The Virtue In The Book Of Negroes By Lawrence Hill

People misinterpret patience to be the act of waiting passively in a situation. In reality, true patience is the ability to endure hardship without retaliating in anger and resentment. It is the ability to make moral decisions when the id, the deep well of desires inside every human being, can urge people to make impulsive and immoral choices. This is why patience is a virtue. The Book of Negroes is the compelling story of a woman, named Aminata Diallo, who is forced into slavery at a young age. The novel recounts the several struggles in her journey through the slave trade to attain fundamental human rights and freedoms. Lawrence Hill employs structure and rhetoric to illustrate that patience and perseverance assist Aminata in maintaining fortitude and courage. This allows her to better adapt to each hardship, which leads to

At the very end of the chapter titled “Negroes or other property”, she states, “I wondered who would catch the baby for me, when its day dawned bright in Nova Scotia. I hoped it would be Chekura.” (Hill, 311) Specifically, the last line of the chapter, “I hoped it would be Chekura,” is separate from the rest of the text. This emphasizes Aminata’s hope that she will be reunited with her husband. With a child in her belly, having been separated from her husband, travelling on a ship where nobody knows her merely days after she was almost re-enslaved by Appleby, Aminata still maintains an optimistic state of mind. Her ability to endure hardship where many others could not insinuates that previous adversities have embedded courage and fortitude in her. Moreover, despite the cold and bitter atmosphere in Nova Scotia, Aminata uses the word “bright” to imply that the birth of her child would bring her contentment and warmth, once again suggesting a positive mindset. Hence, Aminata’s prolonged existence is achieved through patience and