The Birth Of Beliefs In Homegoing, By Yaa Gyasi

The birth of beliefs in Black Panther and Homegoing

People’s lives and perspectives are all guided by one thing, and that thing is beliefs. People’s beliefs dictate how they see the world around them and what they deem right and wrong. The way people form these beliefs is from their environment, their personal experiences, and the people who influence them. This topic is extremely important in realizing that there are two sides to every story and understanding the beliefs of people can help people look through their lens of the world. Through someone’s personal experiences, environment, and whom they associate with, people form their beliefs, and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and Black Panther gives an excellent and unique perspective on this

Ness and Nakia reveal how people can form their beliefs from their experiences. In Homegoing, Ness is the daughter of Esi and a soldier that sexually assaulted her. Ness’s upbringing was very grim as she only had her mother who was known to be an emotionless woman. “Ness’s mother, Esi, had been a solemn, solid woman who was never known to tell a happy story. Even Ness’s bedtime stories had been ones about what Esi used to call “the big boat.” Ness would fall asleep to the images of men being thrown into the Atlantic Ocean like anchors attached to nothing: no land, no people, no worth” (70). Due to this upbringing, Ness begins to believe that what Esi is shown to her is love and the emotionless and stone-cold behavior is a sign of affection, Yaa says, “Although Ness had met warm slaves on the plantations, black people who smiled and hugged and told nice stories, she would always miss the gray rock of her mother’s heart. She would always associate real love with the hardness of spirit” (71). This exemplifies the beginning of generational trauma where the disconnect between natural and forced emotions is shown and this could be carried onto future generations. Likewise, in Black Panther, Nakia is a spy for Wakanda and during one of her interactions with T’Challa, her beliefs, and morals conflict with the ones of previous rulers where instead of staying in the shadows, they should send aid to the nations that need it (Fig. 2). Nakia has first hand witnessed the horrors in the outside world and as a result of these experiences, she has formed her own beliefs. These personal experiences have shed light on the struggles of the outside world which is something one might not see or experience in Wakanda. A striking similarity is revealed between these two characters where the horrors that they have seen and experienced have shaped their beliefs