Silence In African Americans

When we think of someone being silent there are many reasons for that and sometimes we think the worst of it; we may think that they are ignoring us, they are mad at us or just plain rude. This is a very American concept as in other countries silence is common and normal, but we don’t look at it as a defense mechanism to continue surviving. This is shown by looking specifically at countries within Africa that were affected by the Atlantic and Indian Ocean slave trades. You would think they would be out and open about their experiences and how it has left their countries, however, you see the opposite, these things are not spoken about out in public. In some instances, such as in Ghana, it was illegal to discuss slave origins, in Madagascar …show more content…
When something is looked down upon or even illegal to speak about in the public and even in front of other family members because it may bring shame it has to be talked about somewhere, and this leads to “whispers behind closed doors.” These secret talks are just as important as what is said in public; when we don't know what is being said in the back room we may not be getting the full story only the story that we should know. Silences may also affect how we lead our lives. Edwidge Danticat through her works displays that we all have our own map within but she also infuses Haitian history into her works. In “The Dew Breaker” she portrays the role of François Duvalier and the dew breaker himself is a torturer. She also uses her platform to talk about the 1937 slaughter of Haitians in the Dominican Republic by General Trujillo as well as the practice of “testing.” She vowed not to test her daughter because she had changed her “map within.” Our maps are influenced by our memories, emotions, experiences and by people; our map can be changed based on our current situations in