Drafting so far has gone really well! I began drafting from the beginning with my introduction and context portion. I spent most of this time researching the Haitian zonbi and its particulars to create a contextual background for my larger metaphor about Beloved. I believe this context will be crucial for enabling my audience to see the parallels between zonbis and slavery and how Beloved confirms and reimagines this religious and sociocultural historical connection between them. In doing this research I also made note of a particularly large point of significance: my argument about the way in which slavery creates the symbolic world for the formerly enslaved can extend beyond motherhood into every aspect of their lives, as the practice of Vodou among secret societies demonstrates. Furthermore, there is an additional avenue for me to explore as I reach my conclusion and application. While material zonbis are depicted as a form of zonbi with the least capacity for resistance, the potential for rebellion against sorcerers is possible. Imagining this resistance and its ensuing liberation and transformation will be especially interesting in Beloved where the dialectics of master and slave are thoroughly complicated by identities and relationships.
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