Civil Peace
By Chinua Achebe
Summary
This is primarily a story of how
a person can remain positive and optimistic even in worst situations of life.
It is a story of optimism, faith in God and a hard labor.
The main character of this story
is Jonathan who has survived (continued to live in spite of danger) the
Nigerian Civil War (also known as Biafran War). Although he has lost his
youngest son in the war, still he is still happy to have come out of the war
with his wife and three other children. It is a happy survival.
He dug out his cycle, which he
had buried to save it from others. Then he found his little house still
standing in Inugu. It was another miracle for him. It wasn't in a very good
condition. He got it repaired and started to live in with his family.
As a very positive person he was,
he restarted the journey of his life with the help of his wife and three
children. First, he used his bicycle to start a taxi service and then opened a
bar for soldiers. His wife sold akara balls and children started picking
fruits for sale.
Although the income was not much,
but it helped them as a minor comfort, till the mines, where he worked
previously, would start. He accepted it all as generosity of God. So every time
he used to tell his neighbours "Nothing puzzles God".
One day he was given a reward
('ex-gratia') of 20 pounds after turning over rebel currency. For Jonathan,
this was another generosity of God. But that night a group of thieves knocked
at his door, demanding 100 pounds from him. At first he shouted for help from
the neighbours and the police, but nobody came to help him.
The thief leader told him that if
he cooperated, they would not hurt the family. Jonathan realized no other
option was left for him, so he gave them the 20 pounds of reward money to keep
his family unharmed.
The next morning when the
neighbours arrived, Jonathan and his family had thrown aside the effects of
last night and were back at their work. His neighbours were surprised at
it, but he explained them that the reward money could not be compared to what
he lost in the war.
Understanding the text:
Answer the following
questions.
a. Why did Jonathan
think of himself as 'extraordinarily lucky'?
Answer: Jonathan thought
himself to be extraordinarily lucky because he had survived the Nigerian Civil
War along with his wife three of his four children. He calls it 'inestimable
blessings'. Along with that he got back his bicycle as a bonus.
b. What are the 'five blessings' for which Jonathan is grateful?
Answer: The five blessings
are the five lives, his own life, and the lives of his wife and three children.
c. Why did Jonathan mistrust the officer who wanted to take his
bicycle? What does this tell you about the situation in Nigeria?
Answer: He mistrusted the
officer because of his appearance, uniform and the shabby shoes. Even the two
stars of his rank were done in a pencil. Another important point was that there
was a lack of grip and firmness in his manner.
This shows the situation in
Nigeria was not good. There was unemployment, cheating, and crimes prevalent in
the society.
d. What visitors might be at the door? Jonathan and his wife completely
surprised? Explain.
Answer: The visitors were a
group of thieves who had come to demand money from Jonathan. Yes, they were
completely surprised. They were not ready for such an event.
e. Why does no one in the neighborhood respond when thieves pound on
Jonathan's door? Why do the thieves call for the police?
Answer: No body responses to
Jonathan's cries for help, because they are all were afraid of them. The
thieves might attack or loot them too. When nobody comes out for help, the
thieves mock them by crying even louder. They also show how helpless the family
is.
Reference to the
context
a. What does Jonathan mean by his expression "Nothing Puzzles
God"? What does this expression reveal about his character? Explain by
citing details from the story?
Answer: The phrase means
anything can happen, but God is not puzzled as humans are. People should
have faith in God. He knows how to solve every problem you have. In this story,
this phrase comes as a refrain (a line or statement that is often repeated)
.This expression shows how optimistic Jonathan is towards his life.
In the first, second and third
places he has used it when something wonderful happens in his life. But lastly
he uses it when he is robbed off his money. Though it may seem unusual,
but it shows that he remembers God both in good and bad situations.
b. How does Jonathan change as he experiences the conflicts in his
life.?
Answer: He changes a lot.
First, his belief in God grows. With a deep faith in God, he frees himself from
the worries of life. This helps him to use his energy constructively to live in
the difficult situations of war aftermath. He develops some skills, through
which he stands against the adverse situations.
c. Read the extract and answer the questions below.
"To God who made me; if you come inside and find one hundred
pounds, take it and shoot me and shoot my wife and children. I swear to God.
The only money i have, in this life is this twenty pounds egg-rasher they gave
me today ....."
A. Who is the speaker?
Answer: Mr. Jonathan is the
speaker.
B. Who is the speaker talking to?
Answer: He is talking to the
leader of the thieves.
C. Who does "they" refer to?
Answer: "They"
refers to the government employees.
d. Nigerian English has words like soja 'soldier', and katakata
'confusion' 'trouble' derived apparently from English words but
transformed by native languages' phonologies. What does the author's use of
dialect here add to the story?
Answer: By the use of the
dialect the writer gains two effects. First, he tries to give the readers a
real feeling of the setting of this story. It suits Nigerian characters.
Thus he gives a local color to the story. Second, perhaps the writer wants to
show the existence of both African dialect and British English as a result of
colonialism.
e. Why do you think thieves who come to rob Jonathan speak English with
a heavier African accent than Jonathan does?
Answer: This might be
because they were the inhabitants who either never educated, or perhaps never
interacted with a broader society. They were not educated and were not from the
city.
f. The title of the story "Civil Peace" itself is ironical as
there is little to differentiate 'civil peace' from 'civil war'. Do you think
that the title of of this story is appropriate, or would”Civil War" have
been a better title? Explain.
Answer: No doubt the title is
ironical. There is no difference between the war and post war situation. There
are still destruction, chaos, unemployment, and social crimes. Still I
think it's an appropriate title. Firstly, the time of the story is post war
period. So it can never be named Civil War. Secondly, the title suggests peace
will be restored gradually. Thus it gives an optimistic attitude.
Reference beyond the
text
a. How would describe the civil peace in Nigeria?
Answer: The civil peace in
Nigeria isn't complete in real sense. Moving around Jonathan's story, we find
that a real peace has not been established in the ebo society after it has been
destroyed by the war.
Jonathan is busy in collecting
the torn parts of his life to resettle it. The other miners are jobless,
homeless and hopeless. There is complete unemployment. Anarchy still prevails
there.
There is no government protection
to the citizen. Muggers rob people in the public places, and thieves visit
and knock at doors asking for money without any fear of police. Neither
neighbours, nor the police come up to help in such situations. People were on
their own for their survival.
Such a situation is only softened
by the optimism of Jonathan with his life mantra "Nothing puzzles
God".
b. What kind of attitude towards life do you think you would have if
your situation was similar to that of Jonathan's?
Answer: It needs to be a man
of high optimism with firm determination with deep faith in God to be Jonathan.
I am not that. I am a normal person like other co-sufferers of Jonathan who
lacked his characteristics.
So, if my situation was similar
to him, I would have been miserable, dejected and depressed. I would have been
cursing my ill fate, visiting mines for them being re-opened.
c. Draw the character sketch of Jonathan Iwegbu.
Answer: Jonathan is the protagonist (the leading character) of this story. The writer has presented him as an optimistic, industrious (hard working) resilient (able to recover quickly from conditions) character. Unlike other survivors, he is not disheartened or depressed in the war-aftermath .With a deep faith in God; he endeavors to resettle his life, in which his family too helps him. He never regrets the loss he had to bear in war period. He has even lost his son, which is an irreversible loss. But in spite of mourning, he accepts the situation. To him everything he got back is a miracle. He thinks himself to be 'extraordinarily lucky'. His life mantra is "Nothing puzzles God".