“This was the Coming” is arguably one of the most memorable lines from Daniel Black’s The Coming, primarily because it captures everything that the novel is dedicated, namely "the memory" and celebration of the African souls lost in the Atlantic Ocean. This common theme of the novel is loosely based on an article by Sonia Sanchez, in which Sanchez constantly repeats: "It was The Coming that was bad." What makes this idea intriguing is how a phrase as open to interpretation as "the coming" can represent a period of history that forever changed West Africa and the Americas. . The reader easily realizes that Black's language throughout this novel and the way it is organized is used in a powerful way that is not normally recognized in other historical fiction novels. Specifically, what stands out most in this work is Black's unique structure, combined with his immersive use of imagery and constant repetition; language plays a vital role throughout The Coming and Black manipulates it in a way that makes this novel one of the most powerful narratives centering on the lives of Africans throughout the Middle Passage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first thing the reader notices about The Coming is Black's immediate use of pronouns and collective images. The novel begins with the words “We didn’t know we wouldn’t come back” (1); Black begins the book by explaining how he refers to everyone in this novel as us, since he is an African American man who believes this story resonates with all other African Americans because it is the story of how their whole culture has changed in just a few years. He also devotes the first twenty pages or so to constructing an authentic picture of Africa that most readers are unaware of. For example, Black says: “We were warriors and hunters, poets and jali, farmers and diviners… We were lovers. And we were home. We loved the land and it loved us... We knew our strengths and weaknesses, and we knew improvements were needed. But we were at home” (Noir 3). Black then lists some of the hundreds of tribes from which African Americans descend today, some are familiar to the general public while others are not as recognizable. This first section in particular provides a lot of new information about the lives of Africans before their slavery. Black brought a whole new voice to a narrative that general audiences thought they knew so well. This idea is reminiscent of what Jacqueline Royster talks about in an article entitled “When the first voice you hear is not your own”. In this brief testimony aimed at a common audience in an academic setting, Royster writes about the importance of telling our own stories without being dictated to by an authoritative voice. Regarding the creation of The Coming, most historical curricula dedicated to educating students in terms of slavery were not written or taught by people of African American descent, something Royster discourages in his article emphasizing that “we have always been content to let voices other than our own speak with authority about our areas of expertise and about us.” (Royster 11). It almost seems like Black's work in particular ties into another statement made in Royster's work where she says, "It's time to speak for ourselves, for our own sake, for the sake of our.