The Plantation

While the children play soldier near the pipeline, the adults squabble and fight over gasoline. In what senses do the play fighting and real fighting illuminate each other?

Think about the animals mentioned in the story: How do they serve as reflections of the human motivations of Namidi, Ochuko, and Jackson?

Namidi’s character is a central concern of the story. How do Mama Efe’s opinions confirm or change our perspective of him?

Namidi, his wife, and his children are described as “an odd, almost patriarchal procession” (80). What is the role of patriarchy in this story? What senses of the word “patriarchal” might this passage refer to?

The story turns on the villagers’ greed. How is human nature described throughout the story?

Both traditional and foreign customs are described in the story—how are these descriptions similar, and how are they different?

Research the 1998 explosion in Jesse, Nigeria. How accurate is Adagha’s retelling?

Toward the end of the story, gasoline is described as the only thing that can’t be absorbed by the ground—how is petroleum a metaphor for the legacy of colonialism and foreign rule?