From 1967 to 1970, the Nigerian Civil War - a major event in Nigerian history, resulted in around a million casualties due to the war, as well as, hunger and diseases. The war was the outcome of a conflict between several different religious and ethnic groups located in Nigeria. The novel Half of a Yellow Sun, written by Chimamanda Adichie takes place during this civil war. The narrative is told through several different perspectives and captures each individual character's experiences. This novel helps promotes global citizenship, cautions the reader to learn from past mistakes and displays the effects of racism. Therefore, Half of a Yellow Sun is a pertinent novel for high school students to study.
This novel helps promote global citizenship …show more content…
During the war that was exhibited in the novel, thousands were killed leaving a lasting impact on Nigeria and its citizens. Not only was the impact to the environment it occurred in and the citizens, there were many aftereffects to the war. “They repeated the news of the killings in Maiduguri until Ugwu wanted to throw the radio out of the window, and the next afternoon, after the men left, a solemn voice on ENBC Radio Enugu recounted eyewitness accounts from the North: teachers hacked down in Zaria, a full Catholic church in Sokoto set on fire, a pregnant woman split open in Kano. The newscaster paused.” (Adichie, 179). This quote displays a few of the several deaths that occurred in the war to innocent civilians. The deaths that occurred in the novel were often brutal and violent which may have lead to posttraumatic stress disorder especially to those who witnessed the deaths of their friends and families. Although several people were mourning the loss of their loved ones, they were forced to leave their homes and adapt to an unfamiliar environment. They often fled to refugee camps where their lives were turned around and they found themselves in a poor situation. As the war worsened and Biafra found itself struggling, As a result, many children were recruited and to serve their country. When the novel is told in the perspective of Ugwu training to become a soldier, it reveals that there are many
This novel helps promote global citizenship …show more content…
During the war that was exhibited in the novel, thousands were killed leaving a lasting impact on Nigeria and its citizens. Not only was the impact to the environment it occurred in and the citizens, there were many aftereffects to the war. “They repeated the news of the killings in Maiduguri until Ugwu wanted to throw the radio out of the window, and the next afternoon, after the men left, a solemn voice on ENBC Radio Enugu recounted eyewitness accounts from the North: teachers hacked down in Zaria, a full Catholic church in Sokoto set on fire, a pregnant woman split open in Kano. The newscaster paused.” (Adichie, 179). This quote displays a few of the several deaths that occurred in the war to innocent civilians. The deaths that occurred in the novel were often brutal and violent which may have lead to posttraumatic stress disorder especially to those who witnessed the deaths of their friends and families. Although several people were mourning the loss of their loved ones, they were forced to leave their homes and adapt to an unfamiliar environment. They often fled to refugee camps where their lives were turned around and they found themselves in a poor situation. As the war worsened and Biafra found itself struggling, As a result, many children were recruited and to serve their country. When the novel is told in the perspective of Ugwu training to become a soldier, it reveals that there are many