A Streetcar Named Desire - Main Characters

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, is the play that we are reading in English class. Throughout the book we are introduced to various characters. The main ones are Blanche Dubois, Stanley Kowalski and Stella Kowalski.  Blanche Dubois is a woman who seems to look out of place throughout the entire play. She is very posh and thinks that she is better than everyone else. She juxtaposes the setting, which is located in the rough New Orleans. We learn that Blanche really isn’t what she seems to be. Stanley Kowalski is the complete opposite to Blanche and perhaps that is why they do not get along. He is a rugged, rough looking man who has grown up in much harsher conditions than Blanche. He is married to Stella Kowalski, Blanche’s sister. He is most definitely the controlling one in his and Stella’s relationship. He takes advantage of her and mistreats her. Stella Kowalski is a kind and loving young woman. She would do anything for the people she loves. Both her sister and her husband mistreat her yet she loves then unconditionally. She even waits on then when they do nothing for her in return.

Copper Sun: Chapter 3, 4 & 5

As the sun rose the next morning, Amari looked to see that her village had been completely destroyed. The bodies of her friends and family members lay on the ground and there was no one to preform the proper rites for burials. Amari, along with twenty-four other villagers had survived the slaughter. They were huddled and chained together. They were then made to march to Cape Coast. Throughout the journey many of the slaves died and Amari was heartbroken by this. As they arrived at Cape Coast, Amari and the rest of the captives were guided to a huge white building made of bricks and stone. Amari was then shoved inside a room with the rest of the women who had survived their journey. Soon after, she befriends a woman named Afi. Afi is kind to her, protects her and teaches her lessons that aid in her survival. Then one day, without warning,  Amari and the other women are brought into the center of the prison by the white soldiers. Each woman is thoroughly inspected by the soldiers to see if they are healthy. Amari and the other healthy women are then taken through a door. On the other side of the door is a beautiful white sandy beach. Before Amari had time to absorb the atmosphere, she was dragged to what looked like a goat pen. Amari was held down and branded. She screamed and screamed. The intense pain gradually subsided and was replaced by a duller throbbing. Amari was then pleased to see Afi emerge from the prison as well. Later that night, Amari thought back to the night she was captured and she thought of her brother. She was glad her brother was not there to endure any of the horrors. Then she managed to fall asleep.

Copper Sun: Chapter 1 & 2

As you can see from my previous blog post, the book that I have chosen to do my ISU Assignment on is Copper Sun. So far I have read the first two chapters of the book and I found them thoroughly interesting. In the first chapter we are introduced to a fifteen year-old girl named Amari, she is one of the main characters. We also learn that Kwasi is Amari’s younger brother. In the first chapter he is seen climbing a tree like “a little monkey”.  While he is up in the tree he notices Besa walking towards them. Besa is from their village and he is Amari’s fiancé. The first chapter is described very pleasantly. In the second chapter the Europeans arrive at the village and the villagers refer to them as strangers. The Europeans are accompanied by warriors from the Ashanti tribe. The villagers welcome these strangers. However, Amari feels uneasy about them and is not sure why. The villagers welcome the strangers with storytelling, music and dance. Then suddenly, the villagers are attacked by the Europeans and the warriors from the Ashanti tribe. Amari’s mother, father and brother are murdered. She feels intense agony about the loss of her family. Moments after the death of her brother, she is captured by the attackers. She knew that she along with her entire village were defeated. 

ISU Assignment

ISU Assignment

Copper Sun

I have chosen Copper Sun as my first choice for this assignment. I became aware of this novel through one of my teachers from a previous school that I attended. I have chosen this novel because I believe that it is the most suitable one for this assignment. What drew me to it was its summary. From reading the summary it was obvious that Copper Sun and The Book of Negroes had many similarities. Firstly the protagonist of this novel is female much like Aminata in The Book of Negroes. Also Amari, the protagonist, is abducted from her village in Africa when she is just a child, just like Aminata. For this assignment I am interested in exploring the themes of freedom, extreme hardship, determination and human exploitation and suffering.

Twelve Years a Slave

I have chosen this novel as one of my book choices for this assignment as I believe that it has many similarities to The Book of Negroes. Like Copper Sun, I also because aware of it through one of my teachers from a previous school. The summary of this book allowed me to see that this is a suitable choice for this assignment as a result of similar themes and ideas present throughout the novel.  Both books are based on slavery and the many hardships faced during slavery. Also, in Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon Northup, the protagonist, uses his skills to help him advance in slavery, much like Aminata. A few common themes that are present in both novels are hardship, dehumanization and the importance of using skills to our advantage.

Beloved

This book is another of my choices for this assignment. I came across this novel when I was researching books with themes related to The Book of Negroes. I was drawn to this book because I have heard many people talking about it and wanted to check it out for myself. I believe that it is suitable for this assignment as it has many similarities. Two common themes in Beloved and The Book of Negroes are the horrors of slavery and the effects of slavery. Both novels show what slavery can do to a person and the negative effects of it.