Literary Dominoes

Adapted from Kelly Gallagher’s Deeper Reading: Comprehending Challenging Texts, 4-12
(2004)

Have you ever lined up dominoes in elaborate formations and then knocked them all down by
pushing the first domino? The first one falls and knicks the second one down, which falls and
knocks the third one down -- starting a chain reaction that winds its way all the way through the
dominoes until none is left standing.

In a way, the plots of novels, plays, and stories are like dominoes. A happens, which causes B
to happen, which in turn causes C to happen -- a process that continues until the reader
reaches the resolution.

This activity will prompt you to access the following levels of thinking:
● Comprehension (understanding the plot)
● Analysis (properly ordering and connecting events)
● Synthesis (modifying by answering “What if…”)
● Evaluation (ranking important of plot points)

Task: Identify the chain of events that caused the last domino. Keep Okonkwo at the center of
your findings.

Last domino: Nwoye feels “a snapping inside him,” as if “something had given way inside him”
(61-62) -- to help you understand cause and effect, ask yourself what caused this to happen and
work backwards.

Previous domino: “...Nwoye knew that Ikemfuna had been killed” (61).

Previous domino: Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna -- again, ask yourself why this happened. Work
backwards from here, keeping Okonkwo towards the center of your findings..

Previous domino: Okonkwo was afraid of being seen as weak if he didn’t kill Ikemefuna

Previous domino: Ikemefuna was being taken back to his village by Okonkwo and the other
men of Umuofia

Previous domino:Ogbuefi Ezeudu told Okonkwo not to play a role in Ikemefuna’s death

Previous domino: Umuofia decided that Ikemefuna had to be killed, and elders from the 9
villages came to speak with Okonkwo

Previous domino: Okonkwo wanted his son to be strong and capable, Nwoye became tougher
because of Ikemefuna’s influence
Previous domino: Ikemefuna became part of the family, acting like an older brother to Nwoye
and a son to Okonkwo. Through Ikemefuna’s unfamiliar folk tales and other impressive skills,.

Previous domino: Okonkwo comes up with an excuse to beat up his second wife, Ekwefi.
Ekwefi hints that Okonkwo cannot properly shoot a gun. To prove Ekwefi wrong, Okonkwo
shoots her but misses.

Previous domino: Okonkwo’s youngest wife doesn’t cook dinner and goes out to get her hair
braided. Okonkwo beats her and breaks the peace of the sacred week.

Previous domino: Okonkwo beat his second wife in anger during the New Yam Festival after
finding out she took leaves from the banana tree

Previous domino: Ikemefuna gets integrated into Okonkwo’s family, Ikemefuna becomes
popular with Okonkwo’s children

Previous domino: The clan decided that Ikemefuna would stay with Okonkwo

Previous domino: “To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth
demonstrating was strength. He therefore treated Ikemefuna as he treated everybody else--
with a heavy hand. But there was no doubt that he liked the boy”(28).

Previous domino: “I know you will not despair. You have a manly and a proud heart. A proud
heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more
difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone”(24, 25).

Reflection questions:

1. Of all the dominoes leading to the last domino, which single domino do you think
was key? Which domino carried the most weight in leading to the last domino?
Explain your answer and cite references to support your response.
I think the fourth to last domino, Okonkwo was afraid of being seen as weak, was key in leading
to the last domino. He saw “affection [as] a sign of weakness; the only thing worth
demonstrating was strength” (28). Because of his refusal to show weakness he ultimately killed
Ikemefuna, causing a snapping inside Nwoye.

2. What patterns or parallels between the dominoes do you notice? Consider

drawing connections between Okonkwo’s fears with this image and his
relationship with his father.
A prominent pattern throughout the dominoes was Okonkwo’s pride and fear of being seen as
weak. This may reflect his fear of being like his father, as his father was not respected in his life
and accomplished nothing. Okonkwo is seen to go out of his way to not be viewed as weak and
“indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death”(18).
 3. Given what you found for questions 1-2, what do you predict will happen in the
future of this novel? How will characters of Okonkwo and Nwoye develop?
We predict that Nwoye will become angry and resentful towards Okonkwo, sparked by the death
of Ikemefuna. Rather than trying to be the son his father wants he may lash out and fight
against Okonkwo.

4. Relate some of the fears and tensions to your life. Does this remind you of
something you have experienced or seen before? Narrate it for us.
This reminded us of when children are afraid of becoming their parents, that they try so hard not
to be like their parents that they start to become someone they wish they weren’t.

5. How has this activity deepened your understanding of the text? What insights do
you have now that you didn’t have before starting this activity?
This helped us understand Okonkwo’s reasoning for his actions, it gave us a better insight into
how his character thinks and what he values in his life.