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The book is full of cultural references, such as the ethnic language "Igbo", which is written in tiny phrases throughout the book. Additionally, Ifemelu thinks about how the word "fat" has a total different meaning in Nigeria, than it has in the U.S.

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The terror attack on the twin towers in 2001 led to the creation of "Department of Homeland Security". The new department was assigned the job to scrutinize visas applications, and it became more difficult for Nigerians to get the Visa.

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Nigeria's independece from The British Empire in 1960 was followed by years of conlflicts, corruption and instability and causing several Nigerians to the U.S or "Americanah", looking for better oppertunities.

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born on September 15, 1977, in Enugu, Nigeria, and grew up in Nsukka.

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-Historical
- political
- social
- literary
- personal (life experiences of the author)

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Personally, i have learned a lot about a culture that i had little knowledge about. It is difficult for someone who has grown up in Norway to understand how it is to grow up in a country with a completely different culture. Reading about Ifemelu's thoughts and perseptions has broaden my understanding of African culture to a greater extent.

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How do you think your text was influenced by this?

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How do you think your text was influenced by this?

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Ifemelu adresses many times throughout the book how people are longing for a life outside Nigeria, and "americanah" appears to be the dream. We hear about people trying manipulate their english, parents wanting their kids to have the british curriculum and lighter skin is viewed as more beautiful.

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female

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Adichie wrote the book while she was studying at Harvard University in Cambridge from 2011-2012. The book was published in 2013, winning several prices in retrospect.

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How does language represent social distinctions and identities?

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How does language represent social distinctions and identities?

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Language is a powerful tool for identity and social distinctions, considering that its something that is difficult to manipulate and is tied to the place and people you have grown up with. We use language all the time to communicate, and by listening sociolects, dialects and pronunciation, one can easily get an idea of their background without actually asking. Since language can be tied to groups of people, who we often have stereotypes of, our brain will start to form ideas and expectations based how they speak. This can have many negative consequences, especially if language is used to draw connections between wealth, ethnicity and such because people might discriminate on the basis of language.

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How do texts reflect, represent or form a part of cultural practices?

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How do texts reflect, represent or form a part of cultural practices?

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depending on the text and cultural practices, a text can provide information or ideas of how different characteristics and practices of cultures. "Americanah" is a great example of how the reader can be educated about the mindsets, use of language, hairstyle and lifestyles in Nigeria which are influenced by the author's experience from growing up in Nigeria herself.

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How does the meaning and impact of a text change over time?

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How does the meaning and impact of a text change over time?

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For me, the meaning of a book isn't always what the author intended when writing the book. The meaning is how we interpret it and apply it to our own context, which means that meanings can change over time and become more or less relevant.

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To what extent do texts offer insight into another culture?

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To what extent do texts offer insight into another culture?

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Texts are excellent for providing information about cultures, especially fiction texts where you can put youself into someone else's experience of it, not only the factual parts. On the other hand, most experiences are more impressive when you experience the physically, and not through a book.

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How do we approach texts from different times and cultures to our own?

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How do we approach texts from different times and cultures to our own?

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Personally, i believe that most people look at their own "reality" as the most "correct" and "safe" one because it is what we are used to, and as our knowledge about the world develop, our view of the world changes too. However, it is possible that people might change opinions and perspectives as they are able to see it from someone else*s persepctive.

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How important is cultural or historical context to the production and reception of a text?

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How important is cultural or historical context to the production and reception of a text?

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The author writing the text will perceive the world in a way that is  affeced by the culture and time she is braught up in. Since most books have a meaning, message or description of a theme, the way they adress it and their atitudes are most likely a result of their own experiences. The person reading the book might have a completly different point of view of the topic because  it is possible to read a book long after it's written and in different languages, meaning that one might experience the world from a whole different perspective, giving a broader understanding of the world.

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"He scolded Ifemelu as a child for being recalcitrant, mutinous, intrasigent, words that made her little actions seem epic and almost prideworthy. But his mannered English bothered her as she got older, because it was a costume, his shield against insecurity. He was haunted by what he did not have- a postgraduate degree, an upper-middle-class-life - and so his affected words became his armour. She preffered it when he spoke Igbo; it was the only time he seemed unconscious of his anxieties."

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sex: female
intrests: obsessed with christianity
physical appearance: known for her "bounteous afro" which she cuts off

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"Nigeria became where she was supposed to be, the only place she could sink her roots in without the constant urge to tug them out and shake off the soil"

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Ifemelu use the word "ceiling" as a secret reference to her and Obinze making love which only they know.
"i'm longing for ceiling". For this reason, Obinze thinks someting is wrong when she calls him "Obinze" and not "ceiling".

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"she rested her head against hi and felt, for the first time, what she would often feel with him: a self -affection. He made her like herself. With him, she was at ease; her skin felt as though it was her right size."

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role:
age: 20s ?
sex: female
nationality: Nigerian
personality trait: jealous
relationships: married to Obinze

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role: main character, protagonist
age: 20s ?
sex: male
nationality: Nigerian
education: Englsih university
personality trait: intelligent
physical appearance: black
relationships: Kosi and Ifemelu
intrests: reading and sports

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role: main character, protagonist
age: 20s ?
sex: female
nationality: Nigerian
education: fellowship at Princeton
personality trait: stubborn
physical appearance: braided afro, black
relationships: Obinze and Blaine
intrests: reading, writing

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The novel is written as a parallel plot, in which we get to know two former lovers who splits apart and moves away from Nigeria, each to different countries. Still, they both describe their longing for one another and what they had before they moved.

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The use of language is one of the key themes of this book. The main character Ifemelu observes and reflects on its power to shape identities and how it reveals the assumptions and prejudice held by the people she encounters, mainly in the U.S. One example of the power of language, takes form through the way different characters in the book manipulates their English to sound more American. Pronunciation in America is crucial for how one is perceived by other, demonstrated when Ifemelu is asked to show her ID instantly after she stops faking an American accent, and when she is told that an American English will improve her job opportunities. This raises awareness towards a relevant issue within mainstream America which is idea of a “correct English”. Similarly, Ifemelu’s envious father, bitter about his lower education, consciously speaks formal and "elevated" English, which Ifemelu describes as "his shield against insecurity", to ease his bitterness over the life he never got. On the other hand, the power of language is also demonstrated in more positive means through the ethnic language “Igbo” as a uniting force, that connects Ifemelu and Obinze together, exchanging small phrases while falling in love. This is also the language her father uses when he truly is himself and is able to relax, which shows how a mother tongue language is something very valuable and dear to us.

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One of the main themes of this book is racism within the countries in which the book takes place: The U.S, England and Nigeria. In the intriduction, we are introduced to "Ifemelu" and her life in America as a Nigerian girl. She writes an anonymous blog about every day experiences in America, spreading awereness towards, through describing small incidents and assumprions that she experiences on a daily basis.

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I would say that the main themes include: Racism, romance, cultural differences, identity and the power of language.

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What type of tone/atmosphere is created? 

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What type of tone/atmosphere is created? 

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A tone of "discontent" is established throughout the opening of the novel. Ifemelu is originally from Nigeria and has moved to America, as mentioned above, which leads to several challanges for Ifemelu. Moving between two completly different cultures is not easy for her, and it seems that the "amarican dream" doesn't suit her, longing back to her homeland Nigeria. One of the ways the author makes this evident is by presenting Ifemelu's blog where she critizes Americans for actions that annoys her. depending on the reader, the tone might make them uncomfterble, make them reflect on how attitudes and stereotypes that we hold, or maybe relate to the feeling of not fitting in whether it is in a culture or a group of people.

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The novel takes place in both America and Nigeria based on which person we are reading about. For Ifemelu, it takes place in New Jersey in the U.S, where she attends the Princeton university. However, we are also introduced to Obinze, who lives in Lagos, the catital if Nigeria, with his wife Kosi and son Buchi.

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The narrator point of view in this novel is set in limited third person with a parallel plot, in which Ifemelu and Obinze are the main characters. This gives the reader a broad understanding their lives and the thoughts and feelings they have. By doing this, the reader is sometimes put in a position where they are one step ahead of the characters because they know the story from more than one perspective.

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first person = "I"
second person = "you should"
third person = "she/him/it"
omniscient third person = they see everything
limited third person = they are not completely all seeing
are they reliagble?
omniscient = having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight
woven = vevd