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This game was created in intent to give anybody who has read the award winning novel Song of Solomon a fun and creative approach to this novels literature. This game focuses on the harsh life of Milkman (Macon Dead the 3 rd) and his quest for gold which eventually turns into a quest for his family's origin and meaning of his African American heritage. This game can be conquered by luck and knowledge of this novels elements, characters, and events. It is a four player game but can be played with as little as two players. This board game was constructed in circular form with Milkman's home being the starting point and the finishing point just as his quest was in the novel. To play this game you must first place the four golden nuggets on the home section.
The game pieces are represented by golden nuggets because gold was originally the main focus of his journey. After deciding who rolls first, roll the die and move one section per dot showing on the die. The board consists of a series of sections that either helps you or can hurt you. Roughly 65 % of the pieces have either a rose petal or blue wings on them. The rose petal and blue wings have great irrelevance to this novel because they were an inside element in the readings and were very powerful symbols that pertained to the Dead family heritage. There are two stacks of cards with a rose petal on one and blue wings on the other.
When a player lands on one of these sections they must draw a card from the corresponding stack. If they land on the blue wing section they will pick a card that consists of a series of important quotes in the novel. If the player guesses the correct character that corresponds with the quotation they will be awarded two bones. If the player lands on the rose petal section they will pick the rose petal card which will consist of a series of adjectives that describes a character, place, or event. If the player is correct with their choice, they will be awarded one bone.
The player has a green bag and every bone awarded will be placed inside. The first player that can collect 20 bones in their green bag to recreate Macon Dead the 1 st and make it home wins. If the player is incorrect with his choice on either of these sections, they will have to wait until their next turn to roll and advance. The significance of these cards is to provide the reader with a fun approach at remembering all the key aspects of literature in this novel.
The most difficult aspect of this game is overcoming the sections you may land on that are harmful. This circular game board is divided into two pieces representing the North and South parts of America and their ways of life during the time period in which this novel took place. The first part of the board is the South which held such a grudging lifestyle for African Americans at that time. So the first half of the game is far more difficult with the questions on the cards and contains more sections that could harm you. For instance the fourth section of the first half will send you back home because you are attacked by a white man.
These are the same situations that Milkman and the rest of his family faced resulting from hostility between blacks and whites. Another harmful section is Pilates house in which you get too drunk and have to stumble back two spaces. Just as in the novel Milkman found that drinking was a disadvantage to some people and made them do things that would also set them back a few spaces in the game of life. Landing on Lincolns Heaven also will set you sadly walking back a couple of spaces because of the tragic events that took the life of Milkman's great grandfather whos bones are the main element that will win this game for you. The second half of this board consists of the North part of the U. S.
which Milkman found held a better life for him. Milkman was treated with a great deal of respect compared to his harsh and discriminated lifestyle in the South. The North side of this board game has more in store for the player than the South. There are several opportunities to rack up bones on this half.
There is several sections in which you are awarded a bone just for simply landing on a certain section. One of the very first sections of the North side is very significant and you are awarded a bone for landing on the section. This section contains the cave in which Milkman journeyed for the lost gold, but the most significant aspect of this section is that Milkman realizes what is really true to him in life. He realizes that his family's significant heritage is far more true than that of any bag of gold. A few spaces up you will come to Circe's house in which you find out your grandparents last names and the strong African American heritage that they hold. You are also awarded a bone for landing on this piece.
Circe's house was a very important part of this novel because there Milkman finds out the true meaning of his name and heritage and that is the main thing that he journeys for. A couple sections up the player will land on Rings Gulch. This section is a crucial part of the game. In this section Milkman and Guitar jump off the cliff at each other and just as in the story Milkman grows the blue wings of the flying African and flies away four spaces. This section will give you a huge boost to help maneuver around the board quicker and if you have twenty bones when you land on this section you automatically win the game. This game can be great fun yet refreshes the reader of the most significant aspects of this novel and helps them keep in mind that Song of Solomon is one of the greatest African American novels of all time.
Free research essays on topics related to: macon dead, african american, song of solomon, north side, american heritage
Research essay sample on Analysis Of The Board Game Dead Bones
