Afrofuturism & The McCoy Game

Grace Perry

Dr. June Ellis

EN376*01D

30 October 2023 

Afrofuturism and The McCoy Game

The article highlighting the Smithsonian's recent exhibition on Afrofuturism highlights the ways in which the topics of hope and courage have been discussed within our class. Mainly, there is an idea of rectifying the past but curating a future that succeeds on the histories that have been otherwise left behind. Many of the artifacts encapsulate the pain and sacrifices required of such visionary progress but, in turn, serve as a reminder to keep pushing forward. 

This notion of an unmentioned, forgotten past hold prominently in B.B. Alston's short story, The McCoy Game. The story opens by alluding to turmoil that has been brewing between Dre and Jamal, as well as their parents. There is an inherent mistrust towards family that underlines a lot of the familial relationships and no indication that there will be a positive progression for change. Once Dre and Jamal enter into the house, however, we see the tensions begin to build further, at the same time they are beginning to dissipate. Gradually, Jamal calls on his past in order to form a makeshift bridge over the gap that stretches between him and Dre. He recalls memories of happiness shared between the two, memories that are built upon the spirit of their grandfather and a dream of exploration. While the two are thrust together once more, this time as competitors, not as comrades as they have been in the past, they continue to experience the sense of extreme possibility and wonder that was once fostered by their grandfathers seemingly imaginative tales of space and adventure. Thus, it is no surprise then that the moment in which the pair becomes fully reconnected once more comes when Jamal turns around, looks back like a certain artifact on display in the Smithsonian's new exhibit, and pulls Dre forward with him. The nature of their Grandfather's competition was to utilize their unique and special strengths to work together to discover his secrets, strengths that were built and sustained by the tendrils of their once unbreakable bond. Alston depicts the way in which progress towards change cannot be made without first looking towards the past, rebuilding a world centered around personal joy and histories, providing an apt translation of the way in which Afrofuturism has been used, and will continue to be used, to inspire hope. 


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