Franchesca's Essays

Franchesca D. Brown

Professor O’Donnell

Persuasive Writing and Research

6 Feb 2026

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Children of Blood and Bone

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People all around the world question whether violence is necessary for justice. The Government often uses violence to control communities. Minority groups would argue that this form of aggression is used to silence them. These opposing views divide our globe into two groups, the patriarchy versus the people. Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone asks thisquestion. The fantasy novel displays these inequalities through magic. In the kingdom of Orïsha, a group of people called Maji, who have magical powers, are brutally beaten and killed by the ruling monarchy. To survive, the protagonist, Zélie, had to comply, but she soon realized stayingquiet would not save her. The book portrays how people in power use violence as a form of command. We can see this not only in the book but also in the real world. Violence is used as a tool of oppression, which makes it impossible for things to be just, as people in authority use their power for corruption.

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To understand why this argument is in question, we need to understand our novel. In the Kingdom of Orïsha, people live in a strict social system that separates them into two groups: those without magic, and Maji, people born with magic. At the beginning of time, the Maji had a peaceful, cohesive relationship with the rest of the kingdom. It wasn't until King Saran came into power that the balance became unequal. He orchestrated a raid to eliminate thousands of Maji and try to wipe out the existence of magic. Since then, there has been a consistent pattern of discrimination and segregation for this party. Non-magical citizens are granted civil, social, and political rights, while the Maji are forced into poverty. They are denied legal protection, mustpay excessive taxes, and are harassed by soldiers on a daily basis. Maji have white hair, which makes them very easy to identify. Harassing Maji is not a crime, but is treated as normal by the royal monarchies. 

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Our main character, Zélie, witnessed the brutality firsthand. Her mother was publicly killed due to her having the ability with magic.  This trauma defined Zélie’s life and how she perceived the monarchy. The monarchy doesn’t protect; it uses its control to instill fear in people. However, the Maji are not the only people who have felt the corruption. Princess Amari has experienced royal authoritarianism. Although she was born in privilege, the enchantment came to an end when she witnessed her father executing her mother for helping a Maji child. This highlights that family loyalty is not above power. Unwilling to accept this act, the princess flees and ends up aligning herself with Zélie. Together, Zélie and Amari set out to restore magic and bring it back to Orïsha. Their journey is not rooted in vengeance and hostility, but in safety and freedom. Unfortunately, the rulers hunt them down, making peacefulness nearly impossible. The reality of it is that the oppression in Orïsha is operated by the system, which is created to add fearand uncertainty to the Maji community. 

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Rather than protecting Orïsha, the monarchy in Children of Blood and Bone uses itstactics for intimidation. The killings are profound because they were meant to be public. It is a warning call to  the Maji community remind them who is in power. This shows the Maji that their lives are little in the eyes of the state. As a result, suffering became normal, and harsh conditions for the Maji were adopted. Violence has become a political language. Whoever holds the power is in control and can use for political and or individual gain. 

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Children of Blood and Bone can help illuminate the mechanisms of governmental power in real-world events. Charlotte Villers argues that high powers use control to protect themselves by separating marginalized groups using law and threat instead of protection and justice. According to the sources, “Human rights narratives are littered with examples of abuse and violations, including murder, violence, and land devastation, carried out by corporate actors or in which corporations globally are complicit, historically and today (Villiers 416).”Even though the author speaks about human rights, her point is help us understand the Orïsha empire. The system uses aggression as a sign of dominance. It’s treated as a tool. This method keeps inequality in place. Justice is blocked, as we see in the book, as the Maji are repeatedly harmed by the monarchy. 

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The novel also shows that the resistance to violence doesn’t come quickly. Zélie’s main goal was just to survive. The way she walks through life is to become “invisible,” hide from the soldiers, and protect her family. Throughout the chapters, Zélie had been pushed into action byevents in her life. “The combination of a party platform, dissatisfied elites, and unemployed youth activists are the agents that cause electoral violence (Bob-Millar).” Political scholar George M. Bob-Millar expresses that the government relies on coercion and creating violence. Similar to Villers’ argument, the government protects itself, not its own people. In the novel, Adeyemi illustrates resistance not as heroic but as tragic. It shows that conflict influences destruction.

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Furthermore, Children of Blood and Bone resembles real-life experiences with law enforcement and public protest. A report from CBS News describes the anger over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse in Minneapolis, for using his First Amendment right and protesting. Chief Brian O’Hara states that “people have had enough”. This isn’t the first fatal shooting ICE agents have done. Earlier in the month of January, another citizen, Renee Good, was brutally shot by immigration and customs agents even though she was a U.S citizen. This real-world example highlights how communities in the “land of the free” are no longer and have never been truly free.

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Yet, this has been happening for centuries. For example, African American groups have been the victims of discrimination, racism, gender inequality, and segregation. Citizens are consistently questioning whether the government is protecting their rights or abusing them. Much like Orïsha, different groups of people must surrender their lives and human rights for the brief moments of safety. The book portrays the same dynamic. The soldiers in Orïsha have not been punished for the harm they have done to Maji. This lack of accountability is similar to the U.S government system, with ICE agents going on now. The author of this novel forces the reader to witness an uncomfortable situation that unfortunately happens in real life.  

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On the other hand, some readers might argue that the violence by the soldiers in Children of Blood and Bone was necessary to maintain order. At this time, magic was perceived as unpredictable and dangerous. This is one of the reasons the monarchy has strict control over the kingdom. Just like supporters for our current president, the audience might claim that King Saran’s actions were valid and his way of ruling keeps most of the community safe. Protect them from rebellion. Keeps order. The King wanted to eliminate magic altogether. He added heavy taxes, harassed, and killed Maji. He kept them in poverty. However, a question we have to think about is, when does this order go too far? Fear arises, conflict ensues, and death increases. The execution of Maji only deepens the suffering of their community. Zélie fights for survival and freedom, not because she wants to rebel. In the midst of fantasy and reality, intimidation is key for the higher authority. Adeyemi, CNN, Bob Millar, and Villers demonstrate that trust in the system can’t be on the basis of opposition. In real life, government advisors often change their language and try to justify those gruesome acts that are happening all over the country and the world. Leaders argue that if violence against specific people is used, it is for the greater good. During the novel, the oppression is built to be self-destructive. 

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In Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi highlights that violence is a calculated use by authority to maintain supremacy. “Teach these maggots to stay in line,” he warns Mama Agba. “Or I will (Adeyemi)”. King Saran and the soldier use fear as a weapon. They use punishments, bans, and threats to keep the Maji silent. He continues to have a constant feeling ofpower against the community. The King makes the Maji feel inhuman. Another point the book makes clear is that oppression doesn’t lead to peace. It leads to separation, anger, and pain that creates rebellion, as we see from Amari. From what we observe, Amari and Zélie wants justice without conflict; however, they could only see the pain for so long until they had to do something about it. “I promise, Mama. I won’t let you down again (Adeyemi)”.The author suggests, when humanity is stripped from an individual, fighting back is inevitable. 

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We can also connect the Children of Blood and Bone with real-world experiences. It’s true that history repeats itself. We have seen numerous occasions when the government used itspower and laws to cause harm and suffering to not just immigrants but citizens. They claim that they’re doing it to keep the country safe. They also say the victims were the ones in the wrong. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We can see this from our sources. Linking the novel with real-world situations shows that even though this book has make-believe, the events are not far off. This encourages the audience to question what is truly right and whether the pros of this kind of authority outweigh the cons. Ultimately, Children of Blood and Bone uses supernatural elements but also brings to light a deeper meaning. Using the quest to restore magic, we see inequality, domination, and aggression. True strength comes from respect and freedom. This novel is a warning about corruption in a fantasy, reminding the audience to rise up for things worth fighting for. 

 

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Work Cited

Hubbard, Kaia. “Minneapolis Police Chief Says ‘People Have Had Enough’ after Fatal Shooting by Federal Agents.” CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026, www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-police-chief-says-people-have-had-enough-after-fatal-shooting-by-federal-agents/. 

 

Villiers, C. (2023). A game of cat and mouse: Human rights protection and the problem of corporate law and power. Leiden Journal of International Law, 36(2), 415–438. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0922156522000632

 

 Bob-Milliar, G. M. (2014). Party youth activists and low-intensity electoral violence in Ghana: a qualitative study of party foot soldiers’ activism. African Studies Quarterly, 15(1), 125–152.

 

AI USE STATEMENT

For this essay, I used ChatGPT to help with my draft process. I sometimes get stuck on which paragraphs come first. Firstly, I come up with a theme I want to write about on my own. Then I find my sources. To find the peer-reviewed, I went to the Howard library to find similar articles that could strengthen my argument. I also found the CNN article by looking up violence in the U.S which was easy. I used ChatGPT to see if my article would work with my theme. Furthermore, I asked Chat if MLA format meant double spaces, which it did. I ask chat questionslike what is a synonym of certain words. For example, once I write an essay, use chat to help me with my work cited page, and what would that look like. This helped me get on track with what I still need to do.