The Book of Negroes Title

Firstly, before everything, I believe that the Book of Negroes is going to be a very interesting book to read. I am looking forward to reading this award-winning novel as I want to learn about the life of Aminata, a West African woman. From our discussion in English class it is clear that there is a controversy over the title of the book. In my opinion, the title of the book is suitable. The book is named this because it is derived from a historical document kept by British naval officers at the end of the American Revolutionary War. The name of the document is the Book of Negroes. Therefore, it is clearly evident that the title of the book is designed to recall a major historical event. It is my belief that the author was not trying to cause a problem but was merely trying to bring attention to this time in history. According to Jo Knowles, “We only hate what we don’t understand.” The censoring and book burning of the Book of Negroes is a hateful act and denies the author the freedom to write. A Dutch group found the title of Hill’s book offensive and therefore only burned the cover but not the content. I do understand why the title of the book can be seen as an offensive one. However, I think that if people just took a moment to see that there is historical meaning behind the title of the book then they will learn to accept it. From what I know about the novel, a couple other names that I find fitting are, “Aminata’s Journey” and “Aminata’s Haunting Tale”.

Favorite Essay

My favorite essay out of the three was the “51 Percent Minority” essay. This is my favorite essay because I can relate to it, as I am female. In it the writer is stating her point: that discriminatory practices are being inflicted on women in Canada. I like that this essay addressed the issue of discrimination against women. It is an issue that not only occurs in Canada but all over the world. This is also my favorite essay because it effectively compares and contrasts other minorities with women. Stating that in Canada these other minorities are not the ones being discriminated against, it is the women who are. By doing this, the writer appeals to a broader audience, consisting of not only women but men as well. I also enjoy this essay because it allows the reader to see the attitudes towards women in the past, as the essay first appeared in 1980. This allows the reader to see how the attitudes changed from the past to present day future.