Americanah - wider text essay, Obinze

Hi girls-


My thoughts on this essay...

Structural-

• We see Obinze through Ifemelu's eyes...but not ONLY through her eyes!  Is there a difference?  Obinze is the only other character the narrator seems to follow.  Are their perspectives different?
• Intercutting constantly induces the reader to alter their perceptions of every aspect of the core romantic relationship.  How do we INITIALLY feel about the fact that they are broken up, when we don't know the details?  How WILL we feel when we find out Obinze didn't even have a say in it?
• In each "part", how often does either Obinze or Ifemelu show up?  In other words, which of them is present the most frequently in each section?

Personal 'pet peeves'-

• SepAration, not sepEration.
• Do not repeat.
• Do NOT repeat.

Characterisation-

• Kosi - what are her focuses in life?  WHY?  How does this shape our opinion of Obinze?
• When comparing Curt & Blaine to Obinze, how does this comparison shape our opinion of OBINZE?

All in all, focus on the question.


Finally, here's a quick-reference revision list for Things To Include In An Essay:

1. Techniques of author-

• Language
• Tone
• Imagery
• Setting
• Conflict
• Contrast / Character foils (i.e. Emma v Jane / Mrs. Elton)
• Genre: indicators and upholding or subverting the genre

2. Audience / Reader

• Modern day
• Contemporary, plus social context

3. Themes & Symbols

4. Structure
Importance of place in text
Symbolic nature of story's concrete structure (i.e. Americanah's intercutting, or compressing time in Othello)

5. Weigh opinions of critics
Include their opinion and judge it!  Agree or not, and explain why.

In all cases, you should link the discussion back to demonstrate how that section of your essay is relevant to the set question.


Let me know if you have any questions!

- T. Marcus