Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in relation to the Book of Negroes

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a serious issue that many people happen to have. Many retired war veterans face the difficulty of this disorder. It is an everyday challenging disorder that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. This is an interesting topic when related to the book of Negroes as it is not only for War Veterans. Aminata has definitely experienced this throughout her life. For example when she was rocking back and fourth on her rocking chair she originally was thinking of being in her mothers arms and rocking back and fourth. This happy thought soon turned into a nightmare as she quickly began to imagine being on the slave vessel again. Sailing further and further away from her homeland and her childhood. This was a slight movement that ultimately made Aminata relive her awful experiences at sea. This disorder is an awful thing as it never lets the person forget about their horrifying pasts.

Quotations

The first Quote that I think is the most relevant to the theme of the novel is, "The abolitionists say they have brought me to England to help them change the course of history. Well. We shall see about that. But if I have lived this long, it must be for a reason." Page 5. This quote is extremely significant to her theme of hope. She hasn't lost the hope to finish what she believes she is on this earth for. She has gone through so many different hardships throughout her life that it is amazing that she still believes that she will accomplish her goal of abolishing slavery. This quote also shows how she doesn't have trust in anyone anymore. No matter what people say she will never find the strength to trust a stranger again. 

The second quote that I think is relevant to the book is, "He said my name fiercely. He said it with pride. I liked to hear it said that was. It made me stand a little straighter." Page 80. This quote is significant to the theme of identification. She has so much pride in hearing her name. She wants to be remembered and recognized for the person she once was. 

The third quote that I think is relevant to the book is, "One of these people will find my story and pass it along. And then, I believe, I will have lived for a reason." This quote is also significant because it shows what she believes her goal is in life. She knows what she wants to accomplish and she will do whatever it takes to make it happen. She wants to make a difference in the world, she wants to do something that no one said she could. She was born knowing that she wouldn't be a djeli, and that only makes her want to learn how to read and write even more. She overcomes many things throughout this book and I think this quote shows us why she wishes to keep on living. She has nothing left to live for except for this. 

The fourth quote that I think is relevant to the overall theme of the book is, "I never wanted to see Lindo again, but the idea of fleeing him terrified me." Page 285. This quote is extremely important because it is the moment in the book where Aminata finally shows us her full maturity. She is choosing to leave the "safe" place that she is in to finally be free. She has never actually been alone at any point leading up to this. This quote was the breaking point in her escaping from Lindo and the turning point of the novel. Without her saying this quote the reader might not have fully understood her loss of innocence. This was a constant theme throughout the novel and now I believe that this theme has come to an end. She has matured and wants to be on her own. 

The last quote that I believe is relevant to the theme of the book is, "It excited me to imagine that fifty years later, someone might find an ancestor in the Book of Negroes and say, "That was my grandmother"." Page 330. This quote shows us that Aminata still has some happiness in her life. It may be extremely small however she still does have excitement in her life. Aminata is so proud of this book and she is extremely happy with herself for accomplishing it. 

Milgram Experiment

This experiment occurred at Yale University by a scientist by the name of Stanley Milgram. This experiment was conducted to try and discover if the Germans were simply following orders in the Genocide. He took random volunteers and had them be the teacher in the experiment. The teacher was to ask questions and the learner (who was a scientist that knew the experiment) had to answer them. If the learner got them wrong he would be shocked. Every time he was wrong the shock voltage was increased. 65% of the teachers continued shocking the learner up to 450 (max) volts for no apparent reason. They were everyday Americans that were being told to keep going. All of the teachers that participated continued to at least 300 volts. These were ordinary people who were following orders of someone of authority (a man in a white coat) this proves that people of the Genocide might have simply just been following orders. Not all of them were necessarily guilty. Obedience is embedded into our lives. We are always told to obey people and never have a mind for ourselves. Our lives are structured by a series of rules and regulations. This experiment can also be related to the Book of Negroes as thousands of people stood by and watched or even participated in slavery. It is hard to be the odd one out and to stand up for what is right. Especially when people of "authority" also believe in slavery. This experiment proves that everyday people were influenced to be apart of slavery even if they didn't believe in it completely. This can be demonstrated in the book from the characters of Chekura and Lindo. As they both had a role with slavery. Although Chekura's role was much smaller than Lindo's he still helped bring the people of Bayo to the slave vessel.

Book Of Negroes Title

I believe that the Book of Negroes title is very fitting for this novel. Lawrence Hill did a lot of research on the historical document for this novel and I think it is a very suitable name for the novel. In no way is Lawrence Hill trying to offend anyone. His entire book is from the perspective of an African American who he completely supports. Lawrence Hill grew up believing that the word Negro was used as a term or respect and pride. He stated this in a book blog that I found online. In no way did he ever mean for this word to cause harm, however many Americans find this offensive. I also believe that this title is appropriate for the novel as it derives from a historical document that was kept by British naval officers in the Revolutionary War. He obviously felt that this title was appropriate and extremely significant when he created this novel otherwise he wouldn't have named it that. In regards to the book burnings, I feel that this was blown way out of proportion. That is shown as the upmost disrespect for an author. This novel should have been allowed to keep it's name. The people who were burning the books in the first place only burned the title, not the actual book. They enjoyed the book, yet they found the title offensive. After reading the book I believe that the novel should be allowed to keep its name. I understand both situations however, there is a specific reason he is saying that.

Post #2

In my opinion I really enjoyed the essay "In the Trenches" by Charles Yale Harrison. I felt as if I was experiencing it first hand. The author used many similes and metaphors that made the text come alive such as, "The sky is lit by hundreds of fancy fireworks like a night carnival."This line could also be considered imagery as it really paints a picture in your mind.  This essay really caught my attention because of the style in which it was written. This story was told in the present tense even though it was actually being told by the author himself. This made the story more lively. You didn't know what was going to happen or if he was going to survive. I also like how the author decided to begin and end his essay. He began the essay in the forest trying to move towards the fighting line. He lead up to the future events in the essay and often said, "So this is war." This line was almost foreshadowing as he eventually learned what war really was. The way that he decided to end this essay really caught my attention. He didn't end it with a happy ending or a sad ending. He left you hanging. You are supposed to interpret what you think will happen. Overall I really enjoyed this essay.