Adeyemi Reflection (but I accidentally read the whole thing so spoilers are guaranteed; proceed with caution!)

Grace Perry

Dr. June Ellis

EN376*01 Postcolonial Futurism

23 October 2023

 The Implications of Loyalty

(Again, this is mostly about the end, my deepest condolences) 

Overall, this narrative implemented elements that are unique and captivating. There was a level of comfort behind it's development that reminded me of the period of time in which I read The Hunger Games series, forwards and backwards and forwards again. I was, undeniably, engrossed with every page and it brought to light, for me, an unexplored region of science fiction and how a reliance on an author's life experience can create a dynamic, utopian world. That being said, this novel deals with the feelings of loyalty and fear to an extreme degree and I struggled with coming to terms with how they intersected one another. 

The area I wish was given more development, is the relationship that builds between Inan and Zelie. From the start, I had an inkling they would be thrust together, and originally, I was anticipating how Adeyemi would bring the pair together. However, after the burning of Zelie's village, it felt as if we had moved past the point of no return and a union would not be possible. Yet, when Tzain and Amari are captured, there is that moment in which Zelie and Inan must unite together in order to get back their beloved siblings. I once again, was excited to see this develop, although I did no think this collaboration would lead to love, and I felt a lot of the character's growth was lost in the moment that it did. Zelie, who has fought for her people and her family, spends a day in the woods with a man who is not her brother, but did kill her mother, and is infatuated; immediately, her concerns for her family dwindle as she becomes occupied with thoughts of Inan. Inan's progression is the most fitting - he successfully plays the victim of the enemies-to-lovers trope, however, the reciprocal nature needed to make this trope successful felt unnatural and just, wrong. Thus, when it comes to the end, I am not surprised when Inan leads King Saran straight towards the temple, and in fact I think his character's ending is at a point in his development that is adequately indicative of his experienced emotional turmoil. With how both of the characters were positioned in the novel, a fear of the power of the King, with reliance on family's that represent each side of the conflict, I think a sarcastic acquaintance would have been more suiting, and the fact that it developed to the extent that it did, made Zelie feel like a stagnant character.

Additionally, in this development of love, I felt that Inan and Zelie quickly disregard their loyalty to family that each of them emphasized so strongly in the beginning. Inan unites with Zelie in order to help his sister, yet he barely bats an eye when they find her. Focusing instead on Zelie, she becomes the focal point of their conversations and they seem to each agree that their life's worth of family trauma ought to be put on hold. Additionally, Zelie's relationship with Amari shifts, and Amari feels like she becomes more of a crutch for Zelie's progress, and little to no indication is made of her own development and progression, except for one brief chapter towards the end. Further, Tzain's relationship with Amari shifts as a result. They were the slow burn I was rooting for, and yet that development came to a halt the moment Zelie's feelings for Inan came to light, as Tzain remains unwavering in his loyalty to their goal and family. Amari's desires fall aside again and she is further instilled as a fixture used as a passive voice of reason, without thanks, to any of the other characters. Tzain and Zelie's relationship takes an interesting turn in which Zelie is loyal to her feelings of guilt, and Tzain is constantly fluctuating through anger and compassion. Their fear for, and of, one another never seems to reach any agreement and thus sees no progress. 

Overall, I know this is a fairly harsh reflection of the character's endings, but I think that it still remains a testament to how fear can make loyalty messy, and how our reactions to fear can influence our continued ability to connect with one another. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LaValle Reflection

  Elizabeth Thompson Dr. Ellis EN 376 6 November 2023 Identity and Mission             LaValle characterizes Grimace’s mission as a spiritual one that is suited to his identity. Near the end of the book Kim says, “Each of us gets the job that suits us. You have been used to hearing the voices others can’t hear… That’s why you’re the Signalman” (37). She then says she is the Pilot because traveling between Earth and the Astral City requires “Someone used to navigating between a world where they’re understood and a world where they’re misjudged” (37). While Kim is talking about the displacement of her people from Africa across the world via colonization and living as a sort of misjudged alien in those places, she could also be alluding to her gender identity. When Grimace asks her what she thinks about church, Kim says, “Half my good memories happened in my church. A few of the bad ones too. But it’s like first love, it always has a place in your heart” (24). Later, she jokes with Grimac
Read more

Adeyemi 2nd Weekly Reflection

  Joshua Singh Dr. Ellis EN 376 Second Adeyemi Reflection One of the benefits the novel’s structure serves is that each chapter follows the perspective of a singular character. This can also highlight the parallels between different characters' realizations of what is happening around them as well as how this realization compares to what they have been taught growing up. More specifically, Amari and Inan’s internal conflictedness stands at odds with their father’s teaching, and their maturation is seen through how they define themselves against him. For example, Amari does not want to emulate her father’s violence and cruelty, nor does she want to continue in the path of violence and destruction that he has shown her since the beginning of his reign. After she kills one of the captains, the spectators of Orisha applaud them and call Amari “Lionare.” Rather than feeling honored by this, Amari rebukes any of the glorification that would usually accompany being cheered on with a t
Read more

LaVelle Reflection, We Travel the Spaceways

 Ruth Owusu  Dr. Juniper Ellis  Postcolonial Literature  LaVelle Reflection, We Travel the Spaceways     In the short story, We Travel the Spaceways, it is an oddly entertaining story. I understood it to be an inside look into Grimace's daily life and mind as a homeless man in New York City. Even in this futuristic tale, homelessness is still a struggle and people's treatment remains negative. However, with the arrival of Kim, she is unlike the other human beings. She is willing to sit, talk, and walk with Grimace and together be a part of each world. That fact, I would say was a big takeaway for me in how Kim was receptive and kind to Grimace, fully aware of his status in society. This was only possible because she was a spirit made flesh. There are many times when his soda bottles, labeled as his friends, would talk with him but also guide him as a means of protection, in rough times. As well as, his mind thinking about space and the Pathfinders. All these measures were a par
Read more