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  • Essay / Using Intelligence to Survive in “The Negro Book” by Lawrence Hill

    In our everyday lives, our education is what helps us thrive and survive. The same can be said for Aminata, the main character of The Book of Negroes. Through her, the novel shows how slavery affected black people. Her intelligence is what helped her become free, she was vital to the abolitionist movement due to her ability to read, write and communicate in English and African, thus facilitating communication between slaves and the English. Her increased intelligence is what kept her alive and ultimately secured her freedom. Aminata used her intelligence and strength to survive slavery, one of the hardest things a person can experience. Aminata's strength kept him going. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Aminata's use of her intelligence to survive is seen several times in the novel. First, on the slave ship, be multilingual and quickly adapt to the English language; she stood out, the English needed her to communicate with the slaves, she received special treatment and did not sleep with the rest of the slaves. It was clear at that point that his intelligence would take his place. After reaching South Carolina and being purchased by Appleby, her intelligence presented her before her, Georgia made excessive comments about her rapid learning to speak and work. “She learned so quickly,” she said. 'Zing zing zing. Words fly out of his mouth like eagles” (Hill 129). Georgia and Aminata went around the village "catching babies", Georgia passed on her knowledge of herbs and their uses to Aminata "I've never seen anyone from Africa learn so quickly". Mamed also realized how intelligent she is and decided to try to help her learn to read and write, even though blacks were forbidden to read the language of "whites". Soon after, this proved to have benefited her when Mr. Lindo discovered that she could read. After Mr. Lindo discovered that she could read, he decided to buy her from Appleby. After that, he educated her further, mainly for his benefit as she would eventually work for him. He gave him the chance to learn the monetary system, taught him arithmetic and language. Clearly, she caught on quickly and enjoyed the challenge. "That's exactly why I bought you, I knew you'd catch on quickly." I saw the intelligence in your eyes and I wanted to raise you. After their learning sessions were over, Amanita ended up working for him. His employment with Aminata significantly changed his living conditions. She was able to read and educate herself, keep track of her accounts, and write letters on her behalf for free. His wife also gave him a book to read every month, he allowed her to continue being a midwife and keep the money she earned except paying her 10 shillings a week, while providing her with a framework stable life. This gave her a safe place to stay for 13 years, which helped calm her mind from her past traumatic experiences and regain her strength. She made him a lot of profit. Her intelligence allowed her to be valuable in the eyes of Mr. Lindo, by protecting her, being a better master than his previous one and not using physical violence. He even took her on a trip to New York after his wife's death so she wouldn't "waste away" alone in his house. Mr. Lindo's trip to New York was Aminata's first step toward freedom. She escapes his custody and becomes..