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Final Essay

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Karina Garcia

Jessica Pressman 

ECL 305

May 9, 2024

History Is Important

The Water Will Carry Us Home by Gabrielle Tesfaye is a film that conveys the message of hidden history as being equally if not more important in comparison to known history. One important technique being used to tell this story of the Middle Passage but also how the first mermaids came to be is through the use of stop motion animation. There are many significant factors that depict the importance of hidden histories throughout the film. 

The novel The Deep by Rivers Solomon with William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes and Daveed Diggs conveys one of the bigger ideas of the importance of one’s history as it is what holds a community together. The journey of the main character Yetu with everything and everyone she encounters later goes to show why history is important, how it connects people, and the hidden history one might find. 

Within The Water Will Carry Us Home and The Deep convey the message of history being an importance to one’s culture while also demonstrating how history is fluid and connects to many aspects. Tesfaye is able to show this theme through the use of stop motion animation to demonstrate the story of the Middle Passage and the origin of mermaids, while Solomon along with others were able to produce a continuation of Tesfaye’s story by producing a story about the wajinru people who came from slaves thrown overboard, the main character Yetus set on going on a journey that led to more of a discovery of how to community first came to be through her encounters she met on land. Both texts, although different, share the same importance to show history as a foundation to culture, but that it also fills in all these gaps and cracks to provide a more solid history from different perspectives and cultures. Both text also challenge readers in thinking more crucially about the history that is known and to also question there is also life in water just like there is on land.

In one of the first scenes of The Water Will Carry Us Home there is a set up for more thinking to take place at 2 minutes and continues until 2 minutes and 20 seconds. In this section there is a man who is entrusted with the key almost as if he’s the only beholder in this story, and with this key he is able to unlock a never before seen or heard of story. The man seems to be portrayed as someone important or a powerful being to be trusted with this key, dressed in all white with two eyes on his hands, accompanied by only a rooster instead of a human, the key is able to jump and move around his body in order to unlock a singular story from the many that were portrayed on the wall. The key shows a way in which there are beings that are able to hide or make visible stories about the ocean but it’s a “pick and choose” which they believe should be told. The man in this story is Yoruba Orishas and in the southwest Nigerian culture orishas are “other more minor”gods ” or”spirits “(Ogunniyi, 2022). This plays a significant role in knowing who this man is as he is now serving a purpose to the storytelling as he is presented to have great authority and power for those who are listening. 

While in The Deep there is already a start to show the importance of what the wajinru people refer to as ‘The Remembrance’ which is a special event in which the historian Yetu is able to replay the entire history of the wajinru people to the entire community, but only based on what she knows and has pieced together. One of the beginning parts that sets up this “mix-and-match” history is in chapter three, “She’d discovered the History on her own, through out-of-order scraps and pieces” (Solomon, 27). In comparison to Gabrielle Tesfaye’s film, Yetu is presented to be the wajinru people Yoruba Orisha as she is given the same authority as a minor god. Yetu does not know the sequential version of how the wajinru people and culture came to be but yet no one ever questioned her as this event healed the wajinru people and gave them a sense of identity that they long for. As the history that Yetu knows is to be “out-of-order scraps” there lies a chance for more to be discovered as this passage indicates she does not know all, she does not know fully and confidently of events that have taken place as she herself has learned to keep their history out of order. This allows questions to arise as to what more can be discovered about the wajinru people? What is their true story? And would they ever know the sequential version of how and where they originated from? 

Another section in The Water Will Carry Us Home that goes to show how stories are being portrayed is at 1 minute and 30 seconds when Yoruba Orisha is first being presented and behind him there is a wall of locks in which can be assumed to be other untold stories. On the wall behind him there are multiple locks of all shapes and sizes and are spread out all across the wall; it’s hard to say how many locks there are if the viewer was only able to see a selected amount within the frame. The main lock that is being unlocked is to show the story of the Middle Passage with African American slaves being transported by ship to show the origin of how African American mermaids came to be. A single story is being told which can only leave curiosity to peak and wonder if there are more stories like such. Discovering these singular stories lets more questions arise as to what other stories are not being told today, it opens and pushes for new questions and further curiosity to be asked as to which stories have not been told yet? Which stories are credible or not? Which stories are being hidden away from society? And why does this happen?

A part of the story that seem to play a big part until later on is when Yetu received the gift of the comb and as she feels she is able to find a memory correlated with the object, “The one in her find didn’t seem to be one of them, but its origin was clear. It had belonged to one of the foremothers” (Solomon, 17). As Yetu is able to review and go through each memory to find what is the history behind this comb she finds it comes from the original mothers, the slaves thrown overboard at sea, but later discovers more to that comb. In the final chapter Yetu is presenting the comb to her Amaba and has made a connection between the comb and her counterpart Oori, “She had markings on her face, these beautiful, intricate tattoos. Some of the symbols were identical to etchings on the comb I received shortly before the last Remembrance” (Solomon, 151). This is significant as it shows the correlation between Oori’s terrestrial culture and Yetu’s oceanic culture, it proves they are connected and that the wajinru people originated from land Oori was from. Rather than showing the difference between terrestrial and oceanic, Solomon shows the connectedness between the two in a single but yet powerful object just like Tesfaye does in the film with the object of the key. 

One significant parallel from The Deep that correlates with The Water Will Carry Us Home is a memory Yetu has of their ancestors, “Our mothers were pregnant two-legs thrown overboard while crossing the ocean on slave ships. We were born breathing water as we did in the womb” (Solomon, 27). This passage connects to the film as the film is telling the story of how the Middle Passage created the first mermaids, in Yetu’s remembering their mothers were slaves thrown overboard so it’s expected the wajinru people first began during the Middle Passage and are indeed the first mermaids or mer creatures to exist. The connection between the film and novel are significant as now it gives more meaning as to what happened to the slaves who were thrown overboard from the ships during the Middle Passage, the novel is the continuation of what happened to the human beings thrown overboard and gives them a life, instead of viewing it as a historical event that happened. Solomon along with others make a tragic and cruel event into an actual oceancentric story about life for these mermaids or wajinru people, he gives meaning to these human beings as more than just slaves but as strong creatures who adapted and created a life for themselves. 

Throughout most of the film Tesfaye used the technique of stop motion to serve a deeper purpose for this story telling, as stop motion animation is the constant modification of objects for a single shot in order to be edited together to produce a consistent film, but between the lines of everything “secret lies between each frame of the action” (Adobe, 2024). This technique allows one to connect with the bigger message of this film which is the secrets that lay in stories or history being told. This film was a reality point of one asking themselves of what makes this history credible but to also ask if there is more to uncover from this singular story and if not push it to the extent of asking for all history being taught.

Contrary to Tesfaye, Solomon takes a different approach to make the theme of history important by creating an oceancentric based story with the same qualities that would be expected only in a terracentric story. As the main character  Yetu discovers new things on lands, develops relationships with many and especially Oori, there is always the presence of the wajinru people and their history in the back of her head and eventually comes full circle at the end with the connections that were made between Yetu’s people and the discoverings she made through her partner Oori. The Deep shows the similarities in which history connects more than it is known, there are hidden parts to history that can secretly be intertwined within multiple aspects. 

Many cultures today around the world all have stories that define and make up their society, but not all are being told due to a number of reasons. Without these stories being told it is shaping history to be portrayed one way, shaping minds to think one way, and to also conceal controversial aspects of history. This film by Gabrielle Tesfaye is clearly depicting otherwise, as it is showing the hidden part of history that is being neglected and not taken into account as it is going against what fits the criteria for “history”. The Water Will Carry Us Home is able to convey the otherwise of what has already been taught of history, the ugly and more brutal part that shows the original “heroes” as doing more harm than good. To go hand in hand The Deep created a storyline for readers to follow along by showing challenges, emotions, and a journey the oceanic main character went on to discover more truth about her culture’s origin. Rivers Solomon along with others were able to product the message of history being important but also filling in the missing gaps are just as equally important as they can shift what has been taught and further what can be learned. 

Work Cited

Ogundiran, A. (2021) A long view sheds fresh light on the history of the Yoruba people in West Africa.

Ogunniyi, O. (2022) Yoruba Mythology: The Orishas Of The Yoruba Race. 

Adobe Stop motion animation explained: definitions, types and techniques. 

Tesfaye, G. (2018) The Water Will Carry Us Home.

Solomon, R. (2019) The Deep.

Take Aways

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After taking this class I wasn’t expecting to learn the things I have and to really apply them to not only the rest of my college career but also my life after college. I would say one of my biggest take aways is the ability to question what I’m learning. I have had no other class be able to show the “so what” aspect of the class or why it’s important to learn what they’re teaching or if it’s even credible and how do we know it’s credible. A lot of my past professors have just lectured without the importance of why or how this is relevant and the moment someone questioned something it was almost like a crime to do so. This class showed me the importance of questioning what I’m learning and that it is okay to do so.

Another big take away is being able to have an actual discussion. Some classes before signing up are labeled as “discussion” but there’s nothing really to them, other than 20 or so students all staring at each other without a single thing to say. This class allowed for conversation to be built, where our opinions/thoughts mattered as it contributed to conversation in any way. There was really never a right or wrong answer with what we had to say but instead it allowed for either the conversation to grow further or it really just sparked a completely different topic.

Finally it allowed me to work better on my writing and really analyze what I was reading, why it’s important, how does it relate to the bigger idea we’re learning, and how does this impact my perspective on topics. This is one of the class I feel like I actually learned something not just about literature, environment, mermaids, but more about myself as to how to be better as a student but also in my writing for future classes. It was a challenging class but in the end felt worth it as I have taken away so much from my professor but also my peers.

Week 15: We Are Mermaids

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Reading this poem felt like a breather in a way. I really enjoyed the feelings it gave me like a peace of mind, an escape from my current life, but also to picture my life in a different way. There was a specific part of the poem that stuck with me, “It has been there since before the beginning of tragedy”. It put into perspective how big, impactful, and strong the Ocean truly is but yet it’s still neglected for what it really is. It made me stop to think what does the Ocean know that humans don’t? What is the Oceans endurance to the damage that is always done to it? From this single stanza I was able to see how my life and what I think are “major” problems are really a speck in comparison to this huge body of water.

Another point in the poem that made me picture life in a different place was, “You can spend your life benthic, or brackish” as it makes me question if life in water is possible? I decided to look up the word benthic which is simply anything that is at the bottom of a body of water and I couldn’t help to think about the mermaid stories we’ve read and how they all take place living at the bottom of the sea. So can this mean that living at the bottom of the Ocean is indeed possible? How would life be down there? Or is there already life right under our noses? This poem brought out so many questions to me as it lets me try to picture things in a different lens as anything was possible instead of being impossible.

Final Essay – Thesis Proposal

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For my final essay I decided to extend on my second essay of Gabrielle Tesfaye but also try to incorporate The Deep as a second text as I believe they are both similar in story telling and the stories that are hidden from the world, but also with the story of slaves being thrown overboard. Any feedback is very appreciated :).

Thesis: In the short film The Water Will Carry Us Home by Gabrielle Tesfaye shows the demonstration of how selected stories portray what is known to be history. Tesfaye conveys this message through the use of stop motion art which is able to produce a story. This is significant as it shows a side of history that is not told or paid more attention to and it also shapes viewers thinking about the history that is already known.

Week 14: The Deep

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In this week’s reading I thought something important that was presented was the concept of self identity. I couldn’t help notice the times in which Yetu felt as if she didn’t know who she was anymore, or if that she was anyone for that matter. It was intriguing to read and make a mental image of Yetu evolving as we first read her with the importance of being a historian to the wajinru people and sacrificing herself for others as that is all she has ever known since the age of 14, to finally escaping that life and going through the process of finding her own identity away from the influence of others like her Amaba. Although Yetu had escaped she still had no real sense of where she felt she belonged as being in the deep meant death for her return or staying on land away from her people, “She didn’t know where she belonged, if returning to the wajinru would mean the death of her. But she wasn’t suited for like here” (page 112). In the eyes of Yetu both situations were a lose-lose, she would either loose her people or her life which is something she did intentionally ask for. Reading about this identity development felt almost as if Yetu was about to start approaching the developmental cycle that was never got to fully experience as she was just thrown into this role of historian at such a young age that now that she left her people she was able to think and decide for herself.

I also enjoyed the entirety of chapter 7 as you can see the development of Yetu and Oori’s relationship. Oori is almost like Yetu’s other half, the half that challenges her, makes her question her decisions, to truly seeing things from a different lens, but ultimately push her to make decisions for herself selfishly. It was also interesting to read that there was a lust going on between the two as they were from different worlds and different beings, but still focused on who they were as beings instead of the outliers. I think this idea also goes back to early class discussions of what differentiates a creature and human, what is the border between the two? It was clear that Yetu was not a two-leg being but she was not also fully an animal, she was still able to feel different emotions, have a more advanced thinking, and even develop a relationship with other two-leg beings but still had physical features of an animals such as gills and rows of sharp teeth. This was a thought I kept through what I’ve read so far and just makes me wonder more about life outside of humanity but also the borders that classify what is human and non.

Week 13: Ti Jeanne and Maman Dlo

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One of this week’s reading was the story of Ti Jeanne and I wish the story was longer or that more stories like this would appear. I grew found of Maman Dlo in this story as I can relate her back to Mother Nature in a way, a mythical being who serves a purpose to teach humans lessons. My first read through I didn’t see anything wrong with what Ti Jeanne was doing but taking a moment to process what I was just and then reading it for a second time I can see how what she did was not okay. Maman Dlo was the “mother of the water” in Caribbean island folklore, and I think it is important to tell the story of her as the islands are surrounded by the Ocean so at some point there should be a better teaching for generations to come about the importance of not polluting the water as it is what surrounds the island people. The part I thought was interesting was when Ti Jeanne was realizing that doing laundry in the river pool was bad and is what caused her worry, “For the girl knew that punishment awaits the one who offends the forest creatures, the plants or the animals,..” (pg 275), but yet this was nothing that was thought of before she began washing. This story teaches the importance of smaller actions can and will still do harm to our environment, even if it’s unintentional or intentional but humans need to do better in realizing such. The story of Maman Dlo is one that should be told as it resonates with our current state of global warming and climate change, it advocates for the Ocean and Earth about the punishments that will be given to humans for the deconstruction of the natural environment.

Discovery – Hidden Stories

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Karina Garcia 

Jessica Pressman

ECL 301

14 April 2024

Hidden Stories

In the short film The Water Will Carry Us Home by Gabrielle Tesfaye shows the demonstration of how selected stories portray what is known to be history. Tesfaye conveys this message through the use of stop motion art which is able to produce a story. This is significant as it shows a side of history that is not told or paid more attention to and it also shapes viewers thinking about the history that is already known. 

One of the first scenes that sets up for more thinking to take place is at 2 minutes and continues until 2 minutes and 20 seconds. In this section there is a man who is entrusted with the key almost as if he’s the only beholder in this story, and with this key he is able to unlock a never before seen or heard of story. The man seems to be portrayed as someone important or a powerful being to be trusted with this key, dressed in all white with two eyes on his hands, accompanied by only a rooster instead of a human, the key is able to jump and move around his body in order to unlock a singular story from the many that were portrayed on the wall. The key shows a way in which there are beings that are able to hide or make visible stories about the ocean but it’s a “pick and choose” which they believe should be told. The man in this story is Yoruba Orishas and in the southwest Nigerian culture orishas are “other more minor”gods ” or”spirits ” (Ogunniyi, 2022). This plays a significant role in knowing who this man is as he is now serving a purpose to the storytelling as he is presented to have great authority and power for those who are listening.  

Another section in which goes to show how stories are being portrayed is at 1 minute and 30 seconds when Yoruba Orisha is first being presented and behind him there is a wall of locks in which can be assumed to be untold stories. On the wall behind him there are multiple locks of all shapes and sizes and are spread out all across the wall; it’s hard to say how many locks there are if the viewer was only able to see a selected amount. The main lock that is being unlocked is to show the story of the Middle Passage with African American slaves being transported by ship to show the origin of how African American mermaids came to be. A single story is being told which can only leave curiosity to peak and wonder if there are more stories like such. Discovering these singular stories lets more questions arise as to what other stories are not being told today, it opens and pushes for new questions and further curiosity to be asked as to which stories have not been told yet? Which stories are credible or not? Which stories are being hidden away from society? And why does this happen?

Finally as the story is coming to an end at 5 minutes and 57 seconds, the door is closing and the lock is coming into play to close up the story for good the key is back in play but has never left Yoruba Orisha. After the entire story being told about the origin of African American mermaids is one of the first times in history that these kinds of mermaids are presented, Tesfaye is able to do so with the use of stop motion animation to attract the attention of viewers. The key continues to be a significant factor into this story that is being told and shows which are still being concealed. The ending of the film also leaves a sense of mystery as to now know what’s the next story that will be told and have the question of how many stories are still out there that are not being told. Tesfaye is able to spark the curiosity of viewers into questioning the history that they learned and to be more open about learning new history that will be able to change what they already know. 

Many cultures today around the world all have stories that define and make up their society, but not all are being told due to a number of reasons. Without these stories being told it is shaping history to be portrayed one way, shaping minds to think one way, and to also conceal controversial aspects of history. This film by Gabrielle Tesfaye is clearly depicting otherwise, it is showing the hidden part of history that is being neglected and not taken into account as it is going against what fits the criteria for “history”. The Water Will Carry Us Home is able to convey the otherwise of what has already been taught of history, the ugly and more brutal part that shows the original “heroes” as doing more harm than good. 

Work Cited

https://theconversation.com/a-long-view-sheds-fresh-light-on-the-history-of-the-yoruba-people-in-west-africa-162776#:~:text=The%20Yoruba%20are%20among%20the,history%20have%20attracted%20numerous%20studies.

https://guardian.ng/life/yoruba-mythology-the-orishas-of-the-yoruba-race

Week 12: The Water Will Carry Us Home

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This week’s stop motion animation left me curious but also fascinated with the art that was used. There were a couple of details that stood out to me but watching the short video I couldn’t help but focus on the key that was used. When the key is first showed it is to unlock the story of slaves were being moved through the ocean on ship and those who had fallen into the water eventually came to be mermaids, and the key is later then showed again as it is locking up the story again. The key shows a way in which there are beings that are able to hide or make visible stories about the ocean but it’s a “pick and choose” which they believe should be told, this going back to the story that was showed about African American merpeople first coming to be which is unusual in history as it has been portrayed to be only white merpeople. The key is also showing the way in which stories are told from different cultural backgrounds, in this short animation we are viewing the origin of merpeople through Yoruba Orishas who helped cause this phenomenon to happen. Stories like these are ones that aren’t heavily present in any sort of history, so I think it’s interesting that there are even stop motion animation to tell these stories as they are important not only to the history of mermaids but to the history of Ocean. The Ocean is a fluid place with so much history and with that history holds so many different stories for so many cultures that it’s not easy to think one version of a story exist, to think that multiple variations of a story exist as it translated differently throughout cultures.

Midterm – Close Reading

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Karina Garcia

Jessica Pressman

ECL 305

31 March 2024

‘The Little Mermaid’

The Little Mermaid’s determination to convert from mermaid to human reflects the similar qualities that should be expected to be found in humans, which slowly erases the barrier that differentiates who and what is human and nonhuman. Andersen conveys the message of determination by presenting the obstacles that were put before the Little Mermaid as she was trying to convert her fishtail into a pair of human legs and to obtain an immortal soul, thus making her a powerful sea creature who allows humanistic traits like determination to guide her life decisions. This is significant as it develops equality for nonhumans by not only showing the trait of determination but by also showing the humanistic traits they possess that humans are only expected to have. 

One of the first circumstances in which the Little Mermaid begins her longing is when she states, “I will venture everything to win him and to obtain an immortal soul… I will go to the sea-witch, who has always frightened me hitherto, but now, perhaps, she can advise and help me.” (Andersen, 119). There is already her initial longing of wanting to join the prince again as he is all that she thinks about in her days, but she seeks to go to the extent of the sea witch for solutions. Although the sea witch had “frightened” her, the Little Mermaid was able to put aside all her fear and commit to going to the sea witch as she knew that the sea witch would be the answer to all her problems. In this small passage there is a slight revealing of the Little Mermaid’s determination, in which despite the fear she felt from the sea witch she was still going to find her because she knew that in any sort of way she would be reunited with the prince on land. 

As the Little Mermaid had set her mind to finding the sea witch, it was now time to follow through and physically go to her “turf-common” (Andersen, 120). In the area of the sea witch is a dead area in which nothing grew and was lifeless which was the complete opposite compared to the area that the Little Mermaid lived in, and something specific that she had to overcome were polypi which are “half animal, half plant” (Andersen, 120). The Little Mermaid was fearful of passing through this as the polypi made up the trees and bushes and had the ability to grab onto any and everything that passed by them and due to this she grew fear but then reminded herself of her main goal, “…but then she thought of the prince, and of the soul that human beings possessed, and she took courage.” (Andersen, 120). The fear she had about physically reaching the sea witch because of the polypi almost stopped her but she allowed herself a few seconds and overcame this physical obstacle. As the polypi had almost prevented the Little Mermaid from reaching the sea witch, she reminded herself of why she needed to meet with the sea witch and this allowed her sense of bravery to grow more from this obstacle. 

Finally, after the sea witch had warned her about the repercussions of this potion, “…it will hurt you as much as if a sharp sword were thrust through you” (Andersen, 121), it was a huge warning about that the physical pain she will have to endure as long as she’s on land. The Little Mermaid had been forewarned warned and through the language of “sharp sword” it demonstrates the pain from fish tail to legs, and in this section there could’ve been an easy resistance and declined the offer but instead the Little Mermaid’s response to the sea witch was accepting of all that came with this deal, “I do,” said the little mermaid, in a trembling voice, as she thought of the prince and of an immortal soul.” (Andersen, 121). As the Little Mermaid had the choice to pick if she wanted to continue with this deal or not, she had reminded herself again of her own personal goal and knew what exactly she had to endure and also overcome if it meant to be on land. 

Through the Little Mermaid as the main character in this story there was more of a diminution of the barrier that separates human and nonhuman, thus advocating for equality for the nonhuman. The Little Mermaid was able to prove her determination by the challenges that came towards her but never resisted and instead pushed forward with her ultimate goal. Within these challenges as well, she showed other humanistic traits like bravery and courage, and these are traits that can be applied to only human beings and not the non. The Little Mermaid proved herself to hold humanistic traits and to be a powerful sea creature as she willingly left her entire life behind to start completely from scratch as she believed it was her calling. The story of the Little Mermaid is one that continues to show the equality for the nonhuman through the use of her own personal challenges, and everything she overcame to be human while demonstrating humanistic traits. 

Week 11: Sirenomelia

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This week’s video left me confused, interested but also a bit scared in a way. It was hard to forget about the audio because it sounded like screeching noises but it had taken me back to a certain day in class in which we listened to the theme song for a mermaid tv show. I thought it was interesting to use that noise as the history of sirens that I have learned showed that these mythical beings used their song to lure sailors which made it feel almost intentional to use as it would lure in viewers to continue watching. The opening scenes were a bit confusing as I didn’t know what I was supposed to be seeing from the kaleidoscope scene but what really caught my attention was the amount of snow and ice there was. It makes me think about how this is also a different form of nature that is a bit more neglected and ultimately doesn’t get the attention needed, the area in which this was filmed in has most likely changed as global warming continues to be an issue but it continues to not be a public issue as it is a place that is out of our nature element and seems extraordinary. There was a scene in which the mermaid was swimming between two pieces of land and it kept taking me back to last week’s class in which the big topic that was talked about was not being able to claim the Ocean. In a way for me it continued to show the idea of flow and flexibility that the Ocean has as it is a constant moving place that is touched by so many things but yet there is no clear indication that countries have full claim over parts of the water. The closing scene in which the mermaid was swimming through the Ocean also resinated with me as it showed how small humans are in comparison to the Ocean but yet there’s this belief in humans that they are the most “powerful” being on Earth, so if we’re this “big” and “powerful” why don’t we take up 71% of the planet? Why is it that the Ocean does? And why is it that the Ocean is continued to be portrayed as a small part of our world when in fact it is something huge?