Cudjo’s youngest child and only daughter, who is named after her mother, Seely. At the age of fifteen, the young Seely gets a fever and dies. She is the first of Cudjo’s children to die, and this even marks the beginning of a period of grief and loss for Cudjo and his wife.
Cudjo’s Daughter, Seely Quotes in Barracoon
The Barracoon quotes below are all either spoken by Cudjo’s Daughter, Seely or refer to Cudjo’s Daughter, Seely. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Amistad edition of Barracoon published in 2018.
Chapter 9
Quotes
Dat de first time in de Americky soil dat death find where my door is. But we from cross de water know dat he come in de ship with us.
Related Characters:
Kossula / Cudjo Lewis (speaker), Abila / Seely, Cudjo’s Daughter, Seely
Related Symbols:
Boats and the Middle Passage
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Dey sing, ‘Shall We Meet Beyond De River.’ I been a member of de church a long time now, and I know de words of de song wid my mouth, but my heart it doan know dat. Derefo’ I sing inside me, ‘O todo ah wah n-law yah-lee, owrran k-nee ra ra k-nee ro ro.’
Related Characters:
Kossula / Cudjo Lewis (speaker), Abila / Seely, Cudjo’s Daughter, Seely
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Cudjo’s Daughter, Seely Character Timeline in Barracoon
The timeline below shows where the character Cudjo’s Daughter, Seely appears in Barracoon. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 9
...he goes by Cudjo Lewis. Cudjo’s children are named Aleck, Jimmy, Poe-lee, David, Cudjo Jr., and Seely Jr.
(full context)
...loves his children deeply and does everything possible to help them, as a teenager Cudjo’s daughter Seely gets sick with a fever. Despite receiving medical attention, she dies. Cudjo’s wife Seely is...
(full context)
According to Christian tradition, young Seely has a funeral in the church and is buried in a coffin. Everyone gathers and...
(full context)