This essay asks you to consider how Homegoing uses the form of the novel to educate readers on the global histories and legacies of slavery. Please submit a hard copy of your essay to me in class. Do not submit online. Your essay should be at minimum 4 pages and as long as 10 pages, double-spaced in a 12pt font. Please use Chicago, APA, or MLA to cite your sources. You will submit your essay online and it will be run through anti-plagiarism software.ESSAY PROMPTChoose one of the following two questions AND two of the long list of questions to develop a coherent essay about Homegoing.CHOOSE ONE:1. Yaw is a teacher of history. What specific lessons does he teach his students about the learning of history? According to Yaw, who writes history,or, who gets to write history? How is the theme of storytelling important within Yaw’s chapter and how does the theme present itself throughout the novel? How does the combination of history and storytelling help us engage the traumatic and painful histories presented in the book? How does the combination also offer insights into resilence and the ways human beings can transcend experiences of trauma and oppression?2. The novel returns again and again to the wounds inflicted on the colonized and the enslaved. Use the characters’ stories to examine the wounds that heal eventually and the ones that are transferred intergenerationally?IN ADDITION, CHOOSE TWO of the following questions to explore in your essay.Does the treatment of women, and the choices women make in this novel transcend cultural and historical differences or do cultural and historical differences shape women’s experiences in radically different ways? Use examples to argue your point.Discuss the importance of scars as a theme in this book. Does the author believe that scars can be inherited or passed down from one generation to the next?Discuss the meaning of obroni and the effect this word had on people.What is the historical meaning for African Americans of the title “Homegoing” and why is it an effective title for the book?From the book, explain the effect British slave traders have on Africans whom they encounter? How did they disrupt the communities they entered?From the book, explain the effect British missionaries have on Africans whom they encounter? How did they disrupt the communities they entered?Both Ese’s mame and Ese are raped as slaves. Discuss the theme of rape in the book. Is rape here also an historical metaphor?Discuss the theme of power and the various places it is found: in Effia’s beauty, in Kujo’s physical strength, in James’ lineage, in Yaa’s search for the truth of his story…Discuss the character of Quey and how his father deals with his apparent homosexuality.How is race perceived differently in different locations? Africa, the south vs. the north? How is race conceived or defined in different ways within the novel? By skin color, by speech?What is the role of religion and belief systems within this novel?Discuss the intergenerational nature of the bookDiscuss the ways the two family lines’ experiences are different and how they are similar.
