Glossary
| Word / Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Port Harcourt | capital of Rivers State, Nigeria |
| Umuofia | one of a fictional group of nine Igbo villages in Nigeria |
| en masse | in one group; all together |
| lout | a rough, rude young man |
| illustrious | famous and admired |
| nonentity | an unimportant person |
| naivety | innocence; lack of worldly experience |
| imminent | about to happen |
| stalwarts | loyal, hard-working supporters |
| ozo feast | the highest magico-religious festival in the Igbo clan |
| iroko tree | a large hardwood tree of tropical West Africa |
| deigned | lowered oneself to do something |
| decorum | proper, dignified behaviour |
| annihilation | complete destruction |
| mesmerized | spellbound, fascinated |
| iyi | a native deity or charm on which oaths are sworn |
| stickler | a person who insists on exact detail |
| landslide victory | a win by a very large margin |
| sidled | walked in a shy or sly way |
| jauntily | in a lively, cheerful, confident way |
| indelible ink | ink that cannot be washed off |
Detailed Explanation
The narrator's irony. Achebe praises Roof and Marcus in words that mean the opposite. Roof "had given up of his own free will a bright future" to "guide" his people, yet Umuofia "did not need a lot of guidance". Marcus's honours include a doctorate that villagers expected to be able to "heal the sick". The narrator says success "had not gone to Marcus's head", then tells us he lit only his own house with a private power plant.
Why the villagers change. Five years earlier they voted for Marcus free. Since then they have watched a failing schoolteacher turn into a rich chief. They conclude that the vote is the only moment when they hold power, so they want a share of the wealth. Their attitude is not reform; it is a demand to be paid.
The bargaining scene. The scene reads like a ritual. The money lies on the floor untouched; Ezenwa tilts the lamp to check the coins; he protests with proverbs; Roof adds shillings one at a time "like a priest distributing the host"; he fakes anger; the elders calm him; only then do they pick up the money. Everyone knows the game and plays it with dignity. The religious comparison makes the corruption look almost sacred.
The POP visit. The contrast is sharp. Roof's meeting with the elders is long and polite; the POP leader's visit is "cold and business-like". Roof is hypnotized by the red notes with the cocoa farmer, the image of honest labour on money used for a dishonest deal. The iyi from Mbanta adds fear to greed: Roof is now bound by a sacred oath.
Election day. The festive music, the "Corngrass!" greetings and Roof's jokes about heads that are "not correct" show how shallow the voters' political understanding is. The woman who says "Or if we don't, our children will" (ride in the car) hints at the cynical hope that keeps them voting for the powerful.
The booth. Roof's inner conflict is between loyalty to Marcus, the five pounds and fear of the iyi. His "solution" is a trick: he tears the ballot in half and says aloud "I vote for Maduka", so the letter of his oath is kept. The ending is ironic: the man who came to "guide" his people wastes his own vote and walks out "jauntily".
African Proverbs in the Story
| Proverb | Meaning in context |
|---|---|
| A fly trying to move a dunghill | a hopeless attempt; opposing Marcus is useless |
| The little bird who ate and drank and went out to challenge his personal spirit | an ungrateful, over-confident person who forgets the source of his fortune; Marcus is said to be unlike him |
| He is not like the mortar which, as soon as food comes its way, turns its back on the ground | a person who forgets his roots once he is rich; the old man praises Marcus as not forgetful |
| Who would leave an ozo feast and go to a poor ritual meal? | no one would give up a great opportunity for a small one; the elders will stay with the powerful Marcus |
| We have climbed the iroko tree today and would be foolish not to take down all the firewood we need | take full advantage of the opportunity while it lasts; the elders want more money for their votes |
[Exam Tip] — Link each proverb to who says it and why. The iroko proverb is the elders' justification for demanding more money; Roof "had to agree", because he had been "taking down a lot of firewood himself".
Vocabulary: Antonyms Using Prefixes (in-, un-, im-, dis-)
| Word | Antonym | Word | Antonym |
|---|---|---|---|
| gratitude | ingratitude | mask | unmask |
| certain | uncertain | lawful | unlawful |
| install | uninstall | grateful | ungrateful |
| personal | impersonal | wavering | unwavering |
| honour | dishonour | regard | disregard |
| disputed | undisputed | perturb(ed) | unperturbed |
| correct | incorrect | tolerant | intolerant |
Note: "perturb" is a verb; the prefixed form is used as the adjective unperturbed (not worried).