Nalo+Hopkinson's+Brown+Girl+In+the+Ring

Novel Study: Nalo Hopkinson’s //Brown Girl in the Ring// By: Andrea Persaud Synopsis: Set in a futuristic Toronto that has suffered both economic and political crises, the protagonist, Ti-Jeanne (a recent mother) struggles to make sense of the visions she has. Living with her grandmother, Gros-Jeanne, a former nurse and a known spiritual healer in the city, Ti-Jeanne’s ex-boyfriend, Tony (a former drug addict and the father of her child) seeks their help to get him off the radar of the city’s war lord, Rudy.

The text opens with Rudy and his posse in Angel of Mercy Hospital, with Premier Uttley in need of a heart transplant (she demands a human donor). Rudy endows Tony with the responsibility of finding a human donor. We later find out that it is Gros-Jeanne who has the right blood type and capability for the heart transplant. For the sake of not giving away the ending, Ti-Jeanne comes face to face with the all-powerful Rudy, in an effort to embrace her spiritual gifts (as she repels them for much of the novel).  a) In what grade level/course would you teach this text? Are there other courses for which it might also be appropriate?

While //Brown Girl in the Ring// is an easy and fairly short read, the allusions and graphic images raised in the text, make it more suitable for a grade 11 university English class. For instance, Soucouyant (character from a Caribbean folklore), duppy ( is a Jamaican Patois word of West African origin meaning ghost or spirit)  and Eshu (the deity from African mythology) are continually mentioned throughout the text.

Perhaps this text could also be utilized in a grade 11 philosophy class, as it has ethical questions embedded, as well as the issue of free will vs. predeterminism. For instance, it is ethical to give a human an animal’s heart? When is it okay to use magic? Is it okay to use magic? (Gros-Jeanne claims she has spiritual gifts from god to heal people, while Rudy is seen as a sorcerer). Also, are Ti-Jeanne visions a god-given gift and therefore destiny, or does she have the power to control it?

b) What are the main ideas/issues/teaching points which you would emphasize when teaching the text? (Consider the knowledge possibilities: social, topic, cultural, textual).


 * Social **: The text juxtaposes Gros-Jeanne and Rudy’s use of magic. While Gros-Jeanne claims she has god-given gifts to heal and perform special requests, Rudy is viewed as performer of black magic and acts of evil, also referred to as Voodoo in the Afro-Caribbean community. Knowing this, much of the city is scared of Rudy, as he has supernatural power. Suggestive of this is the presence of his ‘duppy bowl’ (again, duppy is a Jamaican Patois word of West African origin meaning ghost or spirit).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Topic **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">: //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Brown Girl in the Ring //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> focuses on Caribbean beliefs and values. For example, the title, //Brown Girl in the Ring// is a childhood song (originated in Jamaican), in which a bunch of girls are holding hands in a circle, with one in the middle, showing off her moves. The following is an excerpt from the song:

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There’s a Brown girl in the ring //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> //Tra la la la la There's a brown girl in the ring Tra la la la la la Brown girl in the ring Tra la la la la She looks like a sugar in a plum Plum plum

Show me your motion Tra la la la la Come on show me your motion Tra la la la la la Show me your motion Tra la la la la She looks like a sugar in a plum// //Plum plum// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ti-Jeanne could be the girl at the center of certain events and be expected to find a way out of them without causing more damage. Alternatively, Ti-Jeanne could also be like the brown girl in the ring, having to come up with some very tricky moves of her own, very quickly, in order to survive. (These may present ideal essay topics for students to contemplate. What significance does the title, //Brown Girl in the Ring// have on the text/characters/etc?).

The text also explores various relationships and conflicts. For instance, the relationship between three generations, Gros-Jeanne, Mi-Jeanne and Ti-Jeanne, the love/lust relationship between Ti-Jeanne and Tony, the tyrannical rule of Rudy and his posse versus the city of Toronto, etc. Another underlying theme could be the notion of self-preservation. It is Ti-Jeanne’s ability to adapt that keeps her alive in the end, compared to Tony and her mother, Mi-Jeanne (who also struggled with visions). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Cultural **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">: The text employs characters of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity and decent. More obvious of this is the use of a Caribbean, English dialect, more commonly known as Patois. For those who are unfamiliar with the dialect, it is often interpreted as broken or incomplete English. For example, early in the text, Rudy states, “Is we a-rule things” (Hopkinson 3), and later, Ti-Jeanne exclaims, “allyou just digging yourselves in deeper, each one in he own pit” (Hopkinson 164). Moreover, words such as “bloodclot” (Hopkinson 198) and “rass” (Hopkinson 222) are used (popular Jamaican curse words in Patois).

The text is also very much grounded in Canadian culture, as it is set in Toronto and highlights various well-known Canadian hotspots, including the CN Tower, the Eaton’s Centre, etc. In this way, students are better able to relate to the text.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">c) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">W <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">hat are the issues/challenges you might encounter teaching the text? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"> The text is rich in various allusions to Caribbean/African spirits, folklore, etc., thus, students may be overwhelmed with this and not understand it (and therefore, lose meaning from the overall text). To curb this, I think it would be a great idea to create a chart with four columns (term, definition, usage, and significance). With this, students can keep track of the terms, and it may help with further discussions/assignments about the text. Another challenge is the use of a Caribbean dialect throughout the text (also known as Patois). While much of the text is narrated in Standard English, the main characters often speak Patois. While it is not hard to read (nor understand), it may be very unfamiliar with some students and as such, take some getting time to get use to it (perhaps this could be a great essay topic: How does the use of standard English and a Patois operate in //Brown Girl in the Ring//?) While I do not foresee this being an issues, perhaps other teachers may anticipate the use of vulgar language and graphic scenes to be problematic with a grade 11 class. While I may assume my grade 11 class will be mature enough to handle the use of the word ‘fuck’, and try to make meaning of the graphic scenes, instead of simply being disgusted by them, I think it would be appropriate to caution students before teaching the text. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">d) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Describe one possible assignment/activity which you could use when teaching the text. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"> One possible activity and assignment that I would like to execute if teaching this text is **//[|hot seating]//.** Essentially, hotseating comprises a series of techniques that intensifies role playing by putting students “on the spot”. In the ‘hotseat’, the student assumes the role of a character or someone other than him/herself, tells about the person and responds to questions and situations in that role (ex. a skit, an interview, etc). While hotseating has many variations, it ultimately brings the text, characters, ideas and forces and/or topics to life. This strategy invites students to hone in on their ability to analyze characters, infer, elaborate and think on their feet. Having said that, this is a great activity to cater to a wide range of intelligences including three of Gardner’s eight multiple intelligences: bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. Other benefits of hotseating include: helping students get to know the characters deeply or understand differing perspectives on issues, aids inferential, elaborative, and analytical thinking, allows students to explore real issues and experiment with views from the safety of being in role, and offers opportunities to work on public speaking, interviewing, questioning and other discussion skills, just to name a few. Since the aim of this activity is to get inside the mind of the characters in the text, it is important for students to be aware that there is no right or wrong way to interpret how the character may or may not feel, rather, it is what can and cannot be supported with evidence from the text. As a teacher, one must be aware of the classroom environment and ensure that students are not only aware, but also feel emotionally and intellectually “safe” enough to improvise. I would also emphasize that I value out-of-the-box thinking. Following the activity, student would be required to create a letter (writing as their chosen character from the text) in which they express their feelings, emotions, goals, pet peeves, etc. Special attention should be given to choosing specific examples from the text to illustrate a deeper understanding of the character. For example, if a student is writing about Rudy being a tyrant, how might that sound? What might that look like in writing? Moreover, besides his status as ‘boss’, what other evidence suggests he is powerful/greedy/ruthless, etc? Since it is a grade 11 academic English class, students will be assessed on their ability to take on the mind-set of a character in //Brown Girl in the Ring// in a letter (at least a two page response). Curriculum Requirements: In addition to giving students and opportunity to apply their knowledge of convention (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.), they will be forced to make inferences to take on the role of any character in the text (i.e. what inferences can we draw about the characters from the opening chapter/final chapter/etc .?) Type in the content of your page here.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Textual: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The text is a blend of science fiction and magic realism (which combines fantastic and extraordinary elements with the ordinary). For example, after seeking Gros-Jeanne’s help to escape from Rudy, both Ti-Jeanne and Tony are transformed to be invisible, while they walk past Rudy’s posse. Another example is the use of various folklore characters, such as Soucouyant (a female by day, and by night she transforms into a fireball, and searches for victims). Not only is Hopkinson exploring a genre rare in the Caribbean novel category, but her uniqueness entices the reader.