Second Class Citizen Essay Questions

What is the main theme in the novel Second Class Citizen?

The main theme is prejudice against immigrants in foreign lands, particularly immigrants from former colonies and Third World locations moving to Western imperial nations. For instance, when Adah moves to the United Kingdom, she is shocked to learn that immigrants live in poor neighborhoods. Similarly, immigrants are treated as second-class citizens and denied access to good jobs and, essentially, much of the information and institutions that make life navigable.

How does the author tackle the issue of patriarchy?

Emecheta shows how both Western and non-Western societies embrace patriarchy. First, in Nigeria many believed education was only for boys, and girls and women were treated as property for men. For instance, Adah’s ambition to study faced obstacles from her family, who discouraged her from going to school. Adah only managed to attain education because she enrolled for studies secretly. Adah was also married off to Francis without her consent. Similarly, Francis showcased male dominance in their marriage when he physically humiliated and abused Adah.

What is a prominent symbol of modernity in the text?

The use of contraceptives symbolizes modernity. When Adah discovers that she has an unwanted pregnancy, she uses contraceptives. The use of contraceptives is family planning; Adah wants to have children she can manage to support, unlike the cultural pressures that require her to have numberless children. Therefore, Adah is a modern woman who is concerned about having a sizable family and cares about growing her career.

Why does Emecheta devote so much time to talking about Babalola and Mr. Noble?

Emecheta wants to tell Adah's story, but she also wants to shed light on immigration from Nigeria as a whole. The men's stories reveal that their Blackness is persecuted and/or mocked regardless of their gender or personal wealth, that immigration to the UK is a fraught experience in that it has no guarantee of success, and that some Nigerians are apt to try and ape, or at least accept and promulgate, the customs and values of white Britons. Both men revere whiteness and engage with white women, showcasing how they are willing to compromise aspects of their Nigerian culture to be considered palatable to whites.

What is the Presence?

Adah sees the Presence as a voice in her head, as something that counsels and guides her and wants what is best for her. It is deeply African, sometimes affiliated with her Pa and sometimes seeming to emanate from some female consciousness. It is her independent identity and her sense of self. Ashley Dawson explains that "Adah’s writing is an important site through which she can reengage with the independent identity—her Presence—that was so prominent during the years of her childhood."