Poor Chekura (Spoilers)

Poor Chekura. I think I pitied him most of all. He took a lot of criticism and held on to a lot of shame and guilt for doing something that he really didn't have any choice in because he was also a slave too. He had also been whipped and beaten into submission. Also as a slave himself, he could have suffered severe punishment for helping her and giving her water and fruit and even unlocking her chains so that she could walk freely. She was so weak by the time she had arrived that she passed out in the yard at the plantation so if not for any help by him, she would have certainly died. It seems like Chekura was put in a lot of desperate situations that on first observance looked very cowardly and selfish but as you really examine his actions, you will find yourself asking "what other choice did he have?". Like when they took her to jail and forced him to make a fast decision of either board the boat right then or stay behind while his wife is imprisoned and he'll never be able to board the boat again. At first thought, it seemed very cowardly and selfish to leave his pregnant wife to rot in jail while he boards a boat. Then I thought about it and realized that he was not just thinking of himself. He was making the right decision for his family as well. He likely felt that her arrest was some mistake and that she would soon be cleared of all wrong doing and therefore free to leave and soon reunite with him in Nova Scotia. However, had he decided to stay with her. He would never be able to leave, meaning that when she was released, she in turn, would be forced to stay along with their baby. With slave catchers and bounty hunters lurking about, that would have been risking everyone's freedom, including the baby's and it was also risking them being separated and losing another child. It was a case of doing the brave and honorable thing and risking potential danger for all involved v.s doing the smart and unpopular thing that you know deep down is the right decision.

Also, I feel that Chakura compared himself to Black Sam and his ability to continuously come to Aminata's rescue and be her knight in shining armor, which also hurt Chakura's pride as a man. However, it's an unfair comparison since Black Sam never had the hardships that Chakura had. He had never been forced into submission and had likely never suffered any real abuse as a slave. He was given his freedom along with enough money to travel and make a new life for himself, whereas Chakura had to constantly fight for his freedom and had been given nothing. Everything he had, he had to work hard for. Because of this advantage, Black Sam had access to more money and had more powerful connections than Chakura so of course he could come to Aminatta's aid but during all the times that he was able to rescue Aminatta, he really never stuck his neck out the way Chakura had.



All typos and misspellings courtesy of a public educational system.