In the Shadow of War

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Shift in Perspective”

In this activity, students will explore the importance of point of view in Okri’s story by retelling part of the narrative from a different character’s perspective.

“In the Shadow of War” is told from a limited third-person point of view, using Omovo’s perspective to describe events in the story. Discuss this point of view with a small group of classmates, and then respond to the story by retelling events from another character’s perspective.

Discussion

Discuss these questions:

• What is revealed from Omovo’s point of view that no other character could describe?
• What is unknown because the point of view is limited to Omovo’s perspective?
• What does Omovo not understand because he is a child?
• How is a child’s response to war different from an adult’s?

Creative Response

Choose one of these characters and retell part of the story from their perspective: Omovo’s father, one of the three soldiers, another child in Omovo’s village, the veiled woman, or a woman/child living in the “rough camp.” Consider these ideas for the form of your response:

• A poem about war or about the veiled woman
• A legend involving the veiled woman
• A monologue explaining the character’s actions