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Homegoing By Yaa Gyasi: An Analysis

477 Words2 Pages

The novel Homegoing written by Yaa Gyasi and set in Ghana in the late 19th century. The Gold Coast was known for high volumes of frequent trade. Focusing on the Asante and Fanta villagers—specifically the sisters, Effia and Esi, Gyasi reflects on multiple parts of trials in hundreds of years of hardship for both sisters’ descendants in Africa and America. While the protagonist endures a multitude of events Gyasi gives the reader a vivid image of several social issues that plague the black community in modern times. The issues of domestic and physical abuse, racial identity and double consciousness, culture and tradition, freedom, religion and colonization, power and wealth, parting of the black family, prison complex system, police brutality, …show more content…

Because of the ancient cultural traditions Effia is sold to a slaver—James Collins, and Esi is sold into slavery and witnesses the dungeon and vile things that it contained. This also allow the village to experience a source of power and wealth. Homegoing gives the reader a glimpse back into the past through the lens of an insider, who was Esi, and outsiders point of view—although the outsider is an insider, who was Effia as well. The sisters journey would be dissimilar but obtained the same oppressive sameness. As the reader follow their lives; the descendant’s destinies emerge between the alternating realities.
The novel immediately starts with domestic and physical violence, and racial identity. For example, Cobbe beat Baaba, Baaba beat, Effia, and Effia then would beat Fiifi as a form of punishment (7). James would be consistently asked the question. “are you white”, and we will also see emerge toward the end with Willie and Robert (209). Yaa Gyasi repeatedly insert metaphoric analogies prompting “freedom”. She uses doves, birds, and trees to express this (52). Most of the characters wanted a piece of freedom of some sort. Effia initially wanted freedom from James, Ness wanted freedom from her slave owner, Tim Allen, James wanted “permission” for freedom, which Mampayin suggest, H from prison, which was an illustration of debt peonage. Lastly, Marjorie and Marcus want to be free to travel back to Ghana

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