Introduction
Roots is actually a television miniseries in United States that is based on the novel called Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley’s. This series was first aired in the year 1977. It is also an award winning series as it has received thirty seven Emmy Awards nominations and out of this it has won nine. This is an epic movie that after watching it, I have learned various historical issues such as slavery and its history.
The plot of this TV miniseries is organized in such a way that when watching you get entertained. In part 1, the birth of Kunta Kinte in Juffure village, in Gambia takes place. This dramatic birth therefore marks this saga opening chapter. In this part, we observe the story of his life where Kunta and others are caught by the slaves and transferred to America. In part 2, the captive Africans revolt fails during their voyage. When they arrive in Annapolis, survivors are cleaned up and taken away for auction. Kunta is sold to Reynolds plantation where he befriends Fiddler, an American born slave.
Their friendship develop in the third part where Fiddler acts as Kunta’s mentor and surrogate father. Kunta is now named Toby. Kunta Kinte becomes stubborn and he decides to disappear from the plantation to search a young woman he had met back home. However, he is caught and transported back to the plantation where he is punished. In part 4 after nearly a decade and Kunta’s initial failed attempt to disappear, he still desires to see Fanta. At this time he becomes successful and as a result they have bittersweet reunion. He plans to run away with Fanta but she refuses and their arguments makes Toby to be caught where once again, he pays a price that is terrible. Nevertheless, Fanta will ultimately become Toby’s wife.
In part 5, 16 years have passed from the time when Kizzy, their daughter was born. This girl falls in love with Noah who was like Toby was determined to disappear. Kizzy helps him to run away but he does not succeed. He is forced to disclose the role of Kizzy in his escape and this makes Dr. Reynolds to punish her by selling her to his neighbor. In part 6, Kizzy is courted by a driver who proposes to marry her. Therefore, she gets an opportunity to return to her parents where she sadly realizes that her father has died and her mother, Fanta has actually been sold off. On returning home, she gets good news that George who is her son has been promoted to become a head cook trainer and in addition has decided to marry.
In the next part, after being successful, George starts to experience bad lucks and this makes him to be transferred to England to repay his masters debt. He returns after14 years only to learn that his sons have married. In the last part, civil war has come to an end but still the economically devastated plantations need workers. This leads to establishment of sharecropping that eventually traps Tom together with his family in perpetual labor life. Chicken George comes back and announces that he has bought a land in Tennessee. He is also devising a plan, which will free them by making them leave their current sharecropping plantation.
