Roots: The Saga of an American Family Contrasting Regions: Africa and America Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Kunta's nostrils detected a new small in the air; actually, it was a mingling of many smells, most of them strange and unknown to him. (40.6)

The sights and smells of America are overwhelming to Kunta, and they couldn't be more different than the ones he's used to in Africa. At this point, he knows less than nothing about "Jong Sang Doo," and this isn't a great first impression. He has no idea what will happen next.

Quote #5

Kunta's eyes entreated this black one, who had distinctly Wolof features, My Brother, you come from my country…But the black one seemed not even to see Kuna (41.11)

Kunta becomes even more confused when he sees black people walking around the land of the toubob, even dressed like the toubob. He's never seen anything like it before. What's more, these strange people refuse to acknowledge their tribal relationship with Kunta, which would be unheard of back in Africa.

Quote #6

One thing he didn't hear [...] was the sound of drums. The toubob probably didn't allow these black people to have any drums, that had to be the reason. (46.9)

Here, Kunta realizes that American-born black people aren't actively abandoning their heritage—it's been stolen away from them. We've already seen that drums can be used as a complex form of communication, besides their importance on a cultural level, so white slave-owners forbid their use to strengthen their own dominance.