Book Of Negroes Key Quotes

The ship was a mobile torture device, slaves were kept in shackles and muzzles. Human beings were being treated like animals all around her, and she was one of those animals. She described the boat as a barn full of dead livestock, with human excrements all over the ground. These situation surely would change and deflate any person. But, Aminata understood that her current setting was only temporary and she had to find a way to survive. Because of thoughts about her parents, it allows her to preserve through the challenges and obstacles the captors gave her. This shows that Aminata’s character and will to live is growing stronger by every impediment she faces. She not only takes care of herself during this journey but throughout the novel she makes sure other people are taken care of. On the boat, she helps the other slaves by bringing them food and weapons to fight the captors. Even in the darkest of times, when Aminata is in a difficult setting, she brings hope and light to others.This shows that Aminata is a selfless character that helps not only herself but others as well to preserve to freedom.

The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Dubois is a influential work in African American literature and is an American classic. In this book Dubois proposes that "the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line." His concepts of life behind the veil of race and the resulting "double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others," have become touchstones for thinking about race in America. In addition to these lasting concepts, Souls offers an evaluation of the progress of the races and the possibilities for future progress as the nation entered the twentieth century.

While being in slaved Aminata does not allow anyone to take advantage of her. Such aspects of being a slave are dehumanizing one’s identity, culture, religion, and language. Aminata is very stubborn and looks to religion as a way to save her, Aminata stays true to herself and fights the slave traders to stick with her true name; Aminata. From her resilience, she is seen as a special slave which helps her survive from the very moment she is captured. Due to her skills of language, she is able to be heard by everyone, so others who are being held captive can tell her their name and talk to her especially for communication purposes. "They wanted me to know them. Who they were. Their names." (Hill 96) Strength obtains from knowledge, She knows she is worthy. To prove she is equal, Aminata negotiates an alliance with the slave traders in Sierra Leone and a works a wage for writing the original book of negroes. Aminata affirms her identity, her genealogy, and her power over the words she writes (Carleton University). Her needs to find herself and get home drives her needs for survival. In addition to this Aminata’s social content and knowledge, helps separates her from the other slaves that surround

Approximately 10.7 million Africans were taken to North America over the course of history, for the sole purpose to be used as slaves. Although it is impossible to understand how the stolen people must have felt, imagery in novels can help. Images are able to place the reader into the world of the protagonist and can create a strong connection between the reader and the novel. Lawrence Hill uses imagery very strongly in his books and due to that, he is able to connect readers to his novels at a very personal level. The reader can feel what the characters are feeling, by understanding what the characters see in their lives. In The Book of Negroes, Hill uses imagery to show how humans’ have ability to overcome horrific circumstances during the time when Aminata is stolen and taken to North America, her time in Charlestown, as well as her time in New York City and Nova Scotia.

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, presents racism throughout the book proving racism is catastrophic. The time of this book was during World War II. In this novel, Tom Robinson was a very important character. He was a black male who had been charged of raping a white girl named Mayella. Mayella, had accused Tom because her father had seen her kiss a black man and then beat her. In this time of day, kissing a black man was forbidden. Mayella had no other to blame but Tom Robinson. She knew no one would take a black man's word over a white woman anyway. They’re many other racist acts happening in this book. Another clear example is the bullying Jem and Scout have to deal with because of Atticus, their father, being Tom’s defense

Prior to the major journey Aminata had lost both her mother and father before her eyes. At that point who else was going to fight for her because she lost everything she ever had before the sun came up. Although at times she begins to lose hope because she has lost so much but remember that her father told her strength is the most important thing you can have, “beauty comes and goes. Strength, you keep forever” (Hill, 2007). Even though her parents died, their voices never died; instead they lived along side Aminata through her treacherous journey. These are the voices that gave her strength in time of despair when she needed it the most to continue on the journey especially at the times when slaves that didn’t make it through the walk died, their bodies were just left on the side of the path. There was no grave for them, or no empathy shown to the people who passed away before they even worked as slaves. Each day, “each rising sun...more people died” (Hill, 2007), and “the loss of lives before the journey across the Atlantic was great” (Bolt, 2007). One must understand that Hill portrayed this image in the reading because he wanted to show the devastating cruelty against humanity. While they endured the journey on the ship to America the condition on the boat was hellish and not just on the ship but the

Stokely Carmichael gave his most famous speech on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley in 1966. His speech, “Black Power,” addresses the issue of black racism in America and gives strategies for advancing black civil rights. His use of ethos, logos, and pathos is successful in getting the audience to engage and connect with his speech.

Q1: Why do you think that Aminata reacted the way she did after Appleby had burned her clothes and cut her hair?

Aunt Hester was a threat to most white and black women. She was very beautiful and noble-looking. This made her superior to other women. Unfortunately, this worked against her. Captain Anthony was very controlling as all slave owners were. As he saw that Aunt Hester had an advantage, she suffered countless whippings at his hands. This was his way of showing Aunt Hester that he was in control and that she has no power.

After the journey across the Atlantic Ocean occurs, the slaves on this particular ship are now forced to call America their new home. Many of these slaves are transported to different plantations and Aminata is taken to Robinson Appleby’s plantation. On the plantation, Aminata lives a life in which she works hard everyday, however, there comes a moment where she is stripped and she loses all that is important to her. “I screamed as I have never screamed before. I didn’t recognize myself. I had no clothes, no hair, no beauty, no womanhood.” (203). This conflict arises when Appleby realizes that Aminata has been seeing another slave, who Appleby does not own, and she is also pregnant (due to that other slave). Due to that, and Aminata’s attitude, Appleby decides to use her as a symbol of defiance and what happens when someone defies him. Aminata very desperate in wanting to get out of this situation. The reader can imagine her condition in their head as her having no control, no say, and her being in complete pain. This is all occurring as Master Appleby is stripping her down, burning her clothes and shaving her head. As the quote states, after this encounter, Aminata feels as if she owns nothing and feels like she is nothing. This is definitely not pleasant imagery but the author helps to put the reader in the position of Aminata. Explaining the overall condition of slaves at the time and showing how Aminata will later “get over this” and be accustomed to this reckless

Aminata shares the struggles of these losses, how it affects her life, how it makes her fight for what she believes in and makes her become a strong independant women for young women to look up to because she was such an important female character.

Throughout the entire story, Aminata faces many hardships. It seems as if each time life is finally beginning to look less miserable, Aminata is blindsided by heartbreaking situations. And although Aminata is continuously tasked with facing these situations, she still manages to flourish and never lose hope. In the story, Aminata is kidnapped from her home village of Bayo in West Africa and witnesses the death of both her parents. She is sold into the slave trade along with her husband Cheruka. She is raped and publicly humiliated by her first owner Mr. Appleby. And both of her children ( Her son Mamadu and her daughter May) are taken from her. Her husband Cheruka drowned at sea due to his ship being swept away to

W.E.B. Du Bois writes a collection of essays on race, preferably the African American race, entitled The Souls of Black Folks. In the forethought, Du Bois lets the reader know gather together an introduction of the rest of the book. He introduces you to his concept of “the veil” Drawing from his own personal experiences, Du Bois develops a remarkable book on how the world is divided by a color line. The divide being between white and privileged, and black and controlled. I will attempt to break down the thought process of Du Bois during the entirety of this synopsis of chapters 1, 3, and 6.

     Between 1910 and 1920, in a movement known as the Great Migration, hundreds of thousands of African Americans uprooted from their homes in the South and moved North to the big cities in search of jobs. They left the South because of racial violence and economic discrimination. Their migration was an expression of their changing attitudes toward themselves, and has been described as "something like a spiritual emancipation." Many migrants moved to Harlem, a neighborhood on the upper west side of Manhattan. In the 1920's, Harlem became the worlds largest black community; also home to a highly diverse mix of cultures. This unprecedented outburst of creative activity exposed their unique culture and encouraged

In the article "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain", Langston Hughes explains the struggles faced by a young, middle-class, African American poet. When conversing with Hughes, the young poet told Hughes that he wished to write like a white poet, not an African American. The young poet was uncomfortable and unsure of his works because they were different than white poetry. Instead of celebrating his individuality, he wanted to conform to the standards set by white Americans. Hughes believed that the young poet had potential, but that his desire to be like white artists would ruin his chance to be a great poet.