Half of a Yellow Sun

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Discuss the motifs Adichie employs in the novel to symbolize The Horrors of War.

• Identify two symbols or ideas that Adichie incorporated throughout the novel to signify The Horrors of War the characters experienced. (topic sentence)
• Describe how the characters react to their experiences with the two concepts you have identified.
• In your conclusion, discuss how the motifs shaped the view of The Horrors of War or the statement being made about them through the story.

2. Richard and Susan have markedly different beliefs about the Igbo people.

• What stance does each character take toward the Igbo people? (topic sentence)
• Compare and contrast specific examples of what each character has said about the Igbo people and culture. Explain what this reveals about each character’s personality.
• In your conclusion, discuss how the characters’ attitudes have influenced their actions, behavior, and experiences in the story.

3. Odenigbo says, “The white man brought racism into the war. He used it as a basis of conquest.”

• Explain why Odenigbo believes the white man is responsible for bringing racism into the war if it was the Muslin Hausa who killed so many Igbo people. (topic sentence)
• Analyze 2-3 scenes from the book when Odenigbo blames the war on the white man. How do these moments affect Odenigbo’s behavior?
• In your conclusion, state how Odenigbo—and the Igbo population at large—find the white man an easier target to blame, particularly how the Sectarian Identity Crises theme plays out for the Igbo people.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Adichie organizes the novel so that it is structured into two parts encompassing the love stories of Odenigbo and Olanna and Richard and Kainene. How do these love stories play a key role in a novel about war?

2. When the novel begins, Ugwu is a village boy who is assigned a master for the first time. As the story begins, Ugwu’s aunty characterizes Odenigbo as “a little crazy; he had spent too many years reading books overseas, talked to himself in his office, did not always return greetings, and had too much hair” (Chapter 1). Ugwu ends the novel with this dedication from his book: “For Master, my good man” (Chapter 37). How does their relationship change and grow throughout the story? What effect has their relationship had on the man Ugwu became?

3. Olanna and Kainene have somewhat of an estranged relationship in the beginning of the story, but their relationship is further destroyed when Olanna seduces Richard. If Olanna’s goal is revenge toward Odenigbo for his infidelity, why does she choose her sister’s boyfriend, knowing the damage it could cause their relationship? Why are the sisters eventually able to make up?