The evil in their lineage was their familys involvement in the slave trade, which haunted each family member until Akua finally recognized it for what it was. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). Even once his son, James, makes a new life for himself, his daughter and granddaughter will continue to be haunted by the sins of their ancestors, and the evil that began in the slave trade will continue to move forward in time. The way the content is organized. Seth Meyers was momentarily speechless over one of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's most ridiculous assertions of late. Free trial is available to new customers only. Suddenly, the phone rang. Diante introduced Marcus; Ki, the girl from the museum, introduced her friend Marjorie. She had expected him to fight back, but instead he looked relieved and left. When Marcus was growing up, his father Sonny used to tell him that black people didn't like water because they were brought to the United States on slave ships. War may be over but it aint ended. She refused, telling him that he would hear it at the assembly, and quickly got off the phone. Quey uses this metaphor to explain how people cannot participate in evil only to walk away thinking that the evil is gone or easy to clean up. He thinks he is the only god, just like the white man thinks he is the only man. The Question and Answer section for Homegoing is a great She shouted back to him in Twi, saying she was from Ghana, but he still pursued her because he knew she came from America. She gives Marjorie a cup of coffee, which Marjorie doesn't like. She has spent the night hidden in the left corner of the room, watching this man she's been told is her husband become the animal he's been told that he is. By using the address "you" at multiple points in the story, Marjorie makes it unclear whether she is addressing someone in her life, perhaps her grandmother, or addressing her thoughts directly to members of her audience. . She said her Twi was so rusty that she probably couldn't get around, but when she laughed it was full of sadness. Weakness is treating someone as though they belong to you. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Weak and needy, desperate to learn how to be a person.' He had wanted to write about the convict leasing system that his great-grandfather H had been subject to, but the story kept getting more complex as he thought about the political, economic, and social factors that tied into the treatment of blacks in the United States. Homegoing Quotes and Analysis "Weakness is treating someone as though they belong to you. Born to his mother, he learns how to eat from her, how to walk, talk, hunt, run. Marjorie was hesitant to go, seeing it as a tourist trap, but Marcus wanted to. Slavery is a motif that runs throughout the story, from Maame's experience both owning and being a slave to her descendants' experiences on the Gold Coast and in the United States. Discount, Discount Code Aint I deserve to be Ethe, to you at least, if nobody else? When Graham asked Marjorie if she would ever move to Ghana, she thought about the commotion and poverty and decided she wouldn't want to. Neither England nor the Gold Coast. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% (including. But still, Yaw, you have to let yourself be free., Forgiveness, they shouted, all the while committing their wrongs. So when you study history, you must ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? We must rely upon the words of others., The white man's god is just like the white man. He is born into a very high status family as the grandson of the Asante king, but he throws this status away when he decides to leave his family and remarry for love. James finds himself trying to make sense of what has happened to them, wondering what is wrong with them, and Dicey retorts that she does not care. Course Hero. Strength is knowing that everyone belongs to themselves." Maame, p.44 Slavery is a motif that runs throughout the story, from Maame's experience both owning and being a slave to her descendants' experiences on the Gold Coast and in the United States. Marjorie thinks Graham is going to ask her to prom, but he doesn't. Marjorie had come back to Cape Coast to visit her grandmother Akua, who had moved away from Edweso to be closer to the sea. Marcus had decided to simply sit by the side of the pool, but his friend Diante complained that it was too hot. In the water together, Marjorie took off her necklace and put it on Marcus. In this quote, Akua encourages Yaw to be free, even though neither of them has been a slave. Homegoing Quotes Quotes by Theme Summary Marjorie Marjorie Summary: Marjorie Marjorie arrives in Ghana for her annual summer visit to her grandmother, Akua. And you wouldnt even give me that. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. She said there was something evil about them building up the things that had brought them to America in the first place, the very things that had tried to drag them under. It grows. Effia marries a white man named James and moves to the Castle. Capture or be captured. Though Marjorie's father uses the name to tease her, perhaps the young woman grows into her name in Marcus's chapter, when both must allow themselves to be vulnerable when learning about Ghana and facing their fears. Graham pulled out a cigarette and a lighter, and he continued playing with the lighter until Marjorie asked him to stop; she was afraid of fire because of the stories she had heard about her family. With as much wealth and power as there is to be gained, James knows that the British will continue oppressing Africans one way or another. When he felt this way, Ma Aku would hold him . You can view our. When he was younger, Yaw wondered why they did not preach that the people should avoid wrongdoing altogether. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., sounded off after being attacked at a restaurant for her conservative political views, pointing to the environment created by Rep. The scars on her grandmother's hands now blended in with the wrinkles, and Marjorie thought about how the pain she knew her father and grandmother had experienced had made Marjorie never admit to pain she had, such as when she'd had a large ringworm on her leg as a young girl. Since many white people used religion as an excuse to colonize Africa, it is reasonable that Ma Aku would have an antipathy to religion itself, especially the idea that only one Godthe God of the white manexists. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Refine any search. Although heritage can be a large part of someones identity, Akosua shows that sometimes being true to ones identity means disconnecting from ones heritage. On the night of prom, Marjorie watched a movie with her parents; when she got up to make popcorn, she heard them whispering about her. Her trick is to make him think that he is king of the bush, but what does a king matter? Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. When she's taken out of the dungeon she starts screaming to be let back in to find it and the guards physically pick her up to drag her outside. It is at Stanford that he meets a girl named Marjorie, first noticing her "lovely face and a beautiful necklace." He learns her focus is on African and African American literature. He is the one who gets to write the story. Effia is born in Fanteland and raised by her father, and a step-mother who beats her. As he explains to his history students, history is often taught through the eyes of the oppressor, who often leaves out important truths that might reveal their actions and motives in a negative light. They understand that often, a white person doing something in the name of kindness, such as the white missionaries attempting to save Africans from their heathen ways or colonization, which aimed at educating and bettering African people, is actually only meant to oppress African people. We assign a color and icon like this one. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. and instead of stories about family she would tell him stories about nations. Complete your free account to request a guide. Marcus knows he must behave in a way that is even more controlled than his white peers. . Marcus didn't like art museums much, and soon after getting there he left Diante to walk around by himself. When she is young, her father teaches her an important lesson about regret; one day she tries to help him farm by bringing water to his plants, but she doesn't bring enough and they die. That Marjorie and Marcus meet is one of the great ironies of Homegoing. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. The teacher assumes that because Marjorie is from another country and speaks another language at home that she does not know English. We cannot know that which we were not there to see and hear and experience for ourselves. Marjories poem reveals how she feels connected to her familys history and how it has come to shape her understanding of herself in America. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Born in Ghana though raised in Alabama, Marjorie struggles to form her own identity. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Soon, Diante had dropped his quest for the girl from the museum, but he still dragged Marcus out to parties and events. From there, you begin to get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.". More books than SparkNotes. A Brief History of Ghana and the Gold Coast, Characterization in 'Homegoing': Effects of Being a Black Women in a Racist and Patriarchal Society. Free. More books than SparkNotes. This is something Esi and her sisters descendants will learn over generations. He sees two men building a large fire, cooking fish, and beyond that the ocean. Marjories dynamics with the other girls in her class reflect the legacy of colonialism, as the other girls make fun of her accent for sounding almost British because of the influence of the British in Ghana for generations. He just continues with the old. At home in America, her parents spoke Twi to her and she spoke back in English; it had been this way ever since a teacher had written home about Marjorie's speaking skills in kindergarten. During his first class with a new group of students, he says these words, asserting that whoever has the power or privilege in a certain society will get to decide what goes in the history books. He would never truly know who his people were, and who their people were before them . Weak and needy, desperate to learn how to be a personBut if we do not like the person we have learned to be, should we just sit in front of our fufu, doing nothing? However, Mrs. Pinkston replies that all black people are treated the same in the United States. Akua has many names in her life, each showing the way she is seen by others, which in turn influences her self-perception and personality. Subscribe now. Free. Marcus instead explained to Marjorie that he was afraid of the ocean because he can't see where it begins or ends. The idea went underground for years. If nobody tell you, Ima tell you. As soon as they got near, the light skinned woman recognized Diante. He was in the business of slavery, and sacrifices had to be made. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. He knew that he was one of the half-caste children of the Castle, and, like the other half-caste children, he could not fully claim either half of himself, neither his father's whiteness nor his mothers blackness. 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