In the novel The Book of Negroes, written by Lawrence Hill, Aminata Diallo the protagonist is captured and enslaved yet triumphs over most obstacles in her way. In the story, Hill attempts to explore and showcase the resilience of an individual that is faced with difficult. Aminata grows and develops as a character due to various complications she endures throughout the story. Her self-discovery is observed through various losses such as her loss of innocence, her loss of safety and finally her loss of relationships and connections. First off, unlike many children, Aminata Diallo 's childhood is abruptly stripped away from her. She is once a very cheerful child until her involvement in the slave trade changes her forever. At the time of her …show more content…
She was mentally able to grow from the graphic things she is seeing. She says "Many times during that long journey, I was terrified beyond description, yet somehow my mind remained intact. Men and women the age of my parents lost their minds on that journey. Had I been twice the age of eleven, my mind might also have departed" (p.65). She was so young which allows her to comprehend what kind of situation she was in and what should she do in order to survive. The young lady is curious enough to question everything and never gives up hope. Furthermore, Aminata always seems to come face to face with death. She has to stomach dealing with seeing so many dead bodies at such a young age. This allows her to push through and toughen up. Aminata states "homelanders were dying steadily at a rate of one or two a day. The dead were shown no respect. The splash of a man or woman hitting the water horrified me each time…" (p.93) The concept of death is no longer foreign in the eyes of Aminata. She has slowly become desensitized to the aspect of dead bodies, yet the way these bodies are treated are what bothers her the most. Finally, as Aminata matures, she becomes fearful of her own
The black women’s interaction with her oppressive environment during Revolutionary period or the antebellum America was the only way of her survival. Playing her role, and being part of her community that is not always pleasant takes a lot of courage, and optimism for better tomorrow. The autonomy of a slave women still existed even if most of her natural rights were taken. As opposed to her counterparts
Prentice Hall Anthology of African American Literature. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000. 163-67. Print.
In conclusion, Aminata is working for the Abolitionists in London, England, when she is older. She is able to dress herself now however she sees fit and this seems to represent the freedom that she has won. On the other hand, does she really possess freedom, since she is still being used and manipulated for a cause, this cause being the end of the slave trade routes in Britain, and not the end of the practice of slavery? In telling her story, Hill makes the reader understand how dehumanizing slavery was and that it started with nakedness.
Slavery is a term that can create a whirlwind of emotions for everyone. During the hardships faced by the African Americans, hundreds of accounts were documented. Harriet Jacobs, Charles Ball and Kate Drumgoold each shared their perspectives of being caught up in the world of slavery. There were reoccurring themes throughout the books as well as varying angles that each author either left out or never experienced. Taking two women’s views as well as a man’s, we can begin to delve deeper into what their everyday lives would have been like. Charles Ball’s Fifty Years in Chains and Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl were both published in the early 1860’s while Kate Drumgoold’s A Slave Girl’s Story came almost forty years later
Laurence Hill’s novel, The Book of Negroes, uses first-person narrator to depict the whole life ofAminata Diallo, beginning with Bayo, a small village in West Africa, abducting from her family at eleven years old. She witnessed the death of her parents with her own eyes when she was stolen. She was then sent to America and began her slave life. She went through a lot: she lost her children and was informed that her husband was dead. At last she gained freedom again and became an abolitionist against the slave trade. This book uses slave narrative as its genre to present a powerful woman’s life.She was a slave, yes, but she was also an abolitionist. She always held hope in the heart, she resist her dehumanization.
He treats Aminata with respect and provides her with more freedom. In Charleston, Aminata is able to recover confidence in herself which was lost during her time in previous settings. This is shown when Amniata first arrives to Charleston and enquires about other slaves; " Do you have other slaves? ' I asked. He flinched 'One other. But my wife and I prefer the term servant. And we don 't treat our servants rudely. In our home you will find none of the barbarism of St. Helena Island ' " (264). This illustrates that Lindo has a vastly different opinion towards slaves than Appleby does. He has a higher regard towards Aminata and feels as though she deserves to be treated much better. Because of this, Aminata is able to regain motivation along with positivity for her future . She is also now aware that there are people who are not as cruel towards slaves . Moreover, Charleston also positively influences Aminata as she is given the opportunity to further educate herself, "After Lindo finished our lessons about arithmetic, coins and keeping ledgers his wife began tutoring in the art of write"(292). In effect, this not only allows Aminata to gain additional knowledge which can help be more successful in the future as she has more valuable skills to offer. But it also helps her see the potential she has and that there is a possibility of a better future, one in which she is
This piece of autobiographical works is one of the greatest pieces of literature and will continue to inspire young and old black Americans to this day be cause of her hard and racially tense background is what produced an eloquent piece of work that feels at times more fiction than non fiction
Jacobs, Harriet, and Yellin, Jean. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press
It is impossible for anyone to survive a horrible event in their life without a relationship to have to keep them alive. The connection and emotional bond between the person suffering and the other is sometimes all they need to survive. On the other hand, not having anyone to believe in can make death appear easier than life allowing the person to give up instead of fighting for survival. In The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, Aminata Diallo survives her course through slavery by remembering her family and the friends that she makes. Aminata is taught by her mother, Sira to deliver babies in the villages of her homeland. This skill proves to be very valuable to Aminata as it helps her deliver her friends babies and create a source of income. Aminata’s father taught Aminata to write small words in the dirt when she was small. Throughout the rest of the novel, Aminata carries this love for learning new things to the places that she travels and it inspires her to accept the opportunities given to her to learn how to write, read maps, and perform accounting duties. Early in the novel Aminata meets Chekura and they establish a strong relationship. Eventually they get married but they are separated numerous times after. Aminata continuously remembers and holds onto her times with Chekura amidst all of her troubles. CHILDREN. The only reason why Aminata Diallo does not die during her journey into and out of slavery is because she believes strongly in her parents, husband and children; therefore proving that people survive hardships only when they have relationships in which to believe.
After reading the slavery accounts of Olaudah Equiano 's "The Life of Olaudah Equiano" and Harriet Jacobs ' "Incidents In the Life of a Slave Girl", you gain knowledge of what slaves endured during their times of slavery. To build their audience aware of what life of a slave was like, both authors gives their interpretation from two different perspectives and by two different eras of slavery.
observations to the university. The study published in 1899, and it was called “The Philadelphia Negro”. The study examined the conditions blacks lived in Philadelphia. The study gave Du Bois a lot of recognition. This study and his other accomplishments, gave Du Bois the title of as the father of Social Science. Du Bois delivered a speech at the Academy of Political and Social Science called, "The Study of the Negro Problem," in November 1896.
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl. 2nd Edition. Edited by Pine T. Joslyn. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, INC., 2001.
The characters all have different personalities and styles they each show each other sides that they didn’t know in the beginning of the book. In To Kill a Mockingbird the characters are: Jean Louise Finch(Scout), Atticus Finch, Jeremy Atticus Finch(Jem), Boo Radley, Bob Ewell, Charles Baker Harris(Dill), Miss Maudie Atkinson, Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandra, Mayella Ewell, Tom Robinson, Link Deas, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, Nathan Radley, Heck Tate, Mr. Underwood, Mr. Dolphus Raymond, Mr. Walter Cunningha, Walter Cunningham.
Frederick Douglass’ landmark narrative describes the dehumanization of African-American slaves, while simultaneously humanizing them through his moving prose. Douglass shows the dehumanization of slaves through depictions of violence, deindividuation, and the broken justice system. However, Douglass’ pursuit of an education, moving rhetoric, and critique of his own masters demonstrates to the reader that African-Americans are just as intelligent as white people, thus proving their humanity.
In the first four chapters, he explains the currents in modern African-America thought. In chapter one he tells us stories of victimology. The second chap...