One moment that made me feel sad but happy at the same time was when Benjamin gave Tituba her freedom. Even though I felt happy she got her freedom, I was still sad because of the cause that led to it. Benjamin lost the house, ships and more importantly his children. I was surprised Benjamin did not blame Tituba for his lost after all she was recognized as one of the witch of Salem but instead he blamed himself claiming that it was God punishing him for not giving Tituba her freedom. Tituba did not want her freedom at that very high price meaning abandoning Benjamin after losing everything. Everything about Benjamin surprised me immensely because he got Tituba out of the prison to make her a slave but it was more like looking a mother for his children. A mother can never be replaced but it was good to see that Tituba and the children got along. I think it was like a dream for Tituba because she found peace in the house and also a replacement for John.
Monthly Archives: March 2016
Post #8 – Frank Lopez
In the reading, the part that stood out to me the most was in chapter 8 (page. 127), when Tituba was talking to Benjamin Cohen D’Azevedo in bed. Benjamin was saying how Jewish people had it though and Tituba retaliated saying, “And what about us? Do you know how many of us have been bled from the coast of Africa.” I thought it put everything into perspective because when Africans were being enslaved all these bad things were also happening to Jewish people too. I also found it interesting how well they connected because they were different and discriminated on. Though the relationship was very short-lived it seems that Tituba was very happy being with him. I think that the relationship was forced at first but eventually I felt like they genuinely fell in love and that he was not a bad guy.
Chapter 8- 13 Janelle Alleyne
From the reading the part that stood out to me was the part where benjamin talks about the relationship between his wife and his daughter. he describes them to have a relationship like sisters. this stood out to me because metahebel and her mother had a realationship when she was a live that resembles the realationship Tituba shares with her now that shes dead. Another part that stood out to we was when Tituba was updated on the life John Indian has been living while she was suffering. The fact that he was sleeping with someone else showed that he was not only putting on an act to survive around the superior but he was also putting on an act with Tituba. This shows how much he really didnt love her and all he was was an act.
Krystal Corry – I, Tituba (Chapter 5-9)
Just as we discussed in class with a negative out look on it. I too disliked, no, I hated the fact that Tituba wanted to be with a slave when she was already free and safely living with Mama YaYa. Tituba wanted to experience a ‘real love’ and she felt she could have got that with John Indian. Now that Tituba is with John Indian’s owners, Samuel Parris and his wife, Tituba grows a bond with Samuel’s Parris wife. Tituba sees that she is sick and tries to take care of her. Tituba also takes care of there two little girls, treating both them and the mother with remedies she has learnt from mama Yaya. I found that interesting that although white people treated black people so cruelly, Tituba still seen beyond that and looked for a persons sincerity beyond their skin color. Tituba is indeed courageous for that, and throughout the story we see ways at which Tituba is very open-minded. However in such a racist, demeaning society Titutba is often taking advantage of. Also the way that Samuel Parris treated Tituba and her husband John Indian very cruelly, she was still nice to his wife despite that. It goes to further prove Tituba’s beautiful personality.
Krystal Corry – I, Tituba (Chapter 1-4)
I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Conde is a novel told in first person by a women named Tituba. In the chapter one to four we learn alot about Tituba and her family. Tituba was born from a black slave who was raped by a white man causing Tituba’s mom to get pregnant with her. Tituba’s mom, Abena often found it hard to love Tituba, but Tituba loved her regardless. It hurt me to read the way Tituba’s mom was scared to hold her, and craddle her. Abena would then take ordered from her significant other, Yao on how to love Tituba, but it was never true. I really love Yao’s character. Yao is so humble and open minded and you do not find that kind of spirit often is such a brutal time of society. He promised Abena to love her, and love Tituba although that was not his biological child. Although the love and affection was lacked from Titubas mother, Abena, Yao gave Tituba enough love to count for the both of them. The way that I instantly fell in awe of these three characters it took a very extraordinary turn. Abena had stumbled across Darnell Davis, a man who had once owned her. When he noticed that Abena looked healthy, he tried to rape her and Abena striked him with the cutlass. Abena was then sent to be hanged. The agony of losing his true love, Yao committed suicide. Abena died, Yao died. My desire to witness if Abena could ever love Tituba regardless of how she was conceived in the world never happened. My desire to see is Yao could be the fixture to Tituba and Abena relationship never happened.
Tituba post#7
There wasn’t a part that stood out to me, but a character. Hester stood out to me the most. In the few chapters she was alive she had a huge impact on tituba. Hester was a feminist and she rubbed off on tituba because when John Indian came to meet her she starts to question whether or not he cared for her well being. John Indian looked healthy and clean while tituba was suffering. Soon after when Hester takes her own life tituba contemplates whether or not she should follow Hester. Tituba was very hurt by the death of Hester and I believe this will cause tituba to change and also become a feminist in order to defend herself. You can see how hesters death took a toll on tituba when she goes on her little rant about getting revenge and wanting to join Hester. In a place where all tituba knew was suffering she found a friend in a sort. A women who you’d believe was strong but instead took her own life.
I, Tituba – Part II- Chapters 2-7
One of the things that most caught my attention in this part of the story. Is that this talk about how women had a lower status in society regardless of whether the woman was a slave. Also in this part is talk about terms like “feminism”. Also this part is peculiar because it is showing a Tituba who feels insecure worried and even frightened, since she feels that she lost her family support that helped in some way to keep fighting for her ideals. But most important, I think, it is that Tituba learns to follow the advice of people in order to get a rematch against those who put in jail. And this is interesting because she believes in a woman which barely knows and this is estrane because when her own husband tells her to do the same. She does not listen to him
Blog 7
The reading that is most interesting now is we are finally seeing the true side of John Indian, he is now in full blown survival mode, and acting very selfish all he has on his mind is self-preservation. John Indian is now acting as if he is being tormented by spirits and is calling the names of others including his wife Tituba and finally she is seeing the words of Abena and Mama Yaya coming true. They told her he would bring her trouble, now she realizes that Hester was correct about him too. After she spoke to him in the barn where she was shackled up and he realize tituba feelings for him has started to change she never saw him again. Also tituba found out that Hester hanged herself. This was a devastating blow to tituba’s heart, she lost the last person she could have absolutely confided in.
I, Tituba – Chapters 2-7 of Part II
In the beginning of this section of readings, I noticed that Tituba seemed to be more herself in prison. She befriends another women like herself who’s black and labeled as an outcast named Hester, who is being held in there for adultery. Tituba and Hester starts developing a good relationship in which they are able to share their stories with one another. It seems as if Hester is more open to Tituba than she is to Hester. This is proven when Tituba tells a “story” to Hester’s unborn baby in her womb, and when Hester asks if that’s her own actual story, she denies it. It shows that Tituba seemed afraid to even trust her own kind now. However, this may be because she was once with a minister but Hester hates him and the children he has made her brought into this world. So, she is still more similar in ways than the ones she helped curing that went against her like Betsy and Elizabeth. For sure, the town of Salem has made Tituba to be uncertain of who is worthy of her story.
Indraine Ramdut
Tituba Chapter 8-12
During the reading, I found something very significant in this scene. Tituba encountered Benjamin Cohen d’Azevedo, a Jew, who had tragic history of losing his wife and his youngest children from an epidemic disease. I found this scene kind of sad because Benjamin cannot get over his deceased wife. Furthermore, Tituba decided to support him by speaking to his deceased wife. I discover this very interesting because this was first time that Benjamin had ever communicate with invisible spirits. Moreover, Benjamin and Tituba revealed their different tragic historical and cultural backgrounds. Another very important scene in this was Tituba reunion with Mary Black. It was very ironic because both ladies were being accused as witches. Mary revealed to Tituba about the town’s deception since many girls were being tricked by their parents for money, land and rivalries. Also, the villagers planned to force Samuel Parris out of the village. Tituba also found out that John Indian was in Topsfield. This had left her devastated.