Through African Eyes
Through African Eyes Précis
The book Through African Eyes by Leon E. Clark, allows Africans to speak through many autobiographies, poetry, newspaper and magazine articles, letters, diaries, and many more sources in four different parts. Clark writes this book in order to let the readers think for themselves and to give Africans the opportunity to speak for themselves. Africans have always been viewed as less important than others and almost not human. While reading this book however, the reader learns a little bit more about themselves and how they have judged people throughout their lives.
Throughout the first part of the book, The African Past, the purpose is to look at African history through the eyes of many Africans and to learn about and appreciate it. The reader immediately learns about how Ghana controlled the trade and how Ghana’s wealth derived from gold and was though of as the middleman. Ghana’s name was an inspiration for the future. Next, we learned about Mansa Manu, who became more powerful than Sundiata had and established himself as an exceptional administrator. Once he passed, Mali had become one of the largest and richest empires in the world. Also, Aksum was a significant part of African history because it was one of the few African states that developed its own written language; Historians have been able to learn the “advanced form of agriculture practiced by the early Ethiopians” because of this (67). Through the second part, The Coming of the European, the reader discovers about personal horrors produced by the slave trade and the economic and social effects it had on Africa. Slaves were examined and embarrassed by having to strip naked while judged into categorizations of “good” or “bad”. The trade robbed the continent of more than fifteen million of its strongest men and women and Africans started turning against each other because they believed it was the only way to survive. During part three of the book, The Colonial Experience
The book Through African Eyes by Leon E. Clark, allows Africans to speak through many autobiographies, poetry, newspaper and magazine articles, letters, diaries, and many more sources in four different parts. Clark writes this book in order to let the readers think for themselves and to give Africans the opportunity to speak for themselves. Africans have always been viewed as less important than others and almost not human. While reading this book however, the reader learns a little bit more about themselves and how they have judged people throughout their lives.
Throughout the first part of the book, The African Past, the purpose is to look at African history through the eyes of many Africans and to learn about and appreciate it. The reader immediately learns about how Ghana controlled the trade and how Ghana’s wealth derived from gold and was though of as the middleman. Ghana’s name was an inspiration for the future. Next, we learned about Mansa Manu, who became more powerful than Sundiata had and established himself as an exceptional administrator. Once he passed, Mali had become one of the largest and richest empires in the world. Also, Aksum was a significant part of African history because it was one of the few African states that developed its own written language; Historians have been able to learn the “advanced form of agriculture practiced by the early Ethiopians” because of this (67). Through the second part, The Coming of the European, the reader discovers about personal horrors produced by the slave trade and the economic and social effects it had on Africa. Slaves were examined and embarrassed by having to strip naked while judged into categorizations of “good” or “bad”. The trade robbed the continent of more than fifteen million of its strongest men and women and Africans started turning against each other because they believed it was the only way to survive. During part three of the book, The Colonial Experience