Discussion Topic
Cultural Structure and Depiction of Ziavi Village in Copper Sun
Summary:
In Copper Sun, Ziavi is depicted as a vibrant, tropical African village with a strong sense of community and hospitality. Sharon Draper describes the village with vivid imagery, highlighting the lush environment with mango trees, thatched roofs, and a close-knit society where people support each other. The village is hierarchical yet harmonious, with a chief and designated roles. Its cultural emphasis on hospitality is tragically contrasted by the invasion of slave traders, setting the novel's plot in motion.
What does the text of Draper's Copper Sun reveal about the village of Ziavi?
Draper uses the opening scene in chapter 1 to convey vivid images of the village. For example, Draper subtly inserts clues to the environment by writing of Kwasi climbing trees searching for coconuts, and there is also mention of a path and village, along with Amari’s thoughts. “Amari could still smell the sweetness of the pineapple her mother had cut from its rough skin…” (1). Without naming Ziavi explicitly, Draper enables the reader to infer the characters live in a tropical area.
Immediately following, Amari thinks, “Her village, Ziavi, lay just beyond the red dirt path…” (Draper 2). A lengthier description appears:
Amari loved the rusty brown dirt of Ziavi. The path, hard-packed from thousands of bare feet that had trod on it for decades, was flanked on both sides by fat, fruit-laden mango trees, the sweet smell of which always seemed to welcome her home. Ahead she could see...
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the thatched roofs of the homes of her people, smoky cooking fires, and a chicken or two, scratching in the dirt. (Draper 2-3).
Accordingly, the reader can surmise that Ziavi is an established community without modern conveniences. Draper supplies further descriptions that include goats, the chief’s hut, and women preparing fruit for the evening meal. Certainly, these illustrations work to solidify the concept of a tropical, perhaps remote, village with a hierarchical social system.
Subsequently, on pages 5 and 6, Amari and her mother discuss welcoming a group of traveling strangers and proceed to prepare for their arrival. Their discussion centers on story-telling, dancing, and festivities, which paints a picture of Ziavi’s villagers as hospitable, friendly, and warm people. Lastly, the dishes of goat stew, peanut soup, and various fruits give contextual clues to the culture of Ziavi.
Amari's home, the small African village of Ziavi, is described lovingly:
“Amari loved the rusty brown dirt of Ziavi. The path, hard-packed from thousands of bare feet that had trod on it for decades, was flanked on both sides by fat, fruit-laden mango trees, the sweet smell of which always seemed to welcome her home.”
The village is welcoming, symbolized by the "hard-packed" path. Anyone who makes their way to this place can expect kindness. The village is also plentiful, as seen by the "fruit-laden" trees that line the path. The huts that the villagers call home are arranged close together because the people draw strength from each other and support one another. The villagers are proud of their historical values; their strong traditions of hospitality are displayed in juxtaposition to the travesty of the destruction of the village. When the village is invaded by white slave traders, it is even more obscene because of the love and welcome the Ziavi people showed the men. The peaceful African village stands in sharp contrast to the cruel new world in America.
References
How is culture structured in Ziavi village in Copper Sun?
Copper Sun begins in Ziavi, a village where there is a sense of household roles, respect, and hospitality. It is a warm and welcoming place, and while it is a hierarchical society, it is not portrayed as being particularly oppressive. Sharon Draper provides a rather pleasant visual:
The thatched roofs of the homes of [Amari]'s people, smoking cooking fires, and a chicken or two (2–3).
The structure appears to be that of a rather traditional town, with a chief in charge and a hardworking populace, where women prepare the food for everyone, even—especially—the strange white men who come to visit. While not much is specified about the technical details of village life, we can infer that the culture is ordered and organized, with a top-down power structure and a strong family bond in which each person has their designated responsibilities.
What sets Ziavi apart to us as readers is its unwavering cultural embrace of hospitality as a guiding principle. The first dark dramatic irony of the book emerges when the group of slave traders arrive in the village, and Amari's mother prepares them a feast, quipping that no one would ever judge a person by the color of their skin (6). Alas, we know how that situation ended, resulting in the enslavement of the villagers and setting the plot of the novel in motion.