The Filipino Group discussion

Book: The Known World by Edward P. Jones
Reading Buddies: Kwesi (Moderator), Rollie & Sheryl

Start: November 29, 2011
End: December 4, 2011

Description:

Henry Townsend, a black farmer, bootmaker, ad former slave, has a fondness for Paradise Lost and an unusual mentor—William Robbins, perhaps the most powerful man in antebellum Virginia's Manchester County. Under Robbins's tutelage, Henry becomes proprietor of his own plantation—as well as of his own slaves. When he dies, his widow Caldonia, succumbs to profound grief, and things begin to fall apart at their plantation: slaves take to escaping under the cover of night, and families who had once found love beneath the weight of slavery begin to betray one another. Beyond the Townsend estate, the known world also unravels: low-paid white patrollers stand watch as slave "speculators" sell free black people into slavery, and rumors of slave rebellions set white families against slaves who have served them for years.

An ambitious, luminously written novel that ranges seamlessly between the past and future and back again to the present, The Known World weaves together the lives of freed and enslaved blacks, whites, and Indians—and allows all of us a deeper understanding of the enduring multidimensional world created by the institution of slavery.

Reading Plan: (2 chapters per day)

Day 1 (Nov. 29, 2011): Chapters 1 and 2
Day 2 (Nov. 30, 2011): Chapters 3 and 4
Day 3 (Dec. 1, 2011): Chapters 5 and 6
Day 4 (Dec. 2, 2011): Chapters 7 and 8
Day 5 (Dec. 3, 2011): Chapters 9 and 10
Day 6 (Dec. 4, 2011): Chapters 11, 12 and Letter

Nabasa ko na ito Kwesi, wala lang akong review. Next year ko pa irereview ito.

Tayo lang apat? As usual, ako ang lalabas na loser nito. :D

Haha. Ay, oo nga pala. Sorry Angus.

@Rollie, di ka na nagbago! Haha.

Okay lang yan. Gusto ko sasali pa rin si Angus sa discussion. :D

Kwesi, Pagmagquit ako babasahin ko lahat ng books ko. :D

@Rollie: Talaga lang ha, yung walang bili bili? Deal. Tama si Rollie! Haha.

Anung walang bili bili? You mean magbabasa ako katapos di ako bibili? :D

@Rollie: I mean, yung babasahin mo lahat ng books mo tapus di ka muna bibili! Haha.

Ahmm. Pwede yan pag-ilalagay mo ko sa island na walang bookstore at malayo talaga sa kabihasnan. :D Pero sa sitwasyon ko ngayon, hmmmnn. Di mo ko maasahan na di bumili ng books. :DDD

@Rollie: Haha. Bahala ka na nga, may nabili ka ba kanina?

Ui Kwesi, puro Day 1, hahaha. :D

Nagtimpi ako. :D At yey, for the record wala! Katapos chineck ko yung rating ng books na natypan ko kanina, babalikan ko bukas yung isa. :D :D

Sheryl: Oo nga! :D At talagang ayaw niyang umabot pa tayo ng day 2. :D

@Rollie: Haha. I see, lately parang wala na akong nagugustuhang book sa booksale. Parang nawala na ang urge ko to buy books, maybe soon babalik rin yun pero hinihintay ko mga 10 years from now pa. Don't worry, di ka talaga niyan aabot ng Day 2. Joke lang.

@Sheryl: Sorry, tulog pa ako nung ginawa ko yan kaninang tanghali. Sabi ko na kung Monday haggard ako! Haha.

Bwahaha. :D Ang sama, aabot ako ng Day 2. Pero duda na ako sa Day 3. :D

@Rollie: Haha. Sobra ka na nga sa Day 2, of course nakaabot ka pa rin. Anong page ka na?

Ngayon? Page 15 palang. :DD

Haha. Ilang pages ang plano mo sa isang araw?

2 pages? Bwahaha. Pampatulog lang. :D

Haha. Ang sama mo talaga! Sabi ni Sheryl maganda naman raw yung book eh.

Yes. Kinda gross. :D Bwahaha. Pero nakakalito lang kasi characters are popping in the first chapter. There were no strong description para matandaan ko sila aside from the characters na madalas i-pin point ng auhtor.

I see, yung writing style niya kasi ay parang Inheritance of Loss. Yung sa isang chapter may past present at future, so magula talaga siyang basahin. Kaya mo yan!

Yan! Napakagulo talaga. Minsan bigla nalang talaga siya nagju-jump back sa past. Nakakalito.

Haha. Masanay ka na! Playful rin ba siya sa words or poetic? Haha. Natuwa kasi ako dun sa discussion about poetic at playful.

Not really poetic. Sort of confusing rin kasi siguro nasanay ako sa ibang genre at ganito pala Literary. So more like playful siya para sakin.

Ows! Haha. Hindi ko pa masasabi ang nasa loob looban ko. Maybe in hell in an our mababasa ko rin yan!

Okay. Magbabasa ako ulit mamaya para makatulog ako agad. :D

Haha. Adik ka talaga! Magtataka na lang kami hindi ka na gigising dahil sa overdose ng book.

Overdose ka diyan. I think this book would be more like a poison kung di na ako magising. :D

Haha. FIne! Kaw na!

Chapter 1: Liaison. The Warmth of Family. Stormy Weather.

Ang first story and kwento ni Moses while taking a bath and feeling the ecstasy of the rain. Pinaka-kadiri na part ay nung kumain siya ng soil, grabe nandiri ako first page pa lang. But I like the reason of the author, kasi sa lupa naman sila galing. Haha.

Second story, ay short glimpse sa life ni Caldonia at ni William. William ay nasa deathbed na at si Caldonia as a loving wife aware of the sickness of his husband. Sabi pa nga dun, iba raw ang sickness ng white at negros. Negros believe in supernatural ek ek that time. Caldonia, first fee black woman who were educated that time.

Third story, pinakilala ang asawa ni Moses si Priscilla and a no-name son. Pinakilala rin si Elias as non-biological brother ni Moses, husband of Celeste. Elias don't believe in God for a reason that he had a black master like him.

Ay tinatamad na ako, basta Henry Townsend died. May glimpse rin sa life history ni Henry Townsend. He was the son of Augustus and Mildred, both were free negros. The son did not like his parent for there is no reason mentioned. Maybe in the middle of the book pa. He become the groomer of one of the richest American that time, the Robbins.

William Robin (I'm not sure) married an Indian woman and bore 2 siblings, Dora and Louis. For they were still counted as slaves according dun sa census for their are flowed with the blood of blacks. Anyway, no futher comment kasi si Louis somehow may problema sa mata, ano nga tawag dun?

Confusing masyado ang end ng chapter na to, so ano yung storm na yun at bakit binenta ni William Robbin ang mga slaves niya at iniwan si Henry? Grabe talaga ang sales at nagkapera pa ang angel-look-alike na yun ha! Kung ako ang binenta baka tatakas na lang ako at magpakamatay sa bullet ng mga sheriff na nilagyang homicide. Merciless masyado! At least nahanp ni Robbin ang love kay Henry. As his son of course. haha.

Story naman ni Alice, ang baliw, well wala naman siyang masyadong kwento pa but she always did weird things like dancing and so on. But anyway, I like the one stanze poem dun sa part na yun. Quite creepy for a mad woman.

Another comment, mahirap siyang sundan kasi paligoy ligoy and past, present, future. May mga scene na dapat mauna muna bago ang isang scene. Di ko alam ang point ng author kung bakit niya iniba iba pero maganda ang kwento. Baka merong formula na ginamit ang author.

Kwesi: Maraming flashforwards ang book na ito, which is good? Hindi naman siya necessarily formula, pero ito ang technique na pinag-igihan ni Jones.

Haha. Chapter 3 pa lang ako at na disappoint ako sa chapter 2. I think di ko pa naman masasbaing di ko masyadong nagustuhan ang sistema niya sa pagsusulat sa book na 'to. Well, I still have few more chapters to explore at lasapin ang lasa ng lupa. Hehe.

Naku, mas "systematic" naman ito sa The Inheritance of Loss". Feeling ko nga magimik si Desai. At least si Jones straightforward narrative.

Parang dapat ata 1 chapter a day lang. We're behind. Haha. :D Currently in Chapter 3, mahaba-haba siya.

Nag-mamarathon pa ako, hahabol na lang ako tomorrow morning. Dapat 2 chapters kasi di na natin mahabol ang kay Frank McCourt na book this year. Haha. Behind na tayo sa quota!

Slow natin eh. :D Ako di pa natatapos sa Chapter 1. :D

Dahil hindi ako magaling magsummarize, I'll just post reactions or things that strike me per chapter. Hehe.

Chapter 1

Henry Townsend (black) owning (black) slaves.
-It was new to me that a black person could own a fellow black person/slave.

Moses eating soil.
-Aside from being kadiri (parang ang arte ko naman,haha), it made me feel how low the slaves see themselves to stoop down to the level of eating soil. It was quite symbolic.

Augustus having to pay himself to freedom. Buy the freedom of his wife. Buy the freedom of his son, Henry.
-Sad. I couldn't imagine owing myself to somebody. It's like paying for your own dignity. Sigh.

Henry developing loyalty to William Robbins (white owner). Henry even tattled on his own father to William when the latter hit him. Henry forcing himself to see his parents weekly/monthly -di ko maalala.
-This was indeed a slap to Augustus since he had to fathom seeing his son more affectionate towards his owner/master than to his own kin.

*Covering my eyes*

Chapter 2

Medyo naconfuse na ko sa pagpasok ng mga characters dito.

Skiffington and Winifred (white couple) had a vow not to keep slaves as what Skiffington's father has practiced ever since he dreamed about it.
-Admirable in that day and age.

Minerva (slave) being given to the couple as a wedding present by Counsel (cousin) which they could not refuse. They were torn as to whether they should give Minerva away or sold her which they find risky as they couldn't be sure if she will land on good hands. They decided to keep her and treat her like their own daughter.
-Slavery being forced to whites. :(

When Augustus was finally able to buy Henry his freedom, Rita another slave of Robbin pleaded that she be not left. Augustus hid her and helped her escape. She was placed in a package going to New York.
-I look up to Augustus and his wife. Despite them progressing, they do not forget to keep their feet on the ground and help other slaves as much as they can.

Spoiler ba Rollie! Hahaha. Bilisan mo magbasa. :D

Sa totoo lang dun sa situation ni Rita, hindi naman talaga siya tutulungan ng couple. Unfortunately, nagmatigas si Rita ang she was hid in a 'white' coffin and sent to new York. Jew ang nakatanggap sa kanya and her new life is just started. Ano kaya mangyari sa kanya dun sa Jew na wala nang pag-asang mabuhay sa New World? Haha.

Diba nakwento na rin yung white slaves sa chapter 2? Naguguluhan rin ako sa chapter 2 eh.

Oo nga, nagpumilit kasi si Rita pero may choice pa din naman ang couple di ba? Though matter of life and death na nga kasi baka may makakita sa kanila.

Medyo nabahiran yung reaction ko ng Chapter 3 kasi naumpisahan ko na. Haha. :D

Gulong gulo ako sa Chapter 2, haha. :D

Same tayo, naguluhan rin ako sa chapter 2 but I want to read the first few stories of chapter 2. Alam ko kasing meron na dun yung mga white slaves na binabayaran as patroller. Hehe. Pabayaan na yan si Rollie, di pa rin nakaka-alis yan sa Chapter 1 ha, nauna pa nga siyang magbasa.

Pero grabe ang determination ni Rita to escape kahit pinapalo na siya ni Augustus, gusto niya talagang lumayas. Na-close pa nga nga ang case ni Rita and signed as homicide. Haha. Grabe pa yung binalitaang slaves na binaril sa achilles dahil gusto nilang lumayas tapus tinapikan lang na homicide ang lahat. Tsk, tsk.

Spoiled rin si Henry eh, kasi kung ano gusto niya okay lang sa parents niya even renting slaves na negro okay lang din para sa parents niya. Iba talaga ang mahal ng parents niya sa kanya. Isang shoemaker to one of the riches black people in their place. Hehe. Naintriga rin ako dun sa consensus.

Balak ko din balikan yung Chapter 2. Sa LRT at jeep kasi ako nagbabasa, haha.

Maganda yung Chapter 3 so far. Madaming flashforwards as what Angus mentioned earlier. :)

Buti ka pa ang nakakabasa ka while travelling, ako hindi. Mas nagconcentrate akong tumingin sa labas habang sumasakay sa isang vehicle. Haha.

Sobra talaga ang love ng parents ni Henry sa kanya, nilulunok nila kung ano man ang gusto ni Henry. I guess partly they blame themselves kung bakit nagkaganon si Henry. Di ba nabanggit din dun na tinatanong ni Augutus sarili niya kung si Henry ba inuna niyang bilhin eh may nagbago kaya sa paguugali nito?

Kwesi 章英狮 wrote: "Buti ka pa ang nakakabasa ka while travelling, ako hindi. Mas nagconcentrate akong tumingin sa labas habang sumasakay sa isang vehicle. Haha."

Sobrang haba naman kasi ng mga biyahe ko, laging 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes kaya ayun. Pero depende din sa situation kung stable ang andar. Haha. :D May mga days din na wala ko sa mood magbasa while travellling.