Character Analysis of Aminata Diallo
Character Analysis of Aminata Diallo in The Book Of Negroes
Onomastic Analysis
Aminata – good character, trustworthy, of African origin, secretive and introverted yet good at talking to those comfortable with, (Amina mother of Mohammed the Prophet)
This is a very specific and careful choice of a name for the character. Aminata in the novel is all of these things. She is a good person but in a very bad situation and forced to do some very bad things. At heart, Aminata is a good, trustworthy person. People could “talk without end” (Page 67) to her, as there is an aura of trust that she gives off. Aminata likes to be by herself, and cherishes moments in which she can just relax and be by herself. But she is also good at talking to people and slowly winning them over. Whether it be the “stocky and snarly” (Page 44) pregnant woman or the “distasteful” (Page 37) traitor of Chekura, they all come along eventually. Amina is the mother of Mohammed, who is one of the most important figures in Muslim religion.
“We Glide Over the Unburied
One day, if I ever got home, perhaps they would make an exception and allows me to become a djeli, or storyteller. At night, in the village, while the fire glowed and the elders drank sweetened tea, visitors would come from afar to hear my curious story. To become a djeli, you had to be born into a special family. I used to wish that I had been, for the honour of learning and retelling the stories of our village and ancestors. Early in life, a child born into the djeli family would be taught the story of the crocodile who carried off five children, and of the man who was so rich that he had seventeen wives but so cruel that each ran away, and of the first time a man in our village returned from Timbuktu with the mysterious Qur’an in his hand. It is said that when a djeli passed away, the knowledge of one hundred men died with him. When I was carried up the ladder and dropped like a sack of meal on the deck of the toubabu’s ship, I
Onomastic Analysis
Aminata – good character, trustworthy, of African origin, secretive and introverted yet good at talking to those comfortable with, (Amina mother of Mohammed the Prophet)
This is a very specific and careful choice of a name for the character. Aminata in the novel is all of these things. She is a good person but in a very bad situation and forced to do some very bad things. At heart, Aminata is a good, trustworthy person. People could “talk without end” (Page 67) to her, as there is an aura of trust that she gives off. Aminata likes to be by herself, and cherishes moments in which she can just relax and be by herself. But she is also good at talking to people and slowly winning them over. Whether it be the “stocky and snarly” (Page 44) pregnant woman or the “distasteful” (Page 37) traitor of Chekura, they all come along eventually. Amina is the mother of Mohammed, who is one of the most important figures in Muslim religion.
“We Glide Over the Unburied
One day, if I ever got home, perhaps they would make an exception and allows me to become a djeli, or storyteller. At night, in the village, while the fire glowed and the elders drank sweetened tea, visitors would come from afar to hear my curious story. To become a djeli, you had to be born into a special family. I used to wish that I had been, for the honour of learning and retelling the stories of our village and ancestors. Early in life, a child born into the djeli family would be taught the story of the crocodile who carried off five children, and of the man who was so rich that he had seventeen wives but so cruel that each ran away, and of the first time a man in our village returned from Timbuktu with the mysterious Qur’an in his hand. It is said that when a djeli passed away, the knowledge of one hundred men died with him. When I was carried up the ladder and dropped like a sack of meal on the deck of the toubabu’s ship, I