The answer is A. Alarming and stern.
The epigraph to Things Fall Apart is taken from Yeats' poem, "The Second Coming."
The first four lines to this poem are an accurate description of what happens to Okonkwo. At the beginning of the novel, life for Okonkwo is passing normally as it had for years. Over the course of the novel, however, things begin to fall apart. In short, "the center cannot hold."
Due in part to his own actions (and his overwhelming desire to be the opposite of his father) Okonkwo goes from being a respected member of Umuofia to being an exile. After the missionaries arrive, things fall apart for Okonkwo even further. Ultimately, Okonkwo falls from grace and takes his own life.
The epigraph to the novel perfectly summarizes the path of Okonkwo in the novel. He goes from being wealthy and respected to someone whose actions make him an outcast and contribute to his death.
I think that would be because Bruno's father is Kotler's boss. Bruno also sees his sister Gretel fawning over Kotler: this disgusts Bruno.
Answer: Yes. Most of us ken the stories of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and the Odyssey. But that's not quite accurate—there are stories from China and Japan and Australia that are far older. These stories, however, are infrequently edified to children. Many of us grew up with some familiarity of Greek Myths and Norse Mythology.