Genre
Autobiography
Setting and Context
It is set in Jamaica during the era of strict Rastafarian ideologies.
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is ardent, and the mood is sanguine.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Safiya, and the antagonist is her patriarchal father.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is between Safiya and her patriarchal father. Safiya wants her space to be respected and allowed to express her views and do whatever she wants as an independent woman. Unfortunately, the father is patriarchal and conflicts with her daughter when she becomes rebellious.
Climax
The climax comes when Safiya is empowered to demand her rights as a woman.
Foreshadowing
The books given to Safiya by her mother foreshadow her enlightenment and empowerment.
Understatement
Safiya understates her father's rage when she embraces the Western culture. According to Safiya, her father's reaction would be ordinary, but instead, he explodes angrily and becomes more violent.
Allusions
n/a
Imagery
According to the Rastafarian culture, the description of the woman's purity depicts a sense of sight. For instance, the author says that women are ordered to wear skirts and long dresses that cover their legs and arms. In addition, women are directed to cover their hair using wraps. Consequently, this description paints a picture of oppression against women.
Paradox
The primary paradox is that Safiya becomes rebellious against the patriarchal oppressive culture against her father's wishes.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism between Safiya's ambition to be free and her mother's decision to give her books to read.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The Babylon is used as a metonymy to refer to the gate of heaven.
Personification
n/a
