Question
[Okonkwo] took a pot of palm-wine [ . . . ] to Nwakibie. Two elderly neighbors were sent for, and Nwakibie's two grown-up sons were also present in his obi.¹ He presented a kola nut and an alligator pepper, which were passed round for all to see and then returned to him. He broke the nut saying: "We shall all live. We pray for life, children, a good harvest and happiness. You will have what is good for you and I will have what is good for me. Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to the other, let his wing break."
After the kola nut had been eaten Okonkwo brought his palm-wine from the corner of the hut where it had been placed and stood it in the center of the group. He addressed Nwakibie, calling him "Our father." [ . . . ]
Everybody thanked Okonkwo and the neighbors brought out their drinking horns from the goatskin bags they carried. Nwakibie brought down his own horn, which was fastened to the rafters. The younger of his sons, who was also the youngest man in the group, moved to the center, raised the pot on his left knee and began to pour out the wine. The first cup went to Okonkwo, who must taste his wine before anyone else. Then the group drank, beginning with the eldest man. When everyone had drunk two or three horns, Nwakibie sent for his wives. [ . . . ]
Anasi was a middle-aged woman, tall and strongly built. There was authority in her bearing and she looked every inch the ruler of the womenfolk in a large and prosperous family. She wore the anklet of her husband's titles, which the first wife alone could wear.
She walked up to her husband and accepted the horn from him. She then went down on one knee, drank a little and handed back the horn. She rose, called him by his name and went back to her hut. The other wives drank in the same way, in their proper order, and went away.
The men then continued their drinking and talking. Ogbuefi Idigo was talking about the palm-wine tapper, Obiako, who suddenly gave up his trade.
"There must be something behind it," he said, wiping the foam of wine from his mustache with the back of his left hand. "There must be a reason for it. A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing."
"Some people say the Oracle warned him that he would fall off a palm tree and kill himself," said Akukalia.
"Obiako has always been a strange one," said Nwakibie. "I have heard that many years ago, when his father had not been dead very long, he had gone to consult the Oracle. The Oracle said to him, 'Your dead father wants you to sacrifice a goat to him.' Do you know what he told the Oracle? He said, 'Ask my dead father if he ever had a fowl when he was alive.'" Everybody laughed heartily except Okonkwo, who laughed uneasily because, as the saying goes, an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. Okonkwo remembered his own father.
What details from the passage best suggest that rank and hierarchy are very important in Okonkwo's community?
After the kola nut had been eaten Okonkwo brought his palm-wine from the corner of the hut where it had been placed and stood it in the center of the group. He addressed Nwakibie, calling him "Our father." [ . . . ]
Everybody thanked Okonkwo and the neighbors brought out their drinking horns from the goatskin bags they carried. Nwakibie brought down his own horn, which was fastened to the rafters. The younger of his sons, who was also the youngest man in the group, moved to the center, raised the pot on his left knee and began to pour out the wine. The first cup went to Okonkwo, who must taste his wine before anyone else. Then the group drank, beginning with the eldest man. When everyone had drunk two or three horns, Nwakibie sent for his wives. [ . . . ]
Anasi was a middle-aged woman, tall and strongly built. There was authority in her bearing and she looked every inch the ruler of the womenfolk in a large and prosperous family. She wore the anklet of her husband's titles, which the first wife alone could wear.
She walked up to her husband and accepted the horn from him. She then went down on one knee, drank a little and handed back the horn. She rose, called him by his name and went back to her hut. The other wives drank in the same way, in their proper order, and went away.
The men then continued their drinking and talking. Ogbuefi Idigo was talking about the palm-wine tapper, Obiako, who suddenly gave up his trade.
"There must be something behind it," he said, wiping the foam of wine from his mustache with the back of his left hand. "There must be a reason for it. A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing."
"Some people say the Oracle warned him that he would fall off a palm tree and kill himself," said Akukalia.
"Obiako has always been a strange one," said Nwakibie. "I have heard that many years ago, when his father had not been dead very long, he had gone to consult the Oracle. The Oracle said to him, 'Your dead father wants you to sacrifice a goat to him.' Do you know what he told the Oracle? He said, 'Ask my dead father if he ever had a fowl when he was alive.'" Everybody laughed heartily except Okonkwo, who laughed uneasily because, as the saying goes, an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. Okonkwo remembered his own father.
What details from the passage best suggest that rank and hierarchy are very important in Okonkwo's community?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The passage provides several details that illustrate the importance of rank and hierarchy within Okonkwo's community. Here are a few key elements:
1. **Title and Address**: Okonkwo addresses Nwakibie as "Our father," which reflects the respect accorded to him as a man of higher status in the community. This form of address emphasizes Nwakibie's position and the communal acknowledgment of hierarchical roles.
2. **Kola Nut Ceremony**: The ritual involving the kola nut, which is broken and shared among the men, symbolizes a communal blessing and shows the significance of status in the order of consumption. Okonkwo, being of higher status, is given the first cup of palm-wine before anyone else, indicating his superior rank among the group.
3. **Eldest First**: The passage mentions that the group drinks beginning with the eldest man. This reflects the traditional respect for age and the established hierarchy within the community, reinforcing that the eldest holds a position of honor.
4. **Wives’ Ritual**: Anasi, Nwakibie’s first wife, is described as wearing the anklet of her husband's titles, signifying her elevated status as the primary wife. The order in which the wives drink and their display of reverence toward their husband underscore the domestic hierarchy within the family unit, mirroring the larger community's values.
5. **References to Ritual and Tradition**: The passage includes traditional sayings and references to customs—like the importance of consulting the Oracle and the laughter that follows Nwakibie's anecdote about Obiako. These cultural practices inherently prioritize established norms and hierarchies, influencing social interactions.
6. **Uneasy Laughter**: Okonkwo’s uneasy laughter in response to the joke about the Oracle hints at his awareness of the consequences of disrespecting cultural traditions or norms that govern behavior within their structured society. His fear of recalling his father's legacy underscores the weight of familial reputation and status.
These elements combined illustrate a society where rank, respect for elders, and established protocols govern social interactions, further emphasizing the significance of hierarchy within the community.
1. **Title and Address**: Okonkwo addresses Nwakibie as "Our father," which reflects the respect accorded to him as a man of higher status in the community. This form of address emphasizes Nwakibie's position and the communal acknowledgment of hierarchical roles.
2. **Kola Nut Ceremony**: The ritual involving the kola nut, which is broken and shared among the men, symbolizes a communal blessing and shows the significance of status in the order of consumption. Okonkwo, being of higher status, is given the first cup of palm-wine before anyone else, indicating his superior rank among the group.
3. **Eldest First**: The passage mentions that the group drinks beginning with the eldest man. This reflects the traditional respect for age and the established hierarchy within the community, reinforcing that the eldest holds a position of honor.
4. **Wives’ Ritual**: Anasi, Nwakibie’s first wife, is described as wearing the anklet of her husband's titles, signifying her elevated status as the primary wife. The order in which the wives drink and their display of reverence toward their husband underscore the domestic hierarchy within the family unit, mirroring the larger community's values.
5. **References to Ritual and Tradition**: The passage includes traditional sayings and references to customs—like the importance of consulting the Oracle and the laughter that follows Nwakibie's anecdote about Obiako. These cultural practices inherently prioritize established norms and hierarchies, influencing social interactions.
6. **Uneasy Laughter**: Okonkwo’s uneasy laughter in response to the joke about the Oracle hints at his awareness of the consequences of disrespecting cultural traditions or norms that govern behavior within their structured society. His fear of recalling his father's legacy underscores the weight of familial reputation and status.
These elements combined illustrate a society where rank, respect for elders, and established protocols govern social interactions, further emphasizing the significance of hierarchy within the community.