The Manipulation of Knowledge: Fahrenheit 451 and The Book of Negroes
The Manipulation of Knowledge: Fahrenheit 451 and The Book of Negroes
In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes, accessing and oppressing a person’s mind is an efficient way of exerting power in a society.
In Fahrenheit 451 and The Book of Negroes, the way the government and slave traders choose to exert power shows that reducing a person’s self- knowledge and then substituting that knowledge with a false identity is an effective way of controlling the mind. The only way to resist this form of control is to develop a strong sense of self. From a young age, Aminata values education, largely due to her respect for her father, who is the only one in her village who knows how to read and write (Hill 12). Papa, Aminata’s father, instills the significance in wisdom when he tells Aminata about the medicine men in their village: “They are the strongest of all, for they have lived longer than all of us, and they have wisdom.” (24). Even following her enslavement, Aminata retains the value of wisdom, thinking, “It was said that when a djeli passed away, the knowledge of one hundred men died with him.” (64).
Aminata decides that as a slave it is her responsibility to retain information. While on board the slave ship, Aminata defines her life purpose to assume the role of being a djeli, or storyteller. Aminata’s motivation cannot be suppressed because she continues to fight for who she believes she is (74). Unlike Fanta, Aminata does not submit to confusion or panic, and is therefore difficult to be easily controlled. While working on Robinson Appleby’s indigo plantation, Aminata continues to draw motivation from her father, demonstrating her ability to stay true to who she is (151-153). Aminata’s commitment to self awareness is revealed in the first things she wishes to teach her daughter: where Aminata comes from, who Aminata and her daughter are as it relates to the world and how to read and write (365).
In Fahrenheit
In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes, accessing and oppressing a person’s mind is an efficient way of exerting power in a society.
In Fahrenheit 451 and The Book of Negroes, the way the government and slave traders choose to exert power shows that reducing a person’s self- knowledge and then substituting that knowledge with a false identity is an effective way of controlling the mind. The only way to resist this form of control is to develop a strong sense of self. From a young age, Aminata values education, largely due to her respect for her father, who is the only one in her village who knows how to read and write (Hill 12). Papa, Aminata’s father, instills the significance in wisdom when he tells Aminata about the medicine men in their village: “They are the strongest of all, for they have lived longer than all of us, and they have wisdom.” (24). Even following her enslavement, Aminata retains the value of wisdom, thinking, “It was said that when a djeli passed away, the knowledge of one hundred men died with him.” (64).
Aminata decides that as a slave it is her responsibility to retain information. While on board the slave ship, Aminata defines her life purpose to assume the role of being a djeli, or storyteller. Aminata’s motivation cannot be suppressed because she continues to fight for who she believes she is (74). Unlike Fanta, Aminata does not submit to confusion or panic, and is therefore difficult to be easily controlled. While working on Robinson Appleby’s indigo plantation, Aminata continues to draw motivation from her father, demonstrating her ability to stay true to who she is (151-153). Aminata’s commitment to self awareness is revealed in the first things she wishes to teach her daughter: where Aminata comes from, who Aminata and her daughter are as it relates to the world and how to read and write (365).
In Fahrenheit
Cited: Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: The Random House, 1981. Hill, Lawrence. The Book of Negroes. Toronto, HarperCollins, 2007.