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Date Issued:
2010
Abstract/Description:
ABSTRACT This fiction novel focuses on the Sankofa philosophy that we as human beings must learn from our past to better understand our current existence and future; however, sometimes we choose to ignore or suppress the past because remembering it may be too hurtful. When we forget what happened yesterday our outlook on today and tomorrow becomes distorted. Contact is a novel that attempts to explore how ÂÂ"living in the nowÂÂ" alone becomes problematic because the pastÂÂ--if not rememberedÂÂ--will come back to haunt you. The erasure of the line between Diasporic Africans and their African past is the primary theme explored. The writer deconstructs how living in the now is indeed living in the past because the past and present, in the life of Tufa, become one. Reincarnation serves as the vehicle to explore this theme. Tufa, known for her aberrant behavior, is the reincarnation Afua AtaáÂÂ--an Ashanti woman who survived the Maafa, or Transatlantic Slave Trade. Past love, hate, dishonor, rivalry, pain, and hope complicate the ÂÂ"ordinarinessÂÂ" of TufaÂÂ's teenage life. The novel is divided into a prologue and eight chapters. The bulk of each chapter follows TufaÂÂ's current life and ends with a vignette told by five African women, one being Afua Ataá. Each vignette paints in broad strokes the landscape and historical moments of the Maafa. The present becomes complicated when traces of the Maafa seep into TufaÂÂ's life. Some of these traces are culturally specific rather than unique to Tufa. However, other traces are uniquely shaped by TufaÂÂ's former life. People from her past disrupt her current life by their presence. Their disruption takes many formsÂÂ--some of it brings pain and some of it brings joy. By reading TufaÂÂ's story, others may find the strength to confront their past when it makes contact with their present. Like Tufa, we must confront the pain in our past to experience its joy.
Title: CONTACT.
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Name(s): Osbourne, Brittany, Author
Jensen, Toni, Committee Chair
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2010
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: ABSTRACT This fiction novel focuses on the Sankofa philosophy that we as human beings must learn from our past to better understand our current existence and future; however, sometimes we choose to ignore or suppress the past because remembering it may be too hurtful. When we forget what happened yesterday our outlook on today and tomorrow becomes distorted. Contact is a novel that attempts to explore how ÂÂ"living in the nowÂÂ" alone becomes problematic because the pastÂÂ--if not rememberedÂÂ--will come back to haunt you. The erasure of the line between Diasporic Africans and their African past is the primary theme explored. The writer deconstructs how living in the now is indeed living in the past because the past and present, in the life of Tufa, become one. Reincarnation serves as the vehicle to explore this theme. Tufa, known for her aberrant behavior, is the reincarnation Afua AtaáÂÂ--an Ashanti woman who survived the Maafa, or Transatlantic Slave Trade. Past love, hate, dishonor, rivalry, pain, and hope complicate the ÂÂ"ordinarinessÂÂ" of TufaÂÂ's teenage life. The novel is divided into a prologue and eight chapters. The bulk of each chapter follows TufaÂÂ's current life and ends with a vignette told by five African women, one being Afua Ataá. Each vignette paints in broad strokes the landscape and historical moments of the Maafa. The present becomes complicated when traces of the Maafa seep into TufaÂÂ's life. Some of these traces are culturally specific rather than unique to Tufa. However, other traces are uniquely shaped by TufaÂÂ's former life. People from her past disrupt her current life by their presence. Their disruption takes many formsÂÂ--some of it brings pain and some of it brings joy. By reading TufaÂÂ's story, others may find the strength to confront their past when it makes contact with their present. Like Tufa, we must confront the pain in our past to experience its joy.
Identifier: CFE0002987 (IID), ucf:47939 (fedora)
Note(s): 2010-05-01
M.F.A.
Arts and Humanities, Department of English
Masters
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): african diaspora literature
creative writing
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002987
Restrictions on Access: campus 2011-03-01
Host Institution: UCF

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