Youruba Girl Dancing pg 155-185

Summary

At the start of chapter 10, Remi is getting accustomed to her new school. She already has a best friend named Phoebe Vincent who called Remi’s father a nut for unknown reasons. She meets and befriends a German girl named Herr SchÖfbeck. Remi visits Germany for a short period of time and when she got back, phoebe asked her how Germany was, she says it was ok and that Germans had so many questions to ask her about Africa. It has been a couple of years that Remi has been in England and now she has finished high school and is now looking for a college to go to. She decided to apply to London University, but don’t know if she got accepted or not. She falls in love with a man named Akin Williams who she had met during Sisi Bola’s weeding (back in chapter one). She is going to a party with Akin and there is where our journey ends with Remi.

Quote

“Is there a sight more beautiful, the older women said, than a Yoruba girl dancing?” (Bedford 185)

Reaction

This quote, to me, was the most important quote of the book. Well not only because it has the book’s title in it but also because it shows that she was the person who stood out, the most beautiful. She used to be the girl who every one made fun of, the girl who everyone ran way from, but now she has become a beautiful sight.

Yoruba Girl Dancing pg 122-155

Summary

At the beginning of chapter eight, we meet Gerald, Remi’s cousin, who at first hates a Tarzan game, but now wants to play the game. At school, the girls start to become friendlier to Remi. When Remi said her dad would flip if he sees her report card, she said she was an ambassador for her race but she was English. The other girls tell her to stay true to her heritage, but Remi stands firm in being an English girl. They invite her to play on the school team and to audition for the school choir. While auditioning for the school choir, Miss Byngham, the piano teacher, said Africans, like Paul Robeson, have lovely voices. But after auditioning Remi, Miss Byngham finds out that not all Africans have a beautiful voice. Miss Valentine, a teacher that hates Remi and Remi hate her equally, takes her out of the school and leaves her speechless outside the road. Later, Remi finds out that her parents are coming to visit her in UK and Remi is very excited by this news. When her parents arrive, they transfer her from Chilcott Manor to Dove House School. When Christmas comes, Remi’s father goes back to Nigeria and when they go to church, Remi describes the church place as an old fashioned Nigerian Cathedral.

Quote

"'She said you was as English as the rest of us now'". (Bedford 122)

Reaction

This quote was a bit confusing for me. A few pages ago, Remi kept saying she was Nigerian, and she would continue to say she is a Nigerian, but right now, she's English. What happened to the saying once a Nigerian always a Nigerian, or at least that's how I think the saying went. I see Remi as a round character who continues to change in every chapter. I think the change is due to her new environment. Before she moved to England she was among people who understood her, but now she's among strangers so she had to change for people to understand her better.

Yoruba Girl Dancing pg 83-122

Summary

At the beginning of chapter six, Remi starts to feel lonely as she sits alone in her dormitory. Her matron, the person that is suppose to help Remi get familiar with the school, introduced her to Jessica, Sarah, Miranda and Anita. The name of the school is Chilcott Manor School. When the supper bell rang Anita tells the other girls not to touch Remi for if they do “The black comes off” (Bedford 86), and thus beginning the start of a long horror movie. The other girls start to talk about her because she is, in fact, the first African they have seen. The make fun of her speech, her skin, her heritage, and the fact that she may never see he parents again. While in French class, Mademoiselle, the French teacher, explains to everyone why people have different skin color and why a skin color won’t come off, thus ending the relatively short nightmare. She goes to Uncle Theo and Aunt Mavis’ house where she gets a little lecture about the difference between a ‘darkie’ and an African.

Quote

“‘Yes it does’, said Anita. ‘My aunt Jane said so. She told my brother that if he didn’t behave himself she would send him to Africa and the black would rub off all the people there onto him’”.

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The first reaction I had when I read this was a bad one, I am unable to write done due to its vulgarity. Then I started to think, this is how some people actually believe. It might be a small group of people, but some people actually believe that when you touch a person of color, the color rubs off on you. I’ve never heard anything like this before, so it came as a shock to me to here one of London’s finest to talk like this. I had to stop and think about this for a while because it was really…surprising.

Yoruba Girl Dancing pg 40-82

Summary

As we continue on I find out that the main character’s name is Remi. We are also introduced to a new character, Bigmama. She is the one to take Remi to her new school in England. The excitement around Remi’s big move continues to grow stronger everyday, but Remi doesn’t think so. Bigmama gets overexcited and buys Remi a raincoat and some jewellery. When the day of departure finally arrived, everyone that knew Remi came bearing gifts and wishing her well on her endeavors. They go in a ship heading towards England and on the ship they meet Miss. Smith. Miss. Smith tries to teach Remi a thing or two about English ways but that became a failure. When they finally make it London, she starts to miss her home and family. They arrive at Uncle Theo and Aunt Betty’s house. When they get on a bus, it was pretty obvious that Remi and Bigmama were foreigners because they drew so much attention to themselves. Remi is about to start school. Let’s see how the first day of school will be like.

Quote

“ ‘Remi’ she said, ‘you are going to England. Your father has found a very good school for you…”

Reaction

This quote is important because it shows the beginning of a new thing. It tells the beginning of how a girl became a woman. Without this quote, this book would be meaningless. This quote also reminds me of me when i was a little boy. My parents told me i would be going to an American school, which was a good thing for them but a bad thin for me. I personally did not want to go to a foreign school, but to make my life better i had to which was...i have no idea, but i didnt like it.