As I come closer to the end of the book I begin to like Sophie’s character a little more. Even though Sophie and her mother had many problem in the past (mostly because of the test) I like the fact that they were both able to overcome their problems, so they can maintain a healthy mother-daughter relationship. I also like the fact that Sophie started to go to a sexual phobia group (therapy), I feel that it was well need for her.  For Sophie to be around people that have a type similar story to why they are having problems with sex and how that problem has affected their lives is good, I feel that these group meetings is helping Sophie to get over her problems with sex and the “Test”. Lastly Sophie’s mother passing, I really wasn’t surprised that Sophie’s mother took her own life. Often in the book Sophie’s mother nightmares got even worst because of the pregnancy, she even stated that everywhere she looked she saw the face of the man who raped her. I believe that the pregnancy made Martine go insane, she truly believed that her baby was a boy and that he was tormenting her. The reason I wasn’t surprised Marine took her own life was because of the gathering she had at her house (with Marc, Joseph and Sophie). At this gathering Joseph was singing Martine’s favorite spiritual “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child”,she then stated that “ I want that sung at my funeral”. I don’t know why but when Sophie’s family mentions something about funerals they tend to believe that their time has come.  

Based on what I have read Sophie is still in Haiti. During her time there Sophie had many discussions with her family members about the test and why women go through it. Tante Atie stated that “men insist that their women are virgins and have their ten fingers, Atie would then explain that each finger had a purpose “mothering, boiling, loving, baking, nursing, frying, healing, washing, ironing, scrubbing”.  This was the way Atie was taught in order to prepare herself to become a women. This sentence reminded me of the class discussion we had on Tuesday about how women where often seen as tools or objects by men. Another moment in the book that showed me that women where just seen as objects by men was the story the grandmother told about the “extremely rich man who married a poor black girl”. In their culture its seems to be very important that a man married a women who is untouched (virgin) or else the man’s honor and reputation would  be relinquish. The rich cared so much about  his reputation that he cut his soon to be wife between the legs so he can prove to the people in the town that she was a virgin, later on his actions against her would result in her death. When Sophie ask her grandma “why mothers put their daughters through the test” I was able to learn that if the daughter doesn’t pass the test not just her but the mother as well would be thought of as a disgrace, also the test in some type of way is preparing the daughter for a husband. Another moment I found interesting was when Sophie built up the courage to ask her mom “why you put me through those tests”. The mothers respond “because my mother had done it to me”, wasn’t really a shocker for me because I already had a feeling that the “test” was some type of family tradition.

Based on what I have read Sophie has grown up to become a beautiful young lady, this statement is supported by the Haitian van driver who was worshiping her like she was a goddess. I have also noticed that Sophie is now a mother, her and her husband Joseph have a Twenty week year old daughter named Brigitte Ife Woods (Ife is a tribute to her grandmother). I have learned that the grandma lost one of her children while she was pregnant (a long time ago). What stood out to me in this reading is the fact that Sophie rarely has sex even though she is married. The reason I think this is important is because I feel that the “TEST” played a big part in her feelings about sex. In the book Sophie spoke to her grandma about the Test and how it humiliated her, She also stated that the “TEST” made her hate her body and how she is “ashamed to show it to anybody including her husband”.

In this read Sophie is now eighteen years old and getting ready to go to college. During this period Sophie and her mother moved into a one-family house in a neighborhood where Marco lived. It is in this neighborhood where Sophie falls in love with her next door neighbor, a man named Joseph (he is a musician). Often Sophie’s mother would warn her to stay away from him, mostly because she (the mother) did not trust him (cause he’s American), but Sophie did not listen to her mother. Occasionally Sophie would sneak out at night to go to music clubs and restaurants with Joseph and I truly believe that when she’s with him is when she’s most free, like there’s no restraint, unlike when she’s with her mother. In my opinion I think that Sophie is starting to gain some sense of bravery and confidence in the way that she doesn’t let her mother stop her from being with the man she loves.                                                                                                       Two things got my attention in this reading. The first was Sophie’s mother and her nightmares, often when she (the mom) goes to sleep Sophie would hear her “screaming for someone to leave her alone”. I believe that every time Sophie’s mom falls asleep she keeps having the same dream about the day she was raped. Lastly, the thing that surprised me the most was Sophie and what she did with the pestle, I mean didn’t know she was willing to go so far just to be with Joseph, plus never read of someone using kitchenware like that.

At this point in the reading Sophie has arrived in New York City to meet up/Live with her mother. In the reading I can still sense that Sophie did not want to leave Tante Atie behind in Haiti, as she stated when she went with her mother to a Haiti express “if I had the power to shrink myself and slip into the envelope, I would have done it”. Also in an early post I stated that “Atie has feelings for Mr. Augustin” I was surprised to find out that Donald (Mr. Augustin) was suppose to marry Atie, but he change his mind when Lotus (Madame Augustin) came along. A moment in this reading that really got my attention was when Sophie saw a picture of her mother, Atie and herself as an infant. Upon looking at this picture she was trying to “look for traces in the child (herself)”, some features that her and her mother shared, but she couldn’t find any and at this moment Sophie stated that “it was the first time in her life that I noticed that I looked like no one in my family”. Often when she went out with her mother people would stare at them and she always felt that she was being judge because she had no resemblance to her mother. Later on in the chapter her mother would explain how she (Sophie) was born, Sophie would then found out that she was a product of rape. Sophie’s mother would then say that “it is true what they say. A child out of wedlock always looks like its father”. Stating that Sophie looks more like her father than her mother.

Based on what I have read so far, the book is about a young girl named Sophie who is living with her aunt Atie in Croix-des-Rosets (located in Haiti). One thing I found interesting in the read is the fact that aunt Atie believes that the “old bible” has the answers to everything, but she doesn’t know how to read and refuses to learn from children (Even though its her dream to be able to read). Another thing I found interesting was the way Atie acted around Monsieur Augustin, I had the sneaking suspicion that Atie has feelings for Mr. Augustin. Coming closer to the end of chapter 4 I got the feeling that Sophie didn’t really want to leave Atie and move to New York with her mom, in my personal opinion it felt like Atie was more of a mother figure to Sophie than her actual mother.

I would truly recommend I, Tituba Black Witch of Salem to anyone who likes stories/books with drama. I can’t help but feel that Tituba’s life was a tragic one. So many times in the story she would fall in love with men who eventually would lead her to her own downfall. After all of her failed attempts at trying to find a man who would love her, you would have thought that Tituba would finally heed Mama Yaya and Abena warnings about men, but unfortunately no. She falls in love again and this time with a young boy named Iphigene. Iphigene would be the man who would ultimately lead Tituba to her death. The two of them was planning a rebellion against the plantation owners in Barbados, numerous times in the final chapter Tituba would get a bad feeling about the rebellion and would try to warn Iphigene about it but he wouldn’t listen. Because of his ignorance the cabin they were staying in was set in fire, they escaped the flaming cabin only to found out that they were surrounded by soldiers (who had known about their plan), at last Tituba’s life who come to an end.

In this reading Tituba is working for a Jewish man named Benjamin Cohen d’Azevedo. Man who has lost his wife and youngest kid. Benjamin and his family are originally from Portugal but they where force to flee because of religious persecution. Unlike Tituba past owners I feel that Benjamin truly cared about her. He let her stay with him even though he know she was a witch, he gave her some of his decease wife’s clothes, he took care of her when she got injured, he sexual intercourse with her, also he gave Tituba her freedom even though he was opposed to giving it to her in the begin. Tituba was pleased with working for him. She showed her gratitude by givng him the opportunity to see/talk to his decease wife. To sum it up even though it was for a short time you can get the sense that Tituba and Benjamin’s family cared about each other. You can concluded that they were kind of in the same predicament as they (Tituba and Benjamin’s) both were kinda the outcast of the colony and the colonial people was not really fond them.

In this reading I kind of started to feel happy for Tituba as most of her accusers where dying. I also found it interesting how she made this bond with this cellmate named Hester, despite feeling that every time she makes friends it usually brings her misfortunes. I feel that even though Hester wasn’t alive that long in this reading, she played an important role in Tituba’s time in prison because she kinda gave Tituba some type of confidence even when she (Tituba) had thoughts of committing suicide, she also help prepare Tituba for her court case. Finally the person that surprised me the most was John Indian a character that is known to do whatever it takes to survive, call his own wife a witch. At that point I realize that he was an opportunist, a person that would do anything to benefit themselves. I mean how could you really turn on your wife.

In this reading the part that I found interesting was on page 77 when Tituba was asking Betsey “who has turned you against me?”. At this point I really started to feel bad for Tituba, because she (Tituba) treated and cared for Betsey as if she was her own daughter.  To have someone you nurture turn on you and call you an evil witch is distraught full. On a side note I’m starting to notice that Abigail act more like a witch (devil) then kind hearted Tituba.