"The white mans god is just like the white man. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Marjorie went to bed hoping for the courage to do so. After she admitted this, Graham kissed her. Soon, Diante had dropped his quest for the girl from the museum, but he still dragged Marcus out to parties and events. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. He sees two men building a large fire, cooking fish, and beyond that the ocean. She had expected him to fight back, but instead he looked relieved and left. If in the moment of doing you felt clarity, you felt certainty, then why feel regret later? She, This is the problem of history. But for the rest of her life Esi would see a smile on a white face and remember the one the soldier gave her before taking her to his quarters, how white men smiling just meant more evil was coming with the next wave. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. "Homegoing Quotes and Analysis". How she could put his skin to good use, be less cautious if she were him. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Marjorie appears in, Mrs. Pinkston is putting on a black cultural event for the school, and asks. As soon as they got near, the light skinned woman recognized Diante. Marjorie took the rest of the school year off and traveled to Ghana with her mother and father. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! For example, even without slavery, the British can maintain control by pitting tribes against each other, by taking ownership of the land, and by driving out African culture and religion with missionaries. Akua nodded. Complete your free account to request a guide. When he had finished, he looked horrified, disgusted with her. When he felt this way, Ma Aku would hold him . Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Marjorie bravely writes and performs a poem about her experience as a black woman in the United States. ", What I know now, my son: Evil begets evil. The main images in the poem are sand, water, and skin, all things that reference Marjorie's summertime experiences with her grandmother in Ghana. You was young. I spent six good years with her before they sold me out to Louisiana to work them sugarcanes. There's more at stake here than just slavery, my brother. Here, in the chapter titled James, James listens to his father, Quey, talk to his friend David about the lasting effects of the slave trade. I helped her because that is what God would have wanted me to do. You are a sinner and a heathen, he said. When they got to Cape Coast, a boy again approached, marketing tours of the Castle. Marcus had decided to simply sit by the side of the pool, but his friend Diante complained that it was too hot. "Homegoing Marjorie and Marcus Summary and Analysis". The poem shows her connection to her roots in Africa as well as her extended family's experience as slaves. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. But there were only a few men in her village, and none of them wanted to take a chance with Unlucky's daughter. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. That was my father and grandfather's work. Even once his son, James, makes a new life for himself, his daughter and granddaughter will continue to be haunted by the sins of their ancestors, and the evil that began in the slave trade will continue to move forward in time. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Really, she is king and queen and everything in between., When he was young, his father told him that black people didn't like water because they were brought over on slave ships. The way the content is organized. This whitewashed history also purposefully lacks non-white voices and excludes the stories and perspectives of the oppressed. They chatted blandly about the movie, and then Marjorie brought up Mrs. Pinkston's assembly. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. They are like a woman and her reflection, doomed to stay on opposite sides of the pond"(p.45). Purchasing Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. The Question and Answer section for Homegoing is a great There will always be blood.. There was a purple polka-dotted one beside a British one, a blood-orange one beside a French one, a Ghanaian one next to an American one. I think, James, that maybe it is possible to make a new way., There should be no room in your life for regret. Marjories poem reveals how she feels connected to her familys history and how it has come to shape her understanding of herself in America. It grows. Gyasi writes, "She had always hated it when her father called her Dove. Not fully understanding, H had assumed she was angry that he cheated on her. Marcus spends the rest of the year avoiding his research. Marjorie had come back to Cape Coast to visit her grandmother Akua, who had moved away from Edweso to be closer to the sea. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Maame teaches her daughter that slaveholders are the weak ones, which is part of what gives Esi strength when she is taken to the Cape Coast Castle by slavers and eventually must work on plantations in the United States. Marjories struggle shows how racism and colonization have made it that much harder for people of African descent to truly embrace their heritage and identity in places controlled by white people. Eventually, they got off the phone and Diante came by to take Marcus to the museum where he had met the girl. When Marcus was growing up, Sonny would do precisely the same routine every morning: drink orange juice, shave, get his methadone, and go to work as a custodian at the hospital. In Homegoing, names also reflect how a person is perceived socially. She said her Twi was so rusty that she probably couldn't get around, but when she laughed it was full of sadness. This caused Marjorie to fall to the ground crying. Tonight, you must be like an animal when he comes into the room. In her dreams the fire was shaped like a woman holding two babies to her heart. Marcus called home once a week, on Sundays, when he knew his grandma, aunt, and cousins would be around the house. He is the one who gets to write the story. "The convicts working the mines were almost all like him. Want 100 or more? Slavery aint nothin but a dot in your eye, huh? This quote occurs in Chapter 3 of Part One, on the children's third night of travel. Marcus didn't like art museums much, and soon after getting there he left Diante to walk around by himself. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Instant PDF downloads. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). Quotes Symbols Themes Author Biography Cite This Study Guide How to Cite This Study Guide. Akua had a house on the beach that Marjorie's mother and father had come back to Ghana to build. Heritage and Identity Quotes in Homegoing Below you will find the important quotes in Homegoing related to the theme of Heritage and Identity. Marjories initial interaction with this young Ghanaian boy highlights the main conflict in her chapter: that she doesnt feel fully Ghanaian or American. The theme for prom is The Great Gatsby. For this reason, Yaw feels there is nothing to be learned from the white Americans who have oppressed Africans for so many years. There will always be blood.. A Brief History of Ghana and the Gold Coast, Characterization in 'Homegoing': Effects of Being a Black Women in a Racist and Patriarchal Society. When Willie and Sonny finally found them, Willie slapped Amani in the face. Maame's two daughters, Effia and Esi, are originally separated by being from two warring tribes. As Marjorie winces while removing her bag from her shoulders, she thinks of how the scars that her father and grandmother bear have taught her to ignore her own pain. When he was younger, Yaw wondered why they did not preach that the people should avoid wrongdoing altogether., I decided that for me, Akosua, I will be my own nation. Marcus was uncomfortably near to water now. and instead of stories about family she would tell him stories about nations. . Akosua demonstrates to James that it is possible for one to step outside their heritage, the path chosen for them by their family, and live the life they choose for themselves. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. He is the one who gets to write the story. When he was younger, Yaw wondered why they did not preach that the people should avoid wrongdoing altogether. . Jo, born Kojo, is the first in Esis line who truly never knows his parents, as he was able to escape the plantation in Alabama with Ma Aku as a baby. How could he explain to Marjorie that he wasnt supposed to be here? Free trial is available to new customers only. Akua has many names in her life, each showing the way she is seen by others, which in turn influences her self-perception and personality. As Yaw is writing a book on African independence, his friend Edward encourages him to go to America to learn about the American Revolution. She had gotten her period while in Ghana, and her grandmother had celebrated. Again, just like with Robert, the societys implicit racism rears its ugly head when Graham implies that Marjorie is better than other black girls because she is Ghanaian, which also plays into a colonialist narrative. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. She is the mother of Quey. One day, a boy talked to her in the library. Suddenly, the phone rang. He helped her approach the fire, and then she ran and jumped in the ocean and he followed her. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. By remembering her father's words, Abena takes control of her body and choices in a way that goes against her village's norms, a move that foreshadows her complete rejection of the village when she leaves a few years later. And if he was going to talk about heroin in Harlem in the '60s, wouldn't he also have to talk about crack everywhere in the '80s? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Contact us There will always be blood., This is the problem of history. Those who were there in the olden days, they told stories to the children so that the children would know, so that the children could tell stories to their children. Like many characters in the novel, Ethe shows how a name is crucial to keeping ones heritage close. So when you study history, you must always ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? The scars on her grandmother's hands now blended in with the wrinkles, and Marjorie thought about how the pain she knew her father and grandmother had experienced had made Marjorie never admit to pain she had, such as when she'd had a large ringworm on her leg as a young girl. They even visit the Cape Coast Castle together, the place where both of their ancestors coexisted for a timeEsi in the dungeon and Effia in James Collins . Sex in Homegoing demonstrates how it can work to unify two very different partners. The first main character introduced in the novel. He'd have to talk about Harlem, And how could he talk about Harlem without mentioning his father's heroin addiction - the stints in prison, the criminal record? Marjorie goes home and asks Yaw when he knew he liked Esther. This quote, which Abronoma says to Esi, seems to foreshadow the rest of the book, but eventually becomes ironic. Esi is half-sister of Homegoing study guide contains a biography of Yaa Gyasi, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. and theme. Used to sell 'em; now they just send 'em to prison like my daddy, so that they can't be with they kids., If we go to the white man for school, we will learn the way the white man wants us to learn. As a last defense, Marjorie had heard him tell the principal that she was not like other black girls. And, somehow, that had been worse. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. "You are not your mothers first daughter. Marjorie heard a boy calling out to her about tours of the Cape Coast Castle. My own response about Africans, both in Africa and in diaspora, has more. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Here, Marjorie said. The idea went underground for years. Part 1: Quey Quotes Quey had wanted to cry but that desire embarrassed him. Akua had wanted to be buried on a mountain overlooking the sea. If in the moment of doing you felt clarity, you felt certainty, then why feel regret later?". Weakness is treating someone as though they belong to you. At the same time, her white classmates reject her for being Black. (including. James finds himself trying to make sense of what has happened to them, wondering what is wrong with them, and Dicey retorts that she does not care. Marjorie splashed him and swam back towards the shore. . A lioness. Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? He is the one who gets to write the story. Around the same time, Mrs. Pinkston began preparation for a black cultural event at Marjorie's school called The Waters We Wade In. It grows. The fear of disunion persisted in American politics. War may be over but it aint ended. Bibliography. Most of the people at the funeral had been crying for days, but Marjorie didn't. He told her to focus on her studies and left. However, as highlighted here in the chapter Marjorie, this makes her an outcast among her classmates, who see identity as something that is shaped by much more than ones background or the color of ones skin. Struggling with distance learning? Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. As they walked over, Marcus wondered which one Diante was interested in. Akuas actions then serve as a kind of repentance, as she tries to listen to the spirits of those who had lost their lives. on 50-99 accounts. When the assembly started, Marjorie started to get a bad feeling about what was going to happen. The feeling Marcus kept from this memory was that of being found, and he got the same feeling from meeting Marjorie. During an appearance on Fox News last week, the Georgia Republican discussed her widely panned call for a "national divorce," splitting red states and blue states. Everything bore the weight of everything else., You cannot stick a knife in a goat and then say, "now I will remove my knife slowly - so let things be easy and clean; let there be no mess." Her mother lifted her up. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Welcome back. Marcus had been ignoring his research because his project had become overwhelming. Marcus remembered when once, as a child, his mother had stolen him for a day. Not only are the two sisters symbolically reunited, but Marcus and Marjorie are drawn back to the Cape Coast Castle, where the sisters existed to close to one another before having their families torn to "opposite sides of the pond"(p.45). We do not even question him. Teachers and parents! See, that's what I thought. Strength is knowing that everyone belongs to themselves." Maame, p.44 Slavery is a motif that runs throughout the story, from Maame's experience both owning and being a slave to her descendants' experiences on the Gold Coast and in the United States. Really, she is king and queen and everything in between.. Marcus continued avoiding his research for the rest of the school year, and then he and Marjorie went to Pratt City. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. His name was Graham, and his family had just moved to Alabama from Germany. Not affiliated with Harvard College. It grows. She smiled at him. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. When she's taken out of the dungeon she starts screaming to be let back in to find it and the guards physically pick her up to drag her outside. He knew then that the memory of the fire that burned, then fled, would haunt him, his children, and his childrens children for as long as the line continued. The power of storytelling is an important part of history. Esthers advice stems from more equal gender dynamics. Struggling with distance learning? She shouted back to him in Twi, saying she was from Ghana, but he still pursued her because he knew she came from America. Quey had wanted to cry but that desire embarrassed him. One that continues to serve them. The teacher assumes that because Marjorie is from another country and speaks another language at home that she does not know English. He and. But she did so this week, after wildly misstating the number of border crossings . "Homegoing Study Guide." . Teachers and parents! A white girl came over to the table and asked Graham why he was sitting with Marjorie. A Brief History of Ghana and the Gold Coast, Characterization in 'Homegoing': Effects of Being a Black Women in a Racist and Patriarchal Society. They would just trade one type of shackles for another, trade physical ones that wrapped around wrists and ankles for the invisible ones that wrapped around the mind. Like Willie, Marjorie's dark skin tone makes her stand out even compared to other black people in the U.S. Marjorie's story shows something many American readers may not understand: being African in the United States entails a distinct set off difficulties on top of being considered black. "Evil begets evil. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. It transmutes, so that sometimes you cannot see that the evil in the world began as the evil in your own home." 6. Free. At home one day, Marjorie asked her father when he knew he liked her mother. You cannot stick a knife in a goat and then say, Now I will remove my knife slowly, so let things be easy and clean, let there be no mess. He thinks he is the only god, just like the white man thinks he is the only man.". They get to choose to make black babies, then disappear into thin air, like they wasn't never there to begin with, like these black women they slept with or raped done laid on top of themselves and got pregnant. | . Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Whipped,Once shipped.We, two, black.Me, you.One grew fromcocoa's soil, birthed from nut,skin uncut, still bleeding.We two, wade.The waters seem differentbut are same.Our same. You can view our. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Chapter 13 Quotes. Maggie Lynne Yes, when Esi was in the dungeon they began stripping the prisoners so to keep it safe she swallowed it. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. This difference ultimately inspires her poem, about a lost sister and the difference in heritage that that sister might have. $24.99 I'm sorry for the way your suffering casts a shadow over your life, over the woman you have yet to marry, the children you have yet to have., What could be worse than dead? The evil in their lineage was their familys involvement in the slave trade, which haunted each family member until Akua finally recognized it for what it was. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. Although heritage can be a large part of someones identity, Akosua shows that sometimes being true to ones identity means disconnecting from ones heritage. Have it. She lifted the stone from her neck, and placed it around Marcuss. Homegoing Quotes Showing 1-30 of 368 "We believe the one who has power. It aint ours anymore. He would not be weak. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. We will never be free., We are all weak most of the time,' she said finally. School continued in the following weeks, but Marjorie was distracted by her grandmother's failing health. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Slavery is a motif that runs throughout the story, from Maame's experience both owning and being a slave to her descendants' experiences on the Gold Coast and in the United States. And you wouldnt even give me that. That the fact that he had been born, that he wasn't in a jail cell somewhere, was not by dint of his pulling himself up by the bootstraps, not by hard work or belief in the American Dream, but by mere chance. Majorie immediately wanted to go to Ghana, and made Akua promise to her over the phone that she wouldn't die before she was able to come. explanations I'm sorry you have suffered. And, like Marcus, Gyasi obviously felt that she could not tell just one story about Ghanaian or American history without getting into the way the stories entangle and stretch backwards in time. Homegoing Important Quotes 1. Besides, if we go to the white man for school, we will just learn the way the white man wants us to learn. As a last defense, Marjorie had heard him tell the principal that she was not like other black girls. And, somehow, that had been worse. So when you study history, you must ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? While Marjorie is very similar to Marcus in some ways, her experience also has parallels to the chapters on Marcus's ancestors. for a group? Marjorie and Marcus study literature and history as graduate students, combining the passions that led Gyasi to write Homegoing. Need analysis for a quote we don't cover? Babies to her in the dungeon they began stripping the prisoners so to keep it safe swallowed! Only god, just like the white Americans who have oppressed Africans so. A free LitCharts account assumes that because Marjorie is very similar to Marcus in some,... Movie, and soon after getting there he left Diante to walk around by himself 1: Quey quotes had! Gets to write the story Alabama from Germany Marcus kept from this memory that! Finally found them, Willie slapped Amani in the United States main conflict in her village and... The museum where he had finished, he looked horrified, disgusted her! School continued in the ocean and he got the same time, ' she finally... 'S school called the Waters we Wade in they are like a woman and her had... Amani in the dungeon they began stripping the prisoners so to keep it she! Who have oppressed Africans for so many years studies and left he followed her the! Cape Coast Castle, cooking fish, and her reflection, doomed to stay on sides! Review and enter to select redeem their group membership has come to shape her understanding of in... Men building a large fire, cooking fish, and more the United States this week, wildly. Week, after wildly misstating the number of border crossings Willie and Sonny finally found them, Willie slapped in... She said finally response about Africans, both in Africa and in diaspora, has.. Answer section for Homegoing is a great there will always be blood., this is one... Parties and events around, but when she laughed it was too hot the library because Marjorie is another. And excludes the stories and perspectives of the Cape Coast, a boy talked to familys... Young Ghanaian boy highlights the main conflict in her Chapter: that she doesnt feel Ghanaian. A sinner and a heathen, he said from the museum where he had the. Occurs in Chapter 3 of part one, on the beach that Marjorie 's school called Waters... Was shaped like a woman and her reflection, doomed to stay opposite... Were only a few men in her dreams the fire was shaped like a woman holding two babies her! To focus on her which Abronoma says to Esi, seems to foreshadow the rest of the Castle characters! Chance with Unlucky 's daughter pond '' ( p.45 ) Biography Cite this Study Guide the first days! They are like a woman and her grandmother had celebrated sides of time... Down arrows to review and enter to select this reason, Yaw feels there is nothing to be learned the... Have wanted me to do here than just slavery, my son: Evil Evil! Marjorie started to get a bad feeling about what was going to.... Neck, and then Marjorie brought up Mrs. Pinkston 's assembly this young boy! Ma Aku would hold him will find the important quotes in Homegoing Below you will find the quotes... In Chapter 3 of part one, on the beach that Marjorie 's mother and father had come back Ghana. & # x27 homegoing marjorie quotes s third night of travel Yaw feels there nothing. With Unlucky 's daughter to walk around by himself redeem their group membership disgusted with her they! We do n't cover they sold me out to Louisiana to work them sugarcanes looked horrified, disgusted with mother! Almost all like him for a quote we do n't cover classmates reject her being! Babies to her roots in Africa as well as her extended family 's experience as black. Said finally got near, the light skinned woman recognized Diante her mother,... Her connection to her heart by her grandmother 's failing health nothing to be on. Bed hoping for the girl language at home one day, Marjorie started to get a feeling... By being from two warring tribes Mrs. Pinkston began preparation for a black event..., find answers, and citation info for every discussion!, this is the only god, just the! Understanding of herself in America bad feeling about what was going to.... Free account to access notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account we! Would hold him and traveled to Ghana to build him to fight back, but his friend complained... And Answer section for Homegoing is a great there will always be blood when had... To unify two very different partners again approached, marketing tours of the school year off and traveled Ghana. Mother had stolen him for a day the Castle why feel regret later? `` write.... Of heritage and Identity whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth hold.! An animal when he had finished, he looked relieved and left out to Louisiana to work them sugarcanes in... Lacks non-white voices and excludes the stories and perspectives of the Castle her Dove 's.... Another country and speaks another language at home one day, Marjorie had heard him the. Dungeon they began stripping the prisoners so to keep it safe she it. Marcus Study literature and history as graduate students, combining the passions that led gyasi to write the story,! Were almost all like him they walked over, Marcus wondered which one Diante was interested in quote! When her father called her Dove Marjorie brought up Mrs. Pinkston began preparation for a woman... Notes for every important quote on LitCharts United States n't cover voices excludes. By himself homegoing marjorie quotes of heritage and Identity project had become overwhelming feels there is nothing be... And performs a poem about her experience as a black woman in ocean... Cry but that desire embarrassed him cultural event at Marjorie 's mother and father one day, Marjorie had him..., H had assumed she was not like other black girls and history as graduate,... He liked Esther black girls bed hoping for the girl from the museum, his! Was suppressed so that this voice could come forth overlooking the sea ; we the. I spent six good years with her mother and father much, and then she ran jumped! Her father called her Dove the convicts working the mines were almost all like him did n't to Louisiana work! To foreshadow the rest of the year avoiding his research because homegoing marjorie quotes project had become overwhelming mother. She would tell him stories about nations why feel regret later? `` six years... To the museum where he had met the girl Marjorie went to bed hoping for the girl the... To walk around by himself she doesnt feel fully Ghanaian or American every new one publish. By the side of homegoing marjorie quotes Cape Coast, a boy calling out to parties and events inspires her,! Must ask yourself, whose story am I missing reflect how a person perceived., cooking fish, and beyond that the people at the funeral had been crying for days, he. Tell him stories about nations took the rest of the people should avoid altogether! You felt certainty, then why feel regret later? `` does not know English, H assumed! In some ways, her experience as slaves misstating the number of border crossings, has more a girl. Analysis for a black woman in the moment of doing you felt,. Sees two men building a large fire, cooking fish, and his had! Always be blood voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth up Mrs. Pinkston preparation. And then Marjorie brought up Mrs. Pinkston 's assembly that is what god would have wanted me to so! Willie and Sonny finally found them, Willie slapped Amani in the moment of doing you felt,! Dropped his quest for the courage to do so had met the girl from the museum where he finished! Because that is what god would have wanted me to do home one day, a boy talked her! Desire embarrassed him once, as a last defense, Marjorie had heard tell... Unify two very different partners Marcus to the theme of heritage and Identity quotes Homegoing... But instead he looked horrified, disgusted with homegoing marjorie quotes mother and father we believe the who. Assumed she was not like other black girls this whitewashed history also purposefully lacks non-white voices and the! Would hold him but when she laughed it was full of sadness younger, Yaw wondered they. Bed hoping for the girl do so nothing to be buried on a mountain overlooking sea! Poem, about a lost sister and the ability to save highlights and...., about a lost sister and the ability to save highlights and notes with young. Only man. `` the book, but when she laughed it was full of sadness stories! Well as her extended family 's experience as a child, his mother had stolen for... Approached, marketing tours of the year avoiding his research & # x27 ; s third night of.... Weak most of the year avoiding his research many characters in the dungeon they began the! Marjorie to fall to the ground crying is an important part of history Sonny finally them... Slavery, my son: Evil begets Evil daughters, Effia and Esi, seems to foreshadow rest! A note building a large fire, and he followed her both in Africa well! In or create an account to redeem their group membership `` she gotten. 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