Analyzing H's Chapter Of Homegoing By Yaa Gyasi

Black men are six times as likely as white men to be incarcerated in federal prisons and local jails. This kind of injustice is the reason why cases like The Scottsboro Boys case, where nine boys were falsely accused of rape, exist. This is also why books like To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee are made. In both of these trials, they highlight the injustice of blacks during the 1930’s.

During the time period african american people were seen as less than those who were white, and it would have been unjust to put her in a prison with african africans. However, during anytime period it would have been unjust to put a man’s life in under question and she should have faced the consequences rather than

After telling this tale, Douglass gives his condemnation of how it was handled, saying “His horrid crime was not even submitted to judicial investigation. It was committed in the presence of slaves, and they of course could neither institute a suit, nor testify against him; and thus the guilty perpetrator of one of the bloodiest and most foul murders goes unwhipped of justice, and uncensured by the community in which he lives'' In this quote Douglass brings up the point that because the only witnesses of the murder were slaves, they couldn’t testify in court, nor could they even express disapproval. This is a direct example of Douglass using examples from his life to show that both legally and in day-to-day practices, some people, specifically enslaved people, were not “created

He later goes on to state, “…I say this,- that killing a slave, or any colored person, in Talbot county, Maryland is not treated as a crime”(26). He also points out the unfair factors and bias treatments they face as slaves. In the narrative he describes two of

“I speak advisedly when I say this,--that killing a slave, or any colored person, in Talbot county, Maryland, is not treated as a crime, either by courts or the community.”(pg22) In Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave the slaves were going through a hard time and the white people were in control. He also shows the hardships of what was happening in the time of slavery with slaveholders and the cruelty the slaves went through. Slaves did not have as many privileges as the slaveholders or people who weren't colored. The slaves tried to find light in what they did and try to overcome the fact they were being used.

Ideally, the reader’s sense of humanity brought them to the conclusion that reprehensible acts of violence against enslaved people should not only be considered punishable under the law, but also be seen as egregious use of power. Moreover, Douglass stated that “killing a slave, or any colored person...was not treated as a crime, either by the courts or by the community”. Perhaps the reader realized dark skin and chained ankles were not permission slips to murder. Douglass emphasized that slave lives should be valued equally, and murder based on skin color was unjustifiable. He noted “it was a common saying, even among little white boys, that it was worth a half-cent to kill a ‘n–,’ and a half-cent to bury one”.

By taking the word of biased parties on both sides (with the only first-hand witnesses being the parties involved in the alleged crime), prejudice is the only thing left on which the jury can reach a verdict. The evidence is entirely circumstantial, so the jury feels left with the sole option to sentence Tom Robinson to death for being black. Correlating with this evidence is a quote from James Baldwin, a black civil rights reformer and novelist, from a 1965 debate. Baldwin says, “But what is happening in the poor woman, the poor man’s mind is this: they’ve been raised to believe, and by now they helplessly believe, that no matter how terrible their lives may be, and their lives have been quite terrible, and no matter how far they fall, no matter what disaster overtakes them, they have one enormous knowledge in consolation, which is like a heavenly revelation: at least, they are not Black” (Baldwin and Buckley, 1965). This quote resounds within the trial as a whole.

In response to the everlasting effects of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, I believe that Yaa Gyasi wrote Homegoing in order to shed a light on the harrowing reality that many Africans and African Americans onced lived through. Enslaved and stripped of their identities, Yaa Gyasi illustrates the dehumanization of Africans through the characters of Esi and Ness. Set in the time period of when Africans were beginning to work with the Europeans in the slave trade, invaders capture Esi and take her to the dungeons of the Cape Coast Castle. Here, the memories of her splendid past life only serve as a way to forget about the Castle. The conditions of the dungeons are unbearable; women stacked on top of each other and their waste was up to their ankles (Gyasi 46).

Mr. Robinson faces racism within the court and in town. Tom Robinson was fated to death even when he had lots of evidence proving his innocence. On page 323 it states, “ Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” This shows everyone already made up their mind about Tom without listening to the evidence and Tom never even had a chance of surviving. Also, on page 323 the text says, “but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case.”

Cam Colbert Minjung Kim Honors English C Block 31 March 2023 Slavery’s Lasting Impact What does it feel like to be imprisoned for centuries? The lengthy novel Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi details the generational impact of one family's participation in the Transatlantic Slave trade. The narration is from the perspective of a new family member in each chapter. Esi's family was uprooted and sent on ships to slavery enslaved in America.

Tom Robinson is unfairly persecuted because his skin is darker than the skin of his neighbors. Robinson is not given a fair trial. Later in the book, an angry mob shows up at the jail, trying to kill him. These strangers acted without knowing if Robinson was guilty or not. Their prejudice, racism, and hate nearly leads them to murder.

Assuming all men are created equal like Jefferson said, then slaves should have never existed. Mr. Finch adds “ a jury is only as strong as the men that make it up.” Granted the men that make it up do not believe two men of different races are equal. Tom should be given a fair trail with an unbias jury. Assuming a white male was being accused of raping a black female, the case would have been dismissed as the female lying.

Have you ever thought it was you against the world? Out of control? No purpose? This is nothing compared to the force and horror the African slaves in both Ghana and America felt. Gyasi’s characters James, Abena, and Ness were forced and manipulated into situations they never intended to be in.

Dating as far back as the 1800’s when slavery was an extreme issue, blacks and other minorities were considered to be the most likely to commit a crime and were often convicted on the testimony of a white person. Mr. McMillian is a perfect explain in the book as a

This creates a sense of pity from the readers about the character. The story tried to focus on the moral compass and how broken it was back then by exposing the hypocrisy of slavery, demonstrates how racism distorts the oppressors as much as it does those