Banjo

1. Banjo is as much a commentary on capitalism, colonialism and class as it is about race.  Do you find the discussions Ray, Banjo and the other characters in the novel have about these issues to be a natural part of the narrative?  Or are there times when the intense conversations feel more like the author forcing his views on the reader than they are a part of an organic outgrowth of the narrative?
 
2. There are moments when Banjo freely floats from one place to the next without concerning himself with the greater affairs of the world around him and then there are times when he seems profound in his understanding of the world around him.  How do you see him?  Is he the lucky fool or is there a complexity to his ways?  Is there a wisdom in him that allows him to be free of the world in a way some of the other characters seem incapable of being?  Perhaps, there is a bit of the Dual-Consciousness DuBois spoke of in Banjo that allows him to smile and party and live to the fullest, while at the same time fully understanding the nature of the hostile world around him.  What do you think?

3.  In many ways, this story has a Socialist leaning.  There seems to be no love for Capitalism.  Time and time again the author's voice declares that it's not the voices of the higher classes that should be listened to, but rather it is the voices of the masses that matter.  When the ship with the dollar sign comes into port, the author lets us know that it is not welcome.  The reader does not seem to be given a chance to make up his or her mind regarding the world Banjo lives in.  How do you feel about this?  Would you like more room to maneuver as a reader?  Perhaps, if the author's voice wasn't so strong and or so intertwined with Ray's, the reader could be allowed more space to interpret the world of Marseilles and the world outside of Marseilles.  Or are you fine with the spaces you have been given as a reader along with the commentaries being offered up to you by the author?  If you loved capitalism and the free market, would it be possible to enjoy this book?

4. McKay touches on almost every aspect of what it meant to be a black man in the world Banjo exists in.  And not just an African-American black man, but a black man from all the parts of the world that interacted with the White world.  He goes into great detail about the relationships people of color have with the whites as well as the relationships they have with one another.   Did his rendering of this Black diaspora deepen your understanding of the characters and of their world?  Or did you find it to be information that, though interesting, did not seem to be necessary for the progression (if you found progression) of the narrative.  If you could cut away parts of the narrative, would these renderings be cut away or would you choose other parts of the story?  If so, what parts and why?

5.  Why do you think McKay wrote this book?  What do you think he was trying to do with this narrative?  I agree with what many said during the last class.  That this book is a work of love.  Many of the conversations in this book are conversations I have heard in my own life (as a person of color) among friends and family members.  It seems that over the years so much has not changed.  People of Color still speak about the use of the word "nigger".  They still discuss the differences between Africans and West-Indians and African-Americans.  They still speak of the need to BE BLACK AND PROUD in our artistic endeavors instead of "simply" being ARTISTIC.  They still argue over the questions of race relations.  So for me, McKay wrote this book to make the conversations Black people have amongst ourselves into something larger.  Perhaps, he wanted to open up these communal talks we have amongst ourselves. He wanted to allow us to see the connections our lives have with the lives of others around us, others of different colors, who in many ways do differ from us, but also, who in many ways share the same stories as us.  These are stories having to do with being men and women lost and mixed-up into the milieu of a world of commerce and industry.  That is just my take.  What is yours?

Sean