Female activities include collection of firewood and story telling--Nwoye recalls the story of Vulture and rain

Locusts descend and this is considered a good omen--they appear only once in a generation, reappear every 7 years, and then disappear for another generation.

The locusts signal change in the narrative--they upset the natural order of life. It is after they descend that Ogbuefi Ezeudo announces that Ikemefuna will be killed according to the pronouncement of the Oracle. He warns Okonkwo not to partake in the killing.

Ikemefuna represents hope in the narrative, but a frustrated one. At first, he fears for his life, then changes his mind remembering that Okonkwo is with him. But his sense of foreboding remains and his apprehensions are well founded. The deed takes place in the forest.
"My father, they have killed me!"

Defining Terms:
sacrificing-premeditated--planned--ritualist associations, necessary;
offering, something will be gained; hens, goats

Killing--necessary; form of punishment; part of war

manslaughter, unintentional; shooting of young man
(female crime)

Murdering--unprovoked, unnecessary (planned), intentional, vengeful or vicious (the wife in the village who is killed)
(male crime)

Chapter Eight
Okonkwo has no outlet for his grief, since he associates sorrow with women.
His friendship with Obierika offers him a distraction, for Obierika's daughter is getting married and the family is discussing the bride price.
Obierika chides Okonkwo for striking against a boy who called him father. (67)

Akueke is to wed.

Bride price is negotiated based on the exchange of broomsticks which represent bags of cowrie shells (money).
At the same time that traditions are maintained, they are also questioned (tapping of palm tree)

Chapter Nine
Introduction of Ogbanje--a returning child spirit who comes to haunt her mother, birth after birth.

Chapter Ten
Arbitration of family dispute between Mgbafo and Uzowulu.
The ancestral spirits appear in masks and decide as one body how to deal with clan conflict.

Chapter Eleven
How do we see a different side of Okonkwo?
Okonkwo pleads with Chielo to leave his daughter alone.
Feels fear for his daughter
Persistence in making sure his daughter is ok--four visits to the cave
Supports his wife, shows consideration
Takes active role in Ezinma's health and care (herb bath)
Has a romantic past with Ekwefi
Assumes a public persona and a private persona
His actions are his words

Chapter 12
Chielo--takes Ezinma to the Caves.
Journey--Darkness evokes fear
The terrain is rough, Ekwefi stumbles over shrubs/roots
Forest (place of intrigue)
Chants used to inspire, but also to guide
Moon comes out--casts light onto the scene
Custom to carry child on back or on the side--create a bond
Use of the bride price--tradition
Women contribute to family security and are part of a man's status
High mortality rate for children (Ekwefi's losses)

Chapter 13
The old are profoundly connected to the spirit world
The egwugwu represent this spirit world in masked form
Ezeudu's funeral is filled with anguish and the echoes of gunfire and cannon.
The egwugwu express the grief of the clan.
After Okonkwo fires his gun, he inadvertently kills Ezeudu's son--a "female" crime.
Obierika recalls this calamity and his own losses (the twins)