preview

Analysis Of Makeda Silvera 's ' Chapter 22 Testimony

Decent Essays

MAKEDA Silvera 's chapter 22 testimony is concerning her life as a lesbian woman in her home country, the Caribbean. She touches on certain aspects in her life like hearing gossip from her grandmother or mother about the local women in her community who were rumored to be lesbians and how they were punished for being so within that community. Her Caribbean community was deeply religious which brought out a homophobic energy amongst the locals. This energy is pronounced when Silvera describes that homosexuals were referred to as "sodomite" or "man royals", these terms called "dread words". Silvera goes into more detail about her communities ingrained Christian beliefs and how these beliefs began in slave days. When the majority of the world was subjected to Christian beliefs, missionaries particularly placed these beliefs among the Caribbean slaves. Salvera says that the bible was important for their forefathers because of its stories of strength and endurance but with that encouragement came negative connotations. These strong beliefs in the bible brought strong vibes of misogyny, racism and homophobia throughout the community hence the use of words like "Sodamite" to describe a lesbian. The word "Sodamite" originates from the old testament, this meaning lesbian or strong woman in her community and this revealing her communities very low opinions on homosexuals. Homophobia did not escape Silvera 's own family as she talks about her grandmothers reaction to her coming out

Get Access