Jaeger Hosmer Lane CIS Literature Formal Paper #1 12 April 2024 Homegoing, Character journeys through a bleak period, In 1977, Alex Haley created a television miniseries called Roots, which followed Kunta Kinte, An African man sold into slavery. The series follows Kunta’s Legacy as many of Kunta’s ancestors lived through the times of slavery in the South. Yaa Gyasi takes a similar approach when writing Homegoing, deciding to talk about the experiences of two half-sisters sold into slavery who have never met each other. The journey these two half-sisters face is a journey that sons and daughters face, and the sons and daughters of those sons and daughters face, and so on. The story of Homegoing offers many interesting and great characters that
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There are many stories with great characters that have so many layers. The characters of Homegoing are layered characters that feel inspired by characters from other forms of media. The Story of Jo is a great way of showing the grief someone has of losing a loved one, and something else that isn’t seen in other kidnapping stories, the public’s reaction to someone who loses their wife that is deemed second class to them. Jo, a runaway slave who tries to avoid law enforcement. When Jo’s wife is kidnapped and sold, the rest of Jo’s life is left in grief, becoming isolated from the rest of the family. One quote that stuck out was said by Poot, Jo’s friend, “Poot snorted. “They gon’ bury me in Baltimore, Jo. One way or another,? They gon’ throw my body down into the Chesapeake Bay.” (Gyasi, 121). This quote represents the main idea because it seems like Baltimore is a haven for the negro people, thus it seems that Jo’s tragedy would have been taken more seriously. Another great quote is on page 128, “I'm tired of all these runaway ni-ers thinking they're above the law”. if your wife was a runaway ni–er, then she got what she …show more content…
That is why James is layered, Homegoing focuses on his struggle between good and evil. It is amazing how many forms of media or entertainment don’t focus on this type of struggle. The character of Yaw is a history teacher who falls in love with Esther, Yaw’s house girl, and tries to reconnect with Akua, Yaw’s mother. The strained relationship between Yaw and Akua is similar to Mike and Clay’s relationship with Angel has Fallen. Both the protagonists have to see someone that each does not want to see because of past events, wanting to know how the scar happened is Yaw's reason and how Clay treated Mike and his mother after Vietnam is Mike’s reason. The big difference between Yaw and Mike is the answers, Mike knows why Clay left, but Yaw does not, Yaw just knows Akua as “The crazy women of Edweso, the wanderer, his mother, Akua, had set the hut on fire while he, still a baby, and his sisters slept
There are many stories with great characters that have so many layers. The characters of Homegoing are layered characters that feel inspired by characters from other forms of media. The Story of Jo is a great way of showing the grief someone has of losing a loved one, and something else that isn’t seen in other kidnapping stories, the public’s reaction to someone who loses their wife that is deemed second class to them. Jo, a runaway slave who tries to avoid law enforcement. When Jo’s wife is kidnapped and sold, the rest of Jo’s life is left in grief, becoming isolated from the rest of the family. One quote that stuck out was said by Poot, Jo’s friend, “Poot snorted. “They gon’ bury me in Baltimore, Jo. One way or another,? They gon’ throw my body down into the Chesapeake Bay.” (Gyasi, 121). This quote represents the main idea because it seems like Baltimore is a haven for the negro people, thus it seems that Jo’s tragedy would have been taken more seriously. Another great quote is on page 128, “I'm tired of all these runaway ni-ers thinking they're above the law”. if your wife was a runaway ni–er, then she got what she …show more content…
That is why James is layered, Homegoing focuses on his struggle between good and evil. It is amazing how many forms of media or entertainment don’t focus on this type of struggle. The character of Yaw is a history teacher who falls in love with Esther, Yaw’s house girl, and tries to reconnect with Akua, Yaw’s mother. The strained relationship between Yaw and Akua is similar to Mike and Clay’s relationship with Angel has Fallen. Both the protagonists have to see someone that each does not want to see because of past events, wanting to know how the scar happened is Yaw's reason and how Clay treated Mike and his mother after Vietnam is Mike’s reason. The big difference between Yaw and Mike is the answers, Mike knows why Clay left, but Yaw does not, Yaw just knows Akua as “The crazy women of Edweso, the wanderer, his mother, Akua, had set the hut on fire while he, still a baby, and his sisters slept