Civil Peace Exercise Class 11 English: Summary & Questions Answers

Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe Summary

The story "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe depicts the post-Civil War situation realistically. It's about the effects of the Biafran civil war on Nigerians.

Jonathan Iwegbu, the story's main character, considers himself very fortunate to have lived. He was very fortunate to god for saving him and his family during war, including his wife Maria and three of their four children. As an added bonus, he had brought his bicycle after the battle had ended. The military commander tried to take this bicycle, but he was able to get it back for two pounds. He earns very little money from this small business which hardly helps in the living of him and his family. 

The Nigerian civil war has left its mark on this family. Afterwards, Jonathan goes to Enugu in search of his old family's house and discovers that it's still intact even though other buildings in the area have been destroyed around it. He realized the house needed some work, so he collected the necessary supplies and hired a carpenter to get it back to looking like a house. 

After that, he returns to his home and his family. The whole household works long and hard hours in order to supplement their little income and start again. 

Jonathan’s profession as a miner having been eliminated, he decides to open a pub in his home for troops. He is given an egg rasher for handing over 20 pounds in rebel money to the treasury. 

One night, some robbers in huge groups come up at his home and want a ransom of 1000 pounds (around $1000). Jonathan was terrified, as were his wife and offsprinfs. They requested assistance from the police and their next-door neighbour but no one responded. 

Finally, Jonathan admitted that he didn't have a hundred pounds and stated he had a total of twenty pounds in his possession. The thief's leader agreed to take the same amount of money he had. The following morning, neighbours came over to offer their condolences, but Jonathan and his family were not there to receive them. 

They'd just finished their job for the day. Since God doesn't seem to be bothered by theft, Jonathan's life carries on as normal.

Jonathan is smart and also knows how to get things done. When a military officer took Jonathan's bike, he brought it back by giving the officer two pounds. He also gladly gave twenty pounds to keep thieves from killing his family. 

"Nothing puzzles God" is his motto. The same sentence is used in both situations. Everything in life is a bonus for him. He was so happy that he survived the war. Since he always looks on the bright side of things, the return of his bike is another miracle for him. He starts a new life at home with only a few things. He looks on the bright side and is happy with what he has. He has full faith in God and works hard in both situations.