Symbolism, Setting, and Objects from The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood

Object Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major objects in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Objects

Thika - This was the location of the family's five hundred acre farm.

Blue Posts - The way station was where the family stopped on the way to their new farm.

Chania River - The body of water near the Blue Posts.

Toto - This African word means child.

Bad Hat - This was the nickname given to the author's father by the natives.

Kavirondo - These natives were reputed to eat the meat of human corpses.

Saifu - These insects invaded in torrents and were kept out of the huts by ashes.