Isela Larreinaga

English 302

Professor Rumore

7 April 2020

Blog Post

When reading the first two books and some short stories given to us, I really had to think about the connections it brings to NYC and especially myself. Although I don’t believe there’s a concrete relationship between these stories and myself, I do believe there’s more of a connection to those around me and my community. Most of the narratives that we’ve read speaks on the idea of race, colonialism, and much more. 

I want to speak on the narrative of Oladuah Equiano and how it made me realize the contradictions that arise in today’s age. For instance, I remember reading the section where Equiano mentions how afraid he was of the colonizers and how barbaric they acted towards people who were different shades of skin tone. It was till that passage specifically where I began to feel a toll of emotional weight. For years, and I mean YEARS, people of color have been targeted and ridiculed.They are mentioned to be the barbaric and cruel ones, they have no remorse and lack judgment. People especially within my community have been criticized for false judgment and ideas. People of color are perceived to be the complete opposite of what they are, making it much difficult to trust anyone. As a student in NYC and just a New Yorker in general I can understand why we act a certain way. There’s a level of mistrust in the air and it’s 100 percent reasonable as to why. Like Oroonoko, he was fooled and tricked into slavery, not ever trusting a man’s word again. I know that people of color have suffered tremendously and it shows within my community and when I’m in a classroom. I can feel the tension when the subject of race and slavery come up and it makes complete sense as to why. 

It’s clear to me that reading these narratives proves the point that some people still think like this, i.e., people of color having more attractive, European-like features are to be favored as was Oroonoko. It’s sometimes difficult to navigate texts like these because it’s still something that’s being dealt with till this day. Of course, we don’t have slavery but doesn’t mean there isn’t a modern day version of it. By this I mean the incarceration of black men and boys with minor offenses or not at all. The system doesn’t often work in their favor, making them vulnerable to society and it’s something we see often in NYC. Many young boys of color are often thrown onto the streets for various reasons but one being the fact that they’re not given the chance to succeed. Which in return creates a pathway to the jail system and to me, that’s the modern version of being enslaved. 

Living in a diverse community in New York proves to be effective because you get to witness the different perspectives and what the past means for us and others. Oroonoko and Equiano helps to further develop our beliefs on certain ideas.