Essay on Middle Passage - 1227 Words

INTRO Examination into the true heart of experience and meaning, Charles Johnson’s Middle Passage looks at the structures of identity and the total transformation of the self. The novel talks about the hidden assumptions of human and literary identity and brings to view the real problems of these assumptions through different ideas of allusion and appropriation. As the novel tells Rutherford Calhoun’s transformation of un-awareness allows him to cross â€Å"the sea of suffering† (209) making him forget who he really is. The novel brings forth the roots of human â€Å"being† and the true complications and troubles of African American experiences. Stuck between posed questions of identity, the abstract body is able to provide important insight into†¦show more content†¦As the fundamentals of the text work to show explanations of meaning and motive the text tends to confront its own contradictory claims to imagination and inaccuracy. These three dif ferent areas use allusion and appropriation to set up the text’s body and its essences of questioning the self. The body occupies an important part of Middle Passage, for small moments such as Rutherford’s hiccuping whenever he seems to get himself into a philosophical dilemma (125-260) to the enfolding of death and unconsciousness that marks Rutherford’s most profound transformation: â€Å"Then I fainted. Or died. Whatever. (171)† The boundaries between body â€Å"non-body†, between individual experience and universal process, break down in the novels process to loose the reliance on the body for its identification. This lose of identity brings forth Rutherfords shifting perspective on gender relations, and the encounter with the Allmuseri. Rutherfords grasp on the boundaries of life and death, gender shifts from the more automatic opinion of social givens-Of all the things that drive men to sea, the most common disaster, Ive come to learn, is wo men (1) leads him to the access of experience and awareness: . . . my memories of the Middle Passage kept coming back, reducing the velocity of my desire, its violence, and in place of my longing for feverish love-makingShow MoreRelatedThe Middle Passage Essay1219 Words   |  5 PagesThe Middle Passage (or Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade) was a voyage that took slaves from Africa to the Americas via tightly packed ships. The trade started around the early 1500s, and by 1654 about 8,000-10,000 slaves were being imported from Africa to the Americas every year. This number continued to grow, and by 1750 that figure had climbed to about 60,000-70,000 slaves a year. Because of the lack of necessary documents, it is hard to tell the exact number of Africans taken from their homeland. ButRead MoreMiddle Passage By Charles Johnson909 Words   |  4 Pages The book Middle Passage by Charles Johnson tells a story about the triangular slave trade which took place early in America s history. This book was written with such close attention to detail that it gave the reader a sense of what life was like on board a slave boat. Johnson s writing style included many different techniques including the use of varying structure, imagery and language. All of these devices helped create a very successful story about slavery. This book tells the story aboutRead MoreThe Middle Passage And The Transatlantic Slave Trade1594 Words   |  7 Pages Anderson Professor Gray History 1301-155 June 22, 15 The Middle Passage During history there has been plenty of slave trade in different countries. They have traded different ethnicities, and each had a different means of use for these people. What is intriguing is how they commuted these people and how this process has impacted their descendants. 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Intro: AtlanticRead MoreThe Middle Passage - Original Writing1452 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The Middle Passage† Can you imagine walking home from school, or cleaning your personal house in your own neighborhood? When suddenly, you hear knocks on the door and you and your families are kidnapped, taken, and stolen from your own given rights. You become shackled and chained and thrown down to the darkest, deepest hole of a huge ship. While you’re in this terrifying place you are crammed with no room at all. Then your notice that you’re starving for weeks almost months and there’s nothingRead MoreMiddle Passage: A Review Essay487 Words   |  2 PagesReading Portfolio Middle Passage is a novel filled with different techniques such as allusions, foreshadowing, humor, character transitions, and many other techniques. Charles Johnson, the author of this amazing novel wanted the readers to acknowledge the past and present events. He connects the past and the present with many different examples. One example is when the police hit Santos for no reason. This comparison is made very clear and simple enough for the readers to understand that policeRead MoreEssay on Olaudah Equiano1220 Words   |  5 PagesThe Horrid Journey If it were not for the stories past down from generation to generation or the documentations in historical books, the history of the twelve million African slaves that traveled the â€Å"Middle Passage† in miserable conditions would not exist. Olaudah Equiano contributes to this horrid history with The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Through this narrative, the appalling personal experience of each slave is depicted. He accomplishes his rhetorical purpose ofRead MoreThe Difficult and Devastating Lives of African People725 Words   |  3 Pagespark. Waking up every day, living in tribes, and doing daily duties were the most common day for Africans. Until, the middle passage emerged, also known as the Slave Trade. Africans were taken through a devastating ride through history in the making. Africans were kidnapped out of nowhere by the â€Å"white men†. The British, the Europeans, the Caucasian all took part of this â€Å"middle passage era†. Africans were taken two by two, and singled file up the docks of the slave ships. Frozen in shock could