Skin Color Is the Mistake for Which Tituba - Essay Example

Skin color is the mistake for which Tituba is treated differently and considered a witch: a thing that emanates froma misinterpretation of words. “Voodoo” is a term, which is misunderstood for “hoodoo.” This is because the tow words have their rootss from the same etymology. Vooodoo is a practice that is still common in West Africa, and it is a common practice in America. It is multicultural practices brought to America by the slaves. This is because Africans were brought from different countries and they had their cultural practices. These different cultural practices, which were religious by nature, got assimilated into Catholicism thereby bringing up a culture that incorporated most of the traditional cultural practices in the land of slavery. In the opening of the book, “I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem,” Hoodoo is a term that is come from the malpractice of the acceptable in the context of the whites voodoo. This term is associated with the practice of magical powers, sorcery, and greatly associated with the casting of spells and interaction with evil powers: the powers of the dark places. I n the book, Tituba gives a vivid description of how she learnt the practice of hoodoo. In the frames of her mind, this practice in the African context was a nice practice that brought remedies to a multitude of problems. She recalls how she was taught by mama Yaya how to put herbs into use to loosen the tongues of thieves, to heal epilates, to cast a way evil spirits from an evil possessed person. She was further taught how to use the same African herbs to give hope to the hopeless, to put words of hope to the tongues of the hungry, to give faith the faithless, and to remove suicidal thoughts from the desperate and further to give hope to the destitute. In modern times, the practice of hoodoo is interpreted as a primitive practice that was popular to the African-American women and commonly practiced in the South. This is viewed as a form of superstition that delude the minds of people and that gives people misguided directions. In the traditional African culture and the onset of Christianity incorporated the practice of divinity that were mutually exclusive. The solemn religious practice of evoking nature emanated from a keen study and a common understanding between nature and its close relationship with human life. The practice of hoodoo is a religious art that was endowed to different people in the society from person to person. However, there was no special category of people that were given specific roles to be playing within the whole context of that religion. There was also no specific person that was destined to be the natural practitioners of hoodoo in the community. The critics of this religious practice however stand strong against this practice and they decides to kill the custodian of this practice: mama Yaya as she was in the mission of transmitting this practice to the upcoming generation. She is put to death while teaching Tibula the art of bringing remedies to most problems that enslaves people in life. This tries to make the practice of the traditional hoodoo to an end but this does not succeed because its transmission is nurtured by nature and its decline or termination takes something more than human mind and thought. The word “hoodoo” is misinterpreted and given a negative perception to mean evil practice: a thing that Maryse Conde considers a prejudice view and a misperception directed by egocentric thought. She attacks this wrong perception about the solemn African practice by casting positive light to its understanding. She strongly demystifies the myth and logically seeks for logical approach to hoodoo in the context of all ages. In her explanations, she defines the word “witch”: a word that has its origin from the Anglo-SAXON word “wicca” which denotes a wise person or a person with metaphysical capabilities. In the historical context, in the context of mythologies, and the circles of anthropology, witches are purely categorized as people who have the capability of manipulating nature by the use of supernatural powers. The word witch and its practitioners have an ultimate authority that can manipulate nature and bring a different reality to the conventional reality of nature. The word witch however has a racist meaning. This word is problematic when it comes to be considered in the overall context of humanity. The word is associated with the inferiority of the backs and it is given a feminine misjudgment. Because of this prejudistic view of witch in relation to women, Trudier Harries discusses her concerns by calling to people and the critics; attention on their views of the matter. Her deepest concerns comes on how black women were considered to be something different from the natural human being and to a greater degree put in the same category and league of the devil. Maryse Conde evokes strong emotions and she further brings out the paradoxical practice of the critics of witch. She says that witches in the context of black women are considered be the worst thing in the society. She brings out the inadequacy in the consideration of the word witch; she determines and brings the practice of slavery and “witchcraftcy” into context. She says that the very proponents of slavery condemn the practice o witchcraft but they strongly protect slavery. She brings into the attention of the readers the logical and the paradoxical consideration of the two practices. Witches are only concerned with the alienation of human sufferance while on the other hand, slavery is a practice that dehumanizes people and reduces humanity to nothing but objects to achieve specific ends. Witchcrafts are destined to bitter ends, they are to be burned and banished to death. They are considered as lesser beings that deserves death. Slaves on the other hand are mistreated and subjected to labor with little and most of the time without pay. The slave owners protect the practice of slavery, they are protected by the state, and nobody raises voice against them. This is an unfair treatment and those who are against witchcrafts a committing double evil which are completely out of the practice of witches. The label of being a witch does not in any fashion meet the definition of Tibuba because in the context of evil doings she does not fit. Her concerns are in helping humanity out of calamities that comes in different forms in life. According to the themes expressed in the book, racial discrimination is an unfair practice and dehumanizing humanity is a condemnable thing though the perception of evil comes differently. According to the sentiments described in the book, witches are considered in the light of racial discrimination and a wrong is also framed in the context of one’s’ skin color. In the image and the consideration of one being, a witch is given more weight than the sanctity of life. When it comes to termination of human life and in burnishing humanity, this noble practice is prejudiced to an extent that human life, which has its noble inscription into the future, is given minimal consideration and the worth of an African life is not considered as a real significant life. In reality and in the actual sense of human practice and consideration of the term witch by the critics, Tabula is a complete opposite of their perception. If actions are to be considered and judgment of people be separated from their skin color and from their ethnic origin, the she stands to be a noble lady who should not be feared but rather, she should be a person who is admired in the society and well revered. Instead of people coming to her joyfully with charitable greetings, people look at her with the eyes of condemnation. Instead of people coming to her to deliver them of their sicknesses, and deliver them from their misery, people instead run away from her to be disillusioned in their problems simply because of a misjudgment ill directed by the prejudices considerations of life. if people could open up and close themselves from the incorrect thinking but just to consider things as they are, then Tituba could be a very important person in the society where she was located. The definition of the word witch by Maryse Conde receives rejection from her critics. She vividly gives the virtue associated by the term “witch” but people are too adamant to consider the practices behind this term Haen, 98). Tituba is considered as a sorcerer who heals diseases, she brings honor to the society, and she is simply a person who brings value to human dignity. Instead, these nice things of life are not considered, she is not honored for her actions but instead, she is criticized and condemned in the society. This is purely unfair and the perception against her does not and cannot receive honor from nature. Instead, nature would honor her for her good intentions of life to humanity. The practice of healing that Mama Yaya taught her is a noble gift from nature that people should benefit from instead of criticizing. Tituba is ranked in the evil category of people who do evil in spite of her continuous goodness and her active practice of helping people come to the knowledge of happiness. Tituba does not receive honor, which she should receive, she is not admired and honored but she overcomes all these humiliations and she advances her good course of human service. She is a blessing to humanity even though the people who should be benefiting from her and those whom she is willing to serve abase her. The novel reveals that witchcraft is perceived in the context of racism and gender (Haen, 56). The stereotype then has nothing to do with the practices of good or evil, it is about racial discrimination. This put Tituba in a tight position of operation. She has to struggle between difference and identity without losing focus and the value of her personality. She comes to the reality that the link between gender in the context of women consideration is purely misogynist. Conde saves Tituba to be stereotyped by claiming dignity for her, a life full of honor and appreciation; she further stands for her (Tituba) as a voice of identity in the novel. Conde jumps into the history of dehumanization and brings dignity to the misunderstood, she condemns and aligns the thoughts of the racist and demystifies the perception of the misogyst by defining the rightful place of the black woman in the contemporary world and in the historical circles. Tituba is falsely accused of practicing evil by evoking them into human beings. She is hated by everybody in the entire community despite the good she means for the community. In reality, Ttuba uses the hoodoo to practice love to humanity, to heal the sick and to show respect to the ancestors. The unfair treatment in the novel shows that the black people are hated. In the novel, there are white witches who are not loudly condemned. Upon their (white witches), they are forgiven and accepted back in the community of nobility. This is contrary to the treatment that Tituba receives; she is treated ruthlessly and there is no possibility of her being forgiven like the white witches. Tituba is destined to death and destruction. Upon the confession of Tituba by the implication of certain personalities in the community, it was not possible that she be put to death instead; just because she is a black, she is exiled from the community, and her presence is completely deleted in the community. She receives an everlasting condemnation and rejection from the community. Tituba is not just rejected, punished and she does not receive banishment because she deserves it, she does receive these degrading punishment due to the racial fear emanating from the white community. The disapproval of her supernatural practice of hoodoo is not purely coming from the insecurity attached by the prejudiced consideration of the white community. Tituba is misjudged because the white community did not have respect for her and her cultural practices that were considered inferior. The African culture was considered inadequate and it was associated with evil. Such a cultural consideration formed a very strong ground from the whites to disrespect her (Tituba). Additionally, being that she was a black woman, she was considered an evil perform worth no respect and reverence from any community member. In the mythology of witches, they are always considered people who transcend human capability to interact with the supernatural. However, historically, the witches have often conspired with the evil spirits to harm human kind. Such is the perceptions that have been portrayed by filmmakers. This consideration has stuck in the minds of the white community of the black magic thus receiving a prejudiced judgment. Tituba suffers from this misjudgment and the unfair consideration of history. Her critics do not open up to come to the consideration of her nobility. They do not transcend racial consideration to see the bigger picture of the intentions of Tituba. It would be of great value in people were judged by the outcome of their actions but not with the rigid and stereotyped view of them. Work Cited Haen, Theo . Cultural Identity and Postmodern Writing. Amsterdam [u.a.: Rodopi, 2006. Print. Read More