ISP Blog Post #6 - Book of Negroes

After finishing "The Book of Negroes" we read that the focus of the last portion of the book is about Aminiata struggle to find a place to live, where she can be the strong and independent women that she has become. Their are many aspects of Aminiata's life that can be seen in light of the feminist movement. While living in Africa, Aminiata wants to travel back to her home town where she was born, Bayo. She was required to travel with a group of African scouts and hunter as they were the only people willing to make the dangerous trip into the interior of Africa. Aminiata did not like the way that the head guide spoke to her, "I didn't like the way Alassane issued orders. It made me wonder if men would try to speak to me like that when I got home, and if all my time of living independently had made me unfit for village life in Bayo."(Hill, pg485) Aminiata feels that the men are treating her as if she is stupid and uneducated because she is a women, but Aminiata over hears a conversation between Alassane and the other men "No. She is clever. She counts and reasons and argues like a man. Be carful. She speaks Temne, English and Bamanankan." (Hill, pg483) Now that she is back in her home country, it becomes apparent to her that she has grown far beyond any small feminist progress that has taken place in Africa. Aminiata now after travelling to far more progressive land and cultures she decides that African is still very much a male dominating country where she no longer fits in because of her strong feminist views.

Aminiata leaves Africa and travels to England to help support the Abolitionist fight in Parliament. Their fight is to abolish the slave trade but doesn't help to seek equality between men and women. This is apparent while Aminiata is being interviewed, as their main reason for inviting her to England was to record her life story and the abuse she suffer for being an African slave.  The men assumed that Aminiata would just let them write the story of her life. Assuming they were more capable of re-telling her life accurately and with proper attention to detail. Aminiata is quick to say that they will not be writing the story for her, and she is more than capable of writing her own life story. These men can't comprehend the fact that Aminiata is a brilliant and well education women who is more than able to speak for herself, women, and black peoples. The men seem oblivious to this concept. 

We learn through the feminist view point that Aminiata is an example of an early feminist leader, despite living in a time where women were considered inferior to men. Aminiata is constantly working to improve women's rights for equality even though the abolitionist in England are not. The abolitionist are using Aminiata, a women to accomplish their goal of ending the slave trade. 

Through the feminist literary criticism see are able to understand the concept that Aminiata goals were two fold. One to help abolish the slave trade, bring freedom to all people and two standing up for the rights of women. 

Blog Post #5 - Book of Negroes

The Book of Negroes can be view through a Post Colonial literary criticism specifically looking at hegemony. Aminiata left New York to seek freedom and a new life in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. She arrived pregnant, knowing no one and no contracts to connect with upon her arrival. Aminiata ventured down the main street in Shelburne looking for someone to talk to "I saw no familiar faces. Most of the people were white, and they walked passed as if I didn't exist". (Hill pg352) Aminiata spoke to a white women who was walking down the street towards her. She asked the women if is was in Port Roseway, however the women walk straight passed her without acknowledging that she was there. Aminiata then decided to enter a merchants coffee house to ask about work and a place to stay. In there a man "...took me by the arm and pulled me to the door."We don't serve niggers here"". (Hill g352) She was then told that Birch town was the place for "your kind". As she continued on her way down the main street in search of someone to talk to, Aminiata was further disrespected by two ragged British solders who were throwing peanuts are her. Aminiata had travel there in hopes of a better life as a free women, but her first impression of Shelburne re-enforced that thing were not that much different than where she had come from. To further the hegemony concepts the black people were forced to lived in there own town segregated from Shelburne where the white people live. In order for the white people to maintain dominance and power they humiliated, physically abused, and disrespected the black people. Most of the white people through that Aminiata would be less intelligent and therefore would not give her the time a day. This made it difficult for Aminiata to get a job and left her feeling helpless and unsure of what the future would entail for her and her unborn baby. The white people sought to oppress the black people in all aspects of there life to assure that they would not lose there power and dominance.

ISP Blog post #4 - Book of Negroes

Throughout the Book of Negroes the story can be interpreted through Archetypal literary criticism which looks at shaping the story by the cultural and psychological myths that lay within the story. In The Book of Negroes we can see the main character Aminiata in her earlier years as a slave. The community viewed her as a matriarch because of her caring personality and her naturing ways. She took on the role as a midwife in the slave community. As the midwife she brought new life into the world by delivering babies. Aminiata was considered the 'bringer of new life'. Her ability to help mothers through the process of giving birth and taking car of the babies made her a respected leader in the community. She was called upon to travel through other slave communities to help delivery babies as news spread about her wisdom and abilities.

As Aminiata's life progresses she gains knowledge through the teaching of Mr. Lindo one of her owners.  He taught her math and book keeping and rewarded her with new books as she learned the lesson that he had taught her. She was very intelligent and learn things easily. She sought knowledge throughout her life and used her knowledge to work for her ultimate goal which was to abolish slavery. At the end of Aminiata's life she is invited by the abolitionists to travel to England to help the cause and testify in parliament. Aminiata brings a creditable testimony to the abolitionist cause because of her life long struggle for freedom for all slaves.  Her intelligent and articulate manner about slavery gives her credibility and leadership when testifying in parliament. This names Aminiata as the 'heroine' of this story.

Hill, Lawrence. The Book of Negroes. Toronto ON: Harper Collins, 2007.Print.

Aminiata Testifying in Parliament

The Book of Negroes ISP Post #3

In The Book Of Negroes, Aminiata really starts to focus on the injustice of slavery. Aminiata comes to this realization when her slave owner Appleby fines her six months pregnant, and instead of helping her, he uses her as an example for all of the other slaves. Appleby stripes her naked and makes her burn all of her clothes including a fancy head scarf given to her by her husband Chekura. He then states that slaves should not have "white people"clothes. After all of her clothes were burnt he shaved her hair until Aminiata no longer recognized her self,noting that she had lost her clothes her hair her beauty and her "womanhood". Aminiata gave birth to a little baby boy who she named Mamadu after her father who she could always depend on and keep her safe. Once the baby was ten months old Aminiata was woken one night by his crying and realized that Appleby had sold her baby, she now felt like she had nothing.  Aminiata was depressed and refused to work because she felt like she had lost everything, Appleby continued to beat her but he still work not work for him. So eventually he sold Aminiata telling her she was stupid and no good.

This relates to the world issue today of men wanting to control, abuse and sell women in the sex trade industry. Some men feel the need to have power and control over women in work places and personal relationships. In the work place the men could feel that they need to be a higher authority which could lead to emotional abuse and harassment. Women who try to move up in there work places are sometimes put down and told that they are not good enough to fill a certain position. In personal relationships some men feel the need to control some aspects of there partners life. They often control the finances and and how much money they can spend and all of the decision making including deciding whether there wife/partner can work or whether she strictly has to stay home. Sometimes the control can include physical abuse and be extremely painful for the partner. This is a long historic battle that was a problem during slavery and is still a problem in relationships today. Aminiata's life in slavery was extremely harsh and very inhuman and she spent her whole life trying to abolish slavery.