illusion outlasting reality.
        
        "Artificial violets in her hair" - This links to the theme illusion vs reality, as these symbolise fake, artificial purity, and this shows the audience she's still attempting to preserve her wall of innocence and charm, but it's decaying. Contrast to natural flowers links to theme.