ISP Blog Post #6

  The Book of Negroes had multiple views that assisted you in understanding the story better, as well as making necessary connections. For me, analyzing from the post-colonial viewpoint was the most beneficial. This view was one of my last ways of analyzing, but after doing the analyzing made me realize that it was the best way to interpret Aminata’s story. Post-colonialism shows the time line of a powerful nation impeding on a local group, and then details how that local group is taken from their practiced lifestyle and exposed to the powerful nations dominant lifestyle. It then shows you how this change can drastically, and terminally affect the local group. Aminata is an obvious example of this, as she was taken from her home village; Bayo. Then exposed to a completely different lifestyle for a long period of time,a nd whens he tried to go back to her homeland ways, found it very difficult.

The post-colonialism view helped me realize how difficult it truly was for Aminata. She spent a majority of her life being rejected and ridiculed for everything she did. She was used for her skills, and that was it. The white peoples he felt she could trust did not care about her unless she was putting something on the table for them. For example, her ability to speak multiple languages got her a special helper position on the journey to America, her reading and writing allowed her to be recognized as a little more than just a useless slave. Yet, even once Aminata has returned to her homeland, she continues to be ridiculed and told that she has been changed by the white people, and feels like she no longer belongs there.

Aminata was never fully accepted for herself. Even once she returned to her village, she was not accepted. With the post-colonialism view I saw that Aminata and all the  other slaves, were so deeply changed by the Toubab’s. They faced rejection no matter where they went. Fatima also makes this very apparent to her, he views her as a changed African and thats all. Aminata is a changed African, yet she tries so desperately to get back to where she came from, just so she could feel like she was finally ‘home’.

Fatima and the other slave traders that assist slaves in returning to their homeland, are great examples of people who reject Aminata. In their opinion, Aminata and any ‘true’ Africans should view the Nova Scotia Africans differently. They are not true Africans. Because Aminata does not view these people as such, she also gets rejected. The slave traders make it obvious that because of her race, she is not safe no matter where she goes. This is apparent in the fact that she is lucky enough to get by being taken back into slavery one more time before she returns home. Post-colonialism makes it much easier to see that the white people, no matter what they may say, do not accept the Africans, they are property to the. Unless they have something to offer, they are no use to them either.

Blog Post #5 - Post Colonialism

While there are multiple possible criticisms one could apply to The Book Of Negroes, a main one  that strikes me as an important one, is the post colonialism criticism. Throughout this book there are multiple examples of this. Starting with the most obvious, American people versus the African American people.  African Americans were taken from their homelands and forced to work overseas as slaves for American citizens. They were forced out of their religions, beliefs or ways of life, in order to fit in to America's views on how people should be and act. A deeper example of this was Aminata's lack of rights to have a family. Being prohibited to marry Chekura, and having her child taken from her show the extent of oppression between the two groups. As well as her forced religion change, taking away her right to pray or practice muslim religion, and forcing her to dress a certain way.

Another issue was when Aminata did return to her homeland, it was not like she remembered. She had been exposed to the American lifestyle for so long that returning to her life that seized years and years previous, was incredibly different. People from her homeland did not even believe that she was once from there. When a Aminata tries to prove that she was, in fact born in Bayo, she is greeted back with "You have the face of someone born in this land, but you come with the toubab. You are a toubab with the black face." (Hill, 2007, p. 551) This shows how different salves became when they were forced from their raised lifestyles, and how difficult it would have been to return to said lifestyles after the length of time they spent under American control.

Even when they start to feel like they are no longer influenced by another minority, they find themselves still feeling like they are not free. When they all return back to Sierra Leone, they depend heavily on the aid from British colonies. But as Britain begins to minimize their aid that they send, people in the country start to realize that they are still not living freely. They still depend on the governing and assistance from another country. 

Though the most obvious example of post colonialism is the enslave African Americans at the hands of Americans, there is also issues between the British's power over America. As post colonialism can simply be described as a dominant cultures imposition on a local culture, impacting the local culture forever due to the long term exposure of the dominant culture, this is apparent in British versus American issue. Americans felt as though they were "slaves" to the British colonies, they complain heavily about it throughout the novel, which is strange considering their entire culture at this time was based around the slave trade of African Americans. However, because black people were considered to be significantly lower than white people on the social levels, this hypocrisy was not clear to the Americans at this time. In conclusion, a war eventually concluded Britain's ties to America, and America was no longer under British colony rule.

Blog Post #4 - The Book Of Negroes

The Book Of Negroes is a riveting story focused on a young, African girl who is ripped from the life she knows, and goes through many different experiences which overall affect her, and the readers. Along with the Feminist Criticism Theory, I believe that the Reader Response Theory could also be applied to this novel. Reader response is how I am impacted or interact with the story, because of how I interpret it. I think this applies to the story well, because I believe it is really important to the author to give a realistic feel that allows readers to understand and hopefully have a connection with the characters, or with the storyline.

 This novel is such a great story, the adventure never ends, and though many things that happened during this time are difficult to comprehend, its definitely easy to relate with the main character. Aminata is an intelligent, caring, sassy, brave girl, among the many words that describe her.  I can relate with the way she acts towards people. She speaks her mind, and doesn't care who hears it, and to an extent, I also do this. She likes people to know what she is feeling, and has difficulty finding a filter, which in many cases has benefited her. Aminata has so much sympathy for people, she cares so deeply for her friends that she cannot stand to see them down. This I can connect with. I am like this with only my closest friends, because they’re moods generally have an affect on mine, so like Aminata, if they're sad, I’m sad. She has an incredible amount of drive and determination, its amazing! She goes through so much throughout this story, she witnesses deaths of her loved ones, she has her child taken from her and sold while she slept, she has been a victim to so much loss. This is what is so amazing about her, she can take these situations and use them to keep her going, to keep her set on finding her way back home, and to the arms of her child, and Chekura. I can connect with her on a much lower level, as I personally have never been exposed to anything such as she. 

Seeing movies such as The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, The Help, or even Hairspray gives me a glimpse of what it was like when equality was not something that society saw of importance. This book is just a different story, in an earlier time, showing the same idea. Having an initial idea of how these individuals were treated because of discriminatory reasons, helps me connect deeper to the story and to the way the characters in the novel were treated. In this day in age, few people can look at stories, and the history of these times and say that there was nothing wrong with the way these people were treated. It is very apparent in the novel that these slaves saw the world equally. Though they were threatened by their owners, they still did not view them, or treat them with the disrespect that they received. 

Having initial knowledge allows me to connect with characters like Aminata even further. All these other stories I have learned about gives me and even bigger picture of the way Aminata lived and how she felt. It truly is a disgrace to the human race, in my opinion. But reading this book, hearing this story, also makes me realize how far we have come from that place. There will always be issues of racism. Especially now with all these issues of white police officers against African American individuals, it is always going to be a headline on our news channels, or on our newspapers. But considering where we were as a society 100 years ago, or even 50 years ago, I think things have changed for the best. This makes me feel optimistic when reading this book, because though these characters, and millions of other individuals had to go through this, the realization has hit. Equality is of utmost importance. Nothing like this will happen to any individual at the hands of North America, European, or for the most part, any country in the world, again.

Blog Post 3 - Book Of Negroes

 My novel, Book Of Negroes, is most certainly based on slavery pre-American Revolution, as well as post American Revolution. An important part of the novel is when Aminatas slave owner takes her to New York. This happens after the death of his wife due to small pox which were a very common disease during this time. But due to rioting from the outbreak of the Revolution, Aminata escapes Solomon Lindo. Aminata then begins to work as a midwife as well as a teacher, teaching other black individuals how to read and write. Something that I was really uneducated on is what the American Revolution was for. Yes, of course it was mainly pushing the idea of United States Of Americas separation from Britain and the road to the Declaration of Indpendence, but it also had a huge toll on slavery as well.
During the Revolution, thousands of slaves escaped their owners in search of freedom. Many had their name written in the Book Of Negroes, which is a document that lists freed American slaves that who had requested permission to leave the United States in order to resettle. Mostly in Nova Scotia. The American Revolution was a bloody, terrible battle, but the end result was the Declaration of Independence. Many of you would recognize this as also being July, 4th every year. A celebration for American citizens. But along with the many Americans that served in this battle, were thousands of slaves that earned their freedom by fighting on both sides of this battle. While thousands of other slaves, freed themselves by running away.
In April 1775 Lord Dunmore promised all slaves who joint with "His Majesty's Troops". Around 800 slaves joined British forces, many wearing the emblem " Liberty To Slaves".  But after the Declaration of Independence was written, years later people realized that the word "slave" was no in it.  Despite this, slavery got important protections in the Constitution. The Three-fifths clause counted three fifths of the slave population in a portioned representation. This gave the South extra representation in the House and extra votes in elections. This constitution also prohibited government from outlawing Atlantic slave trade for 20 years. AS well as a fugitive slave clause that forced runaway slaves to go back to their owners. This constitution also gave the federal government power to stop rebellions which includes slave insurrections.
So in conclusion the American Revolution did have a strong impact on slavery in the late 1700's. It was definitely a huge stepping stone in the elimination of slavery in America. It had a huge tie into this novel as Aminata acquired freedom due to the American Revolution, and that set up the next parts of the story as Aminata's journey continues with her freedom.

Blog Post #2 - Feminist Literary Criticism

In Book of Negroes it has become quite evident to me that one of the main literary theories used is feminist literary criticism.  Aminata, the main character of the novel being a female already gives the novel a different twist. This book is set in the 1800's when women were not seen as equal. Especially when that woman is in slave trading. The author gives the most powerful role to a female. This makes me as reader get into the novel a lot more because all of the hardships that happen throughout this novel are so intense that its hard to believe that a female has gone through it all and still comes out as strong as Aminata does. In Bayo, women are not as disrespected as they were in many other places.  This gives the book a good vibe also because women have a strong role and to a point are respected. On the ride to America, women were treated better by the capturers than the men were. If you look past the fact that many of them were forced to do sexual favours for some of the crewman. This shows that though the women were treated better, they were still viewed as sex objects. Although Aminata defies those odds and becomes much more than that. She is a very strong character that leads many people and also inspires them too. As they got to America the respect was less as in this time women were not overly respected in this area of the world. They were purely for the stereotypical housewife roles, raising children, cooking and cleaning, and staying silent. Which was also a big thing for slaves, you do your work and say nothing. Aminata uses her voice to exercise power, because she is such a charming girl, many people look to her when they need someone and she tends to be able to get out of things or get things by using her personality.

The Book Of Negroes - Lawrence Hill

The book I’m reading is called The Book Of Negroes, or in some places, Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill.  This book is by far one of the most interesting novels I’ve read, and I’ve read many. The main character, Aminata Diallo, is from a village in Africa called Bayo. So far in part 1, Aminata has gone from living happily within the, so she thought, safe walls of Bayo, to the loss of both of her parents in the fight to keep from being captured by the ‘toubabs’. She then continued a long journey chained to many other captives to the ocean where hundreds of ‘homelanders’ were forced into dirty, dark rooms beneath the deck of a large boat.  The journey then continues for months while Aminata talks about her good treatment by one of the crewman aboard, letting her sleep in his room and feeding and cleaning her. Unlike the rest of the boat, Aminata had a decent set up. Until after one of Aminatas villagers has her baby, and a huge outbreak pursues on the boat. Homelanders attacked the toubabs, but in the end many homelanders were killed and they lost the battle, resulting in harsher treatment to all of them. At the end of part one Aminata describes seeing land along the horizon, the year or so long boat ride was coming to an end. Throughout the hundred pages I read it was clear the the author had developed a very mature, strong female role for Aminata.  She had become so wise by working alongside her mother in delivering babies, and is very smart. She is a brave girl, and inspires many along her journey. Chekura, a friend she met along the way, looks up to Aminata. For example, when she delivers Fanta’s baby. Fanta, a woman from Aminatas village in Bayo had always been very mean to Aminata. So we find out later that this was because Aminata was soon going to become the Chiefs, Fantas husband, new wife. Fanta was jealous. But Aminata was a strong, mature girl and though she never took well to Fanta either, she still overcame her feelings and helped deliver Fanta’s baby, throughout constant ridicule. 

I find that in a few instances, Hill has given too much information. During the scene when Aminatas mother is fighting off the captors, it goes into detail about how she is beaten and killed. Another example is when Aminata is laying in the bed of the medicine man ( the man who took care of her on the boat) and Hill explains how he is sleeping with another woman beside Aminata. I found that that information didn't need to be talked about because it didn't play any important part in the story. During the reading, I made some connections to other books I’ve read. For some reason, when the story talked about the boat and how they were treated, I thought of The Boy In The Striped Pajamas and how they were treated within the concentration camps. Though this story takes place way before the Holocaust, the treatment to the people they consider to be lesser, are strangely similar. 

During the scene of the battle on the boat, Fanta, having just given birth, slits her babies throat and throws it overboard. She then continues over to Sanu, another homelander who had her baby along the way, and fights Sanu taking away her baby and throwing her overboard. Sanu jumped in after her child. But, throughout this scene I was continually trying to figure out why on Earth this was necessary. Why Fanta couldn't have just passed the child that she had carried for nine months to another homelander, or why she felt the need to hurt Sanu as well. Definitely one of the most puzzling parts of the story so far.

Finally, the mental pictures I get while reading this novel are so detailed. Lawrence Hill does a great job at including everything the reader needs to know in order to create a good mental picture. The boat that they travelled on was a clear image in my head. A boat similar to a garbage dump, or a sewer. A dark crawlspace with streams of light bouncing off small spots of the cellar. I also picture the characters based on their personalities. For example, I picture Fanta as a large woman, with harsh eyes and a lips that always curl down like a hook. Aminata strikes me as a tall, well built girl. She has big eyes and an intriguing face, a beautiful face, that gives her a few advantages along the way such as special treatment on the walk to the boat, and special treatment by the medicine man while travelling on the boat, as well as respect from all of the homelanders that are travelling with her.

So far in my novel, I really enjoy it, I’m really into it and can’t wait to see where Aminatas journey goes next.

My Strengths and Weaknesses As An Essay Writer

My strengths as an essay writer starts with my thesis'. I am confident in my thesis making ability. I am also confident in my ability of transitions between paragraphs. My sentence structure is generally good, and I'm able to convey my ideas and opinions accurately. For the most part, I have a strong voice when it comes to my essay writing. I also find that I'm really good at persuasive essays because I can back up my opinions and ideas well. I'm also good at comparison essays because I can recognize similarities and differences easily. I connect books and movies to other books and movies even when I don't mean to. Some of my weaknesses however, are problems that are mostly easy to fix and a lot more technical. I find that I have trouble thoroughly checking my work before submitting. I don't catch a lot of my mistakes when I do check it too. I also sometimes find that I don't reinforce my arguments as strongly as I should. Sometimes I also have trouble citing properly. I know how to cite, but for some reason I don't always do it right.  Most of my weaknesses are based on grammatical errors as well. A goal for myself is to be more thorough when checking my essays, as well as doing a few rough drafts before handing it in. I think this will allow me to see problems both structurally and grammatically before I hand it in for marks. I'm also going to start putting more time into my final draft and into making sure that my idea is explained and backed up well.

The Ordinary, Yet Wildly Exciting Life of Me

Hi I'm Allyson. I'm not very tech savvy, so this blogging thing is really new to me. I enjoy playing sports and hanging out with my friends on my spare time. I work at an arena, its chilly. I also have a pet rabbit that is larger than the average 1 year old, its name is Kulka. Kulka means "snowball" in Polish. I'm not Polish though, so the reasons behind the name of my rabbit are unknown. Kulka is a biter so she and I don't hangout much. I'm currently going through a Greys Anatomy withdrawal, as I've finished all of the episodes. I'm filling that emptiness by re-watching the Friends series. Also, my favourite food fluctuates depending on my mood. Today my favourite food is meatballs and rice. My hockey team is currently in first place, and on the road to gold (haha). Below is one of our many dysfunctional family pictures. One of my favourite songs right now is One Day// Kodaline....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE7KVkm_YFU