No+Longer+at+Ease

==Teaching //No Longer at Ease// by Chinua Achebe ==


 * Synopsis:** The second installment in Achebe's [|Africa Trilogy], //No Longer at Ease//, is the story of Obi Okonkwo, a [|Nigerian] man who travels to England for his education, changes his major from law to English, then returns to his homeland, falling into a world of corruption. The novel begins with Obi's trail for accepting a bribe and then flashes back to the beginning of his education, and the events that lead to his downfall.

This novel is appropriate for secondary and post-secondary classrooms.


 * Challenge 1: Coping with Corruption:** Achebe's novel deals with the effects of corruption in post-colonial Africa. In today's society, the message is often, "Get ahead by any means necessary." Stolen elections and [|white collar crimes] are common, not to mention street crime and even cutting in line at lunch. How can the classroom teacher help students recognize the negative impact of corruption?

In the novel Achebe presents the tragic downfall of Obi Okonkwo. The reader feels the pain of a man trapped in a system where the only way to survive is by giving in to corrupt practices. Obi develops a very romanticized version of how life should be during his English education; sadly, the reality of his surroundings after returning to Nigeria fail to allow for his ideal situation. For awhile he benefits from the corrupt system; but in the end, he suffers the consequences of his actions.

One way to approach this story is to connect it to the corruption that is prevalent in corporate America. Day after day, news stories focus on one corrupt CEO or another. While some may get away with their corrupt practices, most end up like Obi. A powerful film to use to accompany this text is //[|Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room]//. This film deals with corruption and the consequences of a society where people will compromise their ethics to achieve material success, regardless of those who may be destroyed in the process. It is important to help students examine the "looking out for number 1" mentality, and the effects of this type of philosophy. Who really benefits from this sort of system and who suffers? How does this type of thinking impact our society?

Achebe's story is profoundly disheartening because there seems to be no way out of this situation. A discussion of business ethics may be helpful when examining this text. A guest speaker in this field could be brought in to speak with the class about corporate responsibility, and the class could brainstorm solutions to Obi's predicament. As teachers are well aware, students are the leaders of tomorrow, and the conversations that take place in the classroom can have a lasting impact.


 * Challenge 2: Understanding Africa:** //No Longer at Ease// is a novel about corruption in Africa. For students to really get a full understanding of Obi's internal and external conflicts, they need to understand a bit about the history of the continent and the chaos and damage cause by colonialism. Bringing in an expert in African history to give a brief lecture would be a great idea before embarking on this novel. Students are often unaware of the impact that colonialism had on the people of Africa, especially the impact of the British, a key element in the story of Obi.

If this is not possible, there are a variety of websites that students can visit: [|History of the continent of Africa] [|All About Africa] [|The History of Nigeria]


 * Additional Resources

[|Chinua Achebe's Wikipedia entry]

[|Chinua Achebe lecture] (Video)

[|Chinua Audio Interview]

[|Chinua Achebe Audio Interview]

[|The Journey of the Magi]**