ISP blog post #6

After reading “The Book if Negroes” and analyzing the text with various literary criticisms, I can confidently state that archetypal literary criticism was the most effective in revealing the most within the text.  The archetypal theory brings out the importance of common characters and plot events.  The novel follows Aminata’s entire life journey, beginning in her youth, following her through her decent into the danger of challenges she faces, and finishing off on her death bed once she has finally returned to a comfortable state at the end of her journey.  These major events and the extent of her challenges and how she matured from innocence to experience would be missed if the text were analyzed from a different literary criticism.  For example, if one were to examine the text from a feminist standpoint, what would be revealed from the text would be the mistreatment and expected behavior she received due to her gender.  If we were to focus on what Aminata experienced on the boat to America, the largest challenge she faced was trying to navigate the abusive toubab who were constantly sexually abusing the women.  (74) When analyzing this from an archetypal perspective, what would stand out was what the boat represented.  It was a symbol of her decent into danger and how more hardships were bound to be coming her way at rapid speed.  Archetypal theory allows the reader to predict what is coming next, as other theories focus more on what is happening in the present.

With this said archetypal literary criticism also exposes more about the characters and the roles they play within the novel.  The most commonly known archetypal figures are the wise old man, great mother, the trickster fox, and of course the hero.  As you could have already guessed, these are all seen throughout the novel.  Daddy Moses is the wise old man, Georgia is the great mother, Applebee s the trickster fox and Aminata is the hero.  For example as to how well these characters fit these roles, if you take Applebee and analyze his character from an archetypal point of view you get a deeper understanding of how much of a perfect match he truly is.  Applebee was an antagonist who abused and shamed Aminata on a daily basis when she was his slave.  (160) He went snooping for information and used it to secretly steal Aminata’s son from her.  (184) His devious mind, sneaky traits, and lack of morals make him the trickster fox.  The way he would constantly be surprising Aminata with information she thought he would never know, would foreshadow to another encounter between the two characters/ another appearance later on in the story.  He didn’t get all he wanted out of Aminata so it was no surprise he claimed her again. (306) If the reader was viewing from lets say a response theory, they would more than likely assume Applebee was just being selfish and wanted to cause more hardship for Aminata and go into a more in depth analysis of his character. 

Archetypal for sure reveals more about the plot and characters than any other theory I would create my thesis around the following… “When analyzing “The Book of Negroes” The hero’s quest the main character follows as well as the common characteristics shared throughout the novel, is easily detected through archetypal literary criticism that would be missed if any other literary criticism were to be used.”

Isp blog post #5

For the final section of my book, I used the post colonialism literary criticism.  I found when analyzing The Book of Negroes from this perspective I discovered more about the book and the characters than I thought I would have. It truly showed me how much can be uncovered when you take the time to analyze a book from various angles.

            During this section of the book Aminata finally begun her journey back to her home in the Bayo, but her travels with her guide were cut short as she discovered his plan to sell her back to the slave trade. Forced to flee from her betrayers to avoid repeating her horrible past, she found her self in a beautiful loving village. As her stay lengthened, she discovered her desire to return home was fading.  Aminata rerouted and made her way to England and found john Clarkson, who introduced her to other abolitionists.  They encouraged Aminata to grant their wishes to write her life story and share it with the world in support of their civil rights movement. Through the completion of writing her story Aminata was reunited with her long lost daughter, May, who she discovered was also helping the abolitionists.  The book ends with Aminata bedridden by her old age, May by her side, waiting for the results of an election.

What I’ve noticed so far is that, from start to finish the whole book can be criticized with the post colonialism criticism. The Book of Negroes took place during the time period when Europeans classified women to be placed below men, and every other culture to be below them on the social chain.  Aminata goes against these European colonist views of social classes throughout the entire book.  The entire plot of The Book of Negroes circles around Aminata’s constant battle for respect as a women and the freedom for herself as an African American.  Her self-love and self- confidence was put to the test every day of her imprisonment as not only her owners but also every racist person she came in contact with constantly abused her physically, verbally and emotionally. As said more than once in the text, White people owned “Negroes (like)…. property” and were not treated as a human being (Hill 279).

It is quite evident that the main differences and conflict occur between Caucasians and African Americans throughout this novel, yet when looking closer, there is more that surfaces.  Battles would break out within the white culture as well.  War between British colonies and Americans is discussed in the book proving that anti-colonialist resistance was not just between the races. (Hill 286) Factors like religion, culture beliefs, gender, race and much more was shown to cause division and fighting between the social groups. 

From the post colonialism point of view, the loss of individual identity can been seen throughput the text. Characters seem to care very little about one’s name, experiences, personality, and beliefs and instead are more concerned of what “umbrella” term one falls under; British, American, Afro American etc.  For example upon meeting a women, Aminata was asked “Have you come from New York…Are you of African persuasion?” instead of the typical “How are you doing.  What is your name?”(Hill 322) People are not seen as individuals, but rather what group they associate with.  I noticed that analyzing the text from a post colonialism point of view reveals many prejudice beliefs between culturally groups.  No race, gender, culture, religion or class is safe from discrimination.  These prejudice beliefs are littered throughout the book.  Europeans had low standards set for every African Americans abilities and believed they were superior to the black culture. The superiority men posses in their culture are also shown.  For example, before Aminata finished writing her novel the Book of Negroes” “Clarkson asked for an assistant… (She) stepped forward, so he asked (her), ‘Would you point me to Mr. Meena?” (Hill 367)  Clarkson could believe, at first, that Aminata was African American, let alone an African American women, who was educated enough to qualify for the position as his assistant.  These standards did not exist before European Colonialism.  Aminata was viewed as a valuable slave to the white population as well as a valuable member of society to her peers and to any humane white person she encountered.  Besides Aminata’s unique and valuable qualities, she was still categorized as a lower class, black slave by many prejudice people. 

When analyzing the positive aspects of colonialization, negative factors surface, as expected.  War, slavery, discrimination and to dive deeper; homes, farming, social intuitions etc.  There were many “ups and downs” when dealing with the formation of governments and social classes.  The mistreatment of many people sprouted from differences of opinions, prejudice and racial views and feelings of entitlement. It is painful and sad to admit that these colonial oppressions still exist in our society to the day. 

ISP post #4

ISP #4

For this post I have decided to use the archetypal literary criticism to analyze the Book of Negroes.  Previously, I used the feminist criticism and have discovered that the archetypal criticism reveals a lot more about the plot and the characters than the feminist point of view does. Archetypal Literary Criticism focuses on reoccurring patterns in the character traits and plot lines of stories in general.  When analyzing The Book of Negroes from an archetypal point of view one can easily see the development of the hero’s journey within the text and also find common archetypal figures.

            The archetypal hero’s journey begins in their comfortable environment and at a point of their life where they have all their innocence.  For Aminata, this was as a young girl in her home village in Bayp, Africa. As she begins her imprisoned journey to the shore she begins to gain experience and starts her “decent into danger”. Her month long walk is symbolism for the hard journey and the tasks she is going to face, or the steps in the coming hero’s quest.

            As the quest goes on, the hero is supposed to mature and gain experience according to the archetypal criticism. Aminata developing into an experienced protagonist is symbolized by her new name given by Georgia upon her arrival on Applebee’s plantation.  “Georgia made me repeat it, but the best she could do was say ‘Meena’”, Aminata was no longer known as her homeland name, and this symbolizes how she has grown as a character (130).  Within the plot there are many small tasks in which Aminata needs to overcome, but her main goal of returning home has yet to be achieved.  “In this new land, I had a different name… A new name for the second life of a girl who survived” (130).  This quote represents how Aminata has overcome one of her challenges but she is still yet to complete her archetypal hero’s quest.

            As Aminata travelled across the world from Bayo Africa to Applebee’s plantation, Lindo’s home, her home in Canvastown New York, to Nova Scotia and then Sierra Leone Africa. Aminata has gained wisdom and developed into a true hero.  She is close to reaching her goal of returning home which would also complete the hero’s journey.

            Not only does the plot follow closely to the archetypal hero’s quest, many of the characters follow archetypal pattern. Aminata is obviously the hero, but she has come across many foxes, wise old men and great mothers. In my opinion the main Trickster Fox is Master Applebee.  He was her first master and showed little respect to Aminata as a person.  He would beat her, sexually abuse her, and humiliate her consistently as she was his slave (129).  He also stole and sold Mamadu, Aminata’s son while she was sleeping (184). He was heartless and cunning like the archetypal fox. Applebee also reappears later in the story. When Meena was finally boarding the vessel that would be taking her to Nova Scotia, Applebee tried to claim her as his property once again (306). No matter how far Aminata travelled she could not escape his presence. That is what makes me feel that he is the main “fox” of the story.

            As I read, I saw Daddy Moses as the wise old man. Even his name symbolizes wisdom and authority. Daddy Moses helps Aminata get settled in Nova Scotia and gives her advice and comfort all throughout her stay (316). I feel that Aminata saw Daddy Moses as a father figure the same way she saw Georgia as a Mother figure in the beginning.  Georgia was one of the archetypal “Great Mother’s” Aminata met along her journey.  She nursed back to health and taught her how to survive and take care of herself as a slave in the United States.  Georgia made sure Chekura was a good man for Aminata, and she helped Aminata be the best mother she could be to Mamadu.  Since Aminata was so young and vulnerable at the time, I believe Lawrence Hill wrote Georgia to be a mother figure to Aminata on purpose.

            With that said, I do not believe Lawrence Hill wrote the Book of Negroes with an archetypal perspective. I feel that when you purposefully look for patterns and connectives they are not hard to find in any well-written and developed story.  Lawrence Hill wrote a story of a slave’s life.  There are going to be ups and downs, and there is going to be a goal that motivates the main character to survive and thrive.  I feel this may get mistaken for a purposeful archetypal hero’s quest.  I also believe that Lawrence wrote characters like Georgia and Daddy Moses to be helpful and caring, which Aminata and the reader are able to connect to, but not deliberately as the Wise Man and Great Mother as the criticism would imply.  The archetypal literary could be applied to almost every story written. 

ISP post #3

ISP Post #3 Identifying Issues in the Book of Negroes

            The book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill is littered with social issues.  Discrimination, abuse, and slavery are the main problems in this novel.  As I continue to read through into the fourth section it becomes evident that slavery will not end by the conclusion of the Book of Negroes.  Aminata has experienced abuse, discrimination, and slavery since her kidnapping from Bayo. 

            As soon as Aminata was taken from her home she was inhumanely treated. She, and the other prisoners, were stripped of their clothes and shoes, their possessions stolen, and they were beaten if they did not follow instruction (29)(129).  Black people were not treated as people but as property with no societal rights.  Her abuse continued to follow her on to the slave ship as well.  The toubab man who took a liking to Aminata tried to rename her “Mary” and take advantage of her sexually (74). He also treated her like a pet, making her stay in his cabin and help him do chores (75).  White children would never be on a slave ship in the first place, but they surely wouldn’t be treated like animals if they were.  The black passengers were partnered with chains and left to live in their own filth like rodents (66).  Even as a free adult, when Appleby tried to claim her before her trip to Canada, the guards put her in a cell with her legs and wrists shackled like some wild beast that they were in danger of being harmed by (306).  Abuse towards slaves would continue for their entire lives unless they found a way to escape.  With that said, even with their freedom, discrimination towards blacks would see no end. 

White people felt more important than the black population.  It is evident in every aspect of the book.  Certain stores didn’t even let black people enter their business or near their homes.  When the economy fell during the fighting with the British, black people were the first to lose work and starve.  This was seen when Aminata was left under supervision of Lindo’s sister.  Since Aminata was a self-hire, Leah refused to feed her or let her into the house 92170.  Aminata was left to wander the streets in search of food and somewhere to go during the day.  White people did all they could in their power to exclude Aminata and the rest of the Black population from society.

            Slavery is the most evident social issue in The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill.  The majority of the plot line is based on Aminata’s life as a slave.  Slavery is wrong and inhumane. People know this now, but during the time period in which this book is set, people believed it was black people’s purpose.  Freedom was stolen from African people and they were treated as objects.  Even free born African-Americans lived in fear of being hunted, sold, and claimed by the slave trade (269).  When black people became slaves they lost all control of their lives.  They were used as butlers and servants, for labor work, and bred to create more slaves.  Aminata had her baby stolen and sold by Appleby with no way of stopping the situation (184).  She didn’t even have control of her baby’s fate.  Their lives were completely controlled by their owner’s desires.  Aminata and her husband Chekura weren’t even able to spend more than a couple nights together because they had different owners.  Even is Aminata would have left Lindo to go live with Chekura, Chekura would have to ask his owner to spend the night with his wife (220).  Slaves were either treated like small children or like animals, that’s what makes slavery such a large issue in this book. 

As the book goes on, Aminata herself seems to be suffering less and less mistreatment from the slave trade, discrimination and abusive white people.  With that said the presence of these issues are still evident and effect many of the major and minor characters.  The impact of her past still haunts Aminata as she continues her journey as well. 

ISP Blog Post #2- Feminist Criticism

Feminist Criticism- 

            I have chosen to analyze my book with feminist literary criticism because it is very clear Lawrence Hill wrote this book based around a strong female character that is meant to be the voice of a powerful role model who supports feminism and equality.  It is obvious that the main character, Meena, is very wise and mature for her age.  It is evident throughout the text that Lawrence delves deep into detail about the suppression of women during this time period in history.

            This story is about slavery, so the abuse of both genders of African American people occurs throughout, but it is apparent that women are not as much value as the men are, even in the trade. Although this may go against feminism, when Aminata witnesses the mistreatment of another slave, she does not hide her disgust with the situation, therefore supporting women’s rights.  If one were to read this book from a true feminist view, it would become evident that Lawrence emphasizes the maltreatment of women and how wrong it truly is.  For example, in the first section when a toubab man tried to take advantage of Meena in his cabin (74), she clamped her legs together at his touch, turned away, and hissed at him objecting to his desires (74).  This is a clear example of what men portray women to be exclusively for and also an example of Meena standing against it, showing her power.  She could have caved into her fear and become a victim to his treatment but instead she stood up for what she knew was right. A true act of a feminist; standing her ground. 

            Aminata is unique in the way that she understood that in her day and age there was a difference in the genders but she still saw everyone to be equally important regardless of their differences.  When looking deeper into the text, past the main character, when analyzing the other female characters that appear in the book, it is evident that Lawrence portrays them to have strong opinions and personalities.  For example, Fanta demanded respect from everyone she met and those who knew her saw her as a respectable strong leader.  As well as Georgia, Aminata’s caregiver at Applebee’s plantation, holds a great deal of respect from the other characters.  We see this when Meena first arrives at the indigo plantation.  As Meena was being inspected upon her arrival, her refusal to follow orders almost got her hit, but Georgia stopped the men and escorted Aminata away (125).  This is another example of women showing their power and how they are perceived.  Meena was not following orders and was going to have to suffer the consequences of her actions but Georgia stepped in and because of the high level of respect she had in the area, the men backed off when she interfered.  This showed me how Aminata viewed some women were capable of being strong and a respected leader, and how she believed she could achieve the same too.  When girls have strong female role models they tend to set higher expectations and standards for themselves. 

            I discovered that analyzing this book from a feminist stand point was not a difficult task as the main character, Aminata , holds strong feminist beliefs.  AMinata is also all on her own, her parents are dead so she has no one to rely on.  She has received some help from others along the way, like Chekura, Georgia, and Mamed, but she had to become her own source of support for herself and later her baby. (155)(182).  

            Aminata’s dedication and passion to abolish suppression of women and Africans is yet another reason I chose feminist criticism.  Aminata is clearly the type of girl who knows what she wants and will do anything to achieve it.  For example, she dedicated herself to learning and studying with her Father, she worked hard with Mamed as well with Mindo to further her knowledge of the world, different languages and various beliefs. (190).  She dreams and aspires to return home one day and I think with her devotion, she will get there.