Akata Witch: A Novel (by Nnedi Okorafor) Response

In Akata Witch, most of the main characters we are introduced to are witches, or as they are known in Nigeria, ekpe—Leopard societies/people. I noticed that women with lighter skin are treated much more cruelly than women with darker skin; as explained by Sunny’s encounter during her class in Chapter 1. Her white-skinned teacher, Miss Tate, attempted to force Sunny to punish her classmates with a wooden switch to their hands. When Sunny refused, her classmates jumped and beat her after the school day ended. In this case, Miss Tate’s power as a teacher was highlighted when she punished her students for their poorly written essays, and her attempt to make Sunny punish them instead. Simply because Sunny’s essay excelled over her classmates. However, Sunny’s classmates saw this as Miss Tate favoring her (Sunny) for being light-skinned and allowing Miss Tate to brutally punish them instead of Sunny pretending to. In my personal opinion, I believe they just used this as an excuse to ‘justly’ beat Sunny out of hatred. Another thing to mention is how there are misconceptions of albino people having evil magical powers. As seen when Chichi suspects Sunny is a Leopard person and is debating with Orlu on whether they let her in their world. Sunny worries over what Chichi’s perception of her maybe. Sunny was taught that all juju is evil, and Orlu and Chichi try to explain that there is “some good, some bad, some just is…” (page 24). This highlights how some people are ignorant of different cultures and their history. For example, when Sunny assumed Juju was all evil and how people believe witches are evil.

In this story, some characters are more complex than others, as some fit multiple of the three main archetypes. The three main archetypes being Character, Situational and Symbolic with many subcategories. For Sunny, she fits the Character archetype later on in the book, but I personally believe she is more of a Symbolic archetype. Her being albino insinuates that she should have the ability to disappear at will, as well as travel between this world and the spirit world. She is often called a Ghost, or half ghost-half human. We later learn Sunny’s abilities as a free agent Leopard person. Once Sunny discovers her spirit face, her albino skin no longer burns painfully under the sun. “Her spirit face was the sun, all shiny gold and glowing with pointy rays.” (page 93). She is put into the Hero archetype when forced to move to Nigeria and then later discovering her true identity.

Narratively this story and her character, have many similarities to Harry Potter. Sunny, like Harry Potter, is placed in an unknown world and must save it from an evil that threatens it. For Sunny, this evil is the Black Hat Otokoto, a serial killer who murders Nigerian children in order to summon the most-formidable of spirits. Black Hat Otokoto fits the Villain Archetype with his main goal of gaining more power by summoning greater evil; a motivation that many villain archetypes in literature are often depicted with. He is also a very powerful Leopard person who was mentored by Sunny’s Leopard grandmother Ozoemena. This is how they are essentially connected to each other, much like Voldemort and Harry are magically linked. One character that appears in the story, Sugar Cream fits the Mentor archetype. In the Leopard world, they value knowledge and learning above everything. She is the Librarian of the Obi Library in Leopard Knocks, making Sugar Cream one of the most powerful and well-known ekpe within West Africa. Her condition of scoliosis in indicative to her shape-shifting ability; mainly her ability to turn into a snake at will. She considers becoming Sunny’s mentor, much like how Dumbledore is a mentor to Harry Potter, but is unsure due to Sunny’s questionable behavior. The more you go in-depth with each character, the more subcategories they will fit into. In the same way Sunny, our protagonist, fits many Archetypes.

Frankenstein (by Mary Shelly) Response

From what I’ve read so far, the scene that particularly sticks out to me the most would be the scene of which Victor successfully animates the monster to life. He gets melodramatic, explaining how he was now disgusted by what he’s done, and how terrified he is of the monster. 

“How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!-Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same color as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion and straight black lips.” Chapter V, page 75. Victor explains in great detail about his emotions at that present time, something very common in gothic literature. He also heavily romanticizes the way the monster looks, describing how “Beautiful” the creature is. Another common trait in gothic literature is romanticism. He also uses peculiar vocabulary to describe the monster’s features, very dark and dull adjectives. 

Following this, he runs out the room and tries to sleep numerous times, but begins to have terrible dreams of Elizabeth and his mother. Holding his mother in his arms as she slowly rotted away, causing him to wake in a cold sweat. This could be perceived as an omen of Elizabeth’s possible fate, as he was initially embracing Elizabeth before she changed into his mother (who has already since passed by this point of the book.) After this he gets a surprise visit by his old friend, Henry Clerval, whom witnesses Victor’s mental breakdown as he (Victor) tries to explain what he has done.

“I trembled excessively; I could not endure to think of, and far less to allude to, the occurrences of the preceding night… I then reflected, and the thought made me shiver, that the creature whom I had left in my apartment might still be there, alive, and walking about. I dreaded to behold this monster; but I feared still more that Henry should see him… My hand was already on the lock of the door before I recollected myself. I then paused; and a cold shivering came over me. I threw the door forcibly open, as children are accustomed to do when they expect a specter to stand waiting for them on the other side… I stepped fearfully in… my bedroom was also freed from its hideous guest… when I became assured that my enemy had indeed fled, I clapped my hands for joy… I was unable to contain myself. It was not joy only that possessed me; I felt my flesh tingle with excess of sensitiveness, my pulse beat rapidly. I was unable to remain for a single instant in the same place; I jumped over the chairs, clapped my hands, and laughed aloud. Clerval at first attributed my unusual spirits to joy on his arrival… but… he saw a wildness in my eyes… my loud, unrestrained, heartless laughter, frightened and astonished him… I imagined that the monster seized me; I struggled furiously, and fell down in a fit… he anticipated with such joy, so strangely turned to bitterness. But I was not the witness of his grief, for I was lifeless, and I did not recover my sense for a long, long time.” - Chapter V, page 78.

This is an even greater example of high emotions being played out to the reader. The intense, erratic and lengthy description of all the emotions/feelings/thoughts going through Victor’s mind as his fear of the creature increases. Almost every action he makes is followed by an emotional adjective, to emphasize the emotions Victor is experiencing. Something gothic literature most commonly does to further the suspense and fear in the story and the reader.

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