Conversation Starters
for
Yaa Gyasi’s
Homegoing
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Table of Contents
Introducing Homegoing
Introducing the Author
Discussion Questions
Quiz Questions
Quiz Answers
Introducing Homegoing
Homegoing: A Novel is a book written by Yaa Gyasi. It tells the story of
sisters, families, and generations of Africans and African Americans whose
lives are defined by slavery, the struggle for freedom, and the histories of
tribes and nations.
The novel starts in 18th century Ghana, Africa with the story of an
enslaved woman, Maame, who gives birth on the same night that she
escapes her tribal captors. She leaves her baby daughter behind who is
raised by her real father and a surrogate mother who is cruel to her. Effia
grows up not knowing about her bloodline and is forced to marry an
Englishman who manages the slave trade in the Gold Coast. Meanwhile,
Maame marries another man from her own village and bears another
daughter. Like her first daughter Effia, her second daughter Esi is separated
from her through the forces of slavery. The Fante tribe captures Esi and
through the Englishman's slave trade business, Esi arrives in America.
While Effia stays in Ghana and bears children and grandchildren, Esi
becomes the mother of many generations in America. Their stories progress
through 300 years, bearing descendants who will one day meet in the same
village where it all began.
The novel features portraits of Effia's and Esi's descendants as the story
progresses through seven generations. The portraits show each descendant's
life in a particular historical time, highlighting her/his ties from the past as
well as his/her present. The portraits are written in short story form, making
the novel a collection of stories that combine to give a sweeping history of
the two sisters' progeny. Effia's children and their descendants, belonging to
the tribes of Fante and Asante, deal with the tribal conflicts, British
colonization, and the slave trade that dominate Ghana's history. Esi and her
children deal with life in America beginning with life in the plantations in
the South, to their fight for freedom in the Civil War, to the Great
Migration, and on to coal mines, jazz clubs, Harlem, and the present. Each
of the portraits drawn by the author is vivid and memorable in their own
experiences of suffering, loss, hope, and love. Effia's marriage to the
Englishman James Collins is marked by affection but she lives with the
painful knowledge that she is the wife of a slave trader who sold her halfsister Esi to America's slave owners. This haunts her family down to the last
descendant, Marjorie. Esi who grows up seeing slavery in her own village
of Asante becomes a slave herself when she is captured by the enemy tribe.
She lives in the same castle where her half-sister lives, but unlike Effia who
enjoys luxurious treatment, she is held in chains in the castle's dungeons.
Esi is raped and bears a daughter, Ness, who gets separated from her as she
goes to work in one of the South's plantations. Their descendants suffer
through the ordeals of slavery and subsequently experience freedom as the
century progresses. Marcus is their last descendant. The author uses the
symbol of the black stone to connect the characters to their descendants and
to their heritage. Effia passes on the stone she got from her mother to her
descendants in Ghana, but Esi loses the stone in the castle's dungeons.
Water and ships are symbols of the suffering that the slaves went through
when they were forcibly taken away from Africa. Many of the captured
slaves threw themselves out from the ships and into the water, preferring to
drown than to go to an unknown future. In the present, Marcus suffers fear
of the ocean and refuses to swim in a pool. The author tackles the theme of
identity in the novel, exploring African-American heritage that evolves
through the centuries. The theme of slavery, its historical and psychical
effects on slave descendants, is explored. Systemic oppression is tackled as
the author cites institutional forms of slavery. Other themes in the novel
include the issue of colonization, family ties, violence, and gender
stereotyping which leads to women's sexual violation, expectations of
manly strength and lack of feelings, and the condoning of men's anger and
violence. The author is highly praised by critics for her work. Vulture’s
review says the novel's plotting is tight, highlighted with suspenseful parts
and climaxes. Vogue says the influence of Toni Morrison is apparent in the
novel, particularly in her use of history and lyricism. The author likewise
“shares Morrison’s uncanny ability to crystallize...slavery’s moral and
emotional fault,” according to the review. The New York Times says Gyasi’s
novel has an “inexorable and cumulative emotional weight” made possible
through the author’s storytelling. She makes clear the “emotional damage”
and the “savage realities” that happened in a people’s history.
Marie Claire says the book is a “commanding debut” that will keep
people talking about it long after the book has been read. The Christian
Science Monitor says Gyasi has a poet’s talent for describing memorable
scenes in just a few phrases. She wrote a book that is otherwise very
difficult to write and is successful at it.
Homegoing is the winner of the John Leonard Award and the
PEN/Hemingway Award. It is New York Times’ 2016 Notable Book,
Oprah’s 10 Favorites, Time’s 2016 Top Ten Novels, and one of Buzzfeed’s
Best Fiction of 2016.
Introducing the Author
Yaa Gyasi went back to her parents' native Ghana 18 years after leaving the
country as a young girl. It was 2009 and she was a college sophomore
wanting to research on a story she was writing then. She visited the Cape
Coast Castle that was featured in her debut novel, Homegoing. This led her
to expand her original story into a much bigger story which eventually
became the multi-awarded first novel of hers. Upon touring the castle Gyasi
saw that there were two worlds that existed there during the 18th century.
She noted the luxurious spaces on the castle's upper part and the dark
dungeons beneath which kept the slaves. Gyasi says she thought that maybe
there were women living in the castle who did not understand what was
happening in the upper and lower parts of the castle. Her novel explores this
world and expands its themes into slavery and history involving Ghana's
warring tribes and America's demand for African slaves.
In the novel, Gyasi admits that she resembles the character of Marjorie,
who is the last of the descendants of Effia. She is a very familiar character,
Gyasi says.
She was born in Ghana and moved to America with her parents when
she was young. Her father is a university professor and her mother a nurse
who moved around the country with Gyasi and her two brothers, finally
settling in Alabama where she grew up. She says she was very shy and
spent most of her time with books and with her brothers. She is very proud
of the recognition that her very first story got when she submitted it to the
Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest. She received a
certificate of achievement with the actor LeVar Burton's signature on it. She
did not think that writing could be her profession but when she read Toni
Morrison's Song of Solomon when she was 17, she thought to herself that
she could be like her. It was a pivotal point in her life. She started telling
people that she will be a writer someday.
Gyasi finished her BA in English from Stanford University and her
MFA from Iowa Writer's Workshop. She emailed a draft of her novel to an
agent and her book was eventually acquired by Knopf with a contract
amounting to seven figures. She feels great about being paid well for her
work but she also feels nervous about other people's expectations of her.
She is worried about the "harsher expectations" for her work. Aside from
Morrison's influence, she also considers Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One
Hundred Years of Solitude as an inspiration. She finds Marquez's work
highly unusual because it goes against the rules that she was taught about
writing a novel. She follows Marquez's use of folklore and the rhythm of
his narrative. She was also inspired by Zora Neale Hurston whose language
is described as "plainspoken" and which uses a unique sentence structure.
Gyasi was shocked when she heard that Ta-Nehisi Coates praised her
book. She had been reading Coates' works since college and considers them
influential during her college years. Critics see Gyasi's work as the fictional
interpretation of Coates' essays and that of writers like Nikole HannahJones and Isabel Wilkerson who have criticized and explored the subject of
slavery and racism in Western history. With her debut novel, Gyasi
expresses hope that people can learn from history and apply it to the
present.
Discussion Questions
question 1
The novel starts in 18th century Ghana, Africa with the story of an enslaved
woman, Maame, who gives birth on the same night that she escapes her
tribal captors. How does she escape the village?
question 2
She leaves her baby daughter behind who is raised by her real father and a
surrogate mother who is cruel to her. How does the author describe the
daughter's relationship to both her parents?
question 3
Maame marries another man from her own village and bears another
daughter. Like her first daughter Effia, her second daughter Esi is separated
from her through the forces of slavery. How does Esi become a slave in
America?
question 4
The novel features portraits of Effia’s and Esi’s descendants as the story
progresses through seven generations. The portraits show each descendant’s
life in a particular historical time, highlighting her/his ties from the past as
well as his/her present. Which portrait do you find particularly interesting?
Why?
question 5
The portraits are written in short story form, making the novel a collection
of stories that combine to give a sweeping history of the two sisters’
progeny. Effia’s children and their descendants, belonging to the tribes of
Fante and Asante, deal with the tribal conflicts, British colonization, and the
slave trade that dominate Ghana’s history. How were the tribal conflicts
involved in British colonization and slave trade?
question 6
Esi and her children deal with life in America beginning with life in the
plantations in the South, to their fight for freedom in the Civil War, to the
Great Migration, and on to coal mines, jazz clubs, Harlem, and the present.
How familiar are you with Esi's and the African American story? What
historical event do you learn from the novel that you haven't known before?
question 7
Effia’s marriage to the Englishman James Collins is marked by affection
but she lives with the painful knowledge that she is the wife of a slave
trader who sold her half-sister Esi to America’s slave owners. This haunts
her family down to the last descendant, Marjorie. How does she and her
descendants deal with the loss of her half-sister?
question 8
Esi who grows up seeing slavery in her own village of Asante becomes a
slave herself when she is captured by the enemy tribe. She lives in the same
castle where her half-sister lives, but unlike Effia who enjoys luxurious
treatment, she is held in chains in the castle's dungeons. What was Esi's life
like before she was captured?
question 9
Esi is raped and bears a daughter, Ness, who gets separated from her as she
goes to work in one of the South’s plantations. Their descendants suffer
through the ordeals of slavery and subsequently experience freedom as the
century progresses. Marcus is their last descendant. How does Marcus
remember his ancestors? How does he feel about them?
question 10
The author uses the symbol of the black stone to connect the characters to
their descendants and to their heritage. Effia passes on the stone she got
from her mother to her descendants in Ghana, but Esi loses the stone in the
castle's dungeons. What does the loss of Esi's stone symbolize?
question 11
Water and ships are symbols of the suffering that the slaves went through
when they were forcibly taken away from Africa. Many of the captured
slaves threw themselves out from the ships and into the water, preferring to
drown than to go to an unknown future. How does this reflect on Marcus'
character in the present?
question 12
The author tackles the theme of identity in the novel, exploring AfricanAmerican heritage that evolves through the centuries. What does the author
say about the African American identity? What problems do African
Americans have today regarding their identity?
question 13
The theme of slavery, its historical and psychical effects on slave
descendants, is explored. How do African Americans in the present feel the
effects of their forefathers’ suffering resulting from slavery?
question 14
Systemic oppression is tackled as the author cites institutional forms of
slavery. What are the forms of systemic oppression that the author writes
about?
question 15
Other themes in the novel include the issue of colonization, family ties,
violence, and gender stereotyping which leads to women’s sexual violation,
expectations of manly strength and lack of feelings, and the condoning of
men’s anger and violence. Which of these themes do you strongly feel
about? Why?
question 16
Vulture’s review says the novel’s plotting is tight, highlighted with
suspenseful parts and climaxes. Which parts do you find suspenseful? How
are they woven into the narrative?
question 17
Vogue says the influence of Toni Morrison is apparent in the novel,
particularly in her use of history and lyricism. The author likewise “shares
Morrison’s uncanny ability to crystallize...slavery’s moral and emotional
fault,” according to the review. Do you agree with the review’s comparison
to Morrison? Why? Why not?
question 18
The New York Times says Gyasi’s novel has an “inexorable and cumulative
emotional weight” made possible through the author’s storytelling. She
makes clear the “emotional damage” and the “savage realities” that
happened in a people’s history. How has this emotional weight affected you
as a reader? What strong emotions did you feel while reading?
question 19
Marie Claire says the book is a “commanding debut” that will keep people
talking about it long after the book has been read. What will you continue to
remember about the book long after you’ve read it? Why?
question 20
The Christian Science Monitor says Gyasi has a poet’s talent for describing
memorable scenes in just a few phrases. She wrote a book that is otherwise
very difficult to write and is successful at it. Which scenes do you find
poetically written? Why?
question 21
Yaa Gyasi went back to her parents' native Ghana 18 years after leaving the
country as a young girl. It was 2009 and she was a college sophomore
wanting to research on a story she was writing then. What was significant
about her visit to Ghana? What historical place caught her attention?
question 22
Her father is a university professor and her mother a nurse who moved
around the country with Gyasi and her two brothers, finally settling in
Alabama where she grew up. How does she describe her childhood years in
Alabama?
question 23
She did not think that writing could be her profession but when she read
Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon when she was 17, she thought to herself
that she could be like her. It was a pivotal point in her life. She started
telling people that she will be a writer someday. What about Morrison's
work that she found striking?
question 24
Gyasi finished her BA in English from Stanford University and her MFA
from Iowa Writer's Workshop. She emailed a draft of her novel to an agent
and her book was eventually acquired by Knopf with a contract amounting
to seven figures. How does she feel about being paid well for her work?
question 25
Aside from Morrison's influence, she also considers Gabriel Garcia
Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude as an inspiration. She finds
Marquez's work highly unusual because it goes against the rules that she
was taught about writing a novel. How does Marquez’s influence show in
her work?
question 26
Effia's marriage to the Englishman James Collins is marked by affection but
she lives with the painful knowledge that she is the wife of a slave trader
who sold her half-sister Esi to America's slave owners. This haunts her
family down to the last descendant, Marjorie. If you are Effia how would
you feel about being married to a slave trader? What would you do?
question 27
Esi is raped and bears a daughter, Ness, who gets separated from her as she
goes to work in one of the South’s plantations. Their descendants suffer
through the ordeals of slavery and subsequently experience freedom as the
century progresses. Marcus is their last descendant. If you were Marcus,
how would you feel about Esi and your other ancestors? How would you
feel about Effia and her part in Esi's enslavement?
question 28
Yaa Gyasi went back to her parents' native Ghana 18 years after leaving the
country as a young girl. It was 2009 and she was a college sophomore
wanting to research on a story she was writing then. She visited the Cape
Coast Castle that was featured in her debut novel, Homegoing. If you were
Gyasi how would you have felt about going home to your country of birth?
question 29
Gyasi feels great about being paid well for her work but she also feels
nervous about other people's expectations of her. She is worried about the
"harsher expectations" for her work. If you were her, how would you deal
with worries of harsher expectations?
question 30
Homegoing: A Novel is a book written by Yaa Gyasi. It tells the story of
sisters, families, and generations of Africans and African Americans whose
lives are defined by slavery, the struggle for freedom, and the histories of
tribes and nations. If the book is to be turned into a movie, who would you
want to direct it? Why? Who would you like to play the major roles?
Quiz Questions
question 1
The novel starts in 18th century Ghana, Africa with the story of an enslaved
woman, _________, who gives birth on the same night that she escapes her
tribal captors.
question 2
Effia grows up not knowing about her bloodline and is forced to marry an
Englishman who manages the slave trade in the ________.
question 3
While Effia stays in Ghana and bears children and grandchildren, ________
becomes the mother of many generations in America.
question 4
True or False: The novel features portraits of Effia’s and Esi’s descendants
as the story progresses through seven generations. The portraits show each
descendant’s life in a particular historical time, highlighting her/his ties
from the past as well as his/her present.
question 5
True or False: Effia, who grows up seeing slavery in her own village of
Asante, becomes a slave herself when she is captured by the enemy tribe.
question 6
True or False: Effia’s marriage to the Englishman James Collins is marked
by affection but she lives with the painful knowledge that she is the wife of
a slave trader who sold her half-sister Esi to America’s slave owners.
question 7
True or False: The author uses the symbol of the black stone to connect the
characters to their descendants and to their heritage.
question 8
Yaa Gyasi went back to her parents' native Ghana ______ years after
leaving the country as a young girl.
question 9
Gyasi admits that she resembles the character of ________, who is the last
of the descendants of Effia
question 10
True or False: She was born in Ghana and moved to America with her
parents when she was young.
question 11
True or False: Her father is a university professor and her mother a nurse
who moved around the country with Gyasi and her two brothers, finally
settling in Alabama where she grew up.
question 12
True or False: She did not think that writing could be her profession but
when she read Alice Walker's Song of Solomon when she was 17, she
thought to herself that she could be like her.
Quiz Answers
1. Maame
2. Gold Coast
3. Esi
4. True
5. False
6. True
7. True
8. 18
9. Marjorie
10. True
11. True
12. False
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