My name is !Xobile. I am a 6'6, 250 pound, 18 year old man from Africa. I have a devoted wife named Amara, and five beautiful children.
A few weeks ago, I was minding my own business, searching through the forest for some watermelons to eat...when suddenly I saw some white men in the distance. Never having seen a white man before, I, being the brave tribesman that I am, decided to investigate.
Bad idea.
Next thing I knew, I had woken up here, in chains, on this pitch black ship cellar. Weeks later, and I still have no idea why I was kidnapped, or what the white men want from me. Every once in a while the white man brings me some nasty food, which I always spit back in his face. I do not eat the food of the enemy. I miss the succulent chicken of Africa, and the sweet purple juices of the grapevine...but I would rather starve to death, than show any kind of gratitude towards my kidnappers.
Yesterday, the white men took me up to the top of the ship, and brought out a long, thick whip. I think they were trying to ask me a question, but I could not understand them at first. Then they began gesturing at me, pointing at my chest and calling me, 'Seymour.' I shook my head in disapproval, and shouted my true name, !Xobile! They don't understand that my name is sacred to me; it has been passed down generation to generation, all the way from our first ancestors. I refused to answer to the white man's call, 'Seymour Cox'. I did not sleep at all that night, as the constant pains of the whip kept me writhing in my chains for many hours.
I have begun to learn a little bit of the white man's tongue over the past few weeks. Whenever I am allowed to visit top the top level of the ship, I always hear white men talking about Manchester. Whenever they do, their eyes get all wide, and excited looking. I'm not sure what Manchester is, but if its as truly wonderful as they say it is, then maybe things are finally looking up for me.
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This story is vaguely based off of the TV/book series, 'Roots'.
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That sounds exactly like how the American slave trade was run. Horrible to the farthest degree. Slaves did not have any free space to move around at all, they were stacked on top of each other, pile on pile. Such a horrible thing.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great post. I wanted to continue reading when I was finished! A few questions though, what are your personal feelings on the TV/book series 'Roots?' I know it has caused great controversy amongst people through the ages, and I was wondering what your thoughts were on the series. Again, great post!
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ReplyDeleteTo respond to your question, I really liked the movie. They made a few sequels and I saw those too. I think a lot of the controversy surrounding the movie, came from two sources: the first was due to the fact that the author of the original book version had plagiarized many pieces of it, and secondly that the movie was made in the 70's, during a time where there was still a lot of racial tension. This movie sparked racial discussion, which is why it was so controversial in part. All in all, I think its just a movie. Its not meant to show a historically accurate depiction of the past, nor is it supposed to be PC. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and would watch it again.
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