- Chapters 17 & 18 --
Elaine, 19:17:28 05/22/13 Wed [1]
Al Capone’s jail cell at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia
Chapter 17
1933
Willie ends up in isolation at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philedelphia. He suffers hallucinations. After 18 months, Willie is released into the general prison population. He has a hard time socializing. He is given bucket duty – carrying slop buckets that guards use when they can’t leave their posts. Good behavior lands him a better job as secretary to the prison psychiatrist.
Sometimes Willie and Shrink talk after hours. Shrink is an expert on the criminal psyche, Willie learns, and he psychoanalyzes Willie.
1969
Willie tells Reporter and Photographer that Eastern State Pen was the world’s first penitentiary, created by Quakers. When the two men ask Willie if the Shrink ever analyzed him, Willie tells them, “Nah, I was too complex for him.”
Chapter 18
1936 - 1944
Willie meets up with an old inmate named Tick Tock who tells him he thinks he knows a way to break out. It involves a loose floorboard and a sewer. Willie checks it out and literally has to swim through … human waste. He cleans up and returns to his cell, but the guards learn about the escapade and Willie is thrown back into Isolation for awhile, then eventually Semi Isolation.
During this time Willie reads the Bible backwards and forwards.
Another jail break is planned and Willie is invited to take part. Willie is not sure he wants to be involved. He could stay in prison and spend his time reading. But when he realizes he’s grown too soft, Willie changes his mind and decides to be part of the breakout. He, his friend Freddie and others all start digging a tunnel under the prison wall. They succeed, but are met on the other side by two cops. He and the eight other escapees are caught immediately. Freddie and a guy named Botchy are still at large. Willie and the others suffer the Klondike – ancient punishment cells – until the other two men are caught. It takes another eight weeks before those two are returned to the prison.
1969
Willie explains to Reporter that, during his stint in Isolation, he was so hungry for human contact that he drained the toilet and tried to talk to the guy next door through the pipes.
#1) Was Shrink successful at pegging the real Willie? Why or why not?
#2) Every time Willie thinks of Bess, he seems all too eager to break out of prison again. Is it really only about Bess, or is there some other reason that keeps Willie so intent and motivated?
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- Chapters 15 & 16 -- Elaine, 19:47:46 05/21/13 Tue [3]
Exterior wall and guard tower, Sing Sing
Chapter 15
1931
Willie is identified in a line-up by the porter from the jewelry heist. He is then beaten up by Big Cop, Bigger Cop and other cops, but he won’t disclose any information. Marcus is apparently being highly cooperative in the other interrogation room. The cops want Dutch Schultz, but Willie’s not sharing and Marcus never knew he was the jewelry fence.
Willie is returned to Sing Sing, but he finds most things changed since his last stint, but not the menu. He meets up with Johnny Egan and together they plan and succeed in a jailbreak. Willie’s skills with picking locks pays off. Bess is the driver who picks the two men up after they escape.
1969
Willie explains the beating he took at Sing Sing to Reporter and Photographer. He also tells them that his lawyer, Albert Vitale, a former judge, got arrested before he could handle Willie’s appeal. He had taken a bribe from Arnold Rothstein, the fellow associated with the Black Sox Scandal of 1919.
Chapter 16
1932 & 1933
Willie and Egan get rooms in a hotel. Willie tells Egan to stay put, but he sneaks out to get drunk. They experience a scare when police come to the hotel, but it was to carry out a girl who took her own life. Afterward, Willie steals into the dead girl’s room and makes off with her makeup and hydrogen peroxide; he bleaches his hair blonde.
Realizing that Egan is slowing him down, Willie is unable to get either of Egan’s brothers to take him in, so he turns to Dutch Schultz for help. Having heard about Willie’s ordeal with the police, and knowing that he didn’t rat-out Schultz, Dutch is all too eager to help. Eventually Egan is found dead.
Willie heads for Philadelphia where he meets up again with Eddie. They get drunk and talk about the severity of the Great Depression, and how some folks are hoarding gold. Eddie conveniently brings Willie a cop’s uniform. Together, they take down 11 banks, profiting over $300,000. They carry a Thompson machine gun and threaten the bank employees, but never actually fire a shot.
Eddie is getting tired of his many duties in the bank robberies, and the two men realize they must add on a third man as the get-away driver. Against his better judgment, Willie hires Plank, a friend of Eddie’s from Dannemara. Plank does nothing to endear himself to Willie.
The next heist brings them over a quarter of a million dollars. The three men hold a party to celebrate. Later, cops burst into Willie’s hotel room and is arrested, thanks to Plank’s ineptitude.
1969
Willie tells Reporter and Photographer that Eddie had been shot. He was blinded by the bullet but lived. He was sentenced to 20 years at Dannemora. Willie explained that he never trusted Plank, but knew that Eddie did. Plank had apparently protected Eddie from Dannemora guys who “… were trying to make Eddie their girlfriend.”
#1) Despite a wealth of experience, Willie continues to be a little too trusting. Why?
#2) In this chapter we hear some famous names. Bugsy Segal, Rothstein, Dutch Schultz. Do you find it interesting that some of these criminals are loyal types, and others could be ruthless enough to rat-out their own mothers?
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- Chapters 13 & 14 -- Elaine, 15:22:17 05/19/13 Sun [5]
Chapter 13
1929 & 1930:
Willie reads a newspaper account of Bess Endner, who claims her new husband has been abusive. Her address on Coney Island is even included in the article. When he arrives at her home he finds her with a bloody lip and black eye.
Willie learns that Bess’s father is both ill and is in serious debt, which is why he forced her to marry into a wealthy family. They share canned soup and some poetry. He wants her to run away with him, but they both acknowledge that isn’t possible. Returning later in the evening to check in on her, Willie finds the little bungalow empty and Bess’s things gone.
Due to the Great Depression, Willie loses his landscaping job. He attempts to see Mr. Untermyer but is turned away. Later, he will write him a letter, but never receive a response. He will need money soon. While checking the want ads at the library, Willie encounters Marcus Bassett. They go back to Marcus’ place, encountering other signs of the Depression along the way.
Marcus’ basement apartment is dismal and dingy. Willie also meets Marcus’ homely wife, Dahlia.
1969:
Willie tells Reporter and Photographer about Patience and Fortitude, the two lions in front of the NYC library. Meeting Marcus in front of the library represents a major crossroads in Willie’s life of crime.
You came in out of the night. And there were flowers in your hands. Now you will come out of a confusion of people. Out of a turmoil of speech about you.
Chapter 14
1930:
Observing the morning routine at a local bank, Willie arrives at a brilliant scheme for robbery. He immediately seeks out Marcus to tell him of his idea. They need to get a uniform, any official looking uniform, and use it to get the bank guard to allow them into the bank before it even opens for business.
In October, 1930, Marcus and Willie embark on their first robbery together – a jewelry store in order to get some starter cash. Willie is dressed as a letter carrier, and informs the porter at the door that he has a telegraph for the store’s owner. As the door opens, Willie pulls out a gun and forces his way into the store. After some difficulty, Marcus and Willie make off with plenty of diamonds. They escape via the subway and fence their goods with Dutch Schultz.
The two of them buy better guns and more costumes, wigs and make-up, this time for bank robberies. They hit numerous banks and exchanges. Willie stores his ‘earnings’ in airtight jars and buries them in public parks in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Willie scouts out each job in detail beforehand, keeping notes in a journal.
Willie and Marcus manage to rob about 37 banks that year. They agree that, if they get caught, neither man will tell the cops anything. Dahlia is now expecting a baby. Marcus provides a vial of strychnine to Willie in case there are no other options.
Marcus and Willie both move into better apartments. Dahlia fears that Marcus is having an affair. Willie learns that Dahlia knows everything about the bank jobs, all the details. Then Marcus admits to having an affair.
Some days later at a restaurant, Willie must comfort a distraught Dahlia, who has found what she believes to be letters written to a Millicent by Marcus. Willie lies and tells her it’s all connected to the novel Marcus is writing. But it’s all a set-up. Police come out of the restaurant kitchen and pins Willie to the floor. There isn’t time to reach for the strychnine.
1969:
Reporter and Photographer ask Willie if he ever felt that robbing banks with Marcus was wrong. Willie admits that he KNEW it was wrong; he’d have rather had a real job. But a man without a job feels like a loser. He reminds Reporter and Photographer that it was around that time that the Bank of the U.S. collapsed with millions of Americans’ money evaporating overnight. Not a single bank manager ended up in Sing Sing. In fact, they actually profited from their own mistakes. (Sound familiar?) Willie didn’t think of bank robbery as being a crime against the American people so much as sticking it to the banks and the managers. Willie contends that everyone robs someone else … in one way or another.
#1) The author goes to great pains in describing Dahlia’s homeliness. Can you think of a reason why he might do this? Is there any significance for the story line?
#2) Two criminals encounter each other at a public library. Can you even picture this happening today, or is it strictly an occurrence of the Great Depression?
#3) What do you think of Willie’s logic, that he’s hurting the banks, not the individuals who patronize the banks?
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- Chapter 12 -- Carla, 06:47:27 05/18/13 Sat [2]
Chapter Twelve
Willie is up for parole and tells the Board he is a changed man – that he wants to go straight and make something of himself. They buy it, and parole is granted. Eddie is denied. Back in NY, Willie goes to a coffee shop & reads the paper. There are still no jobs for him. The city has changed dramatically, he feels in the 7 years he’s been gone. He feels bleak and left behind. He decides to head for Philadelphia to start a new life. He goes to one of Doc’s old associates, hoping for a legit job but instead is asked to kill someone – a dwarf named Hughie McLoon. When Willie goes to check him out, the two men get on well.
In the present, as they leave the stadium, Willie tells the men what it was really like in the 20s for an ex-con with no skills. Hard.
Willie heads back to NY after calling Boo Boo to say he can’t take the job. Combing through the papers, he sees reports of Hughie’s death. And finally an ad he can answer – for a gardener. He’s hired on the spot. He enjoys the work and the camaraderie. On his lunch, reading Cicero, a man he takes to be a second foreman is watching him. Later, he makes a comment on Cicero’s gardens. Turns out the “foreman” is the owner of the massive estate. The two have a good talk – during which Willie reveals he’s just been released from prison. Willie manages to get kept on their permanently by blackmailing the owner of the landscaping company.
In the present, Willie finds the building where the landscape company had it’s office is still standing. He stands in the street, laughing at the memory, and tells them his life was finally on track. When he wasn’t working, he was at the library reading everything.
Mr. Untermyer, the owner of the estate where Willie is working, turns out to be a lawyer who specilaizes in breaking up corrupt banks and exposing the bankers. The two men talk whenever they see each other, Willie entertaining Mr. Untermyer with stories – some true, some not so true.
In the present, on the way to the library, Willie talks a little more about Mr. Untermyer and the discussion turns to political leanings.
Q1. Why is Willie ashamed to admit that he can’t kill Hughie?
Q2. Mr. Untermyer tells Willie “I think the truth is in the listener. Truth is something the listener bestowes on a story – or not.” How do you feel about this statement?
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- Chapter Eleven -- Carla, 09:09:19 05/17/13 Fri [2]
Willie and Eddie form their own crew, and Willie turns to small towns, rather than big cities for his heists. While Willie puts in the research, Eddie suggests hitting a store in Times Square to keep up their cash flow.
Reporter, Photographer and Willie stand in Times Square, where he bemoans the changes. He remembers dancing with the 5cents a dance girls and thinking that he had to be a part of all of this. Willie approaches a prostitute and strikes up a conversation. She recognizes him and they begin to talk about his past jobs.
Their first job in the boonies goes bad and they have to walk away with nothing. They lie low, looking for word of the botched robbery, but nothing appears in the papers.
In the present, Willie is excited to see his name up on the scrolling newsfeed in Times Square. Next, they’re off to the Bronx.
Willie and Eddie go to the new stadium in Brooklyn to see Babe Ruth play. Part way through the game, Willie and Eddie are hauled off. Willie stuffs Bess’ ring into his Cracker Jack box and then throws it away.
In the present, they stand outside the remodeled stadium. Sutton again complains about the changes. He tells Reporter and Photographer about how they were picked up at the game by Pinkerton detectives and yet all Eddie could think about was the game they were missing and all Willie could think about was the ring. He tells them he was too cocky, but then advises them whatever they do, to do it “from their nuts” and with confidence. Even when Reporter points out the contradiction, Willie doesn’t see it.
Willie and Eddie are sent to prison and on the way there, Willie wonders if Bess read about his trial in the paper. They also find out through their lawyer that Happy was released from Sing Sing 6 months ago and has disappeared. Willie wonders if he will be able to survive in such a hard-ass place, but then as they are being processed, Willie gives him a wink and it’s enough so that “the quiet center of his mind holds.”
In prison, they are given plum jobs by a warden other prisoners consider “crazy.” Willie is assigned to a former newspaper man serving life for murdering his wife. Chapin is a pet of the warden’s and has luxurious accommodations and even a rose garden. Chapin also puts on plays and offers Willie a part in one. It is Chapin who encourages Willie to begin reading.
Eddie comes to Willie with an escape plan. Eddie declines on the grounds that with good behaviour and a word from Lawes they can be out in four years and start new lives. The warden overhears and the next day the two are shipped to a harsher prison on the Canadian border.
Sutton tells Reporter a little about the horrible conditions in Dannemora and meeting his future accomplice there – Marcus Bassett. Willie says it was at Dannemora that he first became angry, and prison he says, is the worst place to put an angry man.
Q1. Even after all these years, and so much suffering, why do you think Willie is still so thrilled about his fame?
Q2. Why did Willie throw the ring away?
Q3. “Since all of New York is totally and completely different on a subatomic level, what’s the point of all this driving around?” Photographer asks Willie. “I’m totally changed too, Sutton says. On a subatomic level. But I’m still me.” Can places and people change in fundamental ways and yet still be themselves? What about the idea that “you can never go home again.” Is that what’s happening with Willie on this tour?
Q4. Why was Willie not angry up until his time at Dannemora, he certainly had plenty to be angry about.
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- Chapter 10 -- Carla, 07:42:50 05/16/13 Thu [4]
Willie remembers his early days with Doc, learning the art of safe cracking, how much he enjoyed all aspects of the work, willing to stay late and go over the plans and technical details when the others were tired and bored. He also enjoyed having cash.
Several months in, although he still loves the attention, and doesn’t take the perks for granted, Sutton finds himself restless and troubled. He heads back to visit Wingy. They talk and, as he prepares to leave, he gives her enough money to start over.
Back in the present, they are at Doc’s old building. When Sutton approaches the doorman, he’s recognized and the doorman tells him he was his old man’s hero.
Doc takes Willie under his wing, not just teaching him about safes, but all the tips and tricks needed to survive in their world. He also introduces him to great writers and thinkers through his fondness for quoting them.
Sutton tells Photographer and Reporter that back in the day, he and Doc’s crew lived for their “reviews,” that everybody was afraid of them because they looked tough - acting as they'd see criminals portrayed in the movies. Next they’re off to Times Square. Sutton tells the men that he left Doc because he needed to make several big scores so he could find Bess and show her he could take care of her. He also realises that Doc is slipping.
Willie tells Doc he’s quitting and when he next talks to Eddie about going out on their own, Eddie breaks the news that Bess is getting married that day in, according to gossip, an arranged marriage. He dresses in his best and crashes the wedding. Bess sees him, and pauses, but continues on to the altar. Willie bolts from the church. Despite this, he still holds on to the ring. Just in case.
Some quotes I thought were particularly astute:
“He likes everything about it. He tells himself he shouldn’t. But he does.”
“The safe, as an intellectual subject, as an abstract concept, fascinates Willie. Everything in life is a safe, he thinks. He parents, his brothers, Mr. Endner – if only he’d known the combination.”
“It’s the first time Manhattan, from high above, hasn’t crushed him with desire.”
“I’ll take a sailor over an investment banker any day. . . . Bankers don’t ask, Willie. They take.”
Q1. Beyond the money and lifestyle, what is it about safe-cracking you think appeals to Willie?
Q2. Wingy tells Willie that the old Willie Boy – the sweet, innocent one who was in love with Bess and kind to a prostitute – isn’t dead. Why does Willie think he is?
Q3. Willie taking the ring back from the jewels being sold to Socialite shows us that he’s still thinking of Bess. Is she more myth than reality to him by now?
Q4. “Most people suffer from a fear that they’re not really here, that they’re invisible. Being famous solves that. You must be here, it says so in the paper.” Even though they aren’t named, Willie feels being “reviewed” in the paper made them real. Is Willie in this because he wants to prove something to the world? To himself?
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- Q1. I think its the mental challenge. The planning and scheming that goes on before. Then the rush of doing the actual job. However, I think he's still suffering because he believes he's a wronged man and was forced into his choices. Which leads to Q2. I really think he' feeling restless because it's become routine and really he feels conflicted about who he is in his mind and his actions. Q3. I think she's hope and love and the symbol of the life he wanted, not the life he has. Q4. Willie was invisible to his distracted parents and maybe there is a small piece of him that likes the fame, even if its negative attention. (NT) -- Lil, 10:48:12 05/16/13 Thu
- 1) It's the challenge, like solving a difficult puzzle. It's a one-on-one task, too, requiring only himself and the object of his desire. (2) This is Willie's dichotomy. He is a good man who does bad things. (3) What Nalana said! The ring (and Bess herself) represent hope for the future. (4) Again, Nalana said it very well. Willie seems to think so little of himself, diminishes his own value. I don't think Willie seeks to prove something to the world, but being named in the paper is a way for him to acknowledge the importance of his own existence. It's a very personal thing that is projected in a very public way. (NT) -- E, 06:12:49 05/17/13 Fri
- Chapter Nine -- Carla, 13:54:44 05/15/13 Wed [4]
Willie wakes in jail, having dreamed of Bess. They’ve made the papers – some stories calling them thugs, others describing them as romantic heroes.
Months later at the trial, Bess testifies, her lawyer having arranged a plea bargain. Willie and Happy do not take the stand. Bess takes the blame, saying it was all her idea but that she was driven by love and that if she could undo her actions, she would. She plays the crowd perfectly. Willie wonders if Bess, or any thing around and about her, is real. Despite this, he still loves her. In a fixed verdict, the boys are given three years probation.
Out of prison, Willie is adrift and without Bess, is emotionally bereft. He even plans his own death. He tries to find Bess and learns that her family has shipped her off to Germany to stay with relatives.
Eddie gets jobs for Willie and Happy at the shipyard, destroying old freighters. The three men continue to spend their spare time together. Soon enough, all three are laid off again. Eddie and Happy begin bootlegging and are soon flush. Willie refuses to take part.
The Photographer sounds off about government and banks when the talk turns to the Depression and Prohibition. When the Reporter questions him again about Schuster, Willie says he was a nice kid who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is very noncommittal about his agreement to talk about Schuster’s death.
The Reporter and Photographer both have a hard time reconciling their image of Willie Sutton bank robber with the real Willie Sutton – a man who quotes poetry and Socrates, cries and is a true romantic. Willie “holds them up” using two camera lenses as guns to show his other side.
Willie goes back to see Wingy and buys her company for the morning so he has somebody to talk to. The next day he goes to see his parents, who are cold and distant. He goes to see Eddie, who feeds him and offers him a place to stay. He also wants Willie to come with him to learn from a con artist and bank robber – Doc. The three men talk and Willie and Eddie find themselves as part of Doc’s crew.
Q1. Do you think Bess truly loved Willie or was she simply bored and looking for a thrill?
Q2. What do you see as the Photographer’s role in the story? Is he a true character or more of a symbol? What about Reporter?
Q3. Is it really Willie’s pride – not wanting to be rejected again – that leads him to take on the job with Doc? Or is he fooling himself about his reasons?
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- 1) I think she loved him because she admitted it as testimony. That was a brave thing for her to do. But there was a point early on when I wondered how she really felt about him. When she went to the witness stand, I was afraid she was going to throw Willie under the bus. I admired her more after she testified. I don't think we see any real evidence that she used Willie for her own enjoyment. She wasn't courageous enough to confront her father, though, so that tells me she was still pretty attached to his money and power, meaning she was willing to compromise for her own benefit. (2) Good question. Photographer sort of reminded me of Shaggy in Scooby-Do for some reason. =) Together the two of them were like a comedy team - one bumbling type and the other the straight man. (3) I'm not really sure. I think crime has Willie in its clutches. (NT) -- E, 14:51:18 05/15/13 Wed
- Q1. I think she really loved him. I think she caved under her father's rule and it was stronger than her desire to be the wife of a criminal. She was strong, but to a point. However I never doubted their love. It just seemed very Romeo/Juliet. Q2. I think they are symbolic. Photographer is definitely the rebellious anti-establishment one, while Reporter is a little more straight laced. He's more focused on the job, while Photographer seems more like a fan. Q3. I think he's worried about rejection. But the easy money seems to call him pretty strongly. And there's not job requirements to be a criminal. *g* (NT) -- Lil, 10:38:15 05/16/13 Thu
- Great photo. Love looking at each little detail. (NT) -- E, 06:15:15 05/17/13 Fri
- Chapter Eight -- Carla, 05:05:14 05/14/13 Tue [3]
Willie goes to the Ender house for the first time to have dinner with Bess’ parents. He is overwhelmed by the size and luxury of the house and it’s furnishings. Mr. Ender questions him about his job, his prospects and his background. The next night, Bess and Willie meet and she tells him her father has forbidden her to see him again.
Back in the present, Willie remarks that this was the moment from which everything else in his life flowed. He tells the men to look back and see if they can find that one moment in their own lives.
Willie goes again to speak to Mr. Ender. He’s offered “a check with more zeros than the scoreboard when Walter Johnson pitches” to walk away from Bess and agree to never contact her again. He refuses and Mr. Ender twists this show of honour and character to try and force Willie to stay away from Bess so that she won’t be going against her parents. Despite this, they continue to meet in various places throughout the city, sometimes alone, sometimes with Happy and Eddie.
Bess comes up with the idea of breaking into her father’s office and stealing the payroll money from his safe. Willie refuses numerous times, until finally Bess, and his friends wear him down. Willie, Bess and Happy rob the safe and take off to upstate New York and then Massachusetts. There, Bess & Willie consummate their relationship, before the wedding they’ve discussed, at Bess’ urging. They go on a spending spree over the next few days until the law catches up to them.
Q1. Do you think it’s possible to pinpoint that moment from which everything else flows before you are nearing the end of your life?
Q2. Bess behaves as if she’s never had money to spend before. Where do you think her need to buy things comes from?
Q3. Why do you think Bess wants Willie to tell her about his experiences with Wingy?
Q4. Why do you think Willie insists he can still see Bess’ initials carved in the wall?
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- Chapter 7 -- Carla, 06:07:14 05/13/13 Mon [4]
Coney Island, 1920s
Out of work, the boys hang out at Coney Island. There they meet Bess and two of her friends. The boys and girls pair off, with Bess matching up with Willie. He is captivated. Bess, it turns out, is well-read and opininated. In the coming weeks, they both reveal their heart and soul to the other and in the end, love is declared.
Q1. What do you think of Bess? Do you think their relationship will go anywhere?
Q2. Why do you think Happy chooses to play a kids’ playground song?
Q3. Is their truth to the Socarates quote Willie offers up: “We love whatever we lack.”?
Q4. Where do you think Bess learned this bit of wisdom: “There’s only one thing that counts. How does a boy look at you? Can you see in his eyes that he’ll always be there?” when she otherwise seems to be impulsive?
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- Q1. When I first started the book I thought it would go somewhere. She makes me sad as I think she's basically a prisoner of her own life, I don't know that we have much indication that she was ever happy. Q2. Maybe because he knew they would all know it and could sing along. I don't have the book in front of me, so I'm just guessing. Q3. Oh, there's a lot of wisdom in that, and it explains why we are so drawn at times to people who are not good for us. We are built that way, I think, to want what we don't have, to be drawn to others who have the qualities we wish we had. As though we think it will wear off on us just to be near it. Q4. She's a pretty smart girl in some ways, I think she knows if a boy doesn't look at you that way at the outset, things are not going to improve from there because relationships tend to get more difficult once that honeymoon phase has passed. (NT) -- celtgirl, 13:46:59 05/13/13 Mon
- 1) I liked Bess and was hoping their relationship would be long lasting. (2) Yikes, I don't remember that part! And the book has been returned to the library. (3) Oh yes, I sure think so. Reminds me of the lyrics in an older Don Henley song, "The first word a baby learns is 'More.' " Maybe it's more like we *think* we love what we lack. Then we get it, and pretty soon we just want something else. (4) I wonder if Bess was sending a message to Willie about how she interpreted his gaze. (NT) -- Elaine, 17:52:35 05/13/13 Mon
- Q1. I liked her, but I worried it would be a situation in which she comes from money and he doesn't - leading to nothing but broken hearts. Q2. I think Happy is keeping it light with a song like that. He also picks something everyone knows so they can all participate. I think a nostalgic song when things are low reminds people of better times. Q3. I guess I see the truth in it. We often want what we imagine can't have or are attracted to things we find deficient in ourselves. Q4. I wonder if she has seen something lacking in her own parents or just is bright enough to see the value in a man who can look at a woman like that. (NT) -- Lil, 20:40:28 05/13/13 Mon
- Sutton, Chapters 5 & 6 -- Lil, 16:16:49 05/11/13 Sat [12]
Chapter 5
As technology moves forward, Willie sees his family falling behind. With the popularity of bicycles and cars, Father’s blacksmithing job isn’t making the money it was.
Willie graduates grammar school at the top of his class. He’s not allowed to go further because he’s got to find work to help his family out. He goes to work with his father, but business is too slow. Father lays off his apprentice and is killing himself to get all the work done alone. When things just get to be too much, the family moves from Irish Town to a smaller place in Prospect Park.
The three boys are all down on their luck and nothing in the papers is encouraging. They continue to have their swims in the filthy East River. They dare each other to touch the bottom and frequently one of them nearly drowns trying. One day Eddie decides they should race across. They discuss it and in the end they do it. It takes them almost 30 minutes to cross and they decide to take the Brooklyn Bridge back across. It’s Willie’s first time on the bridge, and he’s nervous about the height. He sees his town from above and sees how dirty it looks. He sees Manhattan and it’s all he wants.
When it’s too cold to swim, they fish. At least they can bring a few fish home to their families if they catch anything. On one of these days, Eddie goes off on a tirade about how the “whole thin is rigged”. He means life. He thinks that they are destined to always be poor and he blames the banks and the rich for their situation. Eddie has always been angry, but Willie thinks this new found anger is his fault. He convinced Eddie to get a library card and now Eddie has found authors who agree with this line of thinking.
In the Fall of 1916 things get better for the boys. Eddie is able to get a job in construction, and Happy and Willie get jobs at a bank. Willie buys two suits and loves how he is treated by his coworkers. They don’t seem to notice he’s poor or Irish and treat him well. He’s doing great and contributing to his parents budget, which is a relief to them. Unfortunately, 6 months later they are all unemployed again. Then catastrophe saves them – War. They go to work in a machine gun factory and things look like they are looking up again.
In the Present:
Many of the places Sutton is looking for are gone. As they are driving he sees some TV’s in an electronics store showing video of him coming out of Attica. He’s surprised at how much he looks like both his Mother and Father.
Reporter and Photographer want to know the significance of the 1915 apartment and Willie tells them, “That’s where I learned that life is all about money. And love. And lack thereof. That’s it, Mr. Sutton? Anyone who tells you different is a fuckin liar. Money. Love. There’s not a problem that isn’t caused by one or the other. And there’s not a problem that can’t be solved by one or the other. That seems kind of reductive, Mr. Sutton. Money and Love kid. Nothing else matters. Because those are the only two things that make us forget about death. For a few minutes anyhow.
Chapter 6
Happy takes Willie to a whorehouse on Sands Road. This is Willie’s first time and Happy tells him the girls may not be the prettiest, but they are the most willing.
Willie’s “date” is a girl who’s called Wingy. She lost her right arm in street car accident. She takes his virginity and his mind is mostly on how the room smells like Fels, among other things. He also wonders if this is “it” when it comes to love/sex. He doesn’t seem to really enjoy what’s happening around him.
On one of the nights the boys are bumming around Coney Island and fishing, they run into a group of girls that Happy knows. He introduces the boys to Bess Endner. Her father owns a shipyard in the area and she’s brining him something to eat. Willie describes her as confident and beautiful. As she leaves, Willie thinks she holds his gaze a little longer.
Q1. In the same way Eddie finds books to support his thinking, Willie finds Horatio Alger novels feed his faith and hope. Do think that the books help or hinder the boys in their lives?
Q2. As we move further into the book, do you find Willie Sutton to be a contradiction?
Q3. In the first chapter, Sutton goes on about his swagger, but in this chapter he finds he looks like Mother and Father. He seems surprised - why?
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- Q1. Even though the books he reads seem to further unsettle Eddie, I think it's never a bad thing to read - he's felt that anger and hatred towards banks & the wealthy all his life, now he just has words for it. As for Willie, the books give him hope and show him a different way of life. That's a bit of a double-edged sword, in many ways, but I think without hope life is pretty bleak. (NT) -- Carla, 11:42:06 05/12/13 Sun
- Q2. No more than most of us are - there are certainly depths to Willie and more to him than meets the eye. I think we find many contradictions when people/characters don't fit into our preconceptions - criminals must be violent, unfeeling, and uneducated. Eddie is certainly a fairly one-dimensional character as we've been shown him so far, but because we are in Wilie's head we get to see all the contradictions and facets that go into a whole person. (NT) -- Carla, 11:44:47 05/12/13 Sun
- Q3. It's a much more objective way of seeing himself, from the outside rather than the inside. I think also he's distanced himself physically and emotionally from his parents for so long that to see any of them in himself would be disconcerting. (NT) -- Carla, 11:46:43 05/12/13 Sun
- Q1. I think the books just were what they were- we choose what we take from them as readers, often things the author may not have intended. Probably many people read the same books, but didn't become criminals. Q2. I think many criminals are probably very contradictory in nature. My cousin was married to a Hell's Angel- he was into a lot of bad stuff, and yet he was maybe one of the kindest people to me personally that I've known in my life. Do any of us see the similarities in ourselves with our parents, especially if it's not been a good relationship? It can be a truly uncomfortable feeling to realize you have things in common with people you are either angry with or simply don't like/respect. Hopefully these answers make sense, I took a Flexeril about an hour ago and feel like I'm on the loop-de-loop roller coaster right now. :) (NT) -- celtgirl, 13:16:18 05/12/13 Sun
- 1) I think it's the combination of the times, their upbringing and background, and the aspirations of the reader. If Willie hadn't been made to feel weak and insecure by his brothers, if his father had been more supportive, if he hadn't been born Irish... The books that might put another individual off were very appealing to Willie. It's hard to predict what will influence one person and not another. (2) Yes, Willie seems to be a contradiction. He aspires to better things, but cannot control his desire for easy money. I'm not sure he's much different from all the rest of us. We might not be criminals, but we often do rely on our excuses and rationalizations. (3) I think both Carla and Cindy said it well. We often see ourselves as so unique, but we are all the result of our upbringing. It's very hard to distinguish ourselves from the people who raised us. It's a very tight - but kind of invisible - bond. (NT) -- Elaine, 16:16:02 05/12/13 Sun
- Sutton, Chapter 4 -- Lil, 20:17:35 05/09/13 Thu [5]
One day, Willie is listening to his mother read the Bible. She reads the passage about Joseph and his colorful coat and the way that his brother’s treated him. Willie is moved to tears. Daddo thinks he’s moved by the Holy Spirit. Willie’s mother decides to enroll him at a Catholic school.
At St. Ann’s Willie makes two friends – Happy Johnston and Eddie Wilson. Happy is unnaturally handsome and Eddie is a boy who lost most of his family to sickness and had to take handouts – both of which turned him into a tough kid. Willie doesn’t see Eddie’s pain – he thinks his toughness is courage.
In the Present, the Photographer realizes they are being followed and takes off trying to outrun a new van. Sutton is thrown around the back of the car. They realize they were run off from their next stop and have to double back. Eventually they arrive at their next stop – Sands & Gold. The former location of St. Ann’s grammar school. Sutton kneels down on the cobblestone. Photographer and Reporter are freaked out by Sutton and Photographer tells him so. He’s talking to himself and not making much sense.
Back in Sutton’s memories we learn that there wasn’t much to do in the neighborhood for entertainment, so the boys would gather at a slaughterhouse. Most of the time they just hung out and heckled the animals, but Eddie rooted for the butchers.
One day Eddie sees something that “haunts” him. A black sheep (who is really a goat) leads the other sheep to their death, but averts the door and saves himself. The Butcher calls it the Judas Sheep. Eddie is so upset by this sheep that the three boys go back later and Eddie and Happy hold down the Judas sheep and stab, torture and kill the sheep. Willie could never hurt a defenseless animal. Even an animal that rats out other animals. Besides, the sight of Eddie and Happy holding down the Judas sheep reminds Willie of his brothers.
Q1. Taking a moment to think about things from the Photographer and Reporter's point of view - what do you think they expected of Willie Sutton? What do you think they're feeling about what they've got?
Q2. Willie chooses not to hurt or kill the goat/sheep. Why do you think he stays friends with Eddie and Happy after this horrible incident in which it was obvious Willie was not in support of?
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- Q1. I'm fairly sure they think he's lost the plot - literally and figuratively. I suspect they were expecting/hoping for great stories of robberies and other crimes, living well off the proceeds, perhaps now that he's old and ill, talk of regrets or remorse for his crimes. But not this seemingly willy-nilly tour of places that no longer exist and very little in the way of real substance. We are getting a satisfying story inside Willie's head, they are left out in the cold. (NT) -- Carla, 15:38:11 05/10/13 Fri
- Q2. I think even though he doesn't participate, or approve, Willie doesn't exactly have so many friends he can walk away from these. Also, I think in his eyes they were simply enforcing the code by which they all lived - you don't rat out anybody for any reason and in their young minds, the Judas sheep was doing just that. (NT) -- Carla, 15:42:16 05/10/13 Fri
- 1) Carla makes a good point. Maybe they see Willie as old and feeble now. I'm sure they were looking for juicier details. (2) I don't think Willie would want to alienate his two best buddies. All they have is each other. (NT) -- Elaine, 17:13:21 05/10/13 Fri
- Sutton, Chapter 3 -- Lil, 07:23:47 05/08/13 Wed [5]
Row houses on Front Street in Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn
This chapter opens with Sutton deeply entrenched in his memories of him home and the part of town he grew up in. He remembers the stories of Gold Street being a place where pirates buried treasure and that the local boys would dig for gold in the street.
Willie lives there with Father, Mother, two older brothers, one older sister, and his white-haired grandfather, Daddo. The house is painted a cheerful yellow, but that’s misleading. It’s not a happy place. It’s always too hot, too cold, too small. There’s no running water, no bathroom, and a heavy gloom hangs in the tiny rooms…
The loss of Willie’s youngest sister as put a darkness on his home as his parents quietly exist in their grief. Much of the time Mother is scrubbing clothes and fussing over the stains. The memory of Fels, his mother’s detergent, is a scent that stays with him for a long time. Pears & vanilla.
Willie’s family has status in the area. They are not the “new Irish” who have just arrived. They’ve lived in Irish Town for a while. Additionally, Father is working, unlike most of the Father’s in Irish Town. …Father is a blacksmith, a skilled artisan, and every Saturday he dutifully, proudly places his weekly twelve dollars on the outstretched apron of Mother. Twelve dollars. Never more, but never less.
Wille’s two older Brothers despised him and consistently bully and harass him. As he gets older the beatings get worse. They break his nose; lock him in a closet, and Willie lives in fear of times when he is left alone with his Brother’s. They create reasons why he needs punishment and when he gets praised for his good grades, they can’t wait to put him back in his place.
Willie’s parents never know or don’t acknowledge the beatings. And Willie - He was born knowing the sacred code of Irish Town. Never tattle.
The one saving grace in his home is his grandfather, Daddo. Daddo is blinded after a work accident. He spends his days talking, even though no one really listens. Except Willie. Willie listens to his stories about the old country and he always asks about the Little Men. What do the little men do, Daddo? They steal, Willie Boy. Steal what? Sheep, pigs, gold, whatever they can lay their grubby little mitts on. Ah but no one holds it against the lads. They’re just full of mischief. Bad little actors.
At the end of the chapter, the Photographer and Reporter collect Sutton up and put him back in the car. He can’t hear them over the heater, but they are whispering over the map. He imagines they are talking about him and what they going to do with him.
Q1. I’ve a collection of three quotes here that I think really gives some insight into Willie Sutton. From these quotes can you deduct some things about why Willie becomes who he does?
Willie sees Father as a fantastic collection of nevers.
That’s the fear, the thing that keeps Father hammering, Mother scrubbing. One bad turn—fire, illness, injury, bank panic—and the curb is your pillow.
Willie used to admire Father’s silence. Now he resents it. He no longer thinks Father a hero. He goes one last time to Father’s shop, sees it all differently. With every unthinking swing of the hammer, with every metallic clank, Willie vows never to be like Father, though he fears that in some inescapable way he’ll always be just like him.
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- It's so hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for the Irish. Seems like it would be all too easy to fall into a state of hopelessness. And then to have the Great Depression hit... You picked some very meaningful quotes, Nalana. Btw, Vinegar hill is about 2 miles north of where my son lives. (NT) -- Elaine, 19:16:47 05/08/13 Wed
- His home life really made me think about how tough things were for immigrants, how hard you had to work, how looked down upon you were, how shame mattered more than love. I thought about my own great-grandparents and how they never talked about their past, even though they arrived in Canada with three kids. It was as though Ireland were a forbidden topic, except in odd ways- fairy stories etc. Willie's life was tough and he was determined not to be like his father, who seemed like an automaton really- so yes, bank robbery would have seemed like a ticket to freedom in comparison. (NT) -- celtgirl, 19:55:40 05/08/13 Wed
- I think Willie is smarter than his family, and sees that there are other ways to live, options, which they just don't for a huge variety of reasons. It's this innate drive and intelligence that cause him to become so dissatisfied with his own life and spur him to want more. At the same time, his upbringing makes him practical - he knows they are never more than one paycheque away from the streets. I think if he hadn't lost that job at the bank, Willie would have had a very different life. (NT) -- Carla, 13:13:23 05/09/13 Thu
- Sutton, Chapter 2 -- Lil, 20:43:59 05/06/13 Mon [4]
Sutton is sitting in a chair in his hotel room and he hasn’t slept. He’s spent the night drinking champagne, smoking Chesterfield cigarettes and thinking. Thinking about the envelope. Thinking about opening it, but knowing it’s not the right time. Although he’s worried he may not live to see the “right time”.
Sutton can feel his injured leg causing him more trouble. The doctors said he would feel the change and then he’d have trouble walking and then he’d just stop – living. Sutton is sure this is his last day and that he’ll be dead before nightfall.
Reporter arrives with a couple of cups of coffee and the newspaper, on which Sutton is the front cover with the headline: SANTA SPRINGS WILLIE SUTTON. The Reporter wants to know how Sutton feels about being famous. Sutton tells him he’s always been famous. The Reporter calls him an icon. Sutton tells him that the media just sells myths and not to buy into what they are selling. He claims their myths are what got him mixed up to begin with.
Sutton has a tourist map of New York City that he’s marked it with numbers, lines and arrows. He shows it to Reporter and tells him this is what they are going to do today. They are going to Brooklyn to see what made Willie Sutton who he is today. Reporter balks at first, but Sutton says it’s his way or no way. Reporter concedes.
The pair head out to get the tour started. They hop into an old car with Photographer. Photographer is described by Sutton as long haired and wearing some sort of fringed jacket. He even has the fu-man-chu mustache. The opposite of how Reporter was described.
Photographer seems to idolize Sutton, but feels comfortable calling him Willie. He calls him an Antihero. He asks Willie what he did with his first night of freedom. When he hears he was thinking, he thinks Willie should have gotten enough time to do that in prison.
In the joint, kid, thinking is the one thing you can’t let yourself do.
They arrive in Brooklyn and drive down the Canyon of Heroes. Isn’t it telling, Sutton says. When someone’s a hero, they shower him with little pieces of the stock market. Photographer laughs. You’re singing my song, Willie.
Photographer says he’s worked quite a few of the parades, to include the astronauts that went to the moon. Sutton talks about how the prisoners were allowed to watch the lunar landing. He thinks the real hero was the third astronaut, Collins, who was the person left to fly the space capsule alone while the other two were on the moon. He had the hardest job, says Sutton, because he could have panicked or had an emergency and had to have left the other two on the moon.
They arrive at their first destination. Where Willie Sutton was born. He looks around and thinks the lighting is different, but the smell is just the same. He starts to remember his old neighborhood. There was no such thing as conversation. Life was one long argument. Which nobody ever won. Suddenly, Sutton hears the voice of his mother, the anger of his brothers and he can’t fight the memories.
Q1. The Antihero, similar to Robinhood, is how the Photographer describes Sutton. Do you agree with this assessment?
Q2. “The Actor has landed…”, Sutton says at one point. He believes he’s famous, although chastises himself for comparing himself to the astronauts. However, his nickname is interesting. Do you think his nickname plays into how he deals with the Photographer and Reporter?
Q3. Sutton comments on how the Media sells myths and is the reason he got into trouble. Do you think it's fair for him to hold the Media responsible for his actions?
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- 1) Well, yes, now that you bring it up I sort of *do* regard Willie as an anti-hero. In those days (not so different from today), people regarded the bank empires as the enemy, the ones who created the Great Depression in the first place. Willie seemed to represent the little man, the average Joe, exacting his revenge. (2) Good question! If Willie takes his nickname at all seriously, I'm pretty certain he'd use it to his advantage, to keep them guessing. Maybe it gives him, at least in illusion if not in reality, a sense of control on some level. (3) Absolutely fair. The media continue to be responsible for promoting myths - nothing ever changes. I think Willie was ahead of his time in recognizing this. Media, the third rail, has helped to both inform and delude the American public for a long time. If only Americans would think for themselves rather than buy into whatever they're told, but that's an argument for another day... (NT) -- Elaine, 03:31:58 05/07/13 Tue
- Q1. Yes, I do agree with that summation- and sometimes I wish someone would do it now to the bloodsucking vampire squids we call banks in our time. :) Q2. Oh definitely, we certainly find out that a great deal is an act with Willie later on, or maybe not so much an act as that he really becomes something other in his own mind, and alters events accordingly. Q3. I think they can be held somewhat responsible, though ultimately Willie did make his own choices, or as much choice as a man in desperate economic times without work has. There is such a divide between what the media is supposed to be and what they actually are that I find it incredibly disheartening. I don't watch the news much, because I think most stations/newspapers are just corporate mouthpieces now and don't do their job the way it's supposed to be done. (NT) -- celtgirl, 14:42:20 05/07/13 Tue
- Elaine and Cindy have pretty much summed it up! (NT) -- Carla, 19:03:08 05/07/13 Tue
- Sutton, Chapter 1 -- Lil, 10:59:56 05/05/13 Sun [6]
Attica Prison
In this chapter we are introduced to our main character, Sutton. Sutton is currently in Attica Correctional Facility in New York. He’s a convicted bank robber who has been serving 17 years for the murder of a man named Schuster. He is now sixty-eight years old and has been summoned to the “dep” to find out he’s being released. Just the week before his parole had been denied.
The release of Sutton is controversial, as we learn through the discussions of the reporters who are outside Attica on Christmas Eve because the story that Sutton is being released has been leaked. They discuss his history – the crimes, the legends – and it’s evident that there is going to be quite a heated debate about Sutton’s debate in the media. We also learn through the “dep” that there is some political maneuvering going on as the authorities work their angle on their involvement on Sutton’s release.
Sutton is sent to the tailor and is given his release suit. As he looks at himself in the mirrors he doesn’t see his old swagger. Prison has taken its toll. He then goes to clean out his cell. He packs up his novel, his books by Dante, Shakespeare, Plato, Kerouac and many more classical writers. He also packs up the yellow legal pad he’s been writing on when the guards arrived. It was his suicide note.
Upon his release, Sutton is crowded by the reporters and civilians who have been waiting for his release. He hasn’t much to say to them, but points out the beauty of the moon. He then jumps in a car with an old friend named Donald. Donald provides him with some information he had requested when he had called him for a ride. It’s about “her”.
They stop for a few rounds of drinks on the way to the private airfield that Sutton’s attorney has directed him to go to. She has scheduled him for a one day exclusive interview with a newspaper. He’s doesn’t know which one and when they get to the airfield, he’s too drunk to pay attention to the young reporters name. Sutton has never flown, so the short flight is quite an experience for him. He asks where they are staying – The Plaza. Sutton comments that only in America can you wake up in Attica and go to sleep that night at The Plaza.
Some quotes I found interesting in this chapter:
Sutton saw bank robbery as high art and went about it with an artist’s single-minded zeal. He believed in study, planning, hard work. And yet he was also creative, an innovator, and like the greatest artists he proved to be a tenacious survivor.
"Prison is where you promise yourself the right to live." A line that saved Sutton on many long nights.
The reporters nod, grumble, nod. Like the prisoners on the other side of this thirty-foot wall, they grow restless. The prisoners want out, the reporters want in, and both groups blame the Man.
Q1. I have to start off by asking about the writing technique used by the author. No quotation marks when people are talking. Why would an author do this? Do you think its related to the story or just a preference of the author?
Q2. Do you get the impression, from this first chapter, that Sutton is a hardened criminal? What impresses you about Sutton?
Q3. The discussion of the reporters is interesting and that quote up there sure is insightful. What do you think the purpose was of the reporters discussions?
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- Q1. I wondered if he was doing it to keep the prose as clean and spare as possible. Cormac McCarthy does this too and I know many male writers pretty much worship him and his style. I didn't find it confusing at all though, so it didn't seem like a big deal. Q2.) No, he never seems hardened other than in bits of his dialogue with the Reporter and the Photographer. I'll have to think on the being impressed bit- maybe that he vows to never hurt anyone and that he acknowledges he does not have the capacity to kill. Q3) We get to see how much of a folk hero this man is through the reporters' eyes- and not just a legend in his own mind kind of deal. That all these years have passed yet it's such a huge deal that this man is getting out of prison. Also it rapidly gives us context within the story without a long-winded interior monologue on the part of the protagonist. (NT) -- celtgirl, 11:46:15 05/05/13 Sun
- Q1) Have seen this before and can't say that it's ever caused me any issues. I thought the use of italics made everything flow pretty smoothly. It does make the page seem 'cleaner,' as Cindy suggested. Keeps a person from just skimming dialogue. (Q2) It's hard for me to imagine that a man who reads Plato and Dante (and pens a suicide note) is all that hardened. I'm impressed with the fact that a bank robber would even *want* to be so literate! Clearly there's more to this man than many of us might assume. (Q3) As Cindy said, the reporters sort of sum up decades of Willie's legendary exploits in an interesting, attention-getting way. It was a nice way to warm the reader up for what's coming next with Photographer and Reporter. (NT) -- Elaine, 12:26:44 05/05/13 Sun
- Q2. I don't think he's a hardened criminal in the sense of someone who is out to harm others, or doesn't care if he harms others. For him, I think it was simply a job and one that he wants to do well. I'm impressed that he educates himself so well in prison and he certainly seems to be the thoughtful, introspective type. (NT) -- Carla, 18:20:33 05/05/13 Sun
- Q3. I think the quote you used really highlights what's happening in society at the time - it's really the beginning of that time when the media is exposing the shortcomings and failings of politicians and the wealthy elite, "the man," and society is loosing some of it's automatic respect and reverence for those born into wealth and position. (NT) -- Carla, 18:22:24 05/05/13 Sun
- Q1. I never felt hindered by the writing style and found it very easy to fall into. It also keeps the reading simple and clean. I like it! *g* Q2. I got the feeling right away that Sutton wasn't a criminal in his heart (or lacking heart). He seems to be thoughtful and the idea that he is educating self with the great Writers is impressive. I felt that he would turn out to be more than just a criminal. (NT) -- Lil, 20:49:02 05/06/13 Mon
- New Book Discussion - Sutton -- Carla, 12:51:05 04/22/13 Mon [14]
Hello ladies, I just want to get an idea of who is interested in taking a section of "Sutton" and which week(s) work best for you. I haven't had a chance to look through the book yet to come up with logical divisions, but will hopefully get my hands on a copy and do so soon. Thanks!
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- I've just finished the book and returned it to the library. We're heading out of town again (I know, I've got a rough life!), this time in the RV. I won't be able to do any summaries or questions, but I will try to participate in the discussion as internet connections allow. (NT) -- Denise, 17:19:17 04/22/13 Mon
- I haven't started this book yet, but I have it ready on my Kindle. Why don't I take week one? That will probably be the only week I can do anything. (NT) -- Lil, 08:06:49 04/23/13 Tue
- I'll participate but can you give me something near the end? I am caught fast in Mr. Noah Murray's clutches right now and not giving anything else much attention. This is a book I'm interested in reading though, so I will join in. (NT) -- celtgirl, 14:53:40 04/23/13 Tue
- Really enjoying 'Sutton,' will finish it in the next few days. Fit me in wherever you need me. (NT) -- Elaine, 18:18:57 04/23/13 Tue
- There are 24 chapters in the book, and with four people helping out we'll each get 6 chapters. Lil, if you take the first week from May 5 - 11, I can do May 12 - 18, Elaine from May 19 - 25 and Cindy from May 26 - June 1. Thanks ladies! (NT) -- Carla, 17:42:38 04/24/13 Wed
- I'm really enjoying this book. Can't wait to get started on Sunday. :-) (NT) -- Lil, 14:28:47 05/01/13 Wed
- The Book of Negroes, Grand djeli of the academy -- Denise, 09:43:29 04/16/13 Tue [20]
William Wilberforce, 1794
London 1802
The ocean voyage to England was difficult for Aminata and she questioned her decision to leave the warm climate and friends of Sierra Leone behind. At Gravesend, John Clarkson and his brother, Thomas, greeted Aminata enthusiastically and brought her to London where she met a group of twelve abolitionists. One man, Stanley Hastings, insisted that he should write Aminata’s life story, to ensure the detail and accuracy needed to support their cause, but this was her story and she wanted to write it. Her fevered illness returned and John Clarkson spirited her away to his home to recover.
Gaining her strength came slowly and it wasn’t until the spring that she felt she would live, and her curiosity about other blacks in London began to pique. When she questioned Clarkson’s butler, Dante, about his apparent avoidance of her, he told her that her story was not to be influenced by the blacks of the city, including him. When Aminata finally met again with the abolitionist group, they were hesitant to accept that she would write her life’s account, but she prevailed, and also insisted that she could see and speak with whomever she pleased, promising that this would not affect the authenticity of her story. She met William Wilberforce, member of Parliament, at this meeting and handled his questions aptly.
Aminata asked Dante and his wife, Betty Ann, if they have ever heard of a wealthy family named Witherspoon, in the hopes that she might find her daughter, May.
Writing came easily and profusely to Aminata, and the abolitionists worried they might never see her completed manuscript. Finally the day came when Aminata was questioned by the parliamentary committee. Although initially nervous, she spoke with clarity about her early childhood, how she was sold in Charles Town, and children lost to her. After two hours, she moved to a private room where she revealed to reporters the branding scar from Bance Island. The next day, various newspapers carried stories of Aminata’s presentation, all beginning with the scar. In the following weeks, her story continued in the papers, and her fame began to eclipse all but Wilberforce. King George III and his wife, Queen Charlotte, requested her attendance for tea which she accepted with Wilberforce as her escort. In the crowd gathered to see her off to Buckingham Palace was a beautiful young African woman; Aminata wanted to know who she was but there wasn’t opportunity. She was served tea with honey (refusing to serve sugar in deference to the slave trade) and met the King and Queen. There was rumor that the Queen had African origins which Aminata thought could be true. The Queen spoke kindly to Aminata, and gave her a gift of poetry by Jonathon Swift. The King appeared to be on the verge of one of his fits and didn’t speak at all.
A wonderful surprise occurred that evening, the young African woman came to call, and it was May, Aminata’s long-lost daughter. They were inseparable for days, and Aminata learned May’s story of ‘adoption’ by the Witherspoons, who doted on her as a young girl, until she was old enough to question her origins and screamed for her mother. She then became a domestic servant in their house, eventually escaped and was taken in by a black family. Later she found work teaching the black poor of London. Aminata asked about the Witherspoons, who had found May, but were threatened by abolitionist, Granville Sharpe, to desist in their claim of the girl. Aminata visited May’s school, and began to take speaking engagements in schools, libraries and churches.
The abolitionists found lodging for Aminata and May, and Aminata extracted a promise from Clarkson that May would be taken care of, and additional education covered if she wished it. Abolitionists donated funds to May’s school where even some white children now attended. Aminata became the school’s grand djeli and told stories every Friday morning, beginning with her map of Africa and pointing ‘I was born there, and we are here now, and I’m going to tell you all about what happened in between.
Aminata’s book was to be published, the abolitionists thought they deserved the right to publish the book, but May’s fiancé was a publisher and May assured her mother that he would do it justice. Old now and feeling her years, Aminata didn’t expect to live much longer, but her story had been told, Wilberforce and the abolitionists expected to finally win the fight against the slave trade, and her work on this earth had been done.
Q1. Do you think that May’s appearance near the end of the book enhanced the ending (making it happier, more enjoyable for the reader) or perhaps detracted from the story of sacrifice that was told by Aminata?
Q2. As well as the photo above, if you have the illustrated version of the book, you will see a picture of William Wilberforce on page 471. I haven’t read his story, but I am a fan of the Ioan Gruffudd movie ‘Amazing Grace’ which tells of the decades it took to have the bill against the slave trade passed by the English Parliament. For some, anti-slave sentiment might have been fashionable (serving honey instead of sugar), but real sacrifices were made by many white people who had nothing to gain except a clear conscience. How much strength do you think it took to fully commit to something they believed in, making sacrifices along the way, compared to the former slaves who lived through these horrid events when they had little control over events, but a strong will to survive? (not sure that made sense, but what do you think of the each side of the story?)
Anyone else have questions or comments to close our book discussion?
As an aside, have you found yourself seeing or thinking about things differently, noticing certain things that you might have previously overlooked, after reading this book? A recent episode of ‘Call the Midwife’ sees Chummy going to Sierra Leone to assist in deliveries there, and last night on the Calgary news, a local woman is also traveling to Sierra Leone to help pregnant women in their daily struggles. Interesting connections!
FYI – the Queen Charlotte Islands (north of Vancouver Island) were named after this Queen Charlotte Sophia, though in 2010 they were renamed Haida Gwaii.
While visiting Georgia and Florida recently, I was very aware of the history of slavery in the region. In Mallory Square (Key West), there is a bust of a man named Sandy Cornish (1793-1869) who was born a slave but bought his freedom, to have it later taken from him when a fire destroyed his papers and disreputable sorts enslaved him again. He later escaped and while in public view, inflicted severe injuries upon himself (cut muscles in his ankle joint, plunged a knife into his hip joint, cut off fingers on his left hand) to render himself useless as a slave. Such extremes to avoid slavery! Luckily, he was able to farm and with his wife, had a thriving business in the Key West area.
Anyone else interested in reading ‘Any Known Blood’? I am, after being fully absorbed by this book! After reading the introduction to ‘The Book of Negroes’, I recognized myself as one of a majority of Canadians who knew more about slavery in the United States than Canada. I found this book provided a lot of interesting information in a format that was immensely enjoyable (why couldn’t a previous BDB choice, ‘Cleopatra’, have been the same?).
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- Q1. I think human nature is that we prefer to have a happy ending, at least I know I do. For me it didn't take away from the powerful messages of the book that Aminata was finally reunited with her daughter after so many years apart and so much suffering. (NT) -- Carla, 13:25:20 04/17/13 Wed
- Q2. I think they are very different sides of the story. It's one thing to willingly make sacrifices for a cause you believe in and entirely different to suffer through no fault of your own and with no way to end that suffering. As noble and difficult as those choice may have been for the white abolitionists, they were still choices made of their own free will and they could have been changed at just about any point. The slaves had no such option. (NT) -- Carla, 13:28:12 04/17/13 Wed
- Q1) May's appearance does give the story a happier ending, but it wasn't necessary. Or maybe better said, their reunion was not necessary for the story. Maybe the author felt the need to record this reunion in order to provide a feel-good aspect for the reader, but I didn't *need* the reunion to thoroughly enjoy the book. In that way, maybe it did detract a little, sort of diminished the credibility. (Q2) I cannot begin to imagine the sheer courage needed to be a white person who stood up against an accepted practice of the day like slavery. These people are true heroes. And then I think of slaves who, after emancipation, were left to seek ways to make a living when no one wanted to hire them. They possessed a level of persistence and fortitude that I doubt most of us will ever fully appreciate. These are the kinds of things I wish were emphasized more in high school to help teach things like perseverance and dedication. (NT) -- Elaine, 13:30:07 04/17/13 Wed
- Many years ago a friend of mine, an SSND nun, was thrilled to learn she was being sent to Sierra Leone for mission work. She loved it there, loved the people. I didn't keep up with her over the years, but I know she regarded this mission assignment as a real blessing in her life, and that was the first I'd learned of the African nation. I live in the town known for the Dred Scott Decision, and our state has many leftover signs that it was admitted as a slave state in 1821 - lots of sad reminders. (NT) -- Elaine, 13:39:28 04/17/13 Wed
- Many thanks to everyone involved in this book discussion! I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Just got 'Sutton' from the library, enjoying what I've read so far. (NT) -- Elaine, 13:40:40 04/17/13 Wed
- Q1) I liked the ending and I think in a way it showed that all of her sacrifice finally did have some sort of reward, even if it was short lived. Q2) I agree that they are completely different sides of the story, however, I think those who stood up for the slaves were putting themselves in danger or at least in harms way socially/economically, etc. At this time being shunned socially could be the first step to being broke and homeless...It takes a lot of guts to stand up for what you believe especially if its unpopular. I give them some credit for trying even if it was not a full success on a lot of levels. (NT) -- Lil, 19:07:39 04/17/13 Wed
- The Book of Negroes, God willing -- Denise, 15:31:15 04/14/13 Sun [7]
Near Bayo, Africa
September 1800
Six years after her initial plans to travel inland, Aminata finally made preparations for her journey home, bringing water pouches, comfortable clothing, medicines and some money, not knowing how useful that would be. The Fula trader, Alassane, who would take her inland stopped at Bance Island only once every year or two, and it took that long for him to accept the three barrels of rum Aminata had to offer.
Aminata bid her friends goodbye, and at Bance Island, met Alassane and began her trip upriver with a flotilla of canoes. Before long, they came ashore and the rum was used as payment to a local chief. Alassane was an older man, and Aminata hoped he could be trusted, but she didn’t reveal to him that she understood Fulfulde, the language he typically used with his men, thinking this secret worth keeping.
When they stopped for the evening, villagers brought items of food to Alassane and were paid in rum for the food and right of passage. The men prayed like good Muslims before eating, leading Aminata to question how religious people, Muslim, Christian or Jew, could also be so cruel. A tent was set aside for Aminata, and Alassane ordered her to eat and stay there each night, orders which ruffled the feathers of her independence. They passed coffles of slaves, and Aminata felt helpless to act in their defense. Alassane asked about her destination, why she had no religion, no family and she lied, though she suspected he knew it. On the sixteenth day she fell ill, and the chinchona bark she had brought with her provided a healing infusion.
After a month of travel, Aminata overheard the men discuss selling her as a slave at a particular village in two days time. Although again feeling the effects of fever, she managed to slip away the next evening, walking in a creek to hide her footsteps, and eventually finding a cave where she slept until the next nightfall. Illness and lack of food made travel difficult, but she persevered and when her strength had almost gone, a goat herder came to her rescue and she was brought back to his small village. With time her strength returned and her desire to find Bayo left her, replaced with an even greater need to live as a free woman.
Aminita regained her health and the villagers became more curious, asking questions about her life and the toubabu, and the chief thought he would like to make her his wife - his fifth wife. She objected saying she could only be a first wife, and she intended to return to the coast so marrying was not in her plans. To repay their kindness, Aminata agreed to tell stories in the village each evening for a month, something that brought people from faraway villages carrying gifts. She spoke of her youth in Bayo, her trek to the coast, the ocean voyage, work on the indigo plantation, life in Nova Scotia and later Sierra Leone. Most popular were the stories about the strange habits of the toubabu. Aminata happily worked alongside the other women in the daylight hours, and in the evenings she became the djeli, the storyteller, she had always dreamed to be.
Q1. Did you think that Alassane would keep his word and lead Aminata to the Segu, close to her home of Bayo, as had been agreed and paid for? Did Aminata’s desire to go home make her unable to see the true nature of these men?
Q2. The villagers seemed most interested in names, the names of Aminata’s family, and the people she met in her life’s trials and adventures. Why do you think these names provided so much attraction? Even the alternate title of the book is ‘Someone Knows My Name’.
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- Again, closing italics (NT) -- Denise, 17:18:37 04/14/13 Sun
- Q1. I think she was always suspicious of these men - hence her concealing the fact she understood Fulfulde. She wanted to go home so badly, however, that she went with these men despite her reservations. (NT) -- Carla, 14:46:05 04/15/13 Mon
- Q2. Names are powerful, more so in some cultures than in others, and I think by asking for the names of those who've suffered or died, Aminata's listeners are honouring their sacrifices and struggles, acknowledging them as real people who lived and breathed, and not just as part of a good story to be told around the fire. (NT) -- Carla, 14:47:56 04/15/13 Mon
- Q1) Aminata is so smart. She even recognizes that, despite all her enthusiasm, she must stay vigilant. She certainly learned that discipline the hard way, having suffered so many losses and disappointments. (Q2) Ancestors are so important to the African people. It is very important to their spiritual well-being. There were times, when Aminata was younger, when she focused on the faces of her family and the stories of her ancestors in order to remain sane. Now she is in a position to return that favor. Even the names of the people who were not her ancestors but her persecutors would be remembered in stories by generations of people. (NT) -- Elaine, 18:36:57 04/15/13 Mon
- The Book of Negroes, G is for Grant, O is for Oswald -- Denise, 19:44:47 04/12/13 Fri [6]
Bance Island in the Sierra Leone River, 1805. This slave "factory" included a "great house" for the Chief Agent, a slave yard, slave houses, storerooms, dormitories, watch towers, a jetty, and a fortification with sixteen cannons. Bance Island supplied numerous slaves to the Charlestown market in the mid- and late 18th century.
For a year, Aminata tried, without success, to find her own way inland to her homeland; finally she asked Falconbridge for assistance. She dressed in fancy English clothing, and attended by Falconbridge, she was rowed eighteen miles upriver to Bance Island where she was greeted by William Armstrong, second-in-command. Armstrong and Falconbridge played a bit of golf, then retired into the castle of Bance Island for food and refreshment. Feelings of dread consumed Aminata, she was at the mercy of these men, and could be enslaved again. This, however, was not on the minds of the men; they discussed the foolishness of King George III while Aminata looked out a window, in horror, to see a group of captive slaves below. The three of them spoke of the plausibility of journeying inland, the risks and dangers and the fact that Aminata’s village had likely been destroyed. And worse, the slave traders who would take her inland could not be trusted.
The discussion then came to the slave trade itself, how the Africans were involved in it themselves and at least the British kept the majority of the slaves alive. The slaves were much needed to work the cane fields in the West Indies so the English could have their sweets. Armstrong said there is no profit in benevolence and he questioned how difficult it all was for Aminata who appeared to have done well enough for herself. Aminata was without words, but when Armstrong disclaimed the branding of slaves, Aminata showed proof. She finally found out that the G and O branded above her breast stood for the two Scotsmen, Grant and Oswald, who ran Bance Island. After giving Armstrong a piece of her mind regarding her years of enslavement, Armstrong agreed to help her in her quest to travel inland.
The next morning, Aminata watched Armstrong negotiate goods for slaves and she thought of what her own price would have been as a young girl in Africa, when she reached North America as a sickly child, and finally her worth as an older woman with more assets. Who takes responsibility for this people exchange and what will it take to stop it? The slave trader who could take Aminata inland wanted too high a price, so it was left as a possibility for a later date.
Back in Freetown, Clarkson told Aminata of his plans to return home to England and his patient fiancée. He asked her to join him in England, and assist the abolitionists, using her story to help abolish the trade in slaves (the buying of African slaves for sale across the seas in the Americas, not abolishment of slavery itself). Aminata’s voice could be a powerful tool, but she confessed to Clarkson that she had her own plans to travel to her homeland. This greatly upset Clarkson, who reiterated Armstrong’s warnings of the dangerous nature of her quest, but acquiesced and offered her additional barrels of rum to use as payment for her travel.
Q1. Has Armstrong basically worn ‘blinders’ to allow him a life in Africa while managing the slave trade for the British?
Q2. Do you feel Aminata’s burning desire to return to her homeland is brave or foolish? She’s obviously thought a lot about this journey, but has she given it thorough enough consideration?
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- Q1. One could do a job that one didn't like, but felt it was necessary (for some purpose, or your own monetary needs) and put up the blinders to live with oneself, though I think Armstrong isn't so affected by the horrors of the slave trade. He looks at Aminata as if she's come out clean from the whole slavery affair, and really, it wasn't that bad, was it? Others, including Falconbridge, have some sensibility to what they have done or are doing, that isn't right, but I don't get the feeling that Armstrong has the same level of conscience regarding his part in the slave trade of the region. (NT) -- Denise, 13:39:07 04/14/13 Sun
- Q2. Desire is outweighing logic, I think, and she's ignoring the concerns of people she knows and trusts to go on this quest to a village that may no longer exist. I think it's foolish, but then, I don't have the emotional attachment to home that is driving her to do something that defies reason. (NT) -- Denise, 13:41:51 04/14/13 Sun
- Closing italics (NT) -- Denise, 17:15:36 04/14/13 Sun
- Q1. I don't think Armstrong truly sees the Africans as "whole" people with the feelings, sensibilities and intelligence of whites and so to him, it's more like trading in animals rather than humans so he isn't troubled by his role. (NT) -- Carla, 19:26:50 04/14/13 Sun
- Q2. I think she wants to see her village again so badly she's not able to think rationally about the possible consequences of the journey or the reality that her village might be gone or the almost certainty that nobody there will know her and really nothing will be as it was before she was stolen. (NT) -- Carla, 19:28:36 04/14/13 Sun
- The Book of Negroes, Help from the saints. -- Denise, 12:45:20 04/11/13 Thu [8]
Olaudah Equiano
Daddy Moses planned a meeting to deal with the crisis over the deaths of Peters and Wilson. He had planned to only include the Nova Scotians, but Clarkson felt it would only contribute to segregating them from the Company men. They agreed to have a meeting of the Nova Scotians first, followed by the inclusion of the Company men. The settlers were irate at the company allowing slavers in Freetown and they spoke of rebellion. When Clarkson took the pulpit, he spoke of the great loss of these two men, and assured them that the British do not condone slavery. Alexander Falconbridge, a governor of Freetown colony and a former slaver doctor, watched the proceedings and later waylaid Aminata to invite her to dinner with his wife, on the ship where he roomed.
Curiously, Falconbridge asked if Aminata hated him, or white people in general considering her history, and asked if she believed in redemption. The crimes of which Falconbridge took part on those slave ships haunted him, maybe more than the lasting effects on Aminata, but writing about it with the help of British abolitionists, allowed him to cope. He offered to help Aminata reach her homeland, but it meant asking for assistance from the slave traders in Bance Island. Falconbridge gave his manuscript to Aminata to read, but she found the recollections upsetting. Anna Maria, Falconbridge’s wife, was quite taken with Aminata and asked if she could return the next day. They began to meet regularly; Anna Maria even visited Aminata’s home, and encouraged Aminata to write her life story like another former slave, Olaudah Equiano.
During one meeting in Aminata’s home, Anna Maria commented that the slave trade saves Africans from barbarity. Aminata argued that this is just the British justifying their own barbaric activities, but Anna Maria pointed out that slavery began with the Africans, stealing and plundering each other for advantage.
Q1. Falconbridge has lived a fairly comfortable life, certainly better than Aminata, yet his past on the slave ships appears to haunt him more; he displays regret and drinks too much. Does this show a weakness in character, or would you expect that in some ways, his past has been harder to accept?
Q2. What did you think of the conversation between Aminata and Anna Maria regarding who’s to blame for the slavery movement? Do they each have a valid point?
Q3. Was I correct in thinking that Anna Maria was having lusty thoughts about the bare-chested Negro workmen? Do you think she acted on these urges?
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- Q.1 Falconbridge's past is harder to accept, now that he's come to regret his actions (or lack thereof). He has to live with the fact that he was part of a horrible system, that harmed people irreparably. Aminata, while she has horrible memories and has lived through heart-breaking and terrible things, did not inflict pain and suffering on others - her conscience is clear. I don't think Falconbridge is any weaker than the next man; could he choose a better way of coping with his guilt and regret? Certainly, but he's not the first and won't be the last to drown his mental anguish in alcohol. (NT) -- Carla, 14:00:22 04/11/13 Thu
- Q2. Anna Maria seems to me to be saying that it's okay for the English to do wrong because the Africans have already done so, which I don't agree with. Instead of deepening and worsening the slave trade, would not the "civilized" thing to have done to be to work to stop it? (NT) -- Carla, 14:06:42 04/11/13 Thu
- Q3. Given the comparison between an older, alcoholic husband whom it doesn't seem she has much respect for and the fit, toned African workers I would think Anna Maria was lusting! I don't feel I know her character well enough to comment on whether she would act on it fully, but I can certainly see her arranging her day and that of any workers she might have power over so that she is able to watch them and perhaps even flirt. (NT) -- Carla, 14:08:40 04/11/13 Thu
- Q1) I would think Falconbridge is having the more difficult time of it. He cannot erase his past, what's done is done and he must now live with his painful memories. Aminata has painful memories, too, but she is able to continue forward because she's had to struggle for survival. I think it's easier to maintain one's self-esteem if you can legitimately blame the other guy; Falconbridge has no one else to blame but himself. (NT) -- Elaine, 06:35:02 04/12/13 Fri
- Q2) This is the same old worn out excuse that's been given over the centuries. Everybody wants to point the finger at someone else as the true culprits, but the blame actually falls on anyone who took part. This kind of slavery just seemed more palatable to the white people because they viewed the Africans as inferior. If the Africans had been white themselves, I don't think there would have been any slave trade. People might talk themselves into things in order to accept their past. Living in denial. Sad. (NT) -- Elaine, 06:40:01 04/12/13 Fri
- The Book of Negroes, Book Four, Toubab with black face -- Denise, 21:57:01 04/09/13 Tue [6]
Street-level view of Freetown and the Cotton Tree under which former African slaves prayed and christened Freetown in 1792. (Sorry, not a great picture and awfully small, but that tree is rather significant!) 
Modern-day Freetown
Freetown, 1792
Although many passengers have died, the fifteen ships that left Nova Scotia have reached Sierra Leone after two months at sea. Aminata looked to see something familiar, if she could recognize anything from her childhood thirty-six years ago when she last saw the coastline near this part of Africa. Other ships in St. George’s Bay belonged to Britain, and there was communication between the ships by the use of slave rowers belonging to King Jimmy, ruler of the Temne. The former slaves were aghast at the proximity to the slave trade, but Clarkson explained that it couldn’t be avoided since this was where land for the colony had been procured. A slave ship approached and exchanged goods with Clarkson, who stated it was best to remain cordial with the enemy since they were not in a position to fight.
After three days of waiting in the harbour, King Jimmy came aboard the Lucretia and greeted Clarkson and the white soldiers cordially, but ignored the blacks, treating them as slaves and servants. The Nova Scotians finally left the ship, rowed to shore by the same men who rowed the slaves to Bance Island.
Although he expected to leave for London, Clarkson stayed in Freetown to act as liaison between the Nova Scotians and Company men sent from London to manage the colony. Thomas Peters objected to further governance by the English but Daddy Moses smoothed things over. What could they do but build homes and start a new life? Unfortunately, this new life meant staying within the town limits of Freetown due to nearby slavers and hostile Africans. This isn’t what Aminata had hoped for, since she desperately wanted to see the land of her childhood.
The Nova Scotians worked hard to build a new community in Freetown though conditions were often poorer than what they left behind and they were completely dependent on the British. Aminata became restless within the confines of the colony and reached out to the Temne women, who found her a novelty like the British instead of a fellow African. She learned the language of the Temne, but it still didn’t help her feel at home in Africa, she needed to see Bayo.
The former slaves erected several buildings, as well as cleared paths for streets but what they wanted was land for farming, land that had been promised to them by the British. They did not attempt to enslave us, but nor did they set us free. The Nova Scotians felt betrayed, and again, Daddy Moses called for patience. Freetown became a regular stop for many ships, and the sailors involved in slave-trading looked to drink and carouse there, which made Aminata and others uncomfortable.
Aminata befriended a woman named Debra, caught her baby when it arrived, and assisted when she started up a curio shop, selling local crafts to visiting sailors. Aminata taught children and adults how to read and was rowed offshore to Clarkson’s ship to assist him prepare his reports to London. Clarkson admitted that things weren’t as he anticipated, and preferred to leave the managers on shore to deal with enforcing company policy. When the work was done, Aminata enjoyed quiet reading time with Clarkson.
Within a few months, provisions were no longer free and the Company charged high prices for some items. Six different religious denominations became established, and alongside the praying and singing, people abused alcohol and each other. One Nova Scotian had managed to bring barrels of rum from Halifax, which he watered down and sold for good profit, affording him independence from the Company.
King Jimmy began to pressure Clarkson to pay for the use of Temne lands, a tactic which had forced previous colonists to flee Freetown. The colonists stayed put, but Aminata still dreamed of finding her homeland. She asked a local woman about walking inland to her home, but the woman considered her a ‘toubab with a black face,’ not an African, and would not speak of it, which increased her loneliness, and later her resolve.
After the rainy season, the transport of slaves commenced and slaves were marched through Freetown, horrifying the colonists. Clarkson was away on business so his second-in-command, Neil Park, tried to intervene when Thomas Peters ordered the slaves to be released. Park insisted that nothing could be done to save these people, but Peters tried to pull a captive free and met his death as a slave-trader’s sabre plunged into his chest. One settler, Scott Wilson, threatened the traders with his own musket and was shot to death by Park’s men.
Q1. Aminata felt that the Nova Scotians seemed intent on taking all of the contempt that they endured in North America and redirecting it at the Africans. Do you feel that these former slaves could never really be happy, either due to the circumstances of their slavery and subsequent trials, or is there something else which drives this discontent?
Q2. Is Clarkson the right man for the job? He’s well liked and respected by the Nova Scotians, but is he too ‘soft’ to deal with the hard realities of establishing this colony?
Q3. The intentions of the British initially appeared well-meaning and righteous but there have been many promises unfulfilled and they are basically uninformed as to what these people need and want (what’s with all the clay pots?). Were these idle promises or do you think lack of funds, expertise, or planning has caused this disparity in promises versus actions?
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- Q1) These poor people were like the man without a country. No place to call their own, subjected to the whims of rulers who make hollow promises. I can't imagine finding contentment until I had a little piece of land all my own. (Q2) His heart is certainly in the right place, but it doesn't sound as though he planned things out very thoroughly for the 1500 people who hitched their wagons to his star. And King Jimmy has way too much power. He should have been appeased (and watched) more thoroughly by the British so that he'd provide better for the citizens of Freetown. (Q3) Maybe they started out with noble intentions, hoping to grant freedom to the enslaved. But just returning them to their homeland shores was only the first step. Noble intentions aren't enough. Some significant planning and strategizing never took place. The British seem to keep relying on local populations to implement their plans. Big mistake. (NT) -- Elaine, 06:35:06 04/10/13 Wed
- Q1. I think it partly comes back to the saying "You can never go home again." The returning slaves have been changed by their experiences, most are not even returning to their home, just to Africa in general and we have seen how varied the different tribes are, the people there are actively engaged in the slave trade, so they're hardly going to be thrilled to have a group of former slaves dumped on their doorstep with no way to support themselves. These are people without a true place of their own, trying to build a society from scratch having lived through circumstances that would cause the most resilient of us to have emotional and physical issues - little surprise they are unhappy and restless. (NT) -- Carla, 13:31:11 04/10/13 Wed
- Q3. Yet another saying applies here: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." The British may have believed these people deserved to be free, but they had their own prejudices when it came to how they saw Africans. The whole venture was also poorly planned, funded and executed and was done with minimal input from the people who were being resettled. Never a good sign. I also think that after years, in many cases most of a lifetime, of slavery, the men and women of Freetown were not equipped to direct their own lives and a new settlement and were given no true guidance or assistance, just condescension and short-shrift. (NT) -- Carla, 13:34:38 04/10/13 Wed
- Someone Knows My Name, Book Three -- Elaine, 07:32:55 04/08/13 Mon [7]
A painting of the ships leaving Halifax harbor for Sierra Leone in 1792
Gone Missing With My Most Recent Exhalation
Meena arrives in Port Roseway/Shelburne and was met with consternation and prejudice. She also meets two people who would become very important to her – Theo McArdle, a printer who soon employed the intelligent Meena, and Daddy Moses, a lame and blind Christian preacher who explained what life would be like in Nova Scotia for black people. Meena soon learned that she must live in Birchtown, where she constructed her living space, little more than a hut, where she would weather the harsh winters. In no time, she was catching babies again and giving literacy lessons.
My Children Were Like Phantom Limbs
Meena gave birth to her daughter, whom she named May. Meena maintained all her many duties, carrying a swaddled May on her back. Everyone got to know May, including a kind woman named Alverna Witherspoon, whose husband was a whaler. Mrs. Witherspoon soon asked Meena to work for her, doing all manner of chores around their large home. Daddy Moses warned Meena not to get too attached to the Witherspoons. “They can be fair-weathered friends.” But with no word about Chekura, May became dependent upon the salaries she earned from Mr. McArdle and the Witherspoons. Mrs. Witherspoon came to love and care for May in a grandmotherly way.
Poverty came to Shelburne as the British cut off assistance to residents. Even Mr. Witherspoon’s business failed. People were forced to live off the land. Unemployed white people began conducting raids and riots. The area was becoming very dangerous and Meena witnessed heinous crimes. Meena and May were able to stay safely with the Witherspoons. Birchtown was being torn apart and burned by white Loyalists. After several days, Meena needed to see if her home survived. She left May in the care of the Witherspoons. She discovered an injured Daddy Moses, and some damage to her cabin. Meena stayed for another day to help repair dwellings.
When she returns to Shelburne she learns that the Witherspoons had left on a ship, and had taken May with them. Distraught, she learned from Mr. McArdle that they Witherspoons had been planning to leave for Boston for some time, but had never bothered to tell Meena. Mr. McArdle had wanted May to stay with him until Meena’s return from Birchtown, but the Witherspoons ignored his pleas.
Meena returned to her cabin in Birchtown and suffered with a very dark depression. In time, she eventually went back to teaching and catching babies, but with no enthusiasm any longer.
Elephants for Want of Towns
Years went by without word about either Chekura or May. Shelburne was almost deserted as businesses closed up doors. Meena required glasses to read as she was now in her mid-40’s.
Word came of the Sierra Leone Company from London. The African nation of Sierra Leone was willing to take in black Loyalists from Nova Scotia, promising them land. Only the most well-behaved need apply – criminals and the disreputable would not be welcomed. Meena helped to spread this news to the people of Birchtown. John Clarkson, a young Englishman in the Royal Navy, came to share more information about this relocation scheme. Meena eventually became his clerical assistant. Once again she would register residents who wanted to leave, but Meena herself would stay behind in the hopes of finding her daughter and her husband.
Negroes slowly made their way to Halifax, where the ships would take them to Sierra Leone. Clarkson worked tirelessly to prepare for the voyage. He was well-regarded among the departing Negroes.
In the course of her work for Clarkson, Meena happened upon a somewhat newer map of Africa. She quickly spotted Bance Island and recalled that she’d once been told that was her original departure site. Sierra Leone was not far from Bance Island.
Clarkson broke the sad news to Meena – Chekura’s ship, the Joseph, had been caught in bad weather and had sunk all those years ago on its way to Annapolis Royal. There were no survivors. After coming to grips with this news, and realizing that May had already been out of her life for five years, Meena changed her mind and decided to go on the voyage to Sierra Leone after all. On January 15, 1792, Meena was one of the 1200 passengers who boarded 15 ships en route to Sierra Leone across the Atlantic.
Q1) What is it about the nature of human beings that, when faced with the loss of work and income, it is all too easy to fall into rage and hostility? Why does it happen more to men than women?
Q2) Why would the Witherspoons do such a despicable thing to Meena, someone they had come to respect and even perhaps love?
Q3) I feel as though I’ve been taught so much through this story. Again, I had no knowledge of the Sierra Leone scheme. What new things have you learned since reading Meena’s story?
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- Q1. I think men are socialized to be providers and when they cannot do so for whatever reason, they lose their sense of self and regard themselves as failures. For some, that self-loathing turns outward into rage against others - and the need to blame others for our misfortunes is a pretty common thing. And perhaps the old raiding attitudes come back to the surface - if I can't provide honestly, then I'll do so dishonestly. I think in this case, it's anger at their own situation that needs to be vented somewhere and they pick the members of their community least able to defend themselves. (NT) -- Carla, 12:34:39 04/08/13 Mon
- Q2. The only reason I can think of is a misguided idea that if May stays with them, she will have more opportunities and be better off. But really, I can't fathom how they could do such a horrible thing. (NT) -- Carla, 12:36:30 04/08/13 Mon
- Q3. I had no idea of the exodus from New York to Nova Scotia, nor of the Sierra Leone expedition. I'm sure there will be more that I will learn as the book progresses. (NT) -- Carla, 12:38:42 04/08/13 Mon
- Q1) I think Carla summarized this one pretty well. I also think that some people have a hard time dealing with the ability to change or adapt. They only know one way of being or doing and when they have to adjust they freak out. It's almost easier to do the wrong thing and blame others thant to take responsibility and adapt. (I don't know if this applies here, but I think it does in a general sense) (NT) -- Lil, 21:14:10 04/09/13 Tue
- Q2) I remember feeling so devastated for Meena. She had lost so many people she loved in her life and finally, she seemed happy and settled..then BAM, May is gone and she's alone again. Just terrible! (NT) -- Lil, 21:15:42 04/09/13 Tue
- Q3) I think the new information I learned in this book is what made me like it so much. :-) I really had no idea about most of the factual information related to how they slaves were taken to how the British treated them to how they came to Canada. I feel rather clueless looking back, but I am so glad I read this book so I could expand my knowledge. Now if the CRS symptoms would go away, I'd even be able to tell others what I learned! LOL :-) (NT) -- Lil, 21:19:03 04/09/13 Tue
- Someone Knows My Name, Book Three -- Elaine, 08:29:25 04/06/13 Sat [8]
Negroes Or Other Property
Map of Nova Scotia showing the distance between Annapolis Royal and Roseway/Shelburne. Estimating they are about 70 miles apart.
The British held Manhattan, despite attempts from the rebel colonists to hold it. Meena continued teaching other Negroes as well as catch babies. The residents of Canvas Town looked upon Meena as their herald because she could read the newspaper. Finally news came that the British were going to surrender to the colonists. A portion of the treaty directly concerned the residents of Canvas Town:
All hostilities both by sea and land shall from henceforth cease all prisoners on both sides shall be set at liberty and his Britannic Majesty shall with all convenient speed and without causing any destruction or carrying away any Negroes or other property of the American inhabitants withdraw all of its armies, garrisons and fleets, from the said United States.
The British had effectively betrayed the black population by allowing them to remain the property of U.S. slaveholders. As a result, white Americans took this opportunity to conduct raids on Canvas Town.
Meena was offered a clerical job with the British as they planned out their departure from the colonies. She learned that if a Negro had worked for at least a year in any capacity for the British, that Negro was freed from slavery; these Negroes were to be moved to Nova Scotia in order to avoid violation of the peace treaty. Meena was promised freedom in Nova Scotia.
Meena agreed to assist in the exodus by keeping a ledger of those leaving for Nova Scotia. This ledger was referred to as The Book of Negroes.
Checkura returned to Meena after 13 long years away. He is now a free man. And Meena became pregnant.
Meena began the task of registering all the Negroes who would be going to Nova Scotia. However, she also learned that all prior slaves would continue to be slaves in the colonies. Only the ones who possessed a certificate from the British could leave.
Ship after ship left the port for Nova Scotia. Without notice, Meena was fired from her clerical job. She and Checkura finally secured their tickets. Checkura boarded first, but Meena was called offshore due to a claim of ownership. Despite having a certificate from the British, she was forced to face the allegations. Meena was taken to jail and Chekura sailed off without her.
Both of Meena’s previous owners, Appleby and Lindo, claimed her. However, Lindo presented his bill of sale for both Meena and her son, Mamadu. Lindo, in order to make peace with his soul, then promptly set Meena free.
Meena was finally able to sail for Roseway, but Chekura had sailed for Annapolis Royal. She did not know how she would find him again, or who would catch her baby.
Q1) Put yourself in Meena’s place as she registered the free Negroes knowing full well there would be many others still owned as property. What must have been going through her mind? What must the remaining slaves have thought of her?
Q2) When you learned that both Appleby and Lindo were in Manhattan, what did you expect was going to happen?
Q3) This was the first time I’d heard of the exodus to Nova Scotia. Had you heard of it before? Did you think things would be different for the Negroes once they left the shores of the colonies?
(Sorry to be late in posting. I will post the final summation of Book Three on Monday.)
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- Q1) I think in these circumstances, Meena had to do what he had to help herself and those she could. Truly, she couldn't save everyone and could only make an impact by what she was doing. I'm sure it was hard, but I would hope she could find some peace in her heart. (NT) -- Lil, 16:09:01 04/06/13 Sat
- Q2) I was very worried that Appleby would get her and enslave her again. Lindo seemed less harmless and I'm grateful he was able to "claim" her and then set her free. It was disappointing that she was separated from Chekura again. (NT) -- Lil, 16:10:35 04/06/13 Sat
- Q3) I hadn't heard of this exodus before. I was hopeful things would improve there for Meena and the others she was with. (NT) -- Lil, 16:11:46 04/06/13 Sat
- Q1. I think it had to be hard, similar to those who worked to get as many Jews as possible out of Europe during WWII, knowing that they wouldn't be able to help everyone, but hopefully as Nalana wrote, able to fine solace in those they did save. (NT) -- Carla, 15:46:15 04/07/13 Sun
- Q2. I was terrified that somehow Appleby would get her again and was relieved when he didn't. I wasn't sure that Lindo would free her, though, just that her slavery with him would have been more benign. I'm glad it worked out as it did, but was heartbroken on her behalf at the separation yet again from Chekura. (NT) -- Carla, 15:47:57 04/07/13 Sun
- Q3. I knew there was a large African population in Nova Scotia, but had no idea this was how they had gotten there. I've been to Annapolis Royal and Shelburne and there's no real mention of the freed slaves being landed there, despite both towns being very big on their history. I did think there would still be segregation and discrimination there, as the history of African Canadians in Nova Scotia is filled with those things. This is an interesting website on the history of Africville, a settlement near Halifax of African-Canadians and all the systemic racism the people who lived there faced. Africville (NT) -- Carla, 15:54:13 04/07/13 Sun
- Someone Knows My Name, Book Three -- Elaine, 14:35:32 04/03/13 Wed [7]
Nations Not So Blest As Thee (London, 1804)
William Wilberforce, British abolitionist
This chapter flashes forward to an ailing, aging Meena in London. She accompanies the famous abolitionist, Sir Stanley Hastings, to worship. The other parishioners treat Meena like a rock star. She is well aware of their eyes staring at her from behind, and of the minister’s stares from the pulpit.
Finding the high Anglican service to be rather tedious, Meena struggles to stay awake and alert. The final hymn brought back harsh memories of her journey to America on the stinking slave ship. It was the one and same song that the ship’s medicine man sang as Meena lay beside him in his bed. Back then, she didn’t understand the words. Today, she understood them all too well, and she fainted in her pew.
Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves. Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.
They Come and Go From Holy Ground
St. Paul’s Chapel near Wall Street in Lower Manhattan
Meena and Lindo sail to Manhattan. Lindo attempts to socialize with Meena on the trip, but she manages to avoid him for the most part. Upon arriving on Manhattan, Meena is amazed at the tall steeples, the buildings, and the rushing crowd of humanity, white and black.
The two of them stay at a hotel called the Fraunces Tavern, owned and operated by a Jamaican named Sam Fraunces, who brought a hot meal to her room, an experience Meena had never had before. She soon discovered that Negroes could live free in New York, and she inquired of Sam about the possibility of a slave escaping in New York. He told her of Canvas Town, and dissuaded her from even considering trying to sail back to her homeland.
Lindo took Meena to a cello concert at Trinity Church. She saw a sign asking for someone to teach reading and writing to local Negroes. The cellist was a young black man, Adonis Thomas, a slave owned by a wealthy New Yorker.
Once returned to the hotel, Lindo explains that he needs Meena to draft a letter to Governor Tryon regarding protection of the indigo trade in the colonies. But Meena could not contain her wanderlust; she walked outside and encountered a mob scene of white colonists in front of a British household. The fury against the British taxation had taken firm hold, and Meena was witnessing it first hand.
She returned to the Fraunces Tavern where Sam was trying to feed a large crowd. Meena helped him make the meals. Afterward, Sam encouraged Meena to escape. He filled a sack with some food and told her to make a run for it. That night she stayed in the woods, and witnessed a burial ceremony of a black baby. Meena was introduced to the mourners.
Several days later, Meena returns to the Tavern to learn that Lindo had returned to Charles Town. Sam Fraunces hired Meena to help at the tavern. She also became the writing and reading instructor at St. Paul’s Chapel. One of her students, Claybourne, built Meena a little shack in Canvas Town from materials he purloined from some British Tory’s boarded-up mansion. Meena was comfortable enough in her new surroundings, and she eventually took on more tasks for Sam Fraunces. Soon, her reputation for catching babies became well known. She caught many babies in Holy Ground, an area frequented by women of the night. The fathers of these babies were often British soldiers.
Q1) The irony of the Britannia hymn causes Meena to pass out. Is there only one true definition of ‘slavery?’ If not, what are some other ways that humans become slaves, either to themselves or to another master?
Q2) During WWII, many babies were born in Europe and on the Pacific islands from American fathers, but the children would not be considered American. In this story, many babies were born in New York from British fathers, but the babies would not be considered British. Is there a difference in these two situations, or are they essentially the same?
Q3) St. Paul’s Chapel, which is part of the Episcopal parish of Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan, has served as a sanctuary since 1766. Meena taught other Negroes to read and write there. After 9/11, it served as a makeshift hospital for injured and weary rescue workers from the WTC. Washington once worshiped there, and many of us have visited it. Why do we sometimes keep and ‘sanctify’ special places like St. Paul’s Chapel, and at other times we tear them down? What is it about St. Paul’s that allowed it to resist the ax after more than 250 years?
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- Q1. I think there are many definitions, but all of them involve giving up the ability to control your own life and actions in some way to somebody or something else. I think the removal of choice/options if key to any type of slavery. (NT) -- Carla, 14:56:35 04/03/13 Wed
- Q2. In either situation, the occupier or more powerful men are using local women for their brief time there and then walking away consequence free. Wrong on many levels in both situations. (NT) -- Carla, 14:58:04 04/03/13 Wed
- Q3. Powerful protectors tend to help. If there are enough voices (and money) raised then often historical sites such as St. Paul's can be saved and continue to serve a purpose in society. If an building's protectors can find a purpose for it anew in each generation, then it becomes harder to destroy it in the name of progress, as well. (NT) -- Carla, 15:01:36 04/03/13 Wed
- Great questions, E! Q1) I definitely think there is more then one definition of slavery. And I agree its related to a removal of choice. I think people can put their own issues on themselves as well - so slavery can easily be a situation in which a person allows themself to be come a slave to something. Q2) I think from one point of view they are the same, however I wonder if the slavery aspect makes what happened in this book more tragic. I don't know the details of the WWII situation exactly (were they forced to have sex with the GI's or were they just one night stands or affairs? Prostitutes, country women, etc?). And maybe that part doesn't matter and its more of a political power issue. Either way, children who are denied by their father's is sad. (NT) -- Lil, 08:57:21 04/04/13 Thu
- Q3) I agree that there is a monitary factor, but I think history has a lot to do with it as well. As Carla said, each generation is attached to a place because of it's meaning to them and they can't imagine it not being there for them or their children. I think fighting for tradition is just as important as fighting for progress. (NT) -- Lil, 09:00:41 04/04/13 Thu
- I probably won't post from Book Three until Monday. Hope you don't mind. We just got back from a trip to the lake and I'm clearly going to need tomorrow to get my act together around here! -- Elaine, 17:32:04 03/30/13 Sat [8]
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- Someone Knows My Name/The Book of Negroes - Book Two -- Lil, 11:56:32 03/30/13 Sat [5]
The Shape of Africa
“You want me to talk like you? Talk like white folks?” “English,” he said. He paused for a moment while we walked. “I am not a white man. I am a Jew, and that is very different. You and I are both outsiders.”
Meena arrives at Charles Town with Solomon Lindo. Lindo takes her through town and she sees black women selling fruit in the market and black men sharing a drink with white men in a pub. She's surprised at the situation here in the city. As the move through the town, they also come up on a slave sale. She is sickened at the sight of them and feels the guilt of having been fed and well cared for, while they had not. At first she looks away and then she vows to remember and looks as they suffer through their sale and physical discomfort.
Meena meets Mrs. Lindo and is treated like a guest. She is unsure how to behave but does her best not to be rude. She accepts a seat when offered and a drink as well.
Meena also meets Dolly, the other servant in the house. Dolly is pregnant and feels threatened by Meena joining the house. Dolly shows Meena to their apartment and Meena notes how roomy and lonely it is with just the two of them there. Dolly says to stay away from the Cooking and Shopping or they'll throw her out. Meena assures her that she doesn't cook, but is happy to eat what Dolly makes.
Meena spends the first few weeks of her time with the Lindo's following Dolly around on errands. She learns who to buy things from and Dolly tells her about the area and how things work. Meena sees a quintuplet of negroes that are for rent by William King. King is out on the street and looks at Meena, but doesn't recognize her.
Meena gets more comfortable with the Lindos and finds herself spending "fun" time in town visiting a fair. However, walking through town isn't always good by herself as in daylight has been grabbed and groped.
Lindo offers to teach Meena more - reading, math, money, etc. He also tells her that he wants to put her on a self-hire plan. She will be hired out to do midwife work in town, but will also manage the books for Solomon Lindo.
Lindo tests Meena for a few days on all that he's taught her. She passes and he presents her with the gift of "Gulliver's Travels.
Meena starts to earn money. She calculates how much she needs to pay Lindo and have some money saved for herself. When she's not paid in money, she has learned what to accept in product so she can easily sell it for money.
Meena progresses in her education and learns to write and spell. She's enthralled with all she has learned and just continues to work hard to learn more.
Meena helps birth Dolly's baby, Samuel, and Mrs. Lindo's son, David. The Lindo's offer her a gift. She wants to see a map of the world.
Mr. Lindo is absolutely upset. His wife calmly tells him to take Meena to the library, although he thinks that's a terrible idea. He's worked so hard to be accepted as a Jew and still doesn't have all the rights as the Anglicans. Eventually, Mrs. Lindo gets her way and Meena goes to the Charles Town Library with Mr. Lindo.
I said I had seen enough. After all the books I had read, and all that I had learned about the ways of the white people in South Carolina, I now felt, more than ever before, that these people didn’t know me at all. They knew how to bring ships to my land. They knew how to take me from it. But they had no idea at all what my land looked like or who lived there or how we lived.
Words Come Late for a Wet Nurse
Years pass and many tragedies occur. Georgia passes away and Fomba is killed. A smallpox epidemic takes the lives of Mrs. Lindo, Dolly and the two boys. Mr. Lindo and Meena only have each other.
Meena is forced to grieve alone for the people lost in their house, while Mr. Lindo has constant visitors for a month. He complains he feels suffocated and Meena sees he doesn't appreciate the opportunity to grieve with others.
Solomon Lindo has to leave for a month on business and his sister comes to live at the house. She is awful to Meena and basically leaves her to fend for herself with no access to the main house. Meena is forced to walk the street, bartering for food items until she can work for some other items in trade. She comes into luck and gets a large case of blue bottles she is able to fill with rum and use to barter at the market.
Chekura shows up at Meena's house in the middle of the night, while Lindo is gone. They are able to spend the night and the next morning together before he has to go. During that time they talk about what happened while they were apart, their baby boy and Solomon Lindo's involvement in the sale of their son. Meena is sickened to know he was a part of the transaction and that the baby died of pox not too long after he was sold.
Solomon Lindo returns and Meena confronts him about Mamadu. He pretends he was not a part of it, but she pushes and he accuses her of looking through his papers. They have a large falling out that day and rarely speak to each other over the next few months. Finally, Lindo tries to repair things between them by taking her to work with him in New York City.
Q1. Exodus is a theme in these chapters, and Meena says its one of the most beautiful stories she's read. She sees it as inspiration. Lindo talks of it as a way that the two of them are similar, however he's not trying to run, but rather is trying to fit in. what do you think this means about both characters and their situation?
Q2. Meena has grown up quite a bit - especially as she learns the value of money and goods and how she can work it in her favor. Is this her survival instincts, smarts or both at work?
Q3. Chekura returns. How did you feel about their reunion? Was the timing good or bad for Meena?
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- Q1. Lindo has the option, at least, of trying to fit in. He can change his habits, and even his religion if he wants to fit in badly enough. Meena can never fit in in this society, so her only option is to find a way out. (NT) -- Carla, 13:51:13 03/30/13 Sat
- Q2. I think it's both, really. She would not have done as well as she did without both skills. (NT) -- Carla, 13:52:30 03/30/13 Sat
- Q3. I think learning about Lindo's involvement in the sale of her son allows Meena to see him in a different light, and I'm sure this pieces of information will play a role in future decisions - she now knows that he is not as selfless as he may have appeared. I think it has to be hard to be separated constantly and wonder if it's actually easier to not see each other than to have these very short times together before being torn apart again. (NT) -- Carla, 13:57:07 03/30/13 Sat
- 1) Lindo *feels* different and alienated because he is not a full member of his community. However, he is free to come and go as he pleases, and to make a living. That's not at all the same as being owned by another human being. I'm not a fan of the Biblical view of slavery, OT or NT, but the Hebrews were miraculously saved from their years of bondage. Lindo conveniently seems to forget the significance of that. Meena is hoping for a miracle, but she knows it won't be coming from Lindo. (2) Both, most likely. But Meena sure is one smart cookie - she's got that going for her! (3) I don't know if the timing was good or bad, but either way, Meena needed to know the truth about her child. And taking a little pleasure with her man must have felt like discovering an oasis after being stuck out in a desert. How horrible to have to wait all those years for such a small pleasure though. (NT) -- Elaine, 17:25:39 03/30/13 Sat
- Someone Knows My Name/The Book of Negroes - Book Two -- Lil, 07:38:33 03/29/13 Fri [4]
Milk for the longest nursing
Georgia provides an herbal concoction that helps to eliminate any chance of Meena getting pregnant after Appleby's attack. Appleby finds another slave to use in this way and this saves Meena from further bother.
Two years pass and Meena has learned all that Mamed can teach her. Originally she started reading to help her communicate and learn, but now she loves the escape of reading.
Reading felt like a daytime dream in a secret land. Nobody but I knew how to get there, and nobody but I owned that place. Books were all about the ways of the buckra, but soon I felt that I could not do without them. And I lived in hope that one day I would find a book that answered my questions. Where was Africa, exactly, and how did you get there? Sometimes I felt ashamed to have no answer. How could I come from a place, but not know where it was?
Meena becomes pregnant. After months and months of talking and gentle courting, she and Chekura finally make love and after a few months she's pregnant. Georgia gives her two pieces of advice: don't tell Appleby Chekura's name and breastfeed so Appleby doesn't send her baby away.
Solomon Lindo, indigo inspector, comes to the plantation and inspects their processing. He asks the slaves questions directly and they answer.
Later Lindo, Appleby and William King eat dinner together. Appleby has Meena in the house with the other men, bragging about her recovery and how much he could make if he sold her.
King and Appleby leave the room to talk and Lindo tricks Meena and learns she can read.
As they continue to talk with Meena she boldly asks where she is from. King pulls out a map and shows her their map of Africa.
King goes through a long list of all the "tribes" of Africans and why they are or aren't good workers. Meena is surprised at his assumptions but also curious as to who all these types of African's are. Lindo and Appleby leave Meena alone with King and he tries to attack her. Luckily, he is averted by the men returning to the room.
Georgia hears that Lindo tried to buy Meena, but Appleby said no. Georgia says that Meena is too valuable to Appleby now to be sold off.
In a small humble ceremony, Meena and Chekura were married. Meena felt it important to honor her parents to be married when she had her baby and to create a family.
Appleby arrives in December and finds Meena very pregnant. He is angry with her and makes a scene out in the yard to humiliate her and make an example of her. Her clothes are burned and her hair is shaved from her head. She does all she can to save her dignity, but is still crushed by the power Appleby holds.
Meena gives birth to a baby boy she names after father. Chekura isn't able to come by until two weeks later and they get one night together as a family.
When the baby is 10 months old, Appleby steals it in the night and sells him off. The slaves try to use the "fishnet" to find him, but there is no word about a baby being brought to a plantation without his mother. He's lost to them.
Meena goes into a deep depression after her baby is sold. She stops working, even though Appleby beats her repeatedly. She's given up on living. Chekura has not come to visit and she is sure he's turned his back on her for letting their son be sold. Eventually, Appleby tires of Meena and sells her to Lindo.
Q1. What are your thoughts on Lindo at this point?
Q2. Why does Appleby seem to hate Meena so much?
Q3. In such adversity, the slaves try to cling on to traditions like weddings. Why?
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- Q3. I suppose they're trying to maintain what normalcy they can in their lives. The slaves control very little in their lives, but weddings can happen, and for those slaves who are religious or feel the need for a formal pronouncement of their relationship, it is available. They have so little they can call their own, and a valid marriage is one tof those few things. (NT) -- Denise, 12:42:10 03/29/13 Fri
- Q2. I think he knows deep down that Meena is smarter than he is, she is certainly a better person. And maybe, just maybe, a small part of him knows that raping a girl as young as Meena is truly wrong on many levels. We tend to hate the people and things which make us face up to our own failings or bring them to mind. (NT) -- Carla, 15:02:39 03/29/13 Fri
- 1) I didn't trust him. But that's probably due to my trusting Meena more at this point than the white people surrounding her. (2) Because he knows Meena's intellect could spell trouble for him. (3) It gives these people a chance to be real people for once, not just 'property' owned by their masters. And, as Denise said, a feeling of normalcy, although traditions usually require some level of commitment and among the slaves, absolutely nothing offers any real sense of permanence. (NT) -- Elaine, 17:30:57 03/30/13 Sat
- Someone Knows My Name/The Book of Negroes - Book Two -- Lil, 07:16:33 03/28/13 Thu [5]
Indigo Vat
Words swim farther than a man can walk {ST. HELENA ISLAND, 1757}
Three times, Georgia made me repeat it, but the best she could do was to say “Meena.” In this new land, I was an African. In this new land, I had a different name, given by someone who did not even know me. A new name for the second life of a girl who survived the great river crossing.
Aminata arrives at her new 'home" a plantation on St. Helena Island. The first thing she remembers seeing are the brightly colored clothes and different shades of brown of the slaves at the planation. She is immediately brought to the plantation owner. He tells her he wants to inspect her, but she doesn't understand. Her garment is ripped off and she is knocked down. She does not get up and tells her self that she's not going to be submitted to that again. She fears she will be beaten by the plantation owner’s personal slave, but he is stopped. Then a large woman from the fields picks her up and carries her to her own tent.
There Aminata sleeps for a long time, recovering from the past six months. She remembers being fed and attended to, but not much else.
When she finally wakes and is feeling better, she goes outside and sees Fomba. She runs and hugs him and then tells her friend (Georgia) who he is. The friend does not understand her and Aminata realizes that her first order of business is to learn the language of the people there - to help herself and Fomba.
Georgia is Meena's gateway to this new life. She tells her what she can and can't do. She explains the structure of life and how to survive. Meena sees the value in being a hard worker and contributing. Eventually, Meena is asked to clean out Indigo vats.
Georgia also teaches Meena about the plants in the area and how trade is their form of payment.
Now that Meena is able to communicate with Georgia, she has lots of questions about the different slaves, where they are from, etc. She asks some tough questions of Georgia - what is a slave? Who did the work before there were slaves? What if the slaves just stopped working?
Meena gets her first experience in midwifery with Georgia. Georgia negotiates her price in tobacco and cloth. She only gets half of what she requests, but seems to know not to push her luck.
The woman they help is Fulfide and can communicate with Meena. She shares her story with Meena and delivers 2 babies. A boy who lives, but the girl is still born. Georgia takes the baby and tells Meena to tell the mother to only tell the buckra that one child was born. They take the baby back to their plantation and bury her in the woods.
Meena learns quickly and Georgia tells her to watch it - knowing too much could get her killed.
Georgia gives Meena the smallpox immunization. Meena is sick for a few weeks, but comes through very well and with only minimal pocking. Meena is pleased, but Georgia is worried that she's not ugly enough and will attract unwanted attention.
The slaves work to finish the harvest and process the indigo. It is hard work, but Meena learns what to do and avoids attention from Master Appleby. After they finish the work, Mamed asks Meena to come see him at his hut.
Mamed talks with Meena in his hut. He tells her about his life and how he came to Appleby's plantation. He is an educated Negro and has struck a deal with Appleby to live as he likes as long as he's managing the plantation and indigo for Appleby. In exchange, Mamed is not to teach anyone to read or educate them in any way.
However, Mamed has seen something in Meena and has offered to teach her. She is afraid to say yes, but accepts his offer.
While Meena is with Mamed, Chekura has come looking for her. He is close by and Georgia says he'll be back.
Mamed expresses his frustration with Fomba. Meena explains that in their village he was a hunter. Mamed sets up an arrangement that Fomba is to go fishing each day. Fomba not only comes back with fish, but also small animals such as squirrels, possums and even turkeys.
Meena and Chekura meet regularly and become closer and closer. Meena is not ready to take things too far and Chekura is patient and caring. When they are not together Meena thinks about Chekura all of the time. She loves that he knows her life before she came to the plantation.
One night, Appleby comes to the hut and tells Georgia she's to go catch a baby. He insists she goes alone. Appleby takes Meena to his home and rapes her. Happy Jack collects her afterward and takes her back to Georgia's hut.
Q1. Carla made a great comment on the last post about resilience. Meena seems to have that as we go through the book and see how she progresses, however at this point she seems to have a hard time understanding the concept of being owned and why the slaves don't want more or try to run. Do you think Meena's reslience factor is related to her inability to accept her fate as right?
Q2. Mamed takes a risk to teach Meena. What does he get out of this arrangement?
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Replies:
- More tough questions! (1) Poor Meena is stumped. She doesn't understand the concept of one human being owning another, and isn't aware of just how far away she is from her homeland - there is literally no place they *can* run to. She is truly resilient, and she's also very smart, but there are still some things she needs to learn before she can fully comprehend her situation. (2) Mamed's teaching won't end with Meena; he knows she will share her knowledge with others and use it for good purposes. (NT) -- E, 14:20:15 03/28/13 Thu
- Q1. I don't know if resilience is hindering Aminata's ability to understand slavery and the idea of ownership of people, but it does allow her make a life for herself as a slave, to continue to learn and grow, and believe that life may still hold surprises that could include freedom. I remember reading a fascinating article on resilience for my education courses; some may have an inborn resilience, some are responsive to the efforts of others to improve their situation. For Meena, her parents were her largest influence as a child, followed by Georgia and Mamed in her first years of slavery. She was very lucky to have these many supportive people in her life. (NT) -- Denise, 19:03:04 03/28/13 Thu
- Q1. I find it interesting that she has such a hard time understanding slavery when Fomba was in fact owned by Fanta and her husband back in Bayao and she talks about people in other villages who are owned, as well. It's a different type of slavery, granted, than the one she is living through now, but it is still ownership of one person by another. I think part of the reason she's having such a hard time accepting the slaves passivity is that she was raised to take action - to catch babies, to right wrongs, etc. - and with the belief that she could affect her fate, now it's been taken out of her hands. She's also a pre-teen and they don't readily accept situations they see as wrong or understand all the implications in complex situations, the world is very (pardon the expression) black and white for them. (NT) -- Carla, 06:30:51 03/29/13 Fri
- Q2. I suspect it satisfies a deep-seated need he has to pass on knowledge, to feel as if he's leaving a legacy of some sort. I imagine that he also sees that something extraordinary in Meena that makes her worth the risk. (NT) -- Carla, 06:32:26 03/29/13 Fri
Al Capone’s jail cell at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia
Exterior wall and guard tower, Sing Sing
A painting of the ships leaving Halifax harbor for Sierra Leone in 1792
What does everyone think of the chapter names so far? I'm not sure I really paid attention to them on the first read, but I'm finding them so interesting as we go through the book again. (NT) -- Lil, 07:16:37 04/02/13 Tue
