One of Aminata’s traits that ought to be called into question was her advanced literacy and ability to connect to people through irregular communication devices. As a fictional character, she could have been able to do whatever her creators pleased. If she had been alive at that time, it is safe to say no one would have let her obtain the authority to write the historical document, The Book of Negroes. Furthermore, when the abolitionists in London expressed they wanted to control the documentation and telling of her story to combat the slavery system, her destiny to be a great storyteller would no longer matter. At least behind the scenes, her apparent autobiography would have quickly become a biography constructed by people other than herself.
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So then how did slaves communicate over long distances? In The Book of Negroes, Aminata used what is called the “fishnet,” which seemed to be a literal fishnet used by blacks to pass along and catch messages, news, and information to each other along waterways. However, Lawrence Hill romanticized the idea behind fishnet by using it to demonstrate what historian Sterling Stuckey called “the Word,” which was essentially a secretive communication network used by slaves. Stuckey clarified this form of communication to be more like a stealthy word-of-mouth used in highly trafficked areas. This is important because Aminata’s love for Chekura depended on finding him after being separated many times. Unfortunately, their ability to maintain their “long distance relationship” appeared too good to be …show more content…
These principles were relevant in Aminata’s story because the producers portrayed the British as the honorable nation during the American Revolution, whereas the white Americans who obtained their independence expected the system of slavery to continue in the U.S. Consequently, many people who have studied the American Revolution would believe the Americans to be morally superior for earning their freedom because the British oppressed them with taxation. The Book of Negroes attempts to preserve a different perspective on U.S. history. Alternatively, Aminata believes the morality of the British outweighs that of the Americans in their moment of liberation and re-confiscation of blacks to be placed within the bounds of slavery once again. Aminata’s
So then how did slaves communicate over long distances? In The Book of Negroes, Aminata used what is called the “fishnet,” which seemed to be a literal fishnet used by blacks to pass along and catch messages, news, and information to each other along waterways. However, Lawrence Hill romanticized the idea behind fishnet by using it to demonstrate what historian Sterling Stuckey called “the Word,” which was essentially a secretive communication network used by slaves. Stuckey clarified this form of communication to be more like a stealthy word-of-mouth used in highly trafficked areas. This is important because Aminata’s love for Chekura depended on finding him after being separated many times. Unfortunately, their ability to maintain their “long distance relationship” appeared too good to be …show more content…
These principles were relevant in Aminata’s story because the producers portrayed the British as the honorable nation during the American Revolution, whereas the white Americans who obtained their independence expected the system of slavery to continue in the U.S. Consequently, many people who have studied the American Revolution would believe the Americans to be morally superior for earning their freedom because the British oppressed them with taxation. The Book of Negroes attempts to preserve a different perspective on U.S. history. Alternatively, Aminata believes the morality of the British outweighs that of the Americans in their moment of liberation and re-confiscation of blacks to be placed within the bounds of slavery once again. Aminata’s