ipl-logo

The Moor's Account By Laila Lalami

658 Words3 Pages

“The Moor’s Account” written by Laila Lalami gives an insight onto the personal feelings and aspirations of Mustafa ibn Muhammad, better known as Estebánico. The short excerpt strains the importance of Estebánico – a slave to the Spanish – a chance to have his story purveyed to a much larger audience. Furthermore, the historical fiction written by Laila Lalami gives Estebánico a voice, and is valid in creating a voice for this slave; whom of which led the most famous explorers and conquistadors to safety. Sarah Crown believes that Lalami gave the story of Estebánico a second chance, that of which the Spanish failed to give him. Lalami gave even more support when she bestowed his background apologue, which heightened the fictional validity mentioned by Crown. …show more content…

Sarah Crown aforementioned in her review of Lalami’s book that Estebánico was a member of a family who were all very impoverished. As a result, he sold himself into slavery to support his family. Cabeza de Vaca failed to give any backstory, so Lalami took it upon herself to develop the tale of Estebánico. These actions by Lalami were vital to lure in the unknowing reader, and full-heartedly supported by Sarah Crown. Crown says that it is another viewpoint into the antics of Cabeza de Vaca, from someone who was taken to the New World as property, not as a

Show More
Related
700 Words | 3 Pages

The appearance of the Atlantic world, especially to the eyes of Equiano, was one that could be described as interesting. We are introduced to a young colored man who has been forced into a new country due to the acts of slavery and is in fear of his life, while in the movie Black Robe, we are introduced to how a Jesuit priest comes to a new land in order to convert the natives of that country. In this essay, readers will be introduced to how a colored person sees a world differently unlike one who comes from such a country such as Europe. On page 91, Equiano starts off by explaining his conditions in his new master 's quarters and how he is shown the graphic details of being a slave, by seeing a woman, who is his own skin color, muzzled

Read More
688 Words | 3 Pages

She vows to god she will never ask him for anything for her son” (260). This shows us how Lourdes once cared for her son, but now is burdened with him for all of his actions. The point of view shows us how how Enrique once cared for his mother but now his mother is crying because of what Enrique has turned out to be. In conclusion, the POV shows us how different perspectives show us how Enrique ended up because of how he changed. Analyzing how Nazario uses literary devices show us how Enrique has changed throughout the novel.

Read More
590 Words | 3 Pages

The definition of slavery can be known as a condition of a slave in respect to arduous labor work and/or extremely limited freedom. Therefore, three different forms of slavery are depicted in Olaudah Equiano’s “Chapter 2: Horrors of a Slave Ship.” These consist of the slavery that Equiano endured while still in Africa, suffered through on the slave ships, and saw the beginnings of in Barbados. The only thing we learn about slavery hardships, in Barbados, is the buyers of the slaves purchase them in such a fashion that leads to family and loved ones being forever separated, with no hope of reuniting. Equiano rhetorically asks the reader wonderfully, Are the dearest friends and relations, now rendered more dear by their separation from their

Read More
500 Words | 2 Pages

This book talks about Juan Francisco Manzano who was born in 1797 into the household of wealthy slaveowners in Cuba. He spent his early

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

Abu Jalloh Professor Murray Reading & Writing 29 October 2015 Anthony Rodriguez “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood” Critique In the essay "Aria: A memoir of a Bilingual Childhood" by Richard Rodriguez, the reader learns about Rodriquez life that many have never experienced. He explains how he struggled understanding English throughout his childhood. He felt that speaking English would help him fit into society but with this he sacrifices his native language, his home life, and connection with his family, all to try to become a typical English-speaking student.

Read More
557 Words | 3 Pages

While Esteban, who beat his wife and cut his daughter’s lover’s fingers off, suffered no consequences. Esteban had the power to order the police to do what he liked, only because of his status. Pedro was left defenseless due to his lower class. He had no authority to help him protect himself against the police, and the wealthy patron. Allende uses Esteban as an example to show how a member of the

Read More
1196 Words | 5 Pages

The sources written by Paul Alvarus detail the city of Cordoba during the Islamic rule from the perspective of the Christian community. In the first excerpt, Alvarus details the supposed diminishing Christian collective and proclaims his distain of the mixing between Western and Eastern cultures. Following this, Alvarus gives a biographical description of his friend Eulogius and his journey towards martyrdom. Given that Alvarus is a Christian he provides a unique and often unsettling account of the Islamic rule in Medieval Spain. Considering the writing and subject material that he discusses it is assumed that Alvarus was a layman, yet a “man of letters.”

Read More
1243 Words | 5 Pages

Vassa filled several positions over the course of his life, from the tactful businessman to the ardent abolitionist, the African to the Englishman, and of course, the slave to the freed man. Given this variety, one may naturally come to call into question his narrative’s authenticity. But verifying every aspect of Vassa’s story seems pointless, as the contradictions analyzed in this discussion alone are enough to doubt the factual accuracy of the narrative. Instead, the purpose of Vassa’s narrative raises a more interesting discussion. One might argue that he used his command of the English language and writing ability to create his own story, and perhaps lend a stronger voice to the stories of other slaves.

Read More
1102 Words | 5 Pages

In October 1905, James Joyce wrote “Araby” on an unnamed narrator and like his other stories, they are all centered in an epiphany, concerned with forms of failures that result in realizations and disappointments. The importance of the time of this publication is due to the rise of modernist movement, emanating from skepticism and discontent of capitalism, urging writers like Joyce to portray their understanding of the world and human nature. With that being said, Joyce reflects Marxist ideals through the Catholic Church’s supremacy, as well as the characters’ symbolic characterization of the social structure; by the same token, psychoanalysis of the boy’s psychological and physical transition from one place, or state of being, to another is

Read More
751 Words | 4 Pages

Sacrifice, one the most prominent themes in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, clearly determines a person’s unconditional love and complete fidelity for another individual. Hosseini’s best-selling novel recounts the events of Amir’s life from childhood to adulthood. Deprived of his father’s approval and unsure of his relationship with Hassan, Amir commits treacherous acts which he later regrets and attempts to search for redemption. These distressing occurrences throughout his youth serve as an aid during his transition from a selfish child to an altruistic adult.

Read More
1212 Words | 5 Pages

She wants to overcome her childish tendencies and transition into womanhood. When Esperanza sees Sire’s girlfriend her interest in Sire and his relationship increases. She even begins to imagine what it would feel like to have a boyfriend. “I want to sit bad at night, a boy around my neck and the wind under my skirt” (73). This represents the arrival of puberty, which is demonstrated by Esperanza’s desire to behave in a grown-up way.

Read More
1449 Words | 6 Pages

The tale of Aladdin is, thanks to Disney, a story that is well known outside the world/culture from which it originated. Of course, the entire anthology of 1001 Nights owes much of its modern publicity to outside voices who found the tales to be something worth translating and putting to paper. This type of treatment has resulted in a unique reproduction of an ancient text, which, as we have it now, is rife with depictions of the so-called “Orient.” The multitude of cultures must have looked, to the eyes of the translators, like a large jigsaw puzzle; they then attempted to put it together, using their own perspectives, lenses, and sense of understanding. Now, to an extent, this is similar to the process by which the famous historians of East

Read More
170 Words | 1 Pages

if there are mutations to live at high altitudes, it will increase quantity in survival of infants, if those who have a mutation pass it on to their offspring, in a certain way, all the good mutations in a single individual, producing a living being with great success, and relegate all bad mutations to another, which will not get offspring, so that bad mutations will disappear from the population. Natural selection is only the process of adaptation within a species and many examples of this can be observed. Natural selection allows mutations to pass to the offspring, the conditions of an environment favor or hinder, that is, they select the reproduction of living organisms according to their peculiarities and as a consequence, mutations allow

Read More
748 Words | 3 Pages

Mahfouz, as well as Said, shared a direct contact with the Arabian lifestyle because they grow up in that society. Mahfouz’s novel depicts the real world with the touches of the supernatural and mystic, but as a form of evil in the world not as exotic and uncivilized as the Europeans did. Mahfouz’s Arabian Nights and Days “takes new depths and insights as it picks up from where the ancient story ends” (Fayez 229). Mahfouz uses the Arabian Nights tales and Shahryar’s and Scheherazade’s society to portray the contemporary social and political issues of his people. Mahfouz aims to show various thematic concerns of the people of the East than the early versions left out.

Read More
1515 Words | 7 Pages

The life of an African slave has historically been considered one of the great tragedies that Europe inflicted on the world. This notion is emphasized throughout the Aphra Behn’s work of prose fiction Oroonoko: or, The Royal Slave, wherein the life of the titular character is provided from his time as a Prince in Africa, to that of a slave in the New World. The story is considered to be one that blurs the boundary between fiction and historically accurate facts, with many aspects fitting into both categories. This challenge to the dichotomous nature of the genres is evident in Behn’s depiction of the slave trade, along with her emphasis on humanistic ideals throughout Oroonoko and the style of narrative selected.

Read More

More about The Moor's Account By Laila Lalami

Related Topics

Open Document