Half of a Yellow Sun Lesson Plan

What is your reaction to Ugwu’s participation in the rape of the girl at the bar?

The purpose of this question is to engage in a sensitive and meaningful conversation about rape in the context of the novel and in the context of society. Ideally, students will not defend Ugwu’s actions, though the strongest responses might see the nuance in his particular situation. The power dynamic between him and High Tech is established—Ugwu needs to remain in High Tech's good favors, likely as a part of making it out of the war alive. While Ugwu is brutally dehumanizing this girl by participating in the rape, the fact that he does it out of fear as a survival tactic of his own...