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Gullah Culture

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Gullah Geechee is the culture of African descendants who incorporate the traditions, customs, and history from Africa while integrating Christianity and preserving the ancestral heritage. Gullah Geechee culture is still present in various forms of media including literature and historical content of southern regions. The culture is well preserve and very influential even in present-day literature. It is evident that the Gullah Geechee culture influence the literary works of Ntozake Shange in particular the novel Sassafras, Cypress,& Indigo. But to what extent does Gullah culture influence the development of the title characters ? Shange incorporates magical realism including ancestral heritage, customs and historical content. Analyzing the …show more content…

Majority of the story will not take place here but as the story feature each sister individually, eventually all three sisters resort back to Charleston. As mentioned earlier the Gullah culture is very present in South Carolina. The culture is not as prominent compared to where the Gullah culture was first recognized but ancestral roots can be traced back to South Carolina. The setting of a novel is very influential the development of plot, theme and characters. It gives a visual and idea to the audience allowing the development of the story to flow. The approach is called new historicism. New Historicism is a literary approach that uses historical evidence applied to the text analyzing historical time periods, culture and geographical places. The setting of South Carolina becomes influential with each daughter because of the present them of Gullah …show more content…

Researching more about the Gullah Geechee culture than what it was shown or foreshadow in the text constructs a better argument in the character analysis. The conclusion of the novel is that all three daughters come home after venturing off to live their life and seek personal achievement. Sassafrass gives birth and birth symbolizes a new life. New journeys for all of the daughters conclude that their journey has ended. During their journeys that have found who they were and it is prominent to see that the theme Gullah has been present in their life. Through dance, art, and childbirth Gullah has influenced their life. Eventually, all the daughters center back home to South

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