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purple hibiscus - growth & change - Coggle Diagram
purple hibiscus - growth & change
Chapter 14, p257
p257, "everything came tumbling down after Palm Sunday...their roots waving lumpy soil in the air..."
pathetic fallacy: the description of the surroundings creates a sense of weakness - words such as "tumbling down", "crashing down" suggest a sense of destruction; "howling winds" & "angry rain" reflects the turbulent state of the family, also connotes a sense of violent and unstable...
cyclical: mirrors the beginning, things changed drastically after "Palm Sunday".
writer's intention: by depicting the environment where sense of forboding danger simmers in the air, she uses the language and imagery to intimidate and unsettle the readers, further exposing how things get out of control and order after the dictatorship had been challenged.
reader's reaction: they can sense the change (such as the "old silence had broken and left us with the sharp pieces.") in the household.
p257, "When Mama asked Sisi to wipe the floor... she did not lower her voice to a whisper. She did not hide the tiny smile that drew lines at the edge of her mouth. She did not sneak Jaja's food to his room, wrapped in cloth so it would appear that she had simply brought his laundry in. She took him his food on a white tray, with a matching plate."
repetition: "She did not..." showing how Mama grows her defiance after her son's rebelious moves; she is determined to protect her children, and less petrified of Papa's tyrannical rule. metaphor: "smile that drew lines" is a lively description, showing how Mama is proud of her son's change and that she smiles more than before.
writer's intention: demonstrating how freedom can bloom after the dictatorship had been challenged.
p123, "When Mama came on the line, her voice sounded louder than her usual whisper..."
p270, "There were more earthworms in the bathtub, and I left them alone, watching the water carry them and send them down the drain."
CHANGE & GROWTH: in the past, Kambili will pick the worms out of the bathtub because she feels uncomfortable(may due to how she is raised as a daughter of a wealthy family, not used to the living style & condition of the majority of Nigerians). But now, she embraces her identity as a Nigerian and she becomes more adopted to it.
SEND THEM DOWN THE DRAIN: could represent the future fall of the Achike household as Kambili stands by and watches Jaja get arrested however she herself doesn’t do anything
p261, "yet I did not think to close my ears; I did not think to count to twenty."
CONTRACT p33, "I sat down, closed my eyes, and started to count. Counting made it seem not that long, made it seem not that bad. Sometimes it was over before i even got to twenty."
Kambili used to be traumatized and very passive, but now she
Chapter 16, p287
significant moments
mama admits to putting poison in papa's teas
"I started putting the poisons in his tea before I came to Nsukka" p290
Jaja takes the blame
"He told them he had used rat poison, that he put in papas tea" p290
link to earlier in the chapter
Jaja blames himself
believes he should of stood up to papa sooner
compares himself with Obiora and believes that he's not doing as much as him
he believes that he should of done more for Mama
"I should have taken care of Mama"
He's protecting Mama
Kambili is still seeking papa's attentions
"I though how Papa would be proud that I had said that, how he would approve of my saying that" p289
show the power and control that Papa still has over his family
Kambili is still seeking his approval like in the beginning of the novel even though she has learn that papa isn't always right and that she doesn't need her approval
supports earlier in the novel when Jaja said that "she will never heal"
intention
Adichie could have done this to show the lasting effects on those who faced abuse
she could of done this to show the effects on colonialism on people and their relationships
although Kambili has grown and has learned that Papa isn't always right, he still has control over her, even in death
Chapter 15, p271
amaka refuses to take an English name
"Don't they glorify God as much as 'Paul' and 'Peter' and 'Simon'?" p272
Rhetorical questions
She constantly asks questions
this could represent a child's naivety to the world
could represent that the younger generation are less willing to just accept something they don't like
Father Amadi just accepted that he had to take an English name
"they insisted that people take English names to be baptized" p272
this could show the effects of colonization
Igbo culture has been suppressed because they have been force to change there name to an English one to be baptized
this could have a significant impact on the reader because they understand that someones can be very important and so having to change to be baptized can make them feel very sympathetic ftowards them
Aunty Ifeoma, Amaka, amadi and Kambili. go on a pilgrimage to Aokpe
they sang in the car and sometimes Kambili joined in
"sometimes I joined in the singing and other times i remained quiet and listened" p274
Chapter 17, p295
299:”But I see other parts of Jaja, the parts I do not need to be shown, like his shoulders”
“The shoulders tha bloomed in Nsukka, that grew wide and capable, have sagged i the thirty one months that he has been here”
BLOOMED: connotations of growth, links to the purple hibiscus that he grows in his own home in an attempt for freedom
SAGGED: age, Jaja seems to have substantially aged eventhough he is still in his 20s, impact of prison on maturing him to beyond his years
WRITERS INTENTION: impact of imprisonment and corruption on individuals
READER REACTION: shock, sad as despite being the biggest advocate for change/freedom in his family, Jaja is the only one left imprisoned after Papa has died however now in a more literal imprisonment
306- "and Jaja will plant purple hibiscus too"
Kambili hopes that Jaja will plant the purple hibiscus when he gets out of prison, showcasing her hope that freedom will blossom after a lot of tradgedy
Throughout, the purple hibiscus serves as a reminder of enjoyment for Kambili and Jaja that they should be given space to grow
PURPLE HIBISCUS:: symbol of freedom, initially from Aunty Ifeoma who became an escape for the Achike household but eventually the freedom is also seen in the Achike family through Jaja
PLANT: connotes growth both physically and emotionally. Jaja has grown physically through the broadening of his shoulders & advocates for growth in his household through planting the purple hibiscus
295: “His voice is gentle; Mama says it is the reason she hired him after she asked Kevin to leave. That and aso that he does not have a dagger-shape scare on his neck”
DAGGER SHAPE SCAR: reflective of the more metaphorical scar left on the family by Papa, from both the emotional & physical abuse
ASKED KEVIN TO LEAVE: voicing her opinions, Mama is no longer afraid to seek comfort any means necessary
WRITER INTENTION: change is necessary for the family as they shift away from their old ideals in the form of hiring a new driver, change in mama who makes decisions based on her own desires instead of Papa’s
READER REACTION: sorrow for the family as we see how even a dagger shaped scar can negatively impact the family, proud as they are taken control of their actions and making decisions for themselves
"I can reach out and squeeze the moisture from them.The new rains will come down soon"
This metaphor at the end of the novel suggests how there will be new rain and new plants that have the potential to grow signifying hope for the future
INTENTIONS: Infers how the Achike family and wider Nigeria are given new hope for change and growth