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Writing A+ Commentary In 1-2-3!


Step 1: Summarize What happens in the quote? Summarize it in your own words!	Step 2: Zoom In What key words/phrases do you notice? When you look deeper, what do these details reveal?	Step 3: Connect How does the quote (and the details you found) connect back to your main topic / thesis?

So, in other words...

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Example Commentary with Chapter 7

QUOTE: When Nwoye’s mother finds out, she “immediately...folded her arms across her breast and sighed, ‘Poor child.’” (Achebe 58)

STEP 1: SUMMARIZE: In this quote, we see Nwoye’s mother react to the news of Ikemefuna’s sacrifice. She knows he will be killed, so she feels sorry for him.

STEP 2: ZOOM IN: Chinua Achebe uses dialogue in the words “Poor child,” which Nwoye’s mother says with sadness. This detail shows how deeply people in Okonkwo’s family feel for Ikemefuna. Even Nwoye’s mother, who is not even Ikemefuna’s real mother, feels a sense of loss when she finds out about his death.

STEP 3: CONNECT: Ultimately, Achebe’s use of dialogue helps him express the impact that Ikemefuna’s death has, not just on Okonkwo but on his entire family.

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Commentary Focus Areas: When you write commentary about a quote, you can focus on any of these things!

1. Character	2. Writer’s Style	3. Society	4. History
What does this quote teach us about characters and who they are?	How does the author use Writer Moves to express deeper thoughts and ideas?	What does this quote show us about society (either ours or someone else’s)?	How does this quote connect to historical events (like imperialism, war, or social movements)?

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	Focus #1: Character What does this quote teach us about characters and who they are? What conflicts (external or internal) does this character face? What choices do they make? What do their choices reveal about their personality?
EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH: Through Okonkwo’s progression from a poor child into a successful adult, Achebe shows us how Okonkwo’s fear of failure drives him to become a monstrous man. In Chapter 3, even after all of the bad fortune Okonkwo has faced, he is determined to work hard and build something larger for himself. Achebe explains that he “threw himself into it like one possessed. And indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death” (Achebe 18). This quote pinpoints the underlying emotion that drives Okonkwo’s character: his fear. His father’s life was “contemptible” and “shameful,” down to his very last moments, so he would do anything to avoid it. While some may argue that it is good for people to have fear to drive them, Achebe makes it clear that Okonkwo himself has lost control of his emotions. The word “possessed” implies that you are owned by something else; when a spirit possesses you, it takes control of your body. In the same way, Okonkwo’s fear has taken full control of him, and as the book progresses, it will drive him to make increasingly destructive choices, no matter what the cost. In the end, perhaps Okonkwo was not born a monster. It is his inability to truly overcome his past that drives him to become one.

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	Focus #2: Writer’s Style What Writer Moves (or literary devices) does the author use? How does the author’s use of Writer Moves help them express a deeper thought or idea?
repetition	rhyme	imagery	point-of-view	juxtaposition	dialogue
word choice (diction)	foreshadowing	archetypes	metaphors	symbolism	variation
EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH: Chinua Achebe uses dialogue in order to show how Ikemefuna’s sacrifice impacts everybody in the community of Umuofia. In this chapter, we learn that Ikemefuna has been chosen as a human sacrifice by the Oracle (prophet) of the Hills and Caves. When Nwoye’s mother finds out, she “immediately...folded her arms across her breast and sighed, ‘Poor child.’” (Achebe 58) In this quote, we see Nwoye’s mother react to the news of Ikemefuna’s sacrifice. She knows he will be killed, so she feels sorry for him. Chinua Achebe uses dialogue in the words “Poor child,” which Nwoye’s mother says with sadness. This detail shows how deeply people in Okonkwo’s family feel for Ikemefuna. Even Nwoye’s mother, who is not even Ikemefuna’s real mother, feels a sense of loss when she finds out about his death. Ultimately, Achebe’s use of dialogue helps him express the impact that Ikemefuna’s death has, not just on Okonkwo but on his entire family.

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	Focus #3: Society How does this society work? What rules, customs, and traditions do people follow? What is their way of life? What values or beliefs do people hold? How do they shape behavior? What groups have power (or don’t have power)? How do race, class, gender, and other aspects of identity play a part in power?
race?	class?	gender?	economy?	work / labor?
religion?	traditions / norms?	laws / legal system?	beliefs (about war, etc)?	something else?
EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH: The funeral of Ogbuefi Ezeudu reveals more about the meaning of funerals in Umuofia. In Chapter 13, the village of Umuofia has gathered to recognize an important event: the passing of Ogbuefi Ezeudu, a respected elder in the clan. Achebe writes that “Darkness was around the corner, and the burial was near. Guns fired the last salute and the cannon rent the sky” (Achebe 123). In this quote, we see how Umuofia conducts their funerals: before they bury Ezeudu, they send him off with guns and cannons. When Achebe mentions how “guns fired the last salute” and “the cannon rent the sky,” it feels almost as if the village is sending somebody to war. This shows us more about their funeral traditions, specifically for respected men like Ezeudu. Because Ezeudu was a well-known man in the clan, the people of Umuofia send him off in the same way that he lived: as a warrior. Through this quote, we learn that funerals are not just about grieving; they are about celebrating a person’s life. It reveals that in Umuofia, the way you live defines the way that you die.

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	Focus #4: History How does this quote connect to real-life historical events (like imperialism, war, or social movements)? What perspective / reality does this quote help us better see?
EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH: The first encounters the Igbo people have with the European missionaries show that imperialism did not succeed overnight. In Chapter 16, a European missionary comes to Okonkwo’s motherland, Mbanta, to tell the villagers about Jesus. However, when the villagers have questions about this new religion, the missionary responds with disrespect: "All the gods you have named are not gods at all. They are gods of deceit who tell you to kill your fellows and destroy innocent children. There is only one true God and He has the earth, the sky, you and me and all of us." (Achebe 147). In this quote, we see how the white missionaries have a clear attitude of superiority: he has no trouble telling the villagers that their traditional gods are false. In fact, he condemns their gods as “gods of deceit” and calls the villagers out for “[killing] your fellows” and “[destroying] innocent children.” Although some may see his point - and some villagers, including Nwoye, eventually convert - the villagers respond to this stranger’s harsh words with laughter. It’s clear that the missionary’s self-centered attitude and ignorance about the local culture causes him to fail. Therefore, this moment shows that imperialism was a slow process: it didn’t happen in one try, and the Europeans needed to adapt before they succeeded in taking over.