Purple Hibiscus

Explain the role postcolonialism plays in the novel. What created the differences between Northern and Southern Nigeria? How are attitudes altered due to colonial influence? What role does religion play in the novel and how is it impacted by postcolonialism? In what ways is wealth distributed due to colonial influence? How are families divided by the changing perspectives in Nigeria? Why have conflicts arisen in perspectives between family members?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may benefit from accessing notes, reading questions, and the text to formulate a response. Guided brainstorming activities may also help in idea generation and provide evidence and examples for a more structured written response. Consider having students discuss these questions with a partner or in small groups prior to discussing with the whole group.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students with executive functioning challenges or who are English language learners, it might be helpful to encourage students to organize their responses by the perspectives of each main character. Students can create a t-chart to identify the characters in one column and their perspectives in the second column.