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READ: Domingos Álvares (Graphic Biography)

Despite being enslaved and forcibly transported to the Americas and Europe, West African healer Domingos Álvares continued to treat others, building community and networks.
The Graphic Biography below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.

First read: skimming for gist

This will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the graphic biography will be about. Pay attention to the title, headings, images, and layout. Ask yourself: what is this graphic biography going to be about?

Second read: understanding content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
  1. When and where was Domingos Álvares born?
  2. What was Álvares’ occupation, and why did this lead to his capture and sale to European enslavers by the King of Dahomey?
  3. Why was Álvares imprisoned in 1733?
  4. Why did the Catholic Church try to imprison Álvares in 1742?
  5. How does the artist use art and design to demonstrate the importance of community to Álvares?

Third read: evaluating and corroborating

In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in the course.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
  1. How is Álvares’ biography evidence of the kinds of networks people built across regions, and the transfer of ideas from one region to another in this era? How does this evidence support, extend, or challenge your understanding of the impact of the Columbian Exchange?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to read! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished reading.

Domingos Álvares (Graphic Biography)

Writer: Lindsay Ehrisman
Artist: Liz Clarke
Despite being enslaved and forcibly transported to the Americas and Europe, West African healer Domingos Álvares continued to treat others, building community and networks.
Download the Graphic Biography PDF here or click on the image above.

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