Book Report On Gods Bits Of Wo
The novel was published in 1960, just before Senegal became independent. It is based on a famous railroad strike which occurred in 1947-48. The novel focuses on the late stages of French colonialism. Sembene writes a dramatic and compelling story about the strike. He also uses it to make economic, political, and cultural points, as well, in support of Senegal's struggle against the French and labor's struggle with management.
The novel will seem familiar in form and style. That is, it's a realist-didactic, strike novel that utilizes Western techniques. It is a political novel. The narrative is direct and sequential. The novel may seem long, but it's a relatively easy and "good" read. It ...
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with each town helps, as well.
The action takes place in several locations (an interesting filmic term)--primarily in Bamako, Thiès, and Dakar. The map at the beginning shows the locations and suggests that the story is about a whole country and all of its people. There is a large cast of characters associated with each place. Some are featured players--Fa Keita, Tiemoko, Maimouna, Ramatoulaye, Penda, Deune, N'Deye, Dejean, and Bakayoko. Others part of the populace. You could say that the fundamental conflict is captured in two people, Dejean (the French manager and colonialist) and Bakayoko (the soul and spirit of the strike.) In another sense, however, the main characters of the novel are the people as a collective, the places they inhabit, and the railroad.
Economic, Political, and Social Change: The world Sembene portrays is in flux, maybe even in turmoil. Economic, political, and social changes are underway. The strike intensifies the forces of change and sharpens our ...
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color of their skin" (77). The French assume "the right to an absolute authority over beings whose color made of them . . . men of another, inferior condition" (177-78). The traditional roles for African women are clearly portrayed --especially through Niakoro and Assitan. But things are changing: "The women became conscious that a change was coming for them, as well" (33). This is made clear through characters like Ramatoulaye, N'Deye, and Penda--and in the end, all of the women who march on Dakar. The French regard the differences between Africans and Europeans as cultural, as well as racial, as a matter of superior and inferio. Giving in to striker demands, e.g. would be "a ...
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"Book Report On Gods Bits Of Wo." Essayworld.com. June 26, 2007. Accessed April 18, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Book-Report-On-Gods-Bits-Wo/67044.
"Book Report On Gods Bits Of Wo." Essayworld.com. June 26, 2007. Accessed April 18, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Book-Report-On-Gods-Bits-Wo/67044.
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