“Chike’s School Days”

What is the role of language in “Chike’s School Days?” Look closely at the way names, words, and different languages are important in the story.

What are the different kinds of education, learning, and knowledge in this story?

Notice the ways the narrator moves back and forth in time. Why are there so many digressions in this short story?

“Two Sisters”

The introduction to this story claims that “Aidoo uses a number of realistic literary techniques, while sometimes startling the reader with brief experimental passages” (994). What parts of this story would you consider experimental? Why do you think Aidoo shifts between these modes of writing?

What contrasts do the two sisters–Connie and Mercy–evoke?

Are there any ways in which the sisters complicate or subvert their initial portrayal as opposites? Or are they just depicted as stereotypes?

What role do economics and consumerism play in this story?