Of Beliefs and Beyond: Influence of Obeah and Myal in the Slave Rebellion in Marlon James’ Novel the Book of Night Women
Journal Title: International Journal of English and Literature (IJEL) - Year 2017, Vol 7, Issue 4
Abstract
Religion and its practices have often been causes of conflict and have led to the division of humanity into narrow restrictive boundaries. Religion, in most cases does not seek to empower but to restrict those practising it, from exercising their natural freedom. However in Marlon James’ novel The Book of Night Women Obeah and Myal help the slave women not only to withstand oppression and give them the courage to seek revenge, but it also acts as a force that unites the slaves to join the revolt. The women call upon their religious beliefs and practices to not only aid and abet them but also to give them the courage of conviction to do the undoable. This paper seeks to take a closer look at the two Afro-Creole religions- Obeah and Myal in terms of both their place in history, as constructors of Jamaican cultural practises, and their contribution to slave rebellions in general and the rebellion of “the night women” in particular.
Authors and Affiliations
Sangeeta S, B. Sonia Chellirian
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP239858
- DOI -
- Views 139
- Downloads 0
Improving Oral Communication through Direct Method in Rural Schools of Telangana
Proficiency in English language plays an important role in various fields ranging from politics and journalism to everyday communication. Good communication skills will go a long way in developing good interpersonal rela...
MINGLING OF PEOPLE, CULTURE AND RELIGION IN WILLIAM DALRYMPLE’S WHITE MUGHALS
William Dalrymple isnot working with a gripping tale of the British-Indian politics before the onset of colonialism, but he is also giving evidence on the cultural exchanges between the White people and the Indians (espe...
Subjectivity of Women’s Body as a Resistance to the Domination of Patriarchy in Novel Vegetarian by Han Kang
Women’s body cannot be separated from the bind of objectivism and social construction discourse. A novel ‘Vegetarian by Han Kang’, shows the discourse of woman’s body through “madness” behaviour of the female main charac...
Ethno-Graphing The Pastoral: Gloria Naylor's Mama Day
Afro-American slave history and its socio-cultural apparatus remained unrecognized owing to the white man’s burden as most slaves were illiterate and not allowed to speak out. Consequently, their narratives were a franti...
Challenges in Learning English as Secondary Language
English is recognized as most spoken language and used widely for communication. In present generation English language learning has become a necessity. The present paper discusses the importance of English language lear...