Reyita Chapter II: Features of the Testimonial Genre (Book Review Sample)

Reyita Chapter II: Features of the Testimonial Genre

Introduction
A Testimonial refers to a literary genre that is used by the narrator in the political, social, and economic spectrum as a form of discourse to rearrange the social order. The main objective is for the narrator to tell the story in the first person to enlighten society of certain problems that may cause suffering. The aim is to change people’s mindsets and eventually bring change. In most cases, the narrator or the witness portrays his or her personal story to represent the occurrences within the society as a way of bringing forth a collective identity or collective memory. The narrator summons the truth in the cause of denouncing or shedding light on the present situation of suppression, oppression, and exploitation. Reyita Chapter II includes all the characteristics of the testimonial genre.
Features of a Testimonial Genre in the Chapter
In general, a testimonial genre encompasses a first person narration of injustice or various forms of injustice that seeks to represent the experiences by the masses of a given social group with the objective of sensitizing people and rallying support for a more fair and juts future for all. The first feature if the first person narration of injustices, oppression, or suffering. From the beginning to the end of the chapter under discussion, the narrator, who is a black woman, tells of her suffering in the hands of racists and in the face of poverty and limited resources. The first person’s faces various forms of injustices. Racism dominates the entire chapter. From the onset, she prays to the Virgin of Charity to grant her a white husband because that was seen as a way of escaping poverty and a sign of prestige for a black woman (59). She also narrates an incident with racism when the husband decided to introduce her to the family. When Senora opened the door he screamed “What! A black woman! Not in my house!” (61). The statement shows how deeply racism was entrenched in the Cuban society at the time and how black people were on the receiving end. She also narrates how she a white neighbor demeaned her with some mean remarks when her first child was born. “Oh, look how dark the child is!” the neighbor remarked when she saw the baby for the first time (62).