"Civil Peace" Short Story Questions

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English IV Ms. Duncan May 20, 2013 “Civil Peace” short story questions 1. The moral lesson promoted by Chinua Achebe in the short story “Civil Peace” is that working hard is something that needs to be done to succeed in times of doubt. Jonathan lost almost everything during the Civil War in his country, including the loss of one of his children. Although he had lost his belongings and a child he still looked at the situation as having “five inestimable blessings”. He made it out of the civil war with three out of his four children, his wife and the bike that he had buried, in hope that he would be able to find it. Having that idea, to hide his bike, helped him greatly because it gave him the advantage of easier transportation. Through the tone of acceptance, the moral lesson is shown because he had nothing and still accepted that it happened for a reason. He took full responsibility in caring for his family, and didn’t once question God on why it happened to him. He didn’t stop his persistent attitude in trying to make ends meet to provide for his family, in his persistence he managed to find a house to live in, he rode his bike into town to get money and he built a small bar for people that could afford it. Characterization added to the moral lesson because it allowed for the reader to see Jonathan’s struggle. Even from the beginning the reader could tell that he was a good person who would do anything to care for his family. Jonathan shows how he takes responsibility but praises God through the statement “nothing puzzles God” which becomes like a statement to relax himself, he says it in times of doubt and when he knows that he’ll have to keep himself motivated. 2. The Story “Civil Peace” achieves relevance through its symbolism and irony. The story is relevant because, like in the story, people today are going
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