The Book Of Negroes Double Entry Journal

The book of negroes Double Entry Journal

Text-Self

Quote:

“You must learn to respect," Papa said.

But I do not respect her," I said.

Papa paused for a moment, and patted my leg. "Then you must learn to hide your disrespect.”  (Hill,31)

Context:

At this point in the story, the young Aminata is taught how to find her way home from outside of their walled village. Her father asks aminata if she would like to stop by Fanta’s house and Aminata does not want to go because she had stole a bucket from her house and comes to the conclusion that her father knows she doesn't  like her. Her father continous on to say the quote above.

Explanation:

I relate to this quote because there were many people who I did not like growing up. I would disobey and lash out at them in return for the way I was feeling towards them. (throw rocks, not do my work, scream.) Then it came a time where I would have to face the consequences for my actions and also learn a very important lesson in life. My mom told me that just because I didn't like someone, or their ideas, that I was absolutely not to treat them any different than any other person because I would never want to be treated with disrespect and unkindness.

Text-World

Quote:

“If the sky was so perfect, why was the earth all wrong?” (Hill,203)

Context: When this quote is said, an older Aminata and Georgia are out ‘catching babies’( help others out in childbirth).  They help a young lady named Falisha during her labour. Falisha is pregnant with fraternal twins, first the boy comes out fine, then the daughter- but she is dead. Falisha goes on to explain how she always wanted a daughter. Aminata reflects to herself with this quote.

Explanation: I think this quote relates to the world because it perfectly summarizes the way our society is. We come off as beautiful strong creatures, but our ideals and main goals are so corrupt. Instead of focussing on things that could make all of us come together, we put a lot of importance on things that separate us. The way you look or talk , how smart someone is compared to another, our race, and sexuality. Although we have come a long way from total separation and hate, we still do things to separate us from each other negatively everyday. It's been brainwashed into human nature to judge someone or put someone down solely based on the fact that they’re different or less than. If the sky was so perfect( symbolising everyone who lives on earth) why was the earth so wrong ( symbolising our inner deeper thoughts) .I know this is kind of a reach, but in many ways it isn't. We hurt to feel better, we capitalize to feel stronger. We’re not much of “great” beings in any way. To conclude, we’re beautifully dangerous, the world and many of the people are roses with too many thorns.

Text-Text

Quotes:

“She asked why I was so black. I asked why she was so white. She said she was born that way. Same here, I replied.” (Hill,7)

We are all different but the same.

We all like playing this life game.

We all came from our mother's womb

We will all end up in a tomb.

We all have the same emotions.

We all show someone devotion.

But we have different faces.

We all come from different races.

We all have different ideas.

We all have different fears.

We are all different but the same.

We all have different names.

Some of us are old.

Some of us can’t stand the cold.

All of us have strengths.

Yet some go to great lengths-

To hide them away.

Our favourite word is o.k

We all show love in different ways.

We’d rather not work if we can play.

Some of us want to find a home where we can stay.

Some of us presume to know it all.

Some of us will fall a great fall.

We are all different but the same.

We don’t know from where life came-

But we wonder all the same.

We also wonder when will it all end.

For some of us it drives us around the bend.

Daniel Hooks

Context: In these very first few pages of the novel, we are being told a life story from Aminata Diallo in an elderly state. One day she is brought to a London school to share her story with the kids about her time being a slave and how she managed to travel around and survive, then she's asked many questions. Some questions she was asked were if she was the famous Meena Dee in the papers and many other questions about her personal life and her coming of age (quite the smart kids) and then then the quote.

Explanation: This Quote reminded me of this poem by Daniel Hooks “ Were all different but the same.” This quote reminded me of this poem because the message in both the quote are both very similar. They both share the message of individualities may distinguish each other but in the end everyone is the same. Although the poem goes more indepth with how we experience similar emotions and other things, they are both yet very similar. The intent of these two texts are to push people to understand the meaning of unity. I feel like that's the allegory in both texts. The poem does it in a much quicker and abrupt way leaving a lot of room to assume and guess what the intent is, but once comparing it to the much more detailed and longer text like  The book of Negroes one can fully understand the meaning of unity which i feel was the intent of both texts.

Making predictions

Quote: “I wouldn't wish beauty on any woman who has not her own freedom, and who chooses not the hands that claim her.” (Hill,8)

Context: Alo at the beginning of the story Aminata is reflection on her life and the way people described her. With her blue black skin and disdain hard to read eyes. Also she reflects  how she was once called beautiful when she was younger, which then leads up to the quote.

Explanation: This quote leads me to believe something traumatic will happen to Aminata. And I believe that many traumatic things will happen because she gives to points in her quote. The first is that she used to not have freedom , and the second referencing some sort of assault physically and or sexually.

Descriptive Details

Quote: “Let me begin with a caveat to any and all who find these pages. Do not trust large bodies of water, and do not cross them. If you, dear reader, have an African hue and find yourself led toward water with vanishing shores, seize your freedom by any means necessary. And cultivate distrust of the colour pink. Pink is taken as the colour of innocence, the colour of childhood, but as it spills across the water in the light of the dying sun, do not fall into its pretty path. There, right underneath, lies a bottomless graveyard of children, mothers and men. I shudder to imagine all the Africans rocking in the deep. Every time I have sailed the seas, I have had the sense of gliding over the unburied.

Some people call the sunset a creation of extraordinary beauty, and proof of God's existence. But what benevolent force would bewitch the human spirit by choosing pink to light the path of a slave vessel? Do not be fooled by the pretty colour, and do not submit to its beckoning.”  ( Hill, 11)

Context: Aminata is narrating how the English men bring her coffee, tobacco, and liquor but also then leave her time so that she can write. She explains that writing demands little business after the life that she live through, it was pretty easy. Leading up to this quote- which is her writing this out to someone.

Explanation: This passage shows great descriptive details, because it is allowing the reader to picture and imagine the haunting, dangerous, and terrifying scenario being written to them. It allows readers to understand what the main character Aminata went through and allows readers to have an emotional connection with the novel. “Pink is taken as the colour of innocence, the colour of childhood, but as it spills across the water in the light of the dying sun, do not fall into it's pretty path.”  Especially this part of the text allows readers to connect and picture the symbolic meaning of the colour pink, only to have its definition turned upside down into something so wrong that makes the reader uneasy and anxious to hear about more of it. The descriptive details are also well communicated by the use of figurative language. For example “dying sun” is a use of personification; giving an inanimate object human like qualities to help make more of an impact and connect with the readers.