The Sacrificial Egg

1
The Sacrificial Egg

• Chinua Achebe

2
Postcolonialism

• Achebe is Nigerian
• Nigeria was a British colony
• Literature in English NOT English literature.
• Rich cultural content
• Cannot be fully understood if the Nigerian
  culture is omitted.
• Nkwo Day, akara, mai-mai, Kitikpa, ekwe,
  mammy-wota

3
Setting

• Nigeria
• Bank of the Niger
• Umuru Market
• After 1920
• Julius went to Umura after his education.
• Smallpox was still in Nigeria in 1970s

4
Julius Obi

• Julius Obi
• Julius English name of Polish or German origin
• Obi African, Igbo for "heart." A form of
  religious belief of African origin involving
  sorcery.

• Passed Standard Six
• Education system under British rule, the
  examination after completing primary education
• Considered himself educated.

5
Binaries

• Umura Market Niger Company
• Nigerian British
• (clean) (busy, dirty, crowded)
• Educated (Julius) Uneducated (Ma)
• Less superstitious Surperstitious
• (resistance)
• Exchange of goods trade by money

6
Symbols - Signs

• Native vocabularies (Nkwo, akara )

Non-European
Green Uniform Nigerian
Dark crescent, dark bodies Death
Magic, deities, night spirits Superstitious
The sacrificial egg Bad omen, warning sign
Typewriter educated/knows how to write
7

• Night Spirit

Superstitious
British/Foreigners (fearsome figures) Its voice
rose high and clear in the still, black air.
helicopters the rattling staff of the spirit and
a thundering stream of esoteric speech.
English/foreign language
8
White mans influence

• Disease smallpox Death
• Religion Folklore/Cult Christianity
• Education uneducated educated
• Market
• Once every four days daily market (river
  port).
• Clean, exchange of goods dirty, crowded,
  usage of money empty