Bokomoko

What I found interesting about chapters 15 and 16 were the return of Bokomoko. I was wondering why the author had decided not to introduce his character physically into the novel, but merely left him as an idea and rumored figure throughout the story. The women keep discussing him, the men ponder his return, Touti reevaluates her morals for this guy, but we don't ever really get the whole picture of who this character is. His elusive character in the novel almost gives him a profit like presence when he returns to Thies. I wondered why the author brought him back just as the strike was taking a turn for the better, or so the men thought by the reactions of the French. I also found his character intriguing because he does have a mysterious way about him. I thought it was interesting how upon his arrival his own uncle was unsure if he had actually been there or if he was merely dreaming. Bokomoko's character came off to me as more of a spirit-like character. He came off as elusive and mystical and his presence gave the people hope, like a profit does. I think that his presence in the novel is suppose to signify a change in events and that he will make a difference in the course of the novel, and hopefully pick up the pace a little. I'm a little tired of this dried out sob story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrN4nSmqDh8&feature=related some fun African jams

The Apprentices

In chapter 13 a new band of heros are introduced into the story. In this chapter the apprentices enter center stage and truly give an astounding performance. At first they are shown just being regular teenage boys wanting to have fun and entertain themselves. As the chapter progresses however, the boys seem to be swept with an overwhelming autonomy that drives them to take the initiative and help their village. The boys set out on hunting escapades and are mostly successful in their endeavors. The townspeople are joyous about the incoming food, regardless of what it is, and the boys feel like their importance in the community is validated. But it is not the meager food supply being drawn in that is truly propelling the strike forward. It is the destructive behaviors of the apprentices that really has the French on their toes. What I found interesting about this chapter was that despite all of the efforts of their adult counterparts, the apprentices were the ones who really showed that they were merciless and not a force to be reckoned with. I also was humored by the fact that the boys probably had very little intention of inflicting terror with their homemade arsenal, and in reality were probably just trying to kill time and have fun. The impact of their actions however were that the French were incredibly alarmed by their vandalism and struck with fear that the targets would soon become their posh flower boxes or small children. I appreciated the symbolism of glass that the author used in this chapter. From my own perspective I saw the glass as a symbol of fragility as well as european customs and modernized manufacturing. I found that it was very effective that the apprentices used homemade slingshots to destroy machine manufactured items like cars and lamp posts. The juxtaposition of the two worlds really came to light in the scenes where the boys go into town. I also think that having this event come at this point in the story was advantageous because it symbolizes the start of the French starting to crack. Also the authors description of the glass being shiny and broken also seems to me like this is serving as a parallel to the strikers view of the French.  

and the cracks begin to show;;

My sentiment towards chapter 12 was that the author had decided to finally emerge from the depressing exposition of the book and finally depict a change of pace in the momentum( or lack there of) of the strike. Chapter 12 serves as a turning point for the Senegalese in their battle against the French's oppression.Up until this point in the book the efforts of the strikers seemed to be at a dead halt. The French were consistently asserting their dominance and exhibiting their control advantageously. Until chapter 12 there is really no sign that the French are by any means breaking down or willing to compromise. Because the book is written from the perspective of the strikers for the most part, we do not really have any intel on how the French men are handling the situation or how desperate they are to get the strikers to comply with their needs and unfair regulations. I think this choice was interesting because the author has written chapters from the perspective of the French, but the presence of these chapters in the story do not occur often. By doing this the author effectively allows the reader to feel as though they are in the shoes of the strikers, and just as clueless to the efficaciousness of the strike. By not including the sentiments of the French explicitly, the reader subconsciously is able to relate to the mindset of the strikers because the struggles of their daily lives are being over exploited. So far in the novel, the story has been all about the French's successful oppression of the strikers. It is for this reason that the incident between Doudou and Isnard is such a turning point in the plot. The French are shown becoming more vulnerable and in this particular scene the strikers are given the upper hand and thus adding momentum to their efforts to gain respect and fairness from the white men. The fact that Doudou rejects Isnard's proposal for a large sum of money and a high position just goes to show how dedicated the strikers are to their cause. So who said the strikers were the eggs again? Maybe it's about time to reconsider.  

Fire & Water

In chapter nine we see the women of Dakar finally reach their breaking point. Tired of playing the passive timid women they are expected to be, the women finally take matters into their own hands. After enduring long spans of time without food or water the women could no longer manage to merely meander around town begging for food and water. They knew in their hearts that if they wanted to get things done, they needed to take more drastic measures. I think that the brutality caused by the women shows the inner struggles that they have been dealing with that are finally coming out, and the rage is being directed at the Frenchmen. Despite the graphic details depicted in this chapter that pertains to the women's actions, the main thing that stuck out to me was the symbolism of fire and water. When the police come to arrest Ramatoulaye, Mame Sofi proposes that the women light fires to spook the horses. Although they could have spooked the horses in many ways, like making loud noises I found it interesting that the author used fire. In my own interpretation I thought that the fire was an allegory to the strike itself. The Senegalese were the ones who ignited the flame and now it was quickly burning way out of their control. Just like the fire the strike was started by the Africans wanted to protect themselves from the oppression being brought upon them by the French. The Senegalese workers thought that the strike would benefit them and eventually have a positive outcome, just as Mame Sofi thought that they could combat the Frenchmen on horses with fire and win the overall battle, making them go away. But the reality of the situation was much more harsh than they had expected. The strike had left many families devastated, hungry, thirsty, and even more poor than they had started. Similarly, women thought that lighting the fire would help them achieve their purpose of getting rid of the Frenchmen when the result ended up harming them and their community. Fire also has a negative destructive connotation that has the potential to get out of hand. These aspects of fire are what lead me to believe that fire is a good symbol of the might of the strike and its potential outcomes. It also resembles that the Senegalese people are less in control of their actions. In contrast, the French fight the Senegalese with water. When the women are at the police station the Frenchmen decide that the way to get rid of the women is to blast them with water from fire hoses. I thought it was interesting that the author chose this method because metaphorically, they are trying to extinguish the fire of the strike. Also the symbolism in choosing water as their weapon represents the control that the French have in the situation. Literally it exhibits that they have control over a vital resource that they have not been providing. Metaphorically, it shows the controlled and effective methods that the French use to assert their power.