Another free-for-all blog means I’m going to exploit this opportunity and make it as much fun for me as I can. While reading Wide Sargasso Sea I was extra intrigued with the idea of Annette being characterized as a zombie. With Halloween right around the corner and with my extreme love of the holiday as well as that of the supernatural, I’ve decided to research some of the ideas of voodoo, black magic and zombies.
Voodoo was a religion that was brought to the Caribbean around the 16th century by West African slaves. Not able to openly practice their beliefs due to the French Catholic inhabitants of the islands, Haiti in particular, made it necessary for the slaves to hide their religion. To this day, voodoo is considered to be a dark and mysterious practice that concentrates on spirits of ancestors and animal worship. Although the white settlers of the islands tried to suppress the Africans ceremonies and traditions, the slaves relied on them heavily to deal with the terrible transition into slavery. The religion has been greatly diluted due to the adaptation of other religions and beliefs such as Catholicism, Christianity and Native American traditions.
The exact date of origin is unknown but Voodoo is considered to be one of the oldest religions. The word voodoo comes from the African word “vodun” meaning “spirit.” Despite the negative connotations that are associated with voodoo, it’s actually a religion concentrated on healing, be it the one who practices, their relationships, their family members or even their relationship with God.
The concentration of evil and spirits was most likely brought on by the stresses of slavery. The idea of zombies is directly related to that of slavery. Zombies were considered to be soulless creatures that could be controlled by the sorcerer that created the zombie. Not dissimilar to being controlled by the slave master.
Real zombies were actual products of practicing sorcerers through medicinal and chemical potions and poisons that created extreme brain damage. This brings us back to Annette and her disturbing and destructive behavior. It really makes sense of her madness.
“Here endeth the lesson.” (Another Buffy reference for you Teacher)
PS-I heard some Billy Ocean today, it felt appropriate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkXV5O5GfJ8
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HAHA! I really needed a history lesson on Voodoo, thanks Kristi! Very cool post, I actually hadn't considered the witchcraft theme very important yet, probably because I haven't read the rest of the book, but I'm sure what you wrote will help me in the long run!
ReplyDeleteYou stole my idea (kinda)! I touched on how the occult relates to Wide Sargasso Sea, but didn't get as indepth into Zombie history as you. Very nicely done. I enjoyed reading about it, as I didn't find as much in-depth information on zombies as you.
ReplyDeleteBilly Ocean rules.
I enjoyed the in depth zombie history since when I think of voodoo I always think of some bad hollywood movie. I also had not make the connection between voodoo and Annette which would explain a lot of her behavior.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the soundtrack and explanation of zombies. Interesting indeed about the brain damaging potions. Happy early Halloween :)
ReplyDeleteZombies are great. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is way better than regular old Pride and Prejudice, for example.
ReplyDelete