Roots is all about the fam, ma'am. Born into a highly regarded family in the Mandinka tribe, Kunta Kinte grows up with a great sense of pride about his ancestral legacy, not to mention a great deal of love for his family.
And, despite the traumatic experiences he endures, he holds onto these beliefs. For generations afterward, we see how this unyielding love for family is what keeps the Kinte clan together despite the most awful circumstances imaginable. They don't have any Steve Urkels, but we can guarantee that family matters in Roots.
Questions About Family
- What does Kunta learn from his family in Juffure? How do these lessons help him?
- What leads Chicken George to refocus on his family?
- How does the family's relationship with one another change over the generations?
- How is the separation of families used by slave owners to control slaves?
Chew on This
Ultimately, it's Kunta Kinte's legacy that helps Chicken George refocus his energies on his family.
In the novel, we see first-hand how slave owners used the separation of families to systematically dismantle African culture and subjugate slaves.