Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History

How does the novel’s structure shape its meaning? Why do you think the authors chose to structure the text this way? Cite evidence from the text to support your answers.

Choose a panel from Part 1, and analyze its panel size and shape as well as its use of angles, colors, lighting, and character expressions and poses. What is the overall tone of the panel?

How does Part 1’s graphic history differ from Part 2’s written testimony? What reasons do the author and illustrator give for these differences? Do you think they are justified in these creative decisions? If so, explain why you agree with evidence from the text. If not, explain what you would do differently and why.

Abina’s story isn’t told in chronological order, reflecting the nature of historical storytelling in many cultures. However, if the story were told in chronological order, how would you describe the arc of Abina’s character over the course of her life based on the text?

Select an essay from Part 5 that you find particularly engaging. Conduct research and write an essay in response to your chosen essay. You may choose to agree with your chosen essay’s points, but if you do, you must supplement the original argument, rather than restate it. If you disagree, prepare to refute your chosen essay’s points with evidence from credible sources.

Pages 185-190 comprise a series of questions. Select a question and include at least three pieces of evidence from the text to support your answer.

What role does Adjuah play in Abina’s story? What does James Hutton Brew’s questioning of her and Abina reveal about the Gold Coast’s culture at the time?

Choose one of the following characters and describe them: Quamina Eddoo, Eccoah Coom, Judge William Melton, and Yaw Awoah. Then, compare and contrast their portrayal in Part 1 and that in the novel’s histories and testimonies. How are the two portrayals similar and different?