•Were the predictions you made about this section of the text accurate or not?
Okay, so my predictions were ALL wrong! I guess this is a good thing though because it shows how many twists there are in this book. I guessed that her husband Jakura would not return and it was a huge surprise for Aminata, but even more for me. I also predicted that in her first attempt at escape she wouldn’t be successful. Not only was I wrong about this one, but her owner comes back later in the novel and sets her free of claim so that she can continue to be free and board the ship to Canada. The fact that I was completely wrong only kept me interested, keeping me “on the edge of my seat” for the rest of this quarter.
•What do you like about your chosen text so far?
One thing that I particularly enjoy about this text is the detailed images that are given. I feel as though some books don’t give you enough for your imagination to grow on, but with this book you can see everything as if you are looking through the eyes of the main character. I also like that the only person that talks or narrates is the main character because you see everything the way she sees it. As she grows and her views of the world change, so does the readers.
•What are you struggling with?
Again, scenes of violence, sexuality and graphic subject matter as the television would say. There are parts with rape, and violence. There are scenes where babies are taken from their mothers, and where the slaves are completely demoralized. It is terribly upsetting, and overwhelming at times, but it only keeps an appreciation for the characters in the novel.
•Choose your favourite line, quote it, and explain why you chose it.
“In the middle of the circle stood an African woman, wailing, holding the body of a child. The woman lowered the child into the ground and a man with a shovel covered up the hole. Around it, other women arranged a perfect, circular mound of rocks while more placed whittled sticks onto the ground in a rectangular shape the size of the child. I moved forward with the wailing, and finally I was right up with the people sobbing and moving with them. They took me into their dancing and did not ask where I came from, for all they had to do was look at me and hear my own sobs in my maternal tongue and they knew that I was one of them. The dead infant was the child I had once been, it was my own lost mamadu, and it was every person who had been tossed into the unforgiving sea on the endless journey across the big river.”
I just remember reading this part and being taken back by how she just joined this ceremonial burial of this dead infant and how she danced and cried with them. My favourite part is the highlighted part, because it was so symbolic of her life up to this point.
•What kind of personal connections have you made with your chosen text?
As my Granda in Ireland once said “You got a shitty deal of the deck, now what are you going to do about it?” I think that one of the reasons that I connect with Meena D. (Aminata) is because at only 18 I have had my battles, and I have conquered some, but some of them like to come back to me, and remind me how I got where I am now. I suppose this is what makes her so strong, and what makes me strong. Another personal connection with Meena D. is her stubbornness. I am definitely stubborn when it comes to my belief system. I will always respect other peoples’ opinions, but I don’t try to inflict mine on others and I don’t plan on changing mine. It is not as if I have arguments with people, it is merely something I keep to myself unless otherwise asked.
•Make some predictions about the next quarter of your chosen text.
I think that Meena D, will help the British abolish slavery. I think that she will continue to gain respect in the eyes of the British. Unfortunately, I do not think that she will leave Britain because of her age and fragility. I think that Jakura dies way before Meena, and that her child that is currently in her womb, dies as well. I suppose my predictions are rather bleak, but at least she is helping end slavery.
No comments:
Post a Comment