Noah's English 11H Blog

 I think the main difference between Sunja's life in Busan and Osaka is a comparison between community and individuality. In Busan, Sunja was cared for and connected to everyone around her. While she did have struggles and individuality, a lot of her life was based around a sense of community. Sunja was deeply connected and close to her mother and family, and I think a lot of that was the pinnacle of her happiness and security. Furthermore, Sunja was largely dependent on her family for happiness, connection, and security.  In Osaka, Sunja no longer had her existing community and family to fall back on. She was on her own and had to establish her own path. She was cut off from everything she knew and the way of life that she had lived up until this point. She was essentially placed somewhere she knew nothing about, with people she didn't know, and a culture that was different than her own. In the beginning, this stark change was detrimental to Sunja—she was lonely, confused, an...

In the last chapter, Equiano includes a series of letters written by various individuals who played a role in his journey to freedom. I think this one was of the most powerful parts of the book because it authenticated his stories and grounded them in empirical relaity.   The letters serve to provide further verification and validation of Equiano's story, as they offer testimony from people who witnessed his experiences and can attest to the truth of his account. This is particularly important becasue in the research for my Research Excusion, I learned that during the time Equiano's narrative was published, a lot of people were skeptical of the stories of formerly enslaved people and believed they misconstrued/exaggerated the truth. The letters added validity and reality so that no one could discount Equinao's work.  The inclusion of these letters also highlights the importance of community and support in the fight against slavery and the slave trade. Equiano's journey ...

 The utility of Benin is interetsing because of how it is closely connected to the European demand for slaves. I was interested to learn the center of Benin state was located along the coast, so it was a lucrative location to trade and transport slaves. This made it more accessible for European slave traders to transport slaves to European countries efficiently. I never considered how geography would affect which African communities were affected more.  What was even more interesting was the specific methods used during this time to secure slaves. Internal and external slave raids with firearms and surprise attacks were common. I was surprised to learn how members of the Benin community would sell slaves to traders. Even though it was a socially unaccepted practice, I was interested to see that it still did happen relatively frequently. I never considered that African people would also try to benefit financially from the slave trade. And to see how brutal the methods people fr...

My research for my final project has not really officially started, although I have started doing some brainstorming on potential topics that I would like to write about. At mid-quarter, it can be challenging to envision the final project, especially when have only been in class for a short time because of the quarter system. Also, we still have a book and a half to read, which will influence my research and help me develop new ideas. And seeing how other people start/plan to start their projects will help me navigate my own.  As for questions or struggles, at this stage, I am mostly worried about figuring out the focus or direction of my project. I have not yet chosen a platform to use, however, depending on the specific topic I choose, I really liked the interface of StoryMap. I think it portrayed the text and map better than Neatline. If I have a final topic that uses geography, I will definitely consider using StoryMap. Overall, I feel a little overwhelmed and unsure at this st...

Through his experiences, Equiano is able to provide a unique perspective on the issue of slavery. Obviously, as a slave, Equiano understands the deep immorality of slavery and the atrocities it caused and perpetuated. Despite facing numerous hardships and abuses during his time as a slave, he never lost hope and continued to fight for his freedom.  One of the most interesting things about the book is that Equiano seems to have conflicting views on slavery. At times, it seems as though he is making an argument to abolish slavery altogether. He writes about the horrific conditions that slaves had to endure and how it was an affront to humanity. Notwithstading, there are also moments where Equiano seems to be making an argument for making slavery more humane, without actually abolishing it. I think the best argument for this stance is a practical one—that abolishing slavery was unlikely and seemingly impossible at the time. So, fighting for better conditions and treatment was a practi...

For me, reading the first three chapters was a little difficult. I am not used to this style of writing or language. However, I think Equiano's narrative gives a unique and personal account of his experiences. The reader feels personally connected directly to Equiano because of the way he writes. I think part of this is him using words like "we" and "our" in the beginning when talking about his homeland and past, then words like "I" throughout the rest of the chapters. This makes his experiences feel more realistic—less something we are reading about and more something we can begin to experience with Equinao, just from an outside point of view. Most history books feel like they are explaining something that happened (and, of course, they are), but this disconnects the reader from the narrative. Equiano makes us feel like we are following him in real time.  This type of writing works especially well for this book. A key aspect of slavery was the dehuman...

As a member of the research team, I was not part of designing the project on StoryMap, so it was interesting to see how the final version project looked. I think the design team did a magnificent job organizing all the information they were given. The final project portrayed the text well without it being difficult to navigate. Both StoryMap and Neatline are platforms that allow the fusion of written and visual information to a geographical region. However, StoryMap seemingly emphasizes information more than geography when compared to Neatline. Neatline visually includes the map more while StoryMap leaves more room for the information aspect of the project. Netalines map also seems more detailed, although StoryMap could offer more options. For this particular project, we were more focused on relaying information than emphasizing geography. We had a lot of quotes and data that needed to be easily accessible in the project. While showing where each aspect of the project took place, it wa...