Previous
Okpala
Binti’s father is a skilled maker of astrolabes. Prior to Binti leaving the planet, he’d planned to leave his workshop and business to her, but Binti believes he won’t do this now that she’s run away. Binti’s father doesn’t like the Khoush and even mutters about fighting them if provoked, though he doesn’t believe in war or violence. Binti knows that both her parents will be distraught and angry when they discover that she left for Oomza Uni.
Binti’s Father Quotes in Binti
The Binti quotes below are all either spoken by Binti’s Father or refer to Binti’s Father. 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:
).
Binti Quotes
In my culture, it is blasphemy to pray to inanimate objects, but I did it anyway. I prayed to a metal even my father had been unable to identify. I held it to my chest, shut my eyes, and I prayed to it, I am in your protection. Please protect me.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
When the Meduse attack the ship to commit moojh-ha ki-bira (killing everyone quickly and violently), Binti clings to her edan and prays to it. While it’s entirely understandable that someone in Binti’s situation would pray—she has no way of knowing at this point that the edan is going to save her life and make her untouchable to the Meduse—it’s telling that she prays to something that, per Himba spirituality, she shouldn’t pray to. This speaks to how much Binti has already changed in the two weeks since she left home: while she’s no less proud of being Himba now that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus co
My brothers had all just laughed and dismissed the idea. My parents said nothing, not even congratulations. Their silence was answer enough. Even my best friend Dele. He congratulated and told me that I was smarter than everyone at Oomza Uni, but then he’d laughed, too. “You cannot go,” he simply said. “We’re Himba. God has already chosen our paths.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In a flashback, Binti describes her family and friends’ reactions to her acceptance at Oomza Uni. No one was particularly excited for her, and no one wanted her to leave. The way that Binti’s community reacts to her acceptance makes her feel very alone (and indeed, she goes on to apply and attend Oomza Uni alone, with no help), something that makes her feel alienated among her own people. This begins to suggest that friendship and community that’s based only on sharing culture, religion, or a hometown isn’t always sustainable in the long run. Rather, even if a person’s dreams Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Mol
When I’d sit in the desert, alone, listening to the wind, I would see and feel the numbers the way I did when I was deep in my work in my father’s shop. And those numbers added up to the sum of my destiny.
So in secret, I filled out and uploaded the acceptance forms. The desert was the perfect place for privacy when they contacted my astrolabe for university interviews.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In a flashback, Binti explains how she experiences math and her process of getting into Oomza Uni. Importantly, the way that Binti describes math portrays it as something like a spiritual pursuit. She sees numbers in the natural world the way others might see the work of the divine, and math gives her a sense of peace and control over her world. Because of the way math makes Binti feel, she’s compelled to go behind her family’s back to attend Oomza Uni. Studying math, she believes, is even more important to her identity than remaining on her ancestral lands as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mo
Get the entire Binti LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Binti’s Father Character Timeline in Binti
The timeline below shows where the character Binti’s Father appears in Binti. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Binti
Binti looks back and can see the lights from her father’s astrolabe shop, the sand storm analyzer her brother built, and the Root—her parents’ house—as well....
(full context)
...full scan since Binti hasn’t traveled before, but he read it as fast as Binti’s father could. This almost frightens Binti. When he’s done with the scan, he stares at her....
(full context)
...faces front again. Her mother always told her to be quiet around Khoush, while Binti’s father always tried to make himself small around Khoush. The alternative, he said, was to start...
(full context)
...a code. Binti’s heart beats too fast, and instead of telling him the truth—that her father designed the code and that the braids tell the story of her family’s history and...
(full context)
...who deeply understand math and math currents. Bitolus are relatively rare, and according to Binti’s father, God favors them.
(full context)
...see numbers and blurs. This is good. Binti repeats her full name, thinks of her father, and remembers how he taught her about astrolabes. Binti was a “master harmonizer” by age...
(full context)
...tentacles. Binti heads for her room. All the doors are plated with gold sheets; Binti’s father would be aghast, as gold is a strong information conductor. As soon as Binti gets...
(full context)
