The Girl with the Louding Voice

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What sorts of biases should one be aware of when studying unfamiliar cultures? Should people morally judge or criticize cultures outside of their own? What if a cultural practice violates human rights or poses a threat to others?

Teaching Suggestion: These questions can prepare students to read the following short resource on ethnocentrism and cultural relativity. To encourage student engagement and generate class discussion, consider allowing students to create a T-chart in advance listing the cultures they are familiar with on one side and the cultures they are not as familiar with on the other. Students might then discuss related cultural practices with each other before or after responding to the Short Answer prompt.

• This brief entry from Maricopa Community Colleges’ text book Culture and Psychology explains ethnocentrism and cultural relativity. Teachers may find opportunities for further reading in the table of contents.

Short Activity

Research a topic within the context of contemporary Nigerian history (since Independence) and prepare a short presentation for the class. Topics may include Nigerian Independence, the Nigerian Civil War, lasting impacts of colonial polices in Nigeria, research into the culture and practices of major ethnic groups such as the Yoruba, or even Nollywood. The goal is to contextualize the novel.

Teaching Suggestion: The following resources may serve as a starting point for research. This activity may be done in pairs, individually, or in small groups. To discourage topic overlaps, consider generating a list of suitable topics and assigning them. Students may also wish to sign up for specific topics of interest.

• This Britannica article offers an overview of Nigerian history since Independence for student use.
• This resource from the Council of Foreign Relations may be useful for teachers who wish to generate research questions or topics for student inquiry.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Write about a time when you visited or experienced a culture outside of your own. Those for whom this is an everyday experience may choose to write in generalizations or reflect on a specific experience. Consider writing about similarities and differences, how you felt, or what the experience helped you learn about yourself.

Teaching Suggestion: Teacher modeling or a brief discussion of which experiences might count, such as attending a religious service with a friend of a different religion or a celebration for an event or holiday, may help students approach the prompt. Consider asking students to voluntarily share their experiences.