What is the story "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe about?
This realistic short story "Civil Peace" has been written by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. This story was written in the year 1971.
This story is about a Nigerian family who lived in Enugu, a place in eastern Nigeria. This family had experienced the devastated Nigerian Civil War.
This story has presented the effects of the Nigerian Civil War on the people and also the 'Civil Peace' that followed.
SETTING
Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe
What is the setting of the story "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe?
This story has presented the setting of civil peace in eastern Nigeria after the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1971). The Nigerian Civil War lasted for three years. Within those years, nearly millions of people died due to starvation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chinua Achebe (1930) - He is a Nigerian novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist. Most of his works describe intertribal and inter-racial tensions. In this present story, he describes the settlement of a family after losing everything in the Nigerian Civil War.
MAIN THEMES
Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe
What are the major themes in the story "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe?
Here in this story, "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe, we find various themes such as gratitude, optimism, struggle, survival, resilience, and acceptance.
MORAL
Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe
What moral lessons do you find in the story "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe?
▪︎ We should be optimistic in every situation.
▪︎ Hard work always leads us towards fruitful consequences.
▪︎ Optimism and dedication towards responsibilities are so valuable for all.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe
Who are the major characters in the story "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe?
Jonathan Iwegbu:
Jonathan Iwegbu is the main protagonist of the story "Civil Peace". Jonathan is defined as a man of optimism and resilience, even in the face of great tragedy. Despite the devastation of the Civil War, Jonathan celebrates what he has instead of regretting what he has lost. For example, he gives thanks for the lives of his wife and three surviving children rather than mourning the son he has buried.Jonathan is not only optimistic but also a very hardworking guy. Instead of waiting for the situation to change, he starts doing several businesses. By the end of the story, he remains focused on the future. Even when his ex-gratia is snatched by thieves, he tells sympathetic neighbours that he "counts it as nothing" and continues to work.
Maria Iwegbu:
Maria is Jonathan's wife. She is quite hard-working by nature. After the Civil War, she begins making Akara balls to sell to neighbours. The morning after the robbery, she also joined her husband in focusing on work.
Thief Leader:
The thief leader in the story arrives at the door of Jonathan along with his group in the evening. He seems extremely confident. He announces himself a thief and mocks at the time when the family cries for help. He even offers Jonathan's family members to call for soldiers after the police and neighbours fail to answer.
The army officer:
During the war, this army officer confiscated Jonathan's bike for military purposes but later accepted a bribe in place of the bike. In a tattered uniform and possessing a “certain lack of grip and firmness in his manner," the officer represents the untrustworthiness and incompetence of authority during the time of civil peace in Nigeria.
MAIN SUMMARY
Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe
Write a summary of the story "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe.
The main character of this story is Jonathan Iwegbu, who is an optimistic person.The main character Jonathan Iwegbu considered himself extraordinarily lucky. The miracle in his life was that he had come out of the war with five inestimable blessings. He, his wife, Maria, and three of their four children were alive. All five heads were safe in his family. The next miracle in his life, as a bonus, was his old bicycle, which he got in fine condition after the war. When miracles took place in his life, he used to utter a phrase in wonder, "Nothing puzzles God". He almost lost his bicycle during the war when an army officer attempted to commandeer it. Sensing a "certain lack of grip and firmness in his manner," Jonathan guessed that the officer might accept a bribe in exchange for the bicycle. He saved his bicycle, providing 2 pounds to the officer. After that, he buried his bicycle. After taking his bicycle off the ground, he started using it as a taxi. Within two weeks, he earned £115 through his taxi service.
Jonathan then travelled to Enugu, the capital city, in search of his house. He became quite surprised and delighted to find his house still standing, even though some nearby structures were reduced to a pile of rubble from the war. He examined his house and concluded that it needed some repairs. So Jonathan immediately collected the available materials: zinc, wood, and cardboard. He hired a carpenter to complete the housework.
After the completion of the repair, he moved his family members back home. After their settlement, the entire family worked hard to earn money and restore their lives. The children picked mangoes, and Maria made Akara balls to sell in the neighbourhood. Jonathan used to work in the mines before the war. But when he realised that he couldn't regain his job as a coal miner, Jonathan opened up a bar for the soldiers, which he ran out of his home. Jonathan was thankful to God that he had family members, a home, and a job.
Facing a lot of hardships, Jonathan’s family did well, and then they even got a bonus from the government. The government started handing out egg rashers - payments of twenty pounds - in exchange for the Biafran money Nigerians turned over to the government's treasury. Jonathan left the office with his money in his pocket. He was quite worried about the thieves on his way home. At home that evening, Jonathan became restless and couldn’t get to sleep late at night. Finally, when he slept, he was awakened by a violent knock on the front door. He called out to ask who was knocking, and the reply came from the thieves. Jonathan’s family called out for help from the police and the neighbours, but no one came there to help them. Eventually, they stopped calling.The thieves called out then, repeating the family’s pleas for help. Jonathan and his family were in terror. The children and Maria were crying, and Jonathan was groaning. The leader of the thieves spoke again, mockingly asking if he should call soldiers for help, but Jonathan said not to do so. The leader of the thieves demanded £100. They warned Jonathan not to enter his house. Jonathan related his real condition to them. The voice trailed off, and a volley of automatic rifle fire burst through the air. Maria and the children started crying again. The leader told them not to cry. They just wanted some money, and then they would go away. Jonathan informed them about the money he had gotten from the egg rasher. He even informed them that he didn’t have £100. He swore about having a total of 20 pounds in his house. The thieves agreed to accept that money. Some of the thieves mumbled that he had more money and they should move inside and look, but the leader told them to shut up. Jonathan went to get the twenty pounds out of his locked box to give to the thieves. The thieves moved away from there after receiving the amount from Jonathan through the window.
The next morning, the neighbours came over to commiserate with Jonathan, but his family wasn't at home. They were at their day's work. Jonathan told his sympathisers that the loss of 20 pounds is nothing; the week before, he did not have the egg-rasher money, and he didn’t want to depend on it. The money went on easily from his hands, as did many other things in the war.
SUMMARY
Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe
Jonathan Iwegbu thought himself to be luckier for the "happy survival!" of his five people out of six. His old bicycle was also miraculously saved. The bicycle had a little history of its own.
One day, during the extremely high climax of the war, one officer came and asked for the bicycle "for urgent military action." Jonathan doubted the officer's lack of grip and firmness in his manner, though he didn't suspect him by his rag dress. Giving the man two pounds from his bag, he was able to keep the bicycle back. Then he buried the bicycle in the little clearing where dead people were buried. When he dug it up again after one year, all it needed was palm oil grease.
He used it as a taxi to carry officials and their families across the four-mile way to the road, and he earned, by the end of a fortnight, one hundred and fifteen pounds. He made the journey to Enugu and found his little house in good shape. It was a zinc house built with mud blocks. The doors and windows were missing, and five sheets were off the roof. After some repairs, he brought the whole family there to live. His children sold mangoes to soldiers' wives. His wife started to make breakfast for her neighbours. Jonathan himself opened a bar to sell palm wine to soldiers and other people. He used to visit the coal corporation, where he used to be a miner.
Finally, he heard that they were going to give compensation to the miners for the destruction in the war. He received twenty pounds. It was like Christmas for the recipients of the payment. He was very careful about money to bury it in a fist, and both money and fist were inside his trouser pocket. He had heard some heartless ruffian pick money off a man two days before. He got home safely. He was normally a heavy sleeper, but that night he heard all kinds of noises outside. Suddenly, they heard knocking at the door.
Someone was asking them to open the door. Maria was the first to raise the alarm, then he followed, along with all their children. Their alarm calls for police and neighbours scared the thief away for some time. But only after a while did there come the same voice. Jonathan and his family were now completely paralysed by terror. Jonathan asked, in compromise, what they wanted. There were many voices outside.
The leader said that the civil war had finished and there was civil peace. He demanded one hundred pounds, and they would go away. There was a sound of the automatic fire of guns. Jonathan said that he had only the twenty pounds that he had received the same day. Though others were saying that this man was a liar, the leader shut them up. Taking the money, they went away. Early in the morning, neighbours came to console them, but Jonathan was already strapping the gallon to his bicycle carrier. His wife and children were busy with their work. He gave no importance to the event because it was a common thing in war or peace after the war for him.
SHORT SUMMARY
Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe
This story starts off in eastern Nigeria after the Civil War has ended. Jonathan, the main protagonist, considers himself extraordinarily lucky because he has come out of the war with five inestimable blessings. Except for his youngest son, all heads are safe.
He gets his bicycle in fine condition and converts it into a taxi. Within two weeks, he earned 150 pounds.
He moves towards Enugu to search his house. He is so surprised to see his house standing where other structures are completely demolished.
The house needs some repairs, so Jonathan finds some supplies around and makes it look like a home again. He moves his family into the house. The entire family works hard to earn money and restore their lives. The kids pick mangoes to sell to the soldiers' wives. Maria makes akara balls to sell to their neighbours. Jonathan starts a bar after realising that his old job as a miner isn't possible. He decides to run a bar for soldiers out of his house.
Jonathan gets ex gratia of 20 pounds from the government in exchange for biafran currency. But the group of thieves demands money from Jonathan. They take money from Jonathan and move away. After that, life goes on as usual for Jonathan.
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