Alex Haley's Roots: A Tale of Search Against Uprootedness (original) (raw)
, a famous American biographer, scriptwriter and novelist published his most famous and historical novel ROOTS in the year 1976. He did something no black person had been able to do before: he got Americans to view history from a black perspective. The vehicle he used was 'ROOTS: The Saga of an American Family' his 688 page fictional interpretation of the genealogy of his family beginning with a kidnapped African boy brought to the United States as a slave in the mid-1700's. Haley traced in it his ancestry back to Africa and covered seven American generations, starting from his African ancestor, Kunta Kinte. 'ROOTS' touches the pulse that how alike we human beings are when we get down to the bottom beneath these man-imposed differences Thus ROOTS is an example of a man's sudden uprootedness from his motherland, from his culture. The suffering, pain and agony that he goes through and it speaks about the untiring struggle for his existence. Alex Haley, a famous American biographer, scriptwriter and novelist published his most famous and historical novel ROOTS in the year 1976. He did something no black person had been able to do before: he got Americans to view history from a black perspective. The vehicle he used was 'ROOTS: The Saga of an American Family' his 688 page fictional interpretation of the genealogy of his family beginning with a kidnapped African boy brought to the United States as a slave in the mid-1700's. It became an immediate bestseller for this book had given African-Americans their sense of identify; he had given them a history. It is worth repeating the subtitle of the book, 'The Saga of an American Family', for it demonstrates that Haley was trying to make a broad statement about everyone's roots, not just those of African-Americans, and no doubt he struck a chord. As Alex Haley once stated-"Roots is not just a saga of my family. It is the symbolic saga of a people." It was as if the entire country was having an identity crisis and readers of any race could better understand their own lives through the multi-generational saga Haley had written. Haley traced in it his ancestry back to Africa and covered seven American generations, starting from his African ancestor, Kunta Kinte. 'ROOTS' touches the pulse that how alike we human beings are when we get down to the bottom beneath these man-imposed differences. He emphasized on the point that in every place there lives three group of people; first are those we could see walking around, eating, sleeping and working. Second are the ancestors-"And the third people-who are they?"asked Kunta. "The third people, "said Omoro, "are those waiting to be born." These lines clearly state the triumph of meaninglessness of existence by experiencing Kinte's recognition in the deep roots and bonds of culture and relationships. As the color of an
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Alex Haley, As A Family Genealogist Who Traced His Roots From His Ancestors
Think India, 2019
Alex Haley, a famous biographer, novelist and a family genealogist of an American writer. His most popular novel Roots is published in the year 1976. Roots: The Saga of An American Family, has 688 page fictional description of the genealogy of his family beginning with a kidnapped his ancestors of village Gambia. Roots covering seven generations, the story did not stop here. Alex Haley went two centuries back to find the trace of Kunta Kinte’s roots existence. Haley did claim that his actual ancestor was identified as Kunta Kinte as per the Griot, the story teller.
An account of popular responses to the 1977 miniseries Roots, based on letters sent to the Executive Producer, David Wolper, to author Alex Haley, and to television networks.
Afrocentrism and Resistance in Roots
Roots, by Alex Haley, one of the most famous African American slave narratives, has, over time, been critiqued more as a historical text than a literary and creative extension of the African American people. In addition, the tenet of Afrocentricism in the novel has been grossly misrepresented. The research examines the inherent exegesis of Afrocentricism vis-à-vis the notion of Resistance, which constitutes a core thematic precoccupation in the novel and which expurgates the nuances of extremist Afrocentricism. Premised on these two sub-tenets of postcolonialism, this study addresses the complexity of identity construction in the novel. It demonstrates that Afrocentricism and Resistance foreground the sure-fire import of Roots among other collective bodies of African American literature that aptly respond to the theme of slavery, its aftermaths, and identity reconstruction. It reaffirms the position of Roots as a canonical literary text which also explicitly projects the tune of liberal Afrocentricism as a crucial step towards identity reconstruction among Africans and people from African descent; the debate of liberal Afrocentricism as a viable roadmap to self-discovery; and a physical and psychological rebirth that accentuates the success tale of African American people. It contends that the total emancipation of the African and African American societies lies mainly in the consistent search for both individual and collective identity through a continuous introspect into their past. It concludes that liberal Afrocentricism remains the rational roadmap to understanding Roots, against the backdrop of critics that have misrepresented as well as undermined the legendary import of the novel as a definitive African American literary canon.
The Quest for Roots and Belonging in Contemporary American Biography
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This essay deals with a fairly recent development in American literature and culture, which plays a part in the ongoing debate around a possible apology for slavery: the emergence of autobiographical narratives dealing with the attempt to find one’s roots and, possibly, those family members who have not usually been acknowledged by the family because of their existence on the other, opposite side of the “color line.” After a brief introduction to the importance of biracial heritage in contemporary America, the article focuses on factors that may have contributed to the emergence of these biographies before providing a short comparison of the narratives through the common motif of the family secret. In the conclusion, it outlines the importance of these narratives in the context of passing on American history to the younger generations.
Multisensory Experience of the Middle Passage in Alex Haley's Roots
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For a long time, the experience of the Middle Passage was referred to as "resistant to storytelling" – too traumatic to write about it, unsuited for the narrative form, and easier to express in poetry (Harding 2005). In the last thirty years, a shift in this attitude can be observed, particularly among black writers, who try to supplement those gaps in history consciously. In this chapter I propose a study of one of the most powerful fictionalized Middle Passage narratives presented in Alex Haley’s novel “Roots” (1976) that will serve as a departure point to speak about the difficult heritage of slavery and the forced migration of Africans. In this article, my analysis is conducted from the perspective of literary studies, recognizing that heritage is also a form of discourse constituting a part of culture (Smith 2006, 4) and is mediated in various forms; thus, examining literature that represents heritage is both meaningful and justified. Literary text analyzed in this chapter have profoundly influenced American perceptions of the transatlantic slave trade. The chapter seeks to comprehensively analyze the depiction of the Middle Passage within these seminal works through a multisensory mobility lens. Emphasizing the sensory disorientation and adaptation that the enslaved endured, the chapter aims to elucidate the visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile elements embedded in this literary narrative. The ensuing discussion will offer a nuanced understanding of the sociocultural and psychological ramifications of slavery and its enduring legacy. Central to this examination is a concept of multisensory mobility, exploring the intricate interplay of multiple senses and their relationship with the movement depicted within said narrative.
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