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Afi
Besa is Amari’s fiancé. He’s handsome and kind, and he’s an assistant to the village drummer. They’ve been engaged for about a year when the novel begins, and Amari is looking forward to her future with Besa. Though Besa survives the massacre and the raid on their village, the limited contact that Amari has with him between their abduction and being sold in Charles Town reveals that Besa’s spirit begins to break early. He refuses to look at Amari out of shame at not being able to protect her, though he asks her to always think of him when she looks at the stars. Though Amari believes she’ll never see him again after the slave auction, she’s surprised and shocked when she finds him on Fiona O’Reilly’s farm. By the time they meet there, Besa has had five owners and has tried to run away several times. One of his eyes and many of his teeth are missing, and it’s clear he’s been beaten and physically abused in myriad ways. He shares that simply existing is painful for him, both emotionally and physically, and he no longer sees the point in hoping for better. Amari recognizes that Besa’s spirit is broken and leaves him on the farm when he refuses to come with her and Polly.
Besa Quotes in Copper Sun
The Copper Sun quotes below are all either spoken by Besa or refer to Besa. 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:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
Besa said that a band of unusual-looking strangers are coming this way, Mother,” Amari informed her. “He seemed uneasy and went to tell the village elders.”
“We must welcome our guests, then, Amari. We would never judge people simply by how they looked—that would be uncivilized,” her mother told her. “Let us prepare for a celebration.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Besa Character Timeline in Copper Sun
The timeline below shows where the character Besa appears in Copper Sun. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1. Amari and Besa
...that he wants to speak to giraffes, dutifully tosses down a coconut, and teases that Besa is heading Amari’s way. When Amari asks him to, he runs with the coconut back...
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Amari and Besa have been formally engaged for a year now, but they don’t get to spend much...
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Amari shares with Mother that Besa saw odd strangers heading their way, but Mother sternly says it would be uncivilized to...
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Chapter 2. Strangers and Death
...people impossible jobs. After the story comes the drumming, Amari’s favorite part of any celebration. Besa is the assistant to the village master arts man and she knows that Besa will...
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Chapter 3. Sorrow and Shackles
...how just yesterday, Esi announced that she’s pregnant with her first baby. Finally, Amari notices Besa at the other end of the group. His eyes are glazed, and she spots his...
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...Amari wouldn’t even use such a thing on animals. Amari is shackled in behind Tirza. Besa is at the front of his group, and he won’t look at Amari. For days,...
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Chapter 5. The Door of No Return
...captured Amari’s village, one is the Black man who branded her, and the last is Besa. The guards separate the men from the women. Amari wants to run to Besa, who...
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Chapter 6. From Sand to Ship
...After another generous meal, guards kick the men, shackle them together, and march them away. Besa gives Amari a sad look as he goes, and Amari sobs. Afi notices, asks about...
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Chapter 7. Ship of Death
...splattered with blood, urine, and feces of the men above them. Not wanting to see Besa, Amari turns away.
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Chapter 10. The Middle Passage
...her. The night after, two sailors take turns raping her. The following morning, Amari spots Besa as the men come up on deck. He tries to make eye contact with Amari,...
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Chapter 13. The Slave Auction
...like “massa” and “yessir.” One hot night, Amari can’t sleep. She sits up and sees Besa close to her. They greet each other and try not to cry. Besa asks her...
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...the slaves and force the slaves to slather their bodies in foul-smelling oil. Amari watches Besa and other men leave and hears them be auctioned off. She knows she won’t see...
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Chapter 23. Fiery Pain and Healing Hands
Amari drifts in and out of consciousness. She dreams of Besa and the hot sun over the rice fields. She dreams of Mother and, oddly, of...
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Chapter 37. Lost and Found and Lost
...his name is Buck, but Amari begins to cry. In Ewe, she asks if he’s Besa. He softly asks if she’s Amari, and Amari runs to him.
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As Amari reaches Besa, he puts a hand out. Amari sees that Besa is changed: his right eye is...
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Fiona bustles in, tells Besa to put hay in the back of the wagon, and swears him to secrecy when...
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...can play the part of a mistress. As they drive away, Amari looks back for Besa. Hushpuppy leaps into Tidbit’s arms.
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Chapter 38. The Spanish Soldier
...notices that Amari seems to have trouble sleeping. One afternoon, Polly offers her condolences about Besa to Amari. Amari suggests that it may have been better had she not seen him,...
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...find a place for herself. Amari puts her head in her hands and wonders if Besa is right and they’ll be caught. Polly insists they’ll make it and reminds Amari that...
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