In class today we discussed the chapter “And my story waits
like a restful beast” in book two of the Book of Negroes. A question that we
looked at was “How does the title of the chapter have relevance to the story of
Aminata?” The title of this chapter is a smilie that compares Aminata's story to a beast. The title has relevance to her story because her story is so powerful
that it can be compared to a beast. It talks about a dark time in history that
has had a major effect on the world today. A beast can be described as an
awful, frightening thing much like Aminata’s story. The title says that her
story is waiting. This means that she knows how much it is going to impact
society. She knows that the story will open people’s eyes to the horror that
was the slave trade. She knows that all those who read it would never be the
same again. She sees the story much like a sleeping beast who is just waiting
to pounce on their prey, much like described in the title of the chapter. The
title of this chapter is appropriate because it has complete relevance to the
story of Aminata.
I agree with your opinion on the title, "And my story waits like a restful beast" (Hill 113). It is a smilie expressing how her story can be compared to that of a beast - powerful, dramatic and monstrous. However, I sense that her story is in waiting because the time frame she is within would not allow someone of her background and race to publish such story. Aminata would endure numerous consequences if she did, possibly resulting in death. Aminata therefore uses her intelligence, and decides to wait for the prefect timing to release her beast of a story. This is crucial to her well-being, and very important in relation to the story itself. Due to the fact that Aminata wants her story have an significant impact (the kind she is hoping for on the slave trade), she has to pick the correct time, to let it pounce on the society.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Hill could have used something, other than a beast to still make Aminata's story seem impactful, or do you think a beast was a good comparison?