Blog Post #6 - The Book of Negroes

The literary theory type that gave me the most insight into The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill was the post-colonial perspective. Because slavery is such a huge idea in the novel it makes the post-colonial view quite straightforward, it reveals why everything happened the way it did. The ties between the post-colonial perspective and the events in the book were the way that women were mistreated, the lack of education depending on one’s gender or culture, and for the most part slavery. The division between the genders and races can be more understood from this point of view because of it’s time period.

Thesis: “Analyzing The Book of Negroes based upon a post-colonial perspective gives the reader insight on why the author does not put luck in Aminata’s favour, and also how she makes the best of what she is given.” My points of argument will roughly be because Aminata is an African American women and a victim of slavery she was at the bottom of the hierarchy, which from a post-colonial view she had very little individual identity but managed to bring it upon herself to learn how to read, write and teach which was nearly unheard of under her circumstances. Another point of argument will roughly be how Lindo who was Aminata’s slave owner forces Aminata to pay a portion of her earnings as a midwife, she later escapes from him and works as a midwife and teacher. To make the best of what she is given beyond herself she helps other black people learn how to read and write. My last point of argument will roughly be that when Aminata proves that she did go to hell and back by serving in the American Revolutionary War her name is put into the actual historical document of freed African American slaves called “The Book of Negroes”, despite her overall hardships she was repaid in the end and also acknowledged for her abilities to read and write and was hired to record names in the book.

The Book of Negroes Blog Post #5 - Feminist LIterary Perspective

After reading the fifth section of The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, I analyzed the story from feminist literary perspective. I'm noticing that as the story goes on the author is giving the main character the best outcomes of the worst situaitons. She starts it with a character who is a female American American during a time around the American Revolution, this type of situation gives the character next to no chance at an equal life.

Aminata is taken into slavery, but takes it upon herself to learn how to read and write and eventually teaches others, turning this negative situation into a positive. It was very, very unlikely for an African American women who is a slave to be educated on any level, but Aminata beat the odds.

When Aminata gets to Sierra Leone for a "better life" she stays for a bit but knows her heart is still back home in her village. She tries to make a deal with her trader to get back home but he states "I don't trade with women (Hill 451). The author sets up a negative situation for Aminata but she uses her own abilities and negotiates herself a deal, turning the situation into a positive by giving Aminata what she finally deserves. Her trader just about rejected a business deal just because Aminata was a women, and women were quite limited to what they were capable of to other people.

Aminata worked very hard for respect, but little she got. She learned how to speak proper English, math and ability to read and write efficiently which was an unbelievable accomplishment for someone of her race, gender and situation. Aminata's hard work really shows how much she just wants to gain some respect.

After viewing the story from a feminist literary perspective I really gain a lot of respect for the women back in times of slavery, but tried to bring the best outcomes out of the worst situations.  

The Book of Negroes - Blog Post #4

During the fourth part of the Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill the literary theory type I focused on was Post-Colonial. In this section of the book the main character Aminata has another child who is taken away by her previous owner, after Aminata decides to start fresh in a little colony back home in Africa  in a place called Sierra Leone.
In relation to Post-Colonialism, the Western world believed men were more superior to women and those who were part of the European descent. It was also known that in a Post-Colonial world there was a loss of individual identity. Aminata is an African American women and a victim of slavery who brought herself to learn how to read and write and eventually teach others. Her great ability to read, write and teach was rare for someone in her situation because of the strong superiority towards men. Also her loss of personal identity ties in with when she was taken into slavery at a young age, she was stripped of her freedom and sense of ones-self.
In the story there is a cast difference between the standards of different cultures. For example Aminata was both African and a women which was very unique to the people there because she could read, write and teach wonderfully. "Would you point me to Mr. Meena?" (Hill 371) this quote was said by an army officer named John Clarkson, as Aminata stepped forward to volunteer for his offer as an assistant. He was looking for someone who was well educated and was astounded at her abilities. The reason he was in such shock at her response was because she was an African American women which was essentially the" bottom of the food chain" of culture decent status, it is incredibly unlikely for someone like her to be as privileged as she is. It would not have been quite a curve-ball for Clarkson if someone of a different origin had stepped forward.
Overall throughout the book the differences of the world of colonization's are bold between the operation of slavery, levels of superiority due to the differences between cultures and ethnicity, who is educated and who is not based on your origin and the list goes on.