Yoruba Girl Dancing (Page 82-121)

Title: Yoruba Girl Dancing
Author: Simi Bedford
Page 82 to 121

Summary
Matron Bacon was responsible of Remi until the school would begin. Matron is the nurse of the school and was cold toward the narrator. For an entire week, Remi felt depressed and lonely. However, as the other girls came, the loneliness vanished. Many girls were interested in Remi because of her peculiar appearance. Remi was different than them. Her roommates are Jessica, Anita, Minnie, and Sarah. Anita was a bit naïve by saying “the black rubs off,” which means the color of Remi will dirty the skin of others. Due to her racist statement, the rest of the girls were afraid to play with Remi. But, the other roommates besides Anita did not mind Remi’s appearance. Other girls inquired Remi about her family and her country. That made Remi missed her family even more. She became quite popular in school. During the holidays, Remi went to her guardians’ house. Her guardians are Uncle Theo and Aunt Betty. Both had two children, Gerald and Maureen. Remi became close to Gerald. Gerald was the leader of the Stanley Terrace gang. Mostly, the gang members would play with each other. Four years had gone by; Remi learned a lot about herself. She learned the meaning of “darkie” and how the “whites” dislike her. She became more mature, yet her self-esteem deteriorated which led to the low grades and several fights in school. The letters received from her family back in Africa described many changes the narrator had missed such as the birth of two other siblings and the death of her dear Baba Cook. She wanted to go home so badly, but her father denied her wish. During the holidays came, she stayed with her guardians. Ironically, she fell in love with Gerald. Gerald only saw her as playmate or a friend. He was a tyrant since he always chose what to play which angered Remi. Anyhow, all her relatives decided to travel and stayed in a hotel. All had fun except Remi, she missed her family.


Quote
“Jessica and my friends at school said that I was now so English it was impossible to imagine that I had actually been born in Africa. This was true, but it was also true that I now understood what a darkie was and a native and a savage” (Bedford 98).

Reaction
During these pages, the narrator became more mature and more down to earth. Her naïve and innocent personality dissolves into a more open-minded one. Now, Remi realized her differences with other people. Her reality about her father’s leaving her in England and her statue as a black girl. The quote above gives the idea of Remi no longer being a child. She is becoming an adult from the last four years staying in England. Right now, she is eleven years old. She is reflecting about life and reality. Remi left the “Kingdom of Childhood” (Reference to one of Stephenie Meyer’s books) after her grandfather had died (I forgot to mention that in my first post >.<).