Chapter Summary 

In the chapter titled “Kojo”, the story starts with a ship called Alice being searched by the police. All the black workers are rounded up to be interrogated about a theft, one by one. Kojo, though, has anxiety about anyone wearing any sort of formal uniform, so he decides to leave the ship, and asks one of his colleagues to pretend to be him during the roll call. Since he leaves work early, he decides to visit the workplace of his wife, Anna, and adopted mother, Ma Aku, at the Mathisons – an old, rich white family, whose house was once a safehouse in the Underground Railroad. Whenever Kojo visits, he always helps out with the cleaning since Anna is pregnant with their 8th child and Ma Akua is old and sick. 

Kojo always tries to be a good and present father for his children since he was not able to be with his parents, Ness and Sam, who were enslaved. He knows all of his children’s characteristics and loves his family very much. 

The next day at work, Anna shows up, which concerns Kojo because she never comes to see him there. She tells him that he is needed at the Mathisons’ as soon as possible. This scares Kojo because Ma Akua is sick; however, it turns out that the Mathisons have called Kojo over to warn him of a new law being drafted by the southern countries: The Fugitive Slave Act. They warn that if it is passed, law enforcement can arrest any black person, even one who is free, as an alleged runway.The Mathisons encourage Kojo and his family to move up north since both Kojo and Ma Aku are runaways; Anna and the children were born free. However, Kojo decides to keep the family in Baltimore since he knows that Ma Aku will not move and would not call another country home unless it was the Gold Coast. He also does not want to move because of Anna’s pregnancy. Months later, on the morning of his eldest daughter Agnes’ wedding, news spreads that the law has passed. This causes chaos, and many black families move north.

Kojo teaches all of his children – especially the younger ones – how to act when they are approached by law enforcement and to always show their free papers. Anna, who is now eight months pregnant, has some trouble remembering to carry her documents with her when going to work, and this causes Kojo to panic. It is not until one day when Anna does not come home, that Kojo becomes seriously anxious. He goes searching for her everywhere, even to the Mathisons’ for help, who try to use their connections to find Anna. With Kojo’s restlessness waiting at the Mathisons’, he asks his son-in-law Timmy to draw a picture of Anna that he can show to people and ask if they have seen her.This proves unsuccessful. 

One day, the Mathisons find a young black boy who seems to know what happened to Anna, and they ask him to tell Kojo what he has seen. The boy recalls that on the day Anna went missing, he saw a white man offers a heavily pregnant black woman a ride home in his carriage. Hearing this, Kojo immediately states that she has been kidnapped and sold as a slave, and sorrowly goes home and tells Ma Akua, who hugs him and lets him cry.

Ten years pass and Kojo never gives up on his search for Anna; however, this causes a rift between him and his children. Kojo becomes distant and melancholic, which causes them to avoid being near him. One day at a bar, a man sitting next to him says that war is coming. Though the bartender thinks it is a sham and that the US would not go to war, the man is persistent.

Character Analysis

Kojo

Kojo is the son of Ness and Sam. He is named “Kojo” because he was born on a Monday, but he is nicknamed Jo.

Kojo is introduced as a free man, who loves working as a caulker on boats. However, it can be seen in this chapter that Kojo still fears people with power or in uniforms. Even though Kojo is a free man, he knows the capabilities and ruthlessness of such powerful people. It can also be deduced that he is a hard worker and a law-abiding citizen. Kojo has never been a slave before, yet he carries the fear of it with him because of Ma Akua’s stories about his parents. Kojo is a family man; he is married to Anna, and they have seven children together, and Anna is pregnant with the eighth. Kojo’s character is drawn as a loving father and a devoted husband. His love for them appears to be strong even when he is estranged from his mother and father. Throughout the chapter, Kojo refers to Ma Aku as his own mother because he never knew who his birth mother was. He felt as though he needed to be a good father to his children to make up for the lack of his own parental figures, as can be demonstrated by the following quotation: “Being a good father felt like a debt Jo owed to his parents” (Gyasi 120). After Mathison tells Kojo that a new law has been instated, which declares that any slave that has run away must be returned to the South, Kojo worries about his family’s future as well as his own. He tries his best to protect them by making sure they always have their papers and making them practice scenarios, which pinpoints his fatherly character and showcases his protectiveness over his children. When Anna is taken away, Kojo tries his best to find her, holding her picture which was drawn by his first daughter’s husband, Timmy, in his pocket. After several years, Kojo still cannot accept the loss of his wife and unborn child, and his family gets torn apart because of it. Kojo’s character displays how even though he was never a direct victim to slavery, he still suffered because of it, both when he was separated from his parents and when Anna and his eighth child are taken away.

Ma Aku

Ma Aku can be perceived as a mother figure to Kojo, helping him escape slavery and reach freedom, which his parents could not. She was instrumental in helping Kojo’s parents, Ness and Sam, escape Hell; however, she was only able to get Kojo out. She takes care of Kojo and his family and helps them when needed. Ma Aku is a character of importance because she reminds Kojo of his family and bloodline by telling him stories of his homeland and speaking in Twi (which he does not understand), reminding him to keep home in his mind.

Anna

Anna is Kojo’s wife, and the mother of his eight children. She was born free; however, she becomes enslaved by the end of Kojo’s chapter. She is perceived as a devoted mother to her children as well as a loving wife to Kojo. Anna does not fear slavery as much as Kojo does, perhaps because she was never enslaved. She instead has legal paperwork which should have kept and her children safe. However, despite the legal documentation, she gets taken when is pregnant with H, and she gets sold into slavery.

Mathison

Mathison is Ma Aku’s and Anna’s employer. He is a wealthy white man residing in Baltimore. And his character is friendly, and helpful, unlike most white characters perceived throughout the novel. He speaks nicely to Kojo, Anna and Ma Aku. Mathison’s character is of significance since he tries to help Kojo find Anna when she goes missing. He also warns the family of the new law and tries to help them by double-checking that they have their paperwork in order. We do not know where his family money comes from or how much he pays Anna and Ma Aku to clean for him.

The Children 

Kojo and Anna’s right children were named in alphabetical order: Agnes, Beulah, Cato, Daly, Eurias, Felicity, and H. Agnes is the eldest, and when she turns sixteen, she gets a cleaning job at the Methodist church. She also marries the pastor’s son, Timmy, two weeks later. Like all her siblings, Agnes does not worry about slavery as her father does. She and her siblings were all born free with proper documentation like their mother.

Pastor John

Pastor John is a pastor in a church that Kojo and Ma Aku used to attend. He is committed to Christianity, and he kicks Kojo and Ma Aku out of the congregation for “teaching Jo ways of old African witchcraft” (Gyasi 119). He also officiates his son’s wedding to Kojo’s daughter Agnes.

John Jr

John Jr is the pastor’s son and Timmy’s brother.

Timmy 

Timmy is the pastor’s son. He is also Agnes’ husband. He is friendly and helpful since he tries to help Kojo find Anna when goes missing. Timmy’s character is important because he draws Kojo a picture of Anna so Kojo can go around and ask people if they have seen her.

James Hamlet

James Hamlet is a Baltimore runaway. He is the first to be taken away after the new law is passed. James is captured and convicted in New York. James Hamlet’s character is essential in this chapter since he represents the first, but not the last, to get affected by the new Fugitive Slave Law, where any runaway slave had to be returned to the South.

Poot

Poot is Kojo’s colleague who works with him on the ships. Poot is of caring nature since he covers for Kojo when the police come. Poot, like Anna, was born a free man. He has lived in Baltimore and has worked on ships for almost all his life. He is also a loyal friend to Kojo, as he protects him when needed. For example, when Kojo has to light fires on the ships as part of the process of caulking, Poot would put the fire out because Kojo is afraid of fire. Poot also tells their boss that he would quit if the boss fired Kojo, which demonstrates Poot’s loyalty to Kojo.

Major Themes and Symbols

Family Ties

One of the major themes in this chapter is family ties and the wanting to have a good relationship with the family. This is mostly due to Kojo growing up not knowing who his parents were, which causes him to keep a “close eye” on his children, know what makes them tick, and know what special, unique characteristics they have. This family bond can also be seen between Kojo and Anna, who thrive alongside each other. This makes Kojo have a stronger relationship with his children, and when Anna gets kidnaped, he loses his will to stay connected because of his loss. Ma Aku also plays an important role in the family bond since Kojo sees her as his mother and when he faces loss, he turns to her for comfort and reassurance.

White Law Enforcement

White law enforcement portrays a major theme in the chapter as it shows the legalized oppression of black people. This can first be seen at the beginning of the chapter when a law enforcement officer immediately assumes that one of the black workers must have robbed the boat Alice. It is also clear when law enforcement assumes that every lost or kidnapped black person must have been a runaway slave.

The Drawing of Anna

After Anna is kidnapped, the charcoal drawing of Anna becomes a symbol of her presence for Kojo. Even though it is in 2D form, its presence provides him hope that he is still able to find her. However, the moment that the picture is torn by a white law enforcement officer, he feels like it is confirmation that he has lost her forever. This causes him to spiral into someone he does not want to be, someone whose children do not want to interact with. The loss of Anna’s picture symbolizes that Anna in any form can never come back to him and his family.

Freedom Papers

The theme of freedom is prevalent in this chapter and it materialized in the freedom papers. Kojo is the first free man in Esi’s family line as he escapes Hell with Ma Aku. Kojo’s wife is also a free woman and therefore so are their children. This theme of freedom is symbolized by the papers and also by the name “Freeman” that many black people in Baltimore have. The papers become a very important symbol by the end of the chapter as that is the only thing Black people have to prove that they are in fact legally free and not slaves. However, as the chapter nears the end, the papers prove useless as Anna (Kojo’s wife) gets captured anyway, despite owning the freedom papers. This represents the systemic ways in which racism operated because as a Black person, even if you were legally free under the law, you do not actually have freedom.

The Alice

A recurring symbol throughout this chapter is the boat Kojo works on, the Alice. He works on repairing boats, which Ma Aku feels unsettled about. She thinks it is wrong for Kojo to be building the very things that helped enslave his ancestors and bring them to America. Kojo’s own grandmother, Esi, was brought to America in such a ship. These slaves ships represent the violence the slaves were subjected to, and the dehumanizing conditions in which they were kept. Thus, for Kojo to be working on them can be seen as him contributing to the issue. This is thus linked to the overall theme in this novel of responsibility. Although Kojo working on these boats can be perceived as him contributing to the problem, it is also one of the very few jobs Black people were able to have. It is therefore it is difficult to hold him responsible, but it highlights how pervasive the system of slavery was and how difficult it was to avoid it. 

Key Quotations

Somebody had robbed old Alice, which meant the police would come sniffing around the boat, asking all the ship workers if they knew anything about it. Jo's reputation was spotless. He'd worked on the ships in Fell's Point for nearly two years and had never given anybody any trouble. But still, whenever a boat was robbed, all the black dock workers were rounded up and questioned. (104)

This quote in the chapter on Kojo indicates racism and slavery against the black community. When any boat's belongings get stolen, law enforcement blames the black people working on the boat. Even if Kojo managed to escape the boat with the help of his friend, racism and the fear of being targeted for being black became part of his daily life, making him feel exhausted. Despite Kojo being able to avoid problems on the boat and leaving the police not knowing about it due to them not distinguishing between every black person, he was jumpy around the police. Indeed, the police have been harsh and ruthless towards the black community, which triggers this fear whenever he sees any black person. 

She said there was something evil about them building up the things that had brought them to America in the first place, the very things that had tried to drag them under. (104)

The phrase "drag them under" is used by Aku, who was like a mother figure of Kojo. Ma Aku had been enslaved and so she always felt like freedom would never be an option for her, so in this quotation, she displays concern and associates building boats with the past traumas she has experienced. Ma Aku was brought to America by sea and loathed deep waters as several enslaved people lost their lives in them. She fears water and boats, and from the above quotation, she is telling H to stop building boats because they are evil and dragged them under when bringing them to America. The fear of water and boats Akua, Ness, his mother, and Esi, his grandmother, share, but Kojo does not due to his disconnection from his family since a young age.

His free papers named him Kojo Freeman. Freeman. Half the ex-slaves in Baltimore had the name. Tell a lie long enough, and it will turn to truth. (105)

Kojo uses this name, which most ex-enslaved people in Baltimore have. 

Jo only knew the South from the stories Ma Aku told him, same way he knew his mother and father, Ness and Sam. As stories and nothing more. (105)

This quotation shows that Kojo’s only connection to his past comes from the stories Ma Aku tells him.

She was a little strange, a little off, still dreaming of the country she’d been ripped from years and years before. She could often be found looking out at the water, looking as if she would jump in, try to find her way home. (106)

Kojo always saw that Akua was distant and behaved strangely, especially with her gaze on the water. She had found it difficult to adapt to the new environment after being forced into America. Gazing into the waters was what Kojo was referring to when he said that she was "a little strange" and was like a person trying to find her way home. Ma Aku had many memories of her home and always wished to return. Her gaze indicates how she never got over the trauma from the water, which continued haunting her and reminding her of the trauma of being taken away from her home.

 ...until the pastor and the father said she was teaching Jo the ways of old African witchcraft and kicked them out of the congregation. (106)

After Kojo asked Ma Aku what to do when he liked a girl, Ma Aku had told Kojo that back in her home, when a boy liked a girl, he had the obligation of bringing the father-in-law a gift. Later, Kojo caught a frog by the river and got it as a gift to the father of the girl he had liked in the church. It was funny to Ma Akua that he caught a frog as a gift, and she laughed during the congregation. However, with Christianity now the main religion in the New World, the pastor sees such cultural practices as witchcraft.

Being a good father felt like a debt Jo owed to his parents, who couldn't get free. (107)

Kojo did not face slavery back home, but his parents were not lucky enough to be free like him. Due to the circumstances, his father, who has never been free, was never around to be a father to him. Being dissociated from family and heritage is what Kojo has been feeling his entire life after losing his family. Family separation was frequent, and because his parents were not able to be parents to him, he felt he owed it to his parents to be a good parent to his own children. 

She and Anna led Jo into the parlor, where Mathison and a handful of other white men were sitting on the plush white couches, the cushions so full they looked like small hills, or the backs of elephants. (110)

Ma Aku, at one point, sent Anna to call Kojo after Mathison had asked for him. During this time, Ma Aku and Anna were worried because it was unlikely for Mathison to summon Kojo. They had paced to the house, whereby Ma Aku announced her arrival with a cough. Mathison was sitting with other white men who had made the couches complete and looked like a "small hill" or the "backs of elephants," signifying a luxury that stood in stark contrast with what was under discussion the Fugitive Slave Law. 

“Taking away your name is the first step,” he’d said somberly. So somberly that Jo hadn’t felt it wise to ask what he was thinking—the first step to what? (111)

Mathison had learned from Ma Aku that Kojo is an Asante name for a boy born on Monday. From then, Mathison had insisted on calling Jo by his full name and had said that taking away a person's first name was the first step. The sad way Mathison had phrased his sentence made Kojo not ask him what he meant by "the first step." As Mathison understands, it was the first step to taking a person's culture and identity away from them and owning them. Mathison's phrase means that taking away the first name was the first step to taking away the freedom of individuals.

The white man told us he was the way, and we said yes, but when has the white man ever told us something was good for us and that thing was really good? They say you are an African witch, and so what? So what? Who told them what a witch was? (116)

In this quotation, Ma Aku explains the complications to Kojo on the matter of the white man's god. To her, the white man's god was the same as the white man since they were told he was the only one and hence had to be respected. She explains and reveals to Kojo that being exposed to what the white man says is beyond question since the white man had said it, so they had to accept it. She argues that the white man had never told them anything that was good for them, so the white man was wrong to say Africans were witches. It meant that the white man believes nothing is good about Africans, and the white man is more entitled than others who come to Africa.

Jo used to worry that his family line had been cut off, lost forever. He would never truly know who his people were, and who their people were before them, and if there were stories to be heard about where he had come from, he would never hear them. When he felt this way, Ma Aku would hold him against her, and instead of stories about family she would tell him stories about nations. The Fantes of the Coast, the Asantes of the Inland, the Akans. (121)

In this quotation, Kojo feels that he has lost his heritage, and he develops the need to know about his family as he feels that he does not know his past or his people's past, and if there were stories from his family's side, he might never hear of them. Kojo never truly knew his grandmother, Esi, nor his mother, Ness, so to counter this, Ma Aku, the mother figure to Kojo, used to tell him stories from other perspectives of his culture but not his family to fill the feeling of emptiness he has. Ma Aku used to tell Kojo about the Fantes of the Coast, the Asante of the Inlands, and the Akans. The aim here is to show Kojo that there is more about his people than the family he did not know.

Historical Context & Additional Resources

In the 1800s, Baltimore’s population was considered relatively diverse compared to neighboring states. According to the Baltimore National Heritage Area Association, the aftermath of the Revolutionary War led to the expansion of Baltimore’s economy, with an increase in immigrants from Europe (par. 6). This new economy was comprised of slaves, European immigrants, white people, and free black people (Handler and Wallman 441). In 1830, over 75% of the African American population in Baltimore City and County were free, as seen by the chart provided by the U.S. Census Bureau (Baltimore’s Civil Rights Heritage). However, Baltimore’s industry heavily depended on African American labor, regardless of whether they were slaves or free. In fact, they built the first American railroad in 1814 and paved roads throughout the landscapes of North America (Schley 443). 

After the Civil War, the Niagara Movement was formed to promote rights and equal opportunities for all Americans (Lemons 102). The leaders of this organization were a part of Baltimore church leaders such as Dr. Gamett Russel Waller and Dr. Harvey Johnson (Baltimore’s Civil Rights Heritage par. 10). As a result of such similar movements, the establishment of universities and schools for African Americans in Baltimore drastically influenced their economic opportunities and living standards.

Works Cited

Additional Resources