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How does the griot refer to years?
The griot refers to years with the word “rains.”
What genre is “My Furthest Back Person?”
The genre of “My Furthest Back Person” is autobiography.
How is Haley able to understand the griot?
Haley is able to understand the griot because he has interpreters.
What is a griot?
A griot is a person who tells the history of a family. He is like the keeper of the story.
Why does Haley feel tense, as he travels to the griot’s village?
He wonders how the Africans will view him.
He worries that they will not accept him.
What are the themes of “My Furthest Back Person?”
The themes of “My Furthest Back Person”— to find one’s roots, slavery
According to the story that Cousin Georgia tells, what had happened to the African named Kin-tay?
He was away from his village, chopping wood for a drum, and he was kidnapped.
How old was Kunta Kinte when he disappeared from the village?
He was 16 rains or 16 years old.
Who are the characters of “My Furthest Back Person?” Name 3.
The characters of “My Furthest Back Person”— Grandma, narrator (Alex Haley), Cousin Georgia, Ebou Manga (Gambian college student), griot
What gave Haley goose-bumps?
He got goose-bumps when the griot said that Kunta Kinte disappeared when he had gone off to chop wood to make a drum, because he realized that Kunta Kinte was the Kintay that his Grandma talked about.
What is the setting of “My Furthest Back Person?”
Name 3 places.
The setting of “My Furthest Back Person”— Haley grew up in the South, He travels repeatedly to Washington, DC, 1965, London, New York City, Gambia
What does Haley’s continuing search tell us about him?
He is persistent, determined, a seeker of the truth, and a hard worker. He is educated and knows how to do research.
Why did the people of the village make a ring around Haley?
They are showing that they are accepting him as their family—“we are you, and you are us.”
Why did Haley say he had to write his story?
He said that his story essentially the story of millions of others, and he had to share it.