Theme in “Civil Peace” Lesson Plan | ELA Common Core Lesson Plans

I recently got a letter from a man who claims to have been one of my former students. Because I don’t specifically remember this student, I can’t say for sure, but I do have an excerpt from the letter I’d like to share with you:

Dear Former Teacher,

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I was your student many years ago. I was a very negative person. Because of this negativity I was about to drop out of school. On my planned last day I walked into your English class and saw on the board the following: “Today you will analyze theme in “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe.” Being negative, I thought, “This looks stupid.” As it turns out, I was wrong. Mr. Iwegbu’s attitude from the story was contagious. It changed my life. After I graduated, I started my own company teaching people how to get positive results in their life. I now own a private island.

Sincerely,

T. Robbins

I don’t know who this T. Robbins fellow is or who could make a living doing what he says he does, but I appreciate the kind words about my Theme in “Civil Peace” lesson plan.

Here’s the lesson plan he wrote about: Theme in “Civil Peace” Lesson Plan.

Teaching Theme

Students should be familiar with the following information in order for your theme lesson plan to be effective:

Theme is the central idea or message in a literary work. It is an observation about human life.
Themes are rarely stated directly. They must be inferred.
The theme is revealed by the way characters change in a story, conflicts in the story, and statements made by the narrator or characters.
Understanding theme involves understanding plot, characters, and setting.

Strategies for Teaching Theme

The complete unit plan for “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe can be found here.

Your students should have a general idea of what theme is, the predominant idea or central message of a literary work and how to use evidence to support an argument.

Discuss Plot by analyzing cause and effect and identifying major and minor conflicts.

Example: The primary conflict involves Jonathan vs the dangerous society he lives in.

Analyze character motivation by noting which characters are dynamic and which ones are static. Look for evidence regarding character motives. Evaluate the character’s personality.

Example: Jonathan is motivated by a desire to make his life and his family’s life better.

Visualize setting by evaluating what effect the setting has on the characters and on the mood of the story.

Example: The setting has beaten down most in the village—the homeless coal miner, the thieves, the neighbors—but not Jonathan, who focuses on the good only.

Themes in “Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe

Here is a sampling of themes in the story:

The Power of Positivity. Jonathan is able to remain positive despite going through things that would destroy most people. Note that Jonathan counted himself extraordinarily lucky. It’s a characteristic he prescribes to himself.
The Value of Hard Work. We live in a world where everything shuts down after the slightest of inconveniences. Jonathan and his wife are victims of a home invasion and wake up early to start working the next morning.
Inherent Violence in Unstable Societies. The thieves mock Jonathan with the declaration that the Civil War is over, but there is still Civil Peace. Civil Peace doesn’t sound too good to me.
Damaging Effects of Colonialism. When Europe divided up Africa into nations, they ignored ethnic differences, sometimes separating tribes and sometimes grouping enemy tribes together. In Nigeria alone, there are over 250 ethnic groups.
The Power of Faith. Jonathan doesn’t question the bad things in life. This is the modern equivalent of “Everything happens for a reason.” It’s this faith that allows him to remain so positive.

“Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe Resources

Check out this lesson plan for Dead Man’s Path. Click the pic to see the entire unit.

If you’re interested in other stories by Chinua Achebe, I recommend Dead Man’s Path. I have lesson plans for that, too.

I couldn’t find a movie based on the short story, which is unfortunate because I think it would make a really good movie and bring to light the difficult conditions in this part of the world.

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