Half Of A Yellow Sun-Odenigbo
Discuss Adichie's characterisation of
Odenigbo
and his significance in the the novel. A. What are the main characteristics of the character? Personality intellectual, bold, bravado, unafraid to voice his opinion,proud. professor, confident, When first introduced, Odenigbo is portrayed as a confident mathematics professor at the
University of Nigeria with a swaggering display of bravado and pride; often inviting other intellectuals and colleagues over to his house to debate and discuss social issues and political turmoil. Olanna even goes to the extent to liken these using a simile to “a political club in the evenings.” Having a habit of passionately sermoning and criticizing around the subject of traditional Nigerian values as well as the negative implications of white colonisation of
Africa, Odenigbo is depicted as a ‘master’ of rhetoric. In an extremely authoritative but uplifting tone Sometimes he even extends this ‘social commentary’ into global politics, racism and almost a white racial ‘hate.’
Physical description hairy,reading glasses (could reinforce how he is intellectual), big (hulking), ugly he is described as physically unattractive, yet Olanna’s attraction to him is obvious Attitudes/prejudices/dislikes/likes dislikes white people’s colonisation of Nigeria, believes in education (“education is a priority!”), represents modern view of Nigerian , he is described as a “revolutionary” B. How do they behave when we first meet them?
Asks questions (rhetoric), but doesn’t actually take action. Objectifies Olanna “nkem” , doesn’t care for class (doesn’t like Ugwu calling him Sah) and embodies the Modernist view of Nigeria because he strongly values education “Education is a priority! How can we resist exploitation if we don’t have the tools to understand exploitation?” This modernist view is contrasted to the
Traditional view of Mama who believes that women should be at home cooking and raising
Odenigbo
and his significance in the the novel. A. What are the main characteristics of the character? Personality intellectual, bold, bravado, unafraid to voice his opinion,proud. professor, confident, When first introduced, Odenigbo is portrayed as a confident mathematics professor at the
University of Nigeria with a swaggering display of bravado and pride; often inviting other intellectuals and colleagues over to his house to debate and discuss social issues and political turmoil. Olanna even goes to the extent to liken these using a simile to “a political club in the evenings.” Having a habit of passionately sermoning and criticizing around the subject of traditional Nigerian values as well as the negative implications of white colonisation of
Africa, Odenigbo is depicted as a ‘master’ of rhetoric. In an extremely authoritative but uplifting tone Sometimes he even extends this ‘social commentary’ into global politics, racism and almost a white racial ‘hate.’
Physical description hairy,reading glasses (could reinforce how he is intellectual), big (hulking), ugly he is described as physically unattractive, yet Olanna’s attraction to him is obvious Attitudes/prejudices/dislikes/likes dislikes white people’s colonisation of Nigeria, believes in education (“education is a priority!”), represents modern view of Nigerian , he is described as a “revolutionary” B. How do they behave when we first meet them?
Asks questions (rhetoric), but doesn’t actually take action. Objectifies Olanna “nkem” , doesn’t care for class (doesn’t like Ugwu calling him Sah) and embodies the Modernist view of Nigeria because he strongly values education “Education is a priority! How can we resist exploitation if we don’t have the tools to understand exploitation?” This modernist view is contrasted to the
Traditional view of Mama who believes that women should be at home cooking and raising