Topic > A Theme of Oppression in "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi

There are different forms of oppression in this world. Many young people today complain that they have no freedom, they complain that they are too busy and they complain that there is no private space. You no longer have time to do what you like. But when I think about it, many people have even become slaves to other people. They don't have time to do their own thing. They must follow the life path of others. This is greater oppression. In Homegoing, oppression has become one of the most useful issues to discuss and the most challenging question. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Racial oppression is very prominent and evident in this book. Usually when we discuss racial repression and discrimination, the priority may be the issue we are discussing, but the name may also reflect the issue of racial repression. An example is Millicent, the half caste born to an African mother and a white man, “Millicent's mother had been given a new name by her white husband” (Gyasi 9). The English replaced the woman's maiden name with the surname of the husband she marries to associate her with the new family. The statement “His father had seven other children who could carry on the Otcher-Collins legacy. He wanted to be a man without a name” by Giacomo is evidence of the familial importance placed on the title (Gyasi 104). For him, it meant he had to sacrifice himself to maintain the legacy, while living without it would free him to follow his heart. As for this African woman, she could have chosen not to accept it, but since it was a white man, she had to. The “original meaning” has been lost. In their basic form, names describe one individual among many people. James' father Richard Collins said: “Will he not yet be a prince to our people and to the whites too? I gave him a mighty name” when asked why he gave his son three British names (Gyasi 90). To him they were a label for his son, and he focused on finding him powerful regardless of the social balance he would have to fit into. This primary purpose of a title becomes essential for Africans in slavery where they had to remember the people they encountered. When Ma Aka escaped with Kojo, he called him Freeman because he was no longer a slave, so he told his story. He notes that many freed slaves used the same name because they had no identity other than that of former slaves. When he had his children, he gave them names that meant alphabetical order until they expected H and the letter stuck with them as a noun. Through Kojo the perspective of a name as a personal identity is elaborated. When Mr. Matheson tells him “Taking away your name is the first step” Jo does not ask what that means because he is referring to the implication that slavery took away their identity (Gyasi 118). Another example is when Ethel gets angry at H for calling her by another woman's name and reminding her of her losses, she says “…My freedom. My family. My body. And now I can't even own my own name?”. A person's name defines them because it is the reference used to talk about them and represents all their qualities and experiences. This is the biggest psychological stress when you can't use your name as usual. In the book, many stereotypes of blacks towards whites can also explain the further influence of oppression. “Besides, if we go to school from the white man, we will simply learn the way the white man wants us to learn. We will come back and build the country that the white man wants us to build. One who continues to serve them. Not.