BLOG QUESTION:
Ponder the quotations below (from Carolyn Denard, a literary critic, and Toni Morrison, herself) Choose one for your initial response: What are your thoughts about the quotation you have chosen? You can agree, disagree, or qualify your response. Provide textual evidence to support your point. (Remember to identify which one you are responding to at the beginning of your post).
1. Interior History
“...history is not the sum total of the story
Morrison tells in this novel. She seeks
to get at the interior of that
history...”(Carolyn Denard). “The novel
is not about slavery. Slavery is predictable. There it is and there’s [information] about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. [The novel] can’t be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, and
everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people”
(Toni Morrison).
2. Love
“The largest portion of the self-defining
humanity of the black characters in Beloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled
with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love,
thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the
modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the
guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the
child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of
slavery. In the foreground of this text
is a story of the varying ways in which a
people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
3. In Medias Res (Latin for "in the middle of the action)
“The in
medias res opening that I am so committed to here is excessively
demanding. It is abrupt, and should appear so. No
native informant here. The reader is snatched, yanked, thrown into an
environment completely foreign, and I want it to be the first stroke of the shared experience
that might be possible between the reader and the novel’s population” (Morrison).
4. Fact vs. Truth
“...and the crucial distinction for me is not
the difference between fact and fiction, but the distinction between fact and
truth. Because facts can exist without
human intelligence, but truth cannot” (Morrison).
5. Art - Beautiful and Political
“I am not interested in indulging myself in
some private, closed exercise of my imagination that fulfills only my
personal dreams...The best art is not just beautiful language and technique. The best art is that which is irrevocably
beautiful and unquestionably politcal at the same time”
(Morrison).
Directions: You will be writing an initial response and 2 comments responding to your peers' responses. Your initial response must be 8-10 sentences in length and thoughtful. There are 65 students (both periods combined) so there will be 65 initial posts. Of these 65, you must respond to or comment on a minimum of 2 of them. These must be thoughtful responses and/or comments, at least 2-3 sentences in length. Please identify the person you are responding to in your comment so that it becomes more of a connected conversation; for example, "I hadn't thought of the point Hermione Granger raised about the blah, blah, blah, etc. Initial response is due by Wednesday night, January 13th by 11.59 p.m. Your responses will be due by Friday night, January 15th by 11:59 p.m.
Remember to be good citizens here -- no hurtful comments. Remember you can respectfully disagree with others. Show some thought here! I look forward to reading another great conversation!
Mrs. L
1. Interior History
ReplyDelete“...history is not the sum total of the story Morrison tells in this novel. She seeks to get at the interior of that history...”(Carolyn Denard). “The novel is not about slavery. Slavery is predictable. There it is and there’s [information] about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. [The novel] can’t be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people” (Toni Morrison).
Every student in history class has learned about the history of slavery that occurred in this country. We are given dates, facts, and numbers about this horrible time in the past. However, since it is the past, it is difficult to wrap our heads around the topics. We remember the basic facts and understand that it was a time where many suffered. However, all that we have learned regarding slavery is a huge understatement to the lives of those that were affected. It is as if we all have become numb to this topic because we have learned about it several times. What Toni Morrison achieves in this novel is portraying the emotional and psychological effects that greatly affected the lives of those who were in bondage. To be stripped away of your identity that makes you human and dehumanized like animals has evident detrimental effects.
As seen from Sethe, she was pushed into this inhumane act, because of the inhumane nature she was treated. If the schoolteacher did not commit inhumane acts towards her, she would not have been pushed to murder her own children. Sethe and Beloved is a representation of all the victims of slavery. Just because you are free, doesn’t mean you really are. The suffering, cruelty, and pain of slavery cannot compare to the scars that it caused. They will always remain. As Toni Morrison mentions in the quote, the novel is not about slavery. She could have easily focused on that topic, but she went deeper than that. The fact that the story unravels in 124 and not in Sweet Home, shifts the focus to the effects of slavery. They are human, even if they were not treated as such. They have to deal with the lasting effects of what is done to them. They are more than just a number to show the statistics of slavery, but rather this novel focuses on the story of Sethe, showing that everyone has their own story to tell. All of them experienced slavery, but not all of them dealt with it the same way. This novel goes to the core of the personal effects of their experiences. It is more than just facts, it is the deep honest truth.
Hey Hannah!
DeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading your response to Morrison's quotes. I had not thought of what you mentioned about Morrison beginning the novel at 124 and not Sweet Home to lead the novel away from the focus of slavery itself but to the effects of slavery. As students, we have not been as exposed to the personal aspects of slavery and how it affects the people involved, so Beloved is a great way for us to gain more insight.
1. Interior History
ReplyDelete“...history is not the sum total of the story Morrison tells in this novel. She seeks to get at the interior of that history...”(Carolyn Denard). “The novel is not about slavery. Slavery is predictable. There it is and there’s [information] about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. [The novel] can’t be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people” (Toni Morrison).
Every student in history class has learned about the history of slavery that occurred in this country. We are given dates, facts, and numbers about this horrible time in the past. However, since it is the past, it is difficult to wrap our heads around the topics. We remember the basic facts and understand that it was a time where many suffered. However, all that we have learned regarding slavery is a huge understatement to the lives of those that were affected. It is as if we all have become numb to this topic because we have learned about it several times. What Toni Morrison achieves in this novel is portraying the emotional and psychological effects that greatly affected the lives of those who were in bondage. To be stripped away of your identity that makes you human and dehumanized like animals has evident detrimental effects.
As seen from Sethe, she was pushed into this inhumane act, because of the inhumane nature she was treated. If the schoolteacher did not commit inhumane acts towards her, she would not have been pushed to murder her own children. Sethe and Beloved is a representation of all the victims of slavery. Just because you are free, doesn’t mean you really are. The suffering, cruelty, and pain of slavery cannot compare to the scars that it caused. They will always remain. As Toni Morrison mentions in the quote, the novel is not about slavery. She could have easily focused on that topic, but she went deeper than that. The fact that the story unravels in 124 and not in Sweet Home, shifts the focus to the effects of slavery. They are human, even if they were not treated as such. They have to deal with the lasting effects of what is done to them. They are more than just a number to show the statistics of slavery, but rather this novel focuses on the story of Sethe, showing that everyone has their own story to tell. All of them experienced slavery, but not all of them dealt with it the same way. This novel goes to the core of the personal effects of their experiences. It is more than just facts, it is the deep honest truth.
Hey Hannah!!
DeleteI enjoyed your response and found it to be extremely thought-provoking because you wrote about how we, as people living in a modern society, have become "numb" to the horrors of slavery and almost ignorant of everything the slaves went through. As much as we read facts about it or watch documentaries on the topic, we will never be able to feel the true pain that they felt.
But there's an undeniable difference between factual information and literal art. Toni Morrison's compositions exposes slavery in its truest form and unravels the bandages to reveal the scars of the slaves and that is what is important about this book. Thank you for your response; I hadn't thought about the novel this way! : )
Hi Hannah!
DeleteI agree. History is part of our unknown pasts, and it's difficult to grasp the true meaning behind endless dates and facts. To imagine ourselves in Sethe's pain and emotion, it was necessary for Morrison to go beyond slavery and into the minds of people who lived during that time.
Wonderful post! Your ideas inspired me to write about this prompt :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHolly Chaney
ReplyDeleteThe Best Art is Political and Beautiful
“I am not interested in indulging myself in some private, closed exercise of my imagination that fulfills only my personal dreams...The best art is not just beautiful language and technique. The best art is that which is irrevocably beautiful and unquestionably political at the same time” (Morrison).
If you look at different art forms (like writing, painting, or music) you notice that the notable or “best” pieces tend to be tied to some sort of political idea. This book is obviously an example; its discussing how the politics of society at that time had extremely negative and harmful effects on black people. It's a creative representation of how the politics affected specific populations at a point in time and that is what makes it a beautiful piece of art. Street art is considered art and not graffiti because it combines political opinions and statements with a creative or appealing visual. Some of you may not consider street art beautiful, so take artists like Van Gogh who tended to paint mundane topics like his mailman. The idea that the lower classes of people were not heavily represented is a political idea, that is then stated in his painting of an average person. The Beatles are a highly regarded band because their music is melodious and depicts the emotions and political standpoints of people living through the 60’s and 70’s. I completely agree with Morrison when she states that “...The best art” is both beautiful and political.
Hey Holly!
DeleteI agree with your statement the story does not exist solely in an aesthetic sphere but it intertwined with and entangled in larger cultural and political patterns. Beloved really invents and articulates a visually pleasing language that gives voice to the unspeakable horror of the past.
Michelle Huang Period 6
DeleteHi Holly!,
I personally really loved the examples you pulled to support your notion that art is political as well as beautiful. It is true, the reason why art speaks to individuals is because they have personal emotional ties to a particular subject. Us people, being citizens of the world, are ultimately tied to our surroundings, and no matter what, there are politics involved in everything-therefore connecting us to the arts. Great response!!! I really enjoyed reading your opinion and choice of examples.
Philip Chen Period 4
DeleteHey Holly,
Great post! Art certainly becomes more interesting when it makes a statement. Morrison wrote the book to inspire us to take lessons from slavery and not commit similar mistakes in the future. Artists draw their paintings to communicate to viewers after all, so why not give a message to the people?
I liked the point you made that art often reflects the politics of its time. The media we consume is always changing, thus altering the way we perceive reality. Certain views become more popular than others, and we adjust our political opinions after taking new attitudes into account. Since art expresses a perspective, it undeniably is political as it is beautiful.
Art - Beautiful and Political
ReplyDelete“I am not interested in indulging myself in some private, closed exercise of my imagination that fulfills only my personal dreams...The best art is not just beautiful language and technique. The best art is that which is irrevocably beautiful and unquestionably political at the same time” (Morrison).
An indisputable fact of literature is that it is art. The other night I was reading a novel by Haruki Murakami (Norwegian Wood) and in the middle of a chapter the characters discussed “standard of action” and how they define it. I don’t particularly think the subject itself is what interested me, but more of the idea that the author did research about worldly topics and included them in his book to teach the readers-- to expand their minds and force them to think of other things rather than the storyline of the book. As I read on, I began to look for these bits of beautifully written lessons.
This form of art does not have a concrete definition. It possesses many within itself. It is “irrevocably beautiful and unquestionably political.” In reading Norwegian Wood I learned about conversational topics, historical references, philosophical ideas, theories; I realized that books are essentially pieces of literature within literature. They teach new concepts, opinions, beliefs (primarily the author’s, but partially from various references). They challenge the reader to question their own perspective, consider another’s, and come up with their own conclusion. Contemporary artist Ai Weiwei once said “if somebody questions reality, truth, facts; [it] always becomes a political act.” Literature has the ability to make man question and challenge; this is what makes it inarguably artistic, political, and beautiful. This is what the best art does. This is why it is created.
Hey Sina!
DeleteI really liked how you interpreted “political” as having no definite definition. Personally, I had no idea what “unquestionably political” meant, so reading your post let analyze the quote from a different perspective. By bringing in another quote from a different source, you added credibility to your argument which made your stance powerful. Thank you for enlightening us with your ideas! (:
Hi Sina,
DeleteI actually really enjoyed reading your response. I loved how you used an outside literary connection and how you mentioned that "books are essentially pieces literature within literature." I also agree that literature does have the ability to make one question and challenge, which is something that I enjoy doing when reading a book. Art is supposed to spark a movement, making it beautifully political. :)
Hey Sina,
DeleteI love this example, and how interested you are in the fact that the writer is incorporating such important topics that need to be discussed into his novel. I love when im reading an book, and article, or even listening to a song and Hear these topics,issues,and ideas being presented. It makes me want to learn more about the topic and the world. Those are the pieces of art I gravitate toward, the ones that give you something more to think about and aim to edify the audience, not just entertain them. I love that you used this example, I think its perfect and explains why political art is "the best art".
2) Love
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading Beloved, the theme of “love” didn’t catch my eye. All I was focused on was the eeriness of 124, the hidden past of Sethe, and whether Beloved was really an incarnation of the baby ghost. But then I was introduced to this underlying theme of love and its different effects on the storyline. “Family love” is evident in the beginning of the story when Baby Sugg is introduced. In the novel, Baby Suggs fosters a more maternal love and acts as a mother figure. Her nurturing and soothing presence is able to heal those scarred by slavery and helps those around her see the beauty in themselves, even through difficult times. Even when she passed, her words still held a strong influence in Sethe. When Sethe begins breaking down after Paul D leaves, she listens to the words of Baby Sugg to “lay it all down”. Even in Denver, her presence still exists. Baby Sugg’s love and care encourages Denver to go and seek help near the end of the novel.
The first direct exclamation of love was when Paul D walks through the doors of 124 and holds on to Sethe so preciously. But that was only “tiny love” as Paul D locked his heart up, unwilling to love too deep. Paul D constantly protects himself from loving too much because his past teaches him that to love too much will result in tragedy and loss. Once he finds out the devastating truth in Sethe’s past, his growing love for her is shattered and reversed back to his original mindset. It was only near the end when Paul finally took the initiative and courage to protect Sethe, hoping to heal her from the pain of yesterday. In Paul D’s eyes, love can be both a soothing balm to the tragic past and a killer, breaking his heart.
On the other hand, “thick love” is something we see in Sethe. Sethe constantly justifies killing her daughter as an act of pure love and overprotectiveness. She loved her children too much to allow them to experience the horrors of slavery. Many people thought her as crazy but underneath it all, it was a spur of love that was too thick. In this case, love becomes not a “balm” but a catalyst for irrationality. Beloved exhibits jealous love. Her obsession with Sethe spurs her jealousy towards Paul D for taking her attention and care away. This jealous love quickly becomes poisonous as it starts to strengthen Beloved but weaken Sethe. But through all of this, Sethe still wholeheartedly loves Beloved, believing that she was her “best thing” and her choice was right to protect Beloved from the inhumanity of slavery.
As Denard says, love is manifested in numerous ways throughout the novel and I do believe that this underlying theme casts a blanket of humanity over the inhumane hatred of their pasts. But at the same time, its vulnerability can also dig up harmful events to the surface.
“The in medias res opening that I am so committed to here is excessively demanding. It is abrupt, and should appear so. No native informant here. The reader is snatched, yanked, thrown into an environment completely foreign, and I want it to be the first stroke of the shared experience that might be possible between the reader and the novel’s population” (Morrison).
ReplyDeleteThe in medias res opening that Toni Morrison has written to start the novel is indeed very shocking and abrupt, and the reader finds him or herself very confused for the first few chapters as a result. However, this makes for a much more intimate read of the novel, as the character is seeing the situation through the eyes and perspectives of the characters themselves and not through an omnipotent narrator. We don’t know the full history and truth until the characters flash back to their own memories, so it seems like we are living it with them. It’s also much more dramatic and reasonable for us to find out the flashbacks of Sethe and Paul D’s time at Sweet Home and their escape when the characters themselves have a reason to reminisce on the memories, rather than us finding everything out before the story starts with a summary from the narrator. For example, the truth about Beloved’s death is revealed about halfway into the book, and it’s only at a time of necessity, when Paul D has discovered the secret. The reader is then as shocked as Paul D is, and thus questions and doubts Sethe the same way he does. This helps the reader feel much more integrated into the story, and as Morrison points out, the confusion and bewilderment that the reader feels mirrors that which the characters feel in the novel. While we are piecing together exactly what has just happened and what is about to happen, the characters are wondering the same thing, helping us to connect further with the characters of the novel, which is useful when the topic is so sensitive and intense, but still so closely personal and relatable.
Hi Kylie!
DeletePersonally, I was confused by the first few chapters of Beloved because the abrupt start, but like you said, it made for a more intimate read. As more of the story was revealed, I found myself captivated to know more. Morrison truly drew in the reader with the in medias res opening and created a gripping story.
Hi Kylie,
DeleteI like your point about how we as the reader learn and discover at the same time and pace as the characters. Instead of "looking down" at the characters and watching them learn, we are with them, living among them, almost as if we are part of the story as well. I agree that Morrison's elegant writing makes for a more intimate and personal reading experience.
3. In Medias Res
ReplyDeleteWhen Morrison opens her novel, she is brusque. Frank. Direct. There are no flowery words painting the idyllic scene of a spring countryside or great philosophizing on man’s innate nature. She rapidly fires off the names of most of our main characters within the first few lines: Sethe, Denver, Baby Suggs, and “the baby”. She throws the unsuspecting reader into the deep end with mentions of a “124” and a “baby’s venom”, expecting him to float with these little snippets of information. This in medias res opening undoubtedly causes baffled responses, but I found the complete confusion to be the most intriguing part of the novel.
For one, we are not being gently guided along the safe, winding path from beginning to end. Starting in the middle means we are bounced back and forth, almost violently, from a tragic tale to an even more tragic tale. By doing so, Morrison mimics the turbulent and horrifying experiences of her own characters, who also never seemed to catch a break (especially Paul D). Consequently, we as readers can face the same chaos, even if only a fraction.
Furthermore, Morrison’s in medias res opening forces the reader to play catch-up, to figure out the puzzle in a bizarre version of backwards story-telling. True, this part is rather frustrating at times when key information is missing, such as the cause for Beloved’s death. However, starting smack in the middle of the plot causes the reader to wonder, to ponder, to contemplate the possibilities Morrison can choose from. The opening lines, “124 was spiteful. Full of a baby’s venom” (3), for instance create so many questions before the reader has really started the novel. What is 124? A nickname? A place? How can a baby have venom? Metaphorical venom or worse, literal venom? And ultimately, this in medias res opening makes it all the more satisfying when the reader reads the last, perfectly concluding word and all the pieces have fallen into place.
Hello Lindsey,
DeleteI completely agree with your response and I loved your choice of words and the way they flow to make a point. It was not something that I had initially thought of at first, but the story did start rather quickly and was very confusing. The questions you raise about the story's ambiguity are also true, and your last sentence sums up how everything "falls into place". I think it's a great perspective!
Hi Lindsey!
DeleteI enjoyed the descriptions you used in your response, the "bounced back and forth, almost violently" and the "turbulent and horrifying experiences". The beginning of the novel definitely threw me into the "deep end", made me uncomfortable, and left me hanging for more.
Hi Lindsey!!
DeleteYou definitely nailed the significance behind the in media res opening for both the stylistic and narrative purposes in introducing the key characters as well as alluding to the first pieces of a haunting backstory. Like you said, rather than utilizing the cliché linear formula involving a prologue, beginning, middle, and end, Morrison intercuts flashbacks throughout the narrative taking place in the present day as the best way to portray how slavery continues to traumatize its victims even after being liberated. The use of flashbacks could have easily been used as blatant exposition to explain the plot, but they instead represent the turbulence of the past – great word choice by the way – and take the time to explore the characters’ motivations, fears, and guilt, adding dimension and perspective to their actions eighteen years later. Because of this, deceased characters like Baby Suggs continue to impact the present as if they were still alive, whether it is through cutting back to the events leading up to Beloved’s murder or through Denver invoking her spirit to give her the courage to step out into the world.
Hi Lindsey,
DeleteI totally agree that the beginning of Beloved immediately immerses the reader into Morrison's world. I really liked your point about Morrison using in medias res to force the reader into enduring a disorienting and confusing environment, not unlike the one new slaves faced when first arriving to America. I didn't catch that.
The contemplations you mentioned are definitely something I experienced. The first few pages alone had my head spinning with questions. And just like you said, it was so satisfying completing the book, all of my questions answered.
2. Love
ReplyDeleteBrendon Chou P.6
In a world in which the “jungle” has manifested itself among both the white and colored races, love should have become an impossible concept. Simply listing the horrific emotional damage to each of the characters may be enough to conclude that slavery conquers all – not love. Baby Suggs deteriorates after the tragedy that occurred eighteen years ago, the community ostracizes Sethe’s family for murder, Sethe is brutalized by the schoolteacher and his nephews, Halle goes insane after Sixo is burned alive, Howard and Buglar leave 124 fearful for their lives...
Slavery stripped blacks of their human dignity and encouraged whites to be ruthless, yet love remains the most powerful emotion that exists in this novel. Not just limited to within the black community, love is present among whites and becomes the principal means for the main characters to let go of “yesterday” and look forward to “some kind of tomorrow” (322).
As Denard stated, love began to manifest. Halle’s love for his mother liberated Baby Suggs, who then began to preach about self-love to the community, leaving a legacy that would eventually rally the townspeople together to stop Sethe at the end. Human dignity can suppressed, but human emotion cannot. In fact, love inspires others to act; whites including Amy Denver and the Bodwins risk reputation and even their lives – quite literally – to help Sethe’s family after witnessing powerful acts of love. Although love itself has varying degrees of right and wrong, it nevertheless drives the development of the characters forward. Beloved’s parasitic obsession pushes Denver into a protective role over Sethe, and the consequences from Sethe’s extreme measures force her to confront the past by attempting to kill the “schoolteacher.”
Big or small, good or bad, selfish or selfless, love is the reason why many of the characters did what they did. It serves not only as a “balm” but also a bridge between two races, a rite of passage, and a means for reconciliation.
Jay Feng
DeletePeriod 4
Hi Brendon I almost completely agree with your statements in regards to love, that the characters' loves drive them to do what they have done throughout the novel. I do have an example to how human can be suppressed though, Stamp Paid no longer shows affection toward his wife after she has been slept by his young master. I suppose you can argue that Stamp Paid left his wife because of love, but I see it as a heartless betrayal to his wife.
2. Love
ReplyDelete“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters in Beloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
Denard mentions that "the largest portion of self-defining humanity of the black characters in Beloved... is their manifestation of love" and I completely agree. Throughout the entire story, the characters express their love for one another in a variety of ways and, most of the time, in a very unconventional manner. Sethe kills her own baby to save her from the horrors of slavery and Beloved sleeps with Paul D as an attempt to get Sethe to know her. All three of them-- Sethe, Beloved, and Denver-- have “thick” love for another; they’re all possessive and are willing to do essentially anything for each other. I believe for the three of them, that kind of love is how they cope with the horrors of the world they live in, especially for Sethe. Loving her children, taking care of them, and cherishing them is the only way she can deal with her painful past. “In a world filled with hatred”, they know that love is the only way in which they can survive. Love is not only the largest portion of their humanity, but also the most important portion of their humanity.
Hey Laura! I definitely agree with you that love is a defining factor of this novel. However, do you believe that "loving too thickly" or to an extreme can be a bad thing? When do you draw the line between what good love or bad love is? Is there even such a thing as bad love because the intentions are good?
DeleteHi Laura!
DeleteI like how you pointed out that the "thick" love expressed is a way of coping with the horrors that they live in. In Sethe's case, she was exposed to a world where she was dehumanized and viewed as an animal. It is difficult to find value or even love oneself after constantly being branded as she was. However, she saw the best parts of herself in her children. Despite all that she went through, her love was undying for her children. During that time, it may have been easier to not love anything at all, for fear that it can be easily taken away from you. Yet, love still remained even if there were a thousand reasons not to.
Calvin Tan
ReplyDelete2. Love
“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters in Beloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
Slavery is such a horrible topic that even today, more than a 150 years after its abolishment, it is still a touchy subject. Countless tales have been told of the experiences that black people had to go through, almost all of them about atrocities committed. Even to people who have never experienced what it is like to be a slave, they already acknowledge that it is one of the worst concepts in all of human history. It was so bad that some slaves would rather die than continue on living miserable lives. The inhumanity of slavery is why one of the only methods to counteract its terrible grip is the most powerful positive force in the world, love. The love that slaves felt for their family members and friends was what encouraged them to persevere throughout the ordeal. Sethe is shown to be one of the most loving characters in the book. She loves Denver, Beloved, Paul D, and many other characters through her words and actions, like her many acts of selflessness. Expressing love for others is her way of stabilizing herself from the debilitating horrors of slavery. The massive scar on her back represents the awful sickness that she has been through, and love is the medication. It is the secret weapon that slaves used in order to keep the depressing wave of horror that is slavery from terrorizing their minds. The novel talks of the many forms of love that the characters experience, and the variety of different "loves" is the arsenal that blacks have armed themselves with in order to have a chance of maintaining happiness.
Jay Feng
DeletePeriod 4
Hey Calvin, I do recognize and agree with your statement that love is a significant reason to why the slaves were able to bear slavery. However, I am not sure whether love is "acts of selflessness," as the theme desire is constantly reminded throughout the book. Would you count the killing of her daughter a selflessness act, because it is definitely act springed from love.
Hi Calvin,I completely agree with what you said about love basically being a sort of balm for the slaves that dealt with so much painful experiences. Although some may see Sethe killing Beloved as something extremely out of line, I also see it as an act of selflessness because she sacrifices her sanity and comfort so that her children do not have to go through the pain she had to go through. Love is the only thing that kept Sethe from fully losing her mind.
DeleteCalvin Tan
DeletePeriod 6
Hey Jay, "acts of selflessness" is just an example of one type of love that people show to one another. It is not the only way and there are other ways to love as well, such as providing companionship for and protecting others. On the topic of desire, I do not think desire and love belong together because they are on opposite sides of the morality spectrum. If a person desires another, instead of it being authentic love, it is an act of lust or greed, therefore "false love". I actually would count the killing of her daughter a selfless act because to Sethe, living is the worse alternative. We have have not experienced what it is like to be a slave so are unable to fully empathize, making it difficult for us to fairly judge Sethe's decision and action. Sethe does not in any way want to kill her daughter, instead she views the act as saving Beloved from a much more horrible life as a slave. She had nothing to gain from killing her daughter, and the entire community shunned after learning about what she did.
Love is obviously an overarching theme in Beloved, but the unconventional forms it takes are able to surprise the reader and provide a new perspective in terms of how someone can love.
ReplyDeleteAs Denard states, blacks lived (and some continue to live) “in a world filled with hatred,” but they are able to persevere, remain alive, and find solace in love. Sixo’s troubled past transforms his behavior and his outlook on life, but despite all of that he finds love in the Thirty-Mile woman. He even devises a plan of escape with the motivation of freedom, love, and a family. Sethe, too, finds love a source of strength; she is able to travel to 124, to continue on with her journey even with her injuries (and the fact that she gave birth!). Sethe is a very interesting character, as we can see her actions are dependent on-- if not completely motivated by-- love. Her “thick love,” as Paul D and Denard call it, leads her to kill her child in order to avoid slavery. Her love for her children is so strong that she would rather them be dead and “safe” than be miserable, abused, and enslaved. Sixo’s and Sethe’s ways of loving are completely distinct from one another-- yet, they are both indisputably love, and this multifaceted nature is what Morrison seeks to demonstrate within her novel.
Chrixy Lam P4
Hi Chrixy,
DeleteI agreed completely on your response and was surprised that we shared similar thoughts. I believe Morrison's main purpose in writing the novel was to show multiple sides that love contains, even if that means she has to reveal the dark and gloomy sides as well. No one can claim that Sethe did not love Beloved judging simply on her actions of murder; when looked more carefully and understanding her reasoning, it can be easily concluded that she definitely had motherly affection towards Beloved, just too much as it turned into obsession. I am not sure if what Sethe did was correct, but it was definitely her own expression of love that she believed was right at the time.
Hey Chrixy! I agree with you, love is evident throughout the novel, providing a “new perspective” of the way people love. I liked your example of Sethe’s love which was both beneficial in her journey to 124, and also overwhelming to the point where she would rather kill her children than have them endure lifelong slavery. Love prevails as a source of strength and also a motif that evokes tragic or violent actions.
DeleteJay Feng
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
4. Fact vs. Truth
In a chaotic world similar to the one in Beloved, it is important to identify the difference in fact and truth. Morrison claims the distinction of fact and truth is that “facts can exist without human intelligence,” and truth “cannot,” and I do side with Morrison to a certain degree, because that isn’t the sole difference of fact and truth. A fact is a reality that can’t be altered at all, while a truth is a reality that can be changed in different perspectives. For instance, a well-designed choreography is a fact, but whether the dancer synchronizes it well enough to match the level is the truth, as the dancer may completely fail or dominate. The same thing applies in the characters of Beloved. The reality that Sethe has killed her daughter is a fact that can’t be altered, whilst whether Sethe kills her daughter out of the intention to save her from slavery or out of the desire to do so from mental illness is a truth, because it is how one approaches it. Another way to seek the distinction of fact and truth is that fact can’t be debated by reason, but truth can. We can’t debate whether Sethe has killed her daughter or not because she did, but we can argue that she does it for the sake of saving her child. The last thing to note is that fact to truth can act as an analogy to past to future, as we can’t change the past, but we have the ability to change the future. We can’t change the fact that slavery existed, but we can take it as a lesson to never allow it to happen again.
Hi Jay!
DeleteI agree with your interpretations. I think that "truth" relies on the person's perspective and therefore requires an emotional response or reaction. I did not think about the analogy as past to future - that's really interesting. Are you saying that the past is only made of facts? As in: yes, it is a fact that slavery existed. However, it is true that it was wrong; we reflect on that fact and therefore avoid committing such atrocities in the future.
Hey Jay,
DeleteI think that you have a good idea here about truth being subjective. I agree that we cannot debate the validity of facts but we can question truths. Continuing with this logic, I wonder if that means an absolute truth does not exist. With reason, I can support both sides of the claim “strength is a superior virtue to kindness,” but I cannot posit it definitely “true.”
Often, people view the question “what is the meaning of life?” as the ultimate enigma of their existence. Perhaps, Jay, there is no single meaning to life. We humans may have seemingly infinite perspectives to the world, and we cannot say one is more “true” than the other. The perspectives can simultaneously exist and all stand as “true” for the individual. We may have our own truths that we discover through our distinct backgrounds and experiences. Finally, I find your last point most interesting. Truths seem to serve us better as we embrace the future because they are lessons. Facts alone are just statements that don’t provide us with a direction, but truths can give us a moral framework for the future.
Hi Jay,
DeleteI really liked reading your response. When I initially read this question, I was unable to put into proper words what I was thinking but your ability to recognize the distinction between fact and truth was spot on! I particularly enjoyed your example of a dancer and their choreography. I agree that good choreography is a fact and the dancer's interpretation is the truth in it. I also found your idea that truth varies between individuals especially intriguing. My final comment is on your discussion of the fact of slavery. I liked your insight on how slavery was an indisputable fact, and definitely appreciated your optimism as you put forth the truth that we as a society can take steps to make sure nothing so horrid will ever occur again.
Raymond Chang
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
2. Love
“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters in Beloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
I agree with Denard’s opinion of how the characters are driven and linked to one another through their love, whether it’s familial, romantic, or community love. The most prominent example of love’s role in the characters’ lives would be the relationship between Sethe and Beloved. While Sethe shouldn’t have killed Beloved, it’s clear that Sethe acted out of her motherly instincts of love and protection. Initially, Sethe thought “But if she'd only come, I could make it clear to her.” (pg 2); after Beloved came back, she always made “special effort[s]” (pg 135)” and gave Beloved the “best of everything” (pg 135). As Sethe is “plead[ing] for forgiveness, counting, listing again and again” (pg 136) to justify her actions to Beloved, there’s no doubt that Sethe regrets letting her love becoming so dangerously “thick” (pg 93). Another example of familial love is the relationship between Denver and Beloved. While Beloved doesn’t love Denver, as she is solely focused on Sethe, Denver feels an immediate connection to Beloved because she “took her mother's milk right along with the blood of her sister” (pg 87) as an infant. Through this symbolic scene, Denver’s familial love for Beloved is made permanent as Beloved has now become a forever part of Denver.
Furthermore, an example of romantic love would be the bond between Sethe and Paul D. In the beginning of the novel, Sethe was described as only “[seeing] red baby blood, another day the pink gravestone chips, and that was the last of it.” (pg 23) However, after Paul D moves into 124, his romantic love for Sethe gives her the ability to see more colors. Symbolically, Paul D’s love for Sethe helps her continue on with her life and move past the memory of Beloved’s pink gravestone. Lastly, community love is seen through the food donations that the entire community provides Denver with. After Denver reached out to Mrs. Jones and Janey and word of Sethe’s condition spread, neighbors began leaving “gifts of food” (pg 140) by the tree of their house. While Denver has never explicitly asked for the community’s donations, their neighbors feel obligated to help due to Baby Suggs’ involvement within their community. I think it’s very interesting how before, Baby Suggs was giving away food during the party at 124, yet now the community is giving food back to the people living in 124. Because of the community’s kind gestures, the community surrounding 124 is a prime example of the community love that Denard is pinpointing.
Therefore, because love is one of the overarching themes of the story, I concur with Denard’s statement regarding love within the characters of Beloved. Evident through the novel’s familial, romantic, and community love, I believe that love is not only “a balm for the horror of slavery” but a necessity for their sanity.
Hey Raymond!
DeleteI really liked how you highlighted the different types of love, especially the part where you elaborated about community love. That was something I didn’t consider while reading the book, but after reading your response, I agree with you. It’s so ironic that the community that neglects 124 during its troubled past is the same band of people that manages to resolve the conflict! But I’d also like to add onto your argument and say that Morrison expresses the theme of duality with love. Sethe’s love manifested as an unhealthy obsession that causes her to withdraw further and further away from the outside world. In this case, it seems more like her “thick love” is the reason for her abnormality and isolation rather than the thing that keeps her sane. Yet at the end, love acts as the unifying force (when the community helps Denver or Paul D tells Sethe that he wants to be with her) that ultimately binds everyone together. Overall, I think love can come in all forms, unhealthy and healthy, dissonant and unifying.
2. Love
ReplyDelete“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters inBeloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
Love exists in all forms. Just as Sethe states, “Love is or it ain't” (93). Clearly, love is love. Regardless of the situation, love still prevails. I believe what makes the characters in Beloved special is that they love despite having every reason to hate. Each character experiences hatefulness and cruelty. Nevertheless, the love they feel motivates them to persevere through life’s difficulties. For example, Halle works hard to pay for his Baby Sugg’s freedom and achieves his goal because of his love for his mother.
However, In a way, love is not only “a balm for the horror of slavery,” but also exemplifies slavery’s cruelty since slavery itself is void of love. Simply put, the strong contrast between the institute of slavery and the love African American slaves felt highlights the inhumanity of the system. Adding to this, what defines inhuman time? Personally, I believe we still live in “inhuman time.” Although the institution of slavery is abolished in America, violence and evil still exist in the world. As human beings, we love because it is what we are made to do. Regardless of the pain, suffering, and sadness, love will prevail.
Hey Ella!
DeleteI loved how you opened with Sethe's "Love is or it ain't". Though simple and short, it reasons what love is and why we love. You also bring up a lot of thoughtful points. The statement that love is not just a balm for the atrocities of slavery, but undermines slavery itself, is very interesting and demonstrates thinking beyond what the question asks. I also like how you questioned what "inhuman time" refers to—the time before the Civil War? Or even...all of time?
Calvin Tan
DeletePeriod 6
Hi Ella!
Slaves still being capable of loving despite the loveless environment they are in is a very interesting concept that you brought up. It is actually quite amazing what slaves are capable of doing, because if I were forced to work as hard they did or was abused as much as they were, I probably would just be depressed all the time. Despite seemingly having the entire world against them, the slaves still manage to infuse optimism, in the form of love, whenever possible.
I do not agree with you on the aspect that humans are naturally born to love. I am pretty sure that there are slaves who have given up and just hate the world because of their situation. There are also psychopaths who have no empathy for others, therefore not loving anybody except themselves. Love is something that is taught from parent to child, so the more love that a child receives, the more love the child will give to others when he/she grows up.
Fact vs Truth
ReplyDelete“Fact” and “truth,” although similar concepts, do not mean the same thing; facts may not always be true.
I think that in this quote, Toni Morrison is describing a key theme of this novel: the situation between blacks and whites. It’s common for the white people to view slaves and black people in general as animals that they can look down upon. From Stamp Paid’s perspective, “Whitepeople believed that whatever the manners, under every dark skin was a jungle” (Morrison 234). This “jungle” he refers to is the metaphor that symbolizes the blacks’ animal characteristics. However, this is where there is a difference between what is fact and what is true. The “beastly” traits of slaves could be viewed as a fact from the white people’s perspective because a fact is something that is generally accepted to be true, or in Toni Morrison’s words, “can exist without human intelligence.” I see facts as something that could theoretically be made up, but as long as the majority of people agree to it, it’s a fact.
On the contrary, the truth is something that requires human intelligence, something that requires more understanding. Between blacks and whites, the truth is that the jungle was something “whitefolks planted in them” (Morrison 234). Blacks were not originally such beastly creatures, but from the trauma and horrifying conditions of slavery, they inevitably grew to believe that they were lowly creatures and like Sethe, some may have been forced to reveal their animal-like side because that was the only option left. But relating back to Toni Morrison’s message, coming to this truth required delving into the experiences and emotions of slaves. This is the difference between the perceived fact in whitepeople’s eyes and the truth as told by slaves.
This story dives deeper into the idea of slavery and part of understanding this is realizing that there is a difference between facts and the truth and I ultimately agree with Toni Morrison that the truth requires much more ‘human intelligence” and a deeper understanding.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHey Nancy!
DeleteI liked how you used the jungle metaphor to illustrate the differences between fact and truth. Furthermore, I agree with your point that facts are based on the consent of the many; if the majority of people accept it as true, then it becomes a fact. Truth is cemented, and cannot be changed by anything. Because the truth sometimes goes against what a society stands for or represents, it requires human intelligence in order to be exposed and understood. It does not take much effort to hop on the bandwagon and agree with everyone on a "fact" that society has established; however, to understand a fundamental truth requires deep understanding and a wide capacity to accept it for what it is. Good job on the response! :)
Hi Nancy!
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your response to this prompt. When I read the prompt, the oxymoron caught my attention, but I couldn't quite figure out what the deeper meaning was. Thank you for enlightening me! I agree with your interpretation. Facts are what people believe -- what they accept without question (making for some dangerous facts out there). Truth is the more elusive of the two; people must search hard for truth because it usually means abandoning preconceptions. I also thought that your choosing of the jungle metaphor quote supplemented your argument very well.
Nancy,
DeleteAlthough I find your definition of fact and truth to be interesting, I do not agree with your interpretation. The difference between fact and truth is not that one requires more understanding than the other, or that facts can be generally accepted to be true but are still be made up. The difference is that a fact contains no human intelligence or personal experiences. It is logic itself, it is unarguable, and it is always true. For instance, Sethe’s killing of the crawling already? baby is a fact. Nobody can argue with that. However, the truth can be argued, since it depends on every individual’s perspective; for instance, the “beastly” traits of slaves from the whitefolk’s perspective you mentioned earlier. That is a truth because not only does it requires human intelligence, but also it varies from person to person depending on his or her opinions in life.
3) In Medias Res
ReplyDelete“124 was spiteful. Full of a baby’s venom” (3). From the novel’s first few sentences, the reader doesn’t know where it takes place or why venom is mentioned. It’s like being given the ingredients to a recipe but not the recipe itself.
The in medias res is definitely demanding. It forces the reader to be more involved in the plot, picking up details here and there like a detective piecing a puzzle. The story opens with the introduction of both present and former residents of 124 and glimpses of life at Sweet Home. The story gets interesting when Beloved joins the family, and only with the continued oscillation between past and present do the abstruse, scattered pieces begin to fasten onto each other.
If the first chapter of Beloved began with life in Sweet Home, the escape plan, and Sethe’s atrocious crime, there would be little to no thrill upon Beloved’s appearance; there would be no mystery surrounding Sethe’s complex emotions. Most importantly, readers will have limited chances to make their own interpretations of the story as they read along and, by chapter 16 especially, uncover many truths. Though abrupt and convoluted in the beginning, the novel brings everything together in the end for the reader to dwell on.
Hey Mlin! I loved your analogy between media res and being given the ingredients to a recipe without the recipe itself. It sheds light on this beautiful idea of doing with what you have and making the most of it, because by being thrown into the middle of a novel's plot you can make more predictions about what is going on and allow you to think more critically-- making the reading journey much more enthralling.
DeleteHey Michelle! I totally agree that with the story having been set in medias res, though it does quickly establish the main characters and setting within the first paragraph, the reader is able to be more involved in the plot as we interpret and guess the plot for ourselves as we read on in the book. As a reader, I like to use my imagination to expound on the plot of the story.
DeleteHey Michelle! I completely agree with your response; the in medias res format definitely forces to reader to be more involved in the text. The story becomes more of an adventure, since the reader must piece together the puzzle pieces as the novel progresses. This type of writing adds an element of mystery to the plot, as initially convoluted details become clear in the end.
Delete3. In Medias Res
ReplyDeleteSome of the best stories start out with a punch to the gut, throwing the readers right into the fray to muddle through the what, where, and how. Take Beloved for example. The first two sentences that I read were “124 was spiteful. Full of a baby’s venom” (page 3). Though very little context is given, I think to myself right away: something bad has happened. My brain begins to churn out ideas and the questions start to build up: What was the conflict? How is a baby somehow part of this mess? Who was involved? Did they DIE?
A big part of Beloved’s story is about exploring the past of its characters, which gives them life and makes them dynamic. By being thrust into the midst of the conflict, we feel compelled to read on to understand its complex characters. When we read through Macbeth, I found myself balking at the summaries because they revealed everything that happened in the scene. I felt like I might as well have closed the book after reading the last scene synopsis. Macduff’s big reveal certainly didn’t the big impact that it deserved. However, in Beloved, I’m just as shocked as the characters are to find out that Beloved is actually Sethe’s dead daughter. Reading through, I find myself vicariously experiencing the strong emotions of the characters.
We read to discover, understand, and eventually feel connected to the world that has been presented to us. In media res openings just so happen to be particularly good at pricking our curiosity and holding our attention long enough to establish a connection.
Tina Zhao P6
Hi Tina!
DeleteI definitely agree with your response. When I first started reading Beloved, I was taken aback as well. But it also spurred my curiosity and urged me to read on to find out what happens. Like you, I was also slightly disappointed at the scene summaries that spoiled everything in Macbeth. Reading Beloved right after also gave me a chance to interact with the plot line and discover more deeply the meaning behind the text. Good job!
Hey Tina!
DeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts on this unique writing style! I completely agree with your belief of Macbeth’s ending not being as impactful as Beloved’s ending. In all honesty, I believe we should not read the summaries because it prevents us from experiencing the story with fresh minds. Truly, Beloved kept us at the edge of our seats because of its rollercoaster-like effect on the audience.
Hi Tina!
DeleteI completely agree with the impact that the opening sentences of Beloved provided. By having the jumping right in to one of the book's major conflicts with little to no context, I was confused yet intrigued. Like you and the others stated, I do agree that the short summaries in Macbeth definitely took away from my experience since it was full of spoilers. I would also like to point out that, since Beloved often provides bits and pieces of information out of order and out of context, it feels as if the book is full of In Medias Res.
1. Interior History
ReplyDeleteEven though slavery is one of the main themes in this novel, it is not Beloved’s only theme as it reveals how its aftermath continued to impact each character. It is a generational novel that evaluates how past wrongs affect not only those who faced them firsthand, but those who come after and are able to still witness the impact slavery had upon not just a race of people, but their women especially. Slavery has been, and continues in other ways, as a cruel institution which dehumanized many African Americans, causing them, even after the emancipation proclamation, to feel unequal in a country that promised “That all men are created equal”. Reflecting upon the freedom in nature:"Mister, he looked so… free. Better than me. Stronger, tougher. Son a bitch couldn't even get out of the shell hisself but he was still king and I was…" Paul D stopped and squeezed his left hand with his right” (Morrison 43) highlights Paul D’s internal struggle throughout slavery. It emphasizes how slavery had dehumanized a man to the point of being jealous of a bird’s freedom.In a last-ditch effort, Sethe sees death as the only way to welcome freedom as “Two were lying open-eyed in sawdust; a third pumped blood down the dress of the main one” (Morrison 86). This scene demonstrates that only through the death will the children be free from the worldly hardships that slavery had created for them. The freedom of death implies there will no longer be suffering, dehumanizing treatment at the hands of men, and will allow their souls a chance at freedom that their mother would never be granted.
Sravani Alla P6
Hi Sravani!
DeleteI LOVE how you defined Beloved: "...a generational novel that evaluates how past wrongs affect not only those who faced them firsthand, but those who come after..." Even though this was an obvious theme throughout the novel, it struck me. I was even more impressed when you included words from the Declaration of Independence; you're really good at supporting your argument! Your words are very up-front and open.
Breanna Qin
ReplyDeletePeriod 6
2. Love
“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters in Beloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
Carolyn Denard brings up an interesting contention about the ways that love can be expressed; love, seemingly innocent on the outside, can mask something “inhuman.” Her statement is indeed accurate in the context of Beloved, as Sethe completely embodies this idea. Sethe, harshly impacted by her past, attempts to kill her children to protect them from the slavery-plagued society she lives in. In her eyes, her actions are an act of thick, motherly love since taking her children out of the world is the only way to bring them to safety. Through this, it can be seen that she fulfills Denard’s perspective of manifesting love because something so human as affection becomes inhuman and savage. Paul D must remind Sethe that she has “two feet” and “not four,” emphasizing her loss of humanity and exposing her animal-like behavior. Sethe also appears to overindulge in her affection towards Beloved by sacrificing her own well-being to satisfy Beloved’s desires, hoping for forgiveness. Beloved, in turn, reciprocates a similar type of love by clinging onto Sethe. Denver, who feels isolated, expresses a more jealous type of love after seeing the unyielding adoration Sethe and Beloved have for each other. The three women display an extremely possessive type of affection, combining elements of both thick love and family love.
However the concept of love extends beyond the triangle between Sethe, Beloved, and Denver. Paul D and Sethe shared the same experiences during enslavement, causing them to develop a stronger relationship due to their mutual understanding of one another. This can be seen as both family and community love, since Paul D desired to start a family and protect her. Yet, despite this love, Sethe’s dark past and Beloved drive him away. Beloved perhaps represents something more than just Sethe’s reincarnated daughter; she is evidence of how slavery has impacted society.
This type of love, combined with slavery, is what influenced Sethe to act in ways considered inhuman. The horrors of slavery is what made a concept so tender as “human love” irrational and at times, vicious.
Quang Pham Period 6
ReplyDelete2. Love
“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters inBeloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
I agree with this quote. Throughout the entire book, love has been a constant motif. The people at Sweet Home have a community love while Sethe and her family shared a different kind of love. No matter how the story changed, love was still present; just in different ways. Sethe’s love for her children was so deep that it made her somewhat go mad to the point where she attempted to kill her own children. Throughout every event in the book, there was a type of love that motivated or guided that event. For example, Sixo’s community love is what drove him to help his comrades escape from Sweet Home when Schoolteacher came. Halle’s love for his mother drove him to work extra hours to buy her out of slavery. Stamp Paid’s special kind of love motivated him to help Sethe and her family for many years. Almost every character in the book tried to impart love. It is just that they each have their own kind in different situations.
Hi Quang! I agree with you, the various levels of love are present in Beloved, whether it be love within a community or love between family members. Despite the events that occur, love still prevails. I loved your example of Sethe’s love for her children, which was overwhelming to the point where it became dangerous to her children. I liked your observation, through every event there is a hidden motif of love.
DeleteHi Quang! I agree with you, the various levels of love are present in Beloved, whether it be love within a community or love between family members. Despite the events that occur, love still prevails. I loved your example of Sethe’s love for her children, which was overwhelming to the point where it became dangerous to her children. I liked your observation, through every event there is a hidden motif of love.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKevin Conroy Period 4
ReplyDeletehistory is not the sum total of the story Morrison tells in this novel. She seeks to get at the interior of that history...”(Carolyn Denard). “The novel is not about slavery. Slavery is predictable. There it is and there’s [information] about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. [The novel] can’t be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but the are also people” (Toni Morrison).
Beloved really does not delve too deeply into the historical aspects of slavery other than what such treatment caused to the characters in the novel such as Sethe. Rather than an subjective view on history, Toni Morrison is delving into the psychological impacts of slavery rather than just the political and social impacts that our history books tend to portray.It is very hard to understand the horrors of what actually occurred, and how it affected the people without some sort of first hand source, and while a fictitious novel, Beloved does a better job of portraying the human factor better than any textbook that just covers the superficial aspects of slavery. We know that Sethe was an escaped slave that was beaten and abused. This was a regular occurrence with slavery, but with no actual face to portray the image, the effect is lost in a regular classroom. Sethe is the so called face that puts everything together. She was the three dimensional being shown murdering Beloved due to her insurmountable fear of the white men and returning to the animal like instincts we all have locked away deep inside. In other words, Sethe was totally fine before School Teacher showed up at 124. she was a human being, that reverted back to the animals that all White people thought the Africans were. The focus of this book was not on slavery, just like what Toni Morrison said. This book was more focused on the aspect of slavery that is the hardest to see, the emotional impact on those affected.
Hi Kevin,
DeleteI agree with what you said about how Sethe becomes like a "face" to symbolize slavery. It is easy to forget about the emotional implications and effects of slavery and just to take a purely academic approach to studying it, and maybe this is intentional to distance ourselves from the horrors of slavery or subconscious and just an effect from the environment in which we study history, but either way, it's good that reading this book has allowed us to explore that other side of slavery.
Hey Kevin! I agree with your statement that Morrison takes us deep into the psychological aspect of the characters' stories in order to allow the reader to more actively become enveloped in the text. By witnessing the traumatic impacts slavery had on people, readers are more able to empathize and confront the situation rather than learn it apathetically.
DeleteWassup Kevin
DeleteI do agree that Morrison makes us see not only the physical aspects of slavery, but also makes us see the emotional aspects of it as well. Instead of seeing slavery from a textbook point of view(which tends to not go in depth), it takes us into depth by showing how each character felt during the harsh times of slavery.
Rachel Hunter // Period 6
ReplyDelete2. Love - “The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters in Beloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love – thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love – the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard)
Love is a strong element of the story, and it shapes the characters and justifies their actions. While Denard categorizes the love in the story, Sethe claims “love is or it ain’t,” which introduces the question of what love really is and how it can affect people. I agree with Denard in the sense that there are different types of love, and they come at different strengths, if you will. For example, Stamp Paid loved Denver almost like she was his own daughter or granddaughter, and he risked his life to protect her. Howard and Buglar must have loved their sister, Denver, but they left her the minute they had the chance. Understandably, there were many more factors leading up to their departure that had nothing to do with Denver, but they left her nonetheless. On a happier note, the story of Sixo risking his life to see the Thirty-Mile Woman shows the lengths one will go to show their love for another. Amy Denver saving Sethe was a surprising, but needed event that lifted Sethe’s spirits and hope in humanity. Love is kind and love is selfish. Love comes in grand gestures and small acts of kindness.
When love was not present, some of the worst events in the novel occurred. The lack of community love resulted in Sethe not having a warning that schoolteacher was coming. In turn, Sethe killed Beloved as she saw no other way to protect her children. Schoolteacher’s blatant lack of love for the slaves of Sweet Home resulted in horrible acts like Sixo’s death and Sethe having her milk taken away from her. Baby Suggs losing her love for life resulted in her giving up on life.
I believe the many acts of love and the sometimes lack of love created the natural human feel I personally experienced while reading Beloved. This story was not a happy one, but the relationships between Denver and Stamp Paid and between Sethe and Mrs. Garner lightened my heart because as Denard says the story shows how people try “to impart human love in inhuman times.”
Hi Rachel!
DeleteI agree with your take on love in the story. It is indeed a strong driving force between all the characters. I like how you gave the examples of different kinds of love, and how the characters each expressed love in their own ways. However, I also think that some of the lack of love might have been /caused/ by the "worst events in the novel," rather than the other way around. The ups and downs of the novel made it all the more realistic and moving.
Jessie Hui Pd 4
ReplyDelete1. Interior History
What makes Beloved a fantastic novel is it focuses on the “interior history” of slavery. History textbooks often provides stats and figures that, while helpful, make it difficult for student to truly understand the cruelness of slavery. By focusing more on the psychological effects of slavery from a wide cast of characters, Toni Morrison constructs a novel that serves as a bridge for its readers to connect with and understand the emotions African Americans felt during a dark time period of racism. For instance, Sethe, one of the main characters, commits the horrifying act of killing her own child, Beloved, because she didn’t want her daughter to experience “ a gang of whites…soil[ing] her daughter’s thighs and thr[owing] her daughter out of the wagon…and no one, nobody on this earth, would list her daughter’s characteristics on the animal side...” (266). Her decision to kill her own daughter highlights the trauma she underwent and the fears that her children would experience if they were to be enslaved, being subject to various cruelties like rape and being degraded to the level of an animal. Another example can be seen through Paul D. Paul D is initially described as cheery and friendlier compared Sethe earlier in the novel. However, as the reader is given his back story as a slave and the experiences he had—seeing Halle’s face with butter, hearing Sixo’s laughter, being placed in a chain gang, and more, the reader becomes aware that painful memories and feelings of shame reside underneath his seemingly cheery appearance. With almost each and every African American introduced, the reader better understands the emotional impact slavery had on real people in the past.
Hi Jessie!
DeleteI agree with your point that history—or at least the kind we learn in high school—is impersonal. We memorize famous leaders, famous wars, and famous dates, but like you said, what about those deemed not important enough to make it to text? Morrison's interior history zooms in on the individuals and their emotions that participated in the bigger picture we call history. Consequently, I thought your examination of Paul D and Sethe's traumatizing backgrounds exemplifies Morrison's personal, revamped definition of history really well.
Hello Jessie, I enjoyed reading your post!
DeleteI love how you identified Morrison's focus as the psychological effects of slavery instead of slavery in history. It's easy to miss different complex emotions such as Sethe's "thick love" and Paul D's tin box while reading a history book.
Hi Jessie~
DeleteI agree with you about the difference between learning about slavery in a textbook vs this novel. We really do get a much more personal account of slavery reading this book and I liked that you mentioned how each African American character has their own story. I also felt that with each character's history revealed, it gave much more insight on the impact of slavery.
Ellen Cheng P.4
ReplyDelete1. Interior History
I agree with Morrison. History deprives past events of meaning and feeling. Without emotion, history becomes a mere chronological list of events. Instead of focusing on slavery itself, Morrison highlights human sensitivity, making the novel Beloved beautiful, influential, and moving. After Paul D reads about Sethe in the newspaper clip, he believes Sethe’s actions are animalistic. Since the newspaper only explains an exterior history, it strips Sethe of her human sensitivity. Furthermore, Morrison begins the story in the present, after the characters escape slavery, exemplifying her focus on the effects of slavery rather than slavery itself. The interior history connects the audience closer to the characters, and makes the novel more than just another history book.
Hey Ellen! I really love your point about how history deprives past events of meaning and feeling. Usually when people think about history, they think about the facts and occurrences, but not about the effects these turning points have had on people and how they reacted in these scenarios. Your example about the newspaper clipping and how that scene dehumanized Sethe because Paul D categorized her as primal without understanding her rationale proves the point that while slavery is an important part of history, everyone has a different experience with and interpretation of the institution.
DeleteHi Ellen!
DeleteI thought your analysis of history and how it effects the perception of humans extremely profound. I also believe that this theme may tie in with another of the discussions: fact vs. truth. History is facts-- "a mere chronological list of events"-- but emotions are a fundamental part of the truth (for example, Sethe's human sensitivity). The way history depicts people leaves out quite a bit of emotional information, and Beloved reflects that using the reactions of other people to Sethe after they have found out her actions.
Chrixy Lam P4
Danna Xue Period 6
DeleteHello Ellen,
I love how you brought up that the novel starts in the present in order to highlight the effects of slavery on the present, and not only the past. I realized that when novels take place in the present tense, it makes it easier for the readers to connect to- when things are happening in the moment, they take on a different and more applicable meaning to the reader. Furthermore, it emphasizes that the effects have not disappeared, and they are not a thing of the past. The impact of slavery continue to haunt society today, and the footsteps of Beloved will continue to impact generations to come.
Hi Ellen!
DeleteI also responded to this question, but I like the example that you provided. I did not notice at first that the newspaper clipping, along with Paul D's reaction as parallel to what Toni Morrison achieves in this novel. The newspaper represents the exterior history about the particular event. Textbooks and articles about slavery strip off the emotion, and leave the facts. The after-effects of slavery is what Morrison focuses on because we are aware of the statistics and the "facts", but what those textbooks do not convey is the human sensitivity of those involved. This novel dives into the interior of what makes us human, rather than just the exterior history of slavery.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePeriod 6
ReplyDelete5. Art - Beautiful and Political
Art is beautiful and at its best when it is political. I agree with Morrison; praisable art, whether literary or visual, is more than just proper use of diction or style. The best art is a piece that leaves a lasting impression to viewers, giving rise to various ideas and interpretations. Beloved reflects Morrison’s position on politically beautiful art, where she introduces the rising tension between the black and white races, and the apparent aggressive superiority of the white society. This continuous reign of authoritative behavior among whites created the “jungle” inside both races, a form of controversial art that can be interpreted in multiple ways. In my perspective, the “jungle” represents the raging, oppressed, and raw emotions of the black society after being dehumanized by white superiority. It can also be interpreted as the animalistic behaviors of the black people after being oppressed throughout slavery. Controversial yet “irrevocably beautiful,” Morrison’s Beloved is art that allows you to develop your own perspective while considering others.
Hi Rachaelle!
DeleteI really like how you used the jungle metaphor from the book to support your perspective. It really embodies Morrison's idea that art is the best when it is political. I also loved your last statement; it reminded me of what I included in my interpretation of this quote!
Hey Rachaelle,
DeleteI completely agree with your view here. "Art is best when it gives a lasting impression to viewers, giving rise to various ideas and interpretations." I really enjoyed that part of your post because after reading Beloved I really began to think more on not just the history of slavery, but the lives of the people who lived through it. Personally, most art to me is boring, but whenever art is involved with some a problem in the world or politics, I instantly connect to what is being expressed and can't help but be fascinated.
Hey Rachaelle!
DeleteI think it's interesting how you note that art isn't just about paintings or drawing, but politics. Also, I agree with your point that art is made to make a lasting impression on the audience, and this book definitely accomplishes this. I like how you related this art to the jungle because this controversial topic leads people to dig deeper and wider to find different perspectives. This book has definitely shown various perspectives of slavery and quite a personal one too.
Hey Rachaelle! I completely agree with your point of view. I love how you said that “the best art is a piece that leaves a lasting impression to viewers”. I am taken aback by Beloved by Toni Morrison, not just because it is beautifully written, but also because it depicts a part of our history that I have never considered. Until this point, I thought of slavery as just a topic in a history book, I have never thought about the emotions and feelings of those who were affected by it. Furthermore, I agree with the portrayal of the jungle to be “raw emotions of the black society”. However, I feel that the jungle does contain the hate of the whites, which is what causes the dehumanization.
DeleteSravani Alla p.6
5. Art - Beautiful and Political
ReplyDelete“I am not interested in indulging myself in some private, closed exercise of my imagination that fulfills only my personal dreams...The best art is not just beautiful language and technique. The best art is that which is irrevocably beautiful and unquestionably political at the same time” (Morrison).
The best art is more than just beauty; it contains a specific, deeper purpose, serving as a medium for some sort of message. Toni Morrison uses Beloved’s characters and their harrowing, shocking experiences to shed light on political and societal issues, which in this case, is obviously slavery. Through her simple, yet powerful writing, she is able to conjure compelling images and descriptions (the beautiful part) while giving the reader something to ponder over afterwards (the political part). The reader not only sees the words, but has to comprehend them and their broader meaning.
For example, Morrison describes the basis of racism and why slavery existed through her “jungle” metaphor. She portrays the animalistic nature white people believed blacks possessed as a “jungle” with “swift unnavigable waters, swinging screaming baboons, sleeping snakes, red gums ready for their sweet white blood” (113). Rather than just outright say black people were subhuman in the white people’s eyes, Morrison uses the phrase “unnavigable waters” to suggest blacks’ supposed savagery was innate and unchangeable, and the “swinging screaming baboons” represented their wild, savage side. Through this imagery, the reader gains a better understanding of exactly how the white people viewed blacks. It is up to the audience to analyze the meaning when she continues, “the screaming baboon lived under their own white skin; the red gums were their own” (113), that the “jungle” actually originated from whites themselves through this dehumanization of blacks.
The best art is what it is because of its overall purpose to evoke the reader through both the beauty in words and the political message behind them.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Jacqueline!
DeleteI really liked the quotes that you incorporated into your response, especially the "red gums ready for their sweet white blood". I feel that it is a really effective quote because of the word choice. Since normally blood is not white, the white blood is cleverly referring to the race of the slaveholders. Through the examples you've chosen for your post, I'm very convinced that Morrison has successfully intertwined her purpose with her language.
Good response!
Hey Jacqueline!
DeleteI definitely agree with your take on the compelling description of the jungle and how it intertwines with the message Morrison is trying to send. It was actually one of the many quotes that had me nodding because of how true it was. Morrison's ability to convey combine strong impactful messages in a beautiful and elegant way is definitely what makes Beloved a plus. While I was reading through the book, there were many times where I just had to pause and write down an especially compelling quote since it reflected an interesting idea.
Hi Jacqueline~
DeleteI really like your interpretation of the jungle scene and I definitely agree with you. Toni Morrison could have very well been extremely direct but instead uses this imagery and unique word choice as you've pointed out to get across a more important message. It really does show the beauty of words.
Hi Jacqueline! I really liked your response and I agree with the prompt as well. I especially liked how you chose to include in your response the jungle metaphor to appropriately convey your thoughts. The imagery Morrison utilizes in incorporating the untamed wilderness that is the jungle to clarify the whites' dehumanizing views of the blacks was powerful. Morrisons' diction also places the blame for creating this jungle on the whites while exposing the hidden fear that the whites had against their slaves. This metaphor was a perfect example to use that incorporated both beauty in its imagery and words and political message on how slavery so wrongfully dehumanized African Americans.
DeleteHey Jacqueline!
DeleteI agree with your point that Morrison's description of the jungle is not only beautifully written, but also allows readers to better understand how the white people's dehumanizing mindset affected black people at the time. Like political cartoons often seen in history textbooks or illustrations that are though provoking, Beloved provides powerful messages through its cleverly written passages.
Michelle Huang
ReplyDeletePeriod 6
2. love
I agree with Denard on her statement about love. The people in the book are often dehumanized, but they still manage to hold on to their love, and it is ultimately this love that stops the further dehumanization of the characters in the book. Love manifests itself in different ways in different people, and the varying types of love are displayed by different people. For example, Sethe exhibits what Paul D calls a “thick love,” that is all consuming and proven deadly. In the cases being given to Sethe, I do not think she could be called immoral for killing Beloved in order to save her from a worse fate. The institution of slavery is something Sethe is whole-heartedly against, and she would rather kill her own child than let her be enslaved. This is love because she chose to live with the fact that she killed her child in order to let her suffer more. It was Sethe’s way of imparting human love when her child could possibly be exposed to inhuman ways- her love is how she gets past her past because it is the only thing she can really focus on to keep her past in her past and herself in the present.
Then, there is tiny love. Paul D who exhibits the polar opposite of Sethe’s love loves little for self-preservation. He has seen to many things in his life and knows better than to put his whole heart to work. He knows how hurtful it is to have something you love taken away and has witnessed how this love can consume people and ultimately be their hubris. He chooses to create a barrier between himself and love, and this protects him from the horrors of slavery because the horrors of slavery include taking love away. This way, he hurts less because how can you miss something you never had?
The different exhibitions of love, however, all are based on common ground. Whether it is the embrace or the neglect of love, it is always out of preservation and integrity, and it conveys different characters’ takes on how they handle love in order help themselves in a hostile environment.
Hey Michelle!
DeleteI agree with your opinion on love and what it means to the characters in the book. While the slaves at the time didn't have much to hold onto, their love was priceless and this was the one thing that every individual was able to share with one another.
Also, I can see why you would think that Paul's love is "smaller" in comparison to that of Sethe, but I feel like he was just fearful of Sethe's "thick love." I think he has the same capacity to love, as much as every other character in the book, but he was just fearful of how much Sethe cared for her children.
Hey Michelle!
DeleteI think it's interesting how you would consider her actions to be normal even after killing her baby. However, I wouldn't say that love stops the future dehumanization of the characters in the book. Even though Sethe killed her babies out of love, it is important to note Paul D's criticism: "You got two feet, Sethe, not four" (93). Coming from someone who is still sane, it shows that her love has turned her into a beast and stripped her of her rationale. Also, I believe Paul D didn't love less, but suppressed his love into the tobacco tin.
Love
ReplyDeleteGrace Han, Period 6
Within a story founded so much on the horrors and hatred associated with slavery, Beloved is surprisingly rather focused on the different types of love and its effects. Look closely and it becomes easy to see, every main character’s story--Sethe, Denver, Paul D, Stamp Paid, and even Beloved--is entwined with how their lives are affected by the idea of love: Sethe with her overpowering, smothering love; Denver with her family love; Paul D’s love for Sethe and the fear of commitment (of loving); Stamp Paid’s love for Denver; and even Beloved’s lack of love. In this sense, Denard’s belief is, in fact, true, except for one. I don’t believe this novel is about “[imparting] human love in inhuman times”, but rather about the momentous force love can impart onto humans. Although each character loves very differently, their lives and the stories they tell revolve greatly around the deeds they do for love. From this perspective, it is clear to see love is the greatest motivation for these characters. Sethe loves her children so much that she’s willing to protect by all means, even if it means killing them or fulfilling their every needs in a smothering, isolating love. Denver loves the idea of a family and yearns for her father and sister’s return to the family that it disarms her from the stopping the damage Beloved creates before it got out of control. Paul D was so motivated by his blind love for Sethe, that even after 18 years, that it leads him to 124, yet his fear of commitment also prevents him from staying. Similarly, Stamp Paid’s return to 124 was hugely motivated by his love and connection he feels to Denver due to the care he provided for her and Sethe shortly after Denver’s birth. And finally, even Beloved is propelled by love, or rather the lack of love, to return and seek revenge upon Sethe because she believed Sethe didn’t love her. One of Sethe and Paul D’s biggest disagreement (and one of the biggest contrast of the story) is even on love--with Sethe asserting her belief “Love is or it ain't. Thin love ain't love at all,” (94) and Paul D’s constant reminder to “love just a little bit; everything, just a little bit,” (28) to prevent himself from any hurt. By the overabundance of love, the main theme of Beloved, I therefore believe, is love, and agree overwhelmingly with Denard’s analysis.
Hi Grace,
DeleteI agree with you about how love had motivated Sethe and Denver and Beloved, but I don't think Paul D left 124 due to his fear of commitment and otherwise lack of love. His finding out the true nature of Sethe's love and the lengths she is willing to go for her family is what drives him away. It's true that he was afraid of Sethe's "thick love", but that's a little bit different than a lack of love altogether.
Hi Kylie,
Deletethank you for pointing that out. I'm sorry if I wasn't very clear in my initial response but I also didn't mean that he left because he lacked love. I thought that he felt intimidated by Sethe's "thick" love, which was so different to his own beliefs on love, and that is why he left.
Hey Grace! I completely agree with your point of view. Love is the main theme of Beloved as each character has their own relationship with it and their own way of expressing it. Your portrayal of Denver’s love really caused me to think about the entire novel. Previously, I felt that Denver had the most pure and selfless love for her family, but after reading your perspective, I agree that Denver loves the idea of an ideal family much more than her real family.
DeleteSravani Alla P. 6
In Media Res
ReplyDelete“The in medias res opening that I am so committed to here is excessively demanding. It is abrupt, and should appear so. No native informant here. The reader is snatched, yanked, thrown into an environment completely foreign, and I want it to be the first stroke of the shared experience that might be possible between the reader and the novel’s population”
124 and the characters in it epitomizes “an environment completely foreign”-- everything from the baby ghost to Sethe being forced to kill her children. Most likely, the modern day audience has never been exposed to the aspects introduced in the novel, and because slavery itself is such a sensitive subject, there is no more intimate way to tell its tale by drawing upon the most extreme of every situation.
The story already begins seemingly in the middle of another, as Sethe’s two sons have already ran away and there is no detail about her past before 124. Told only through a series of flashback, the reader is quite literally, thrown in Medias Res. Everything that’s happened to the characters is so horrific that it often takes reading it multiple times to fully understand its impact; each flashback tells a story that Morrison could easily turn into another novel. Yet, she manages to include the smallest details and the complete essence of what the character was feeling at the time to gives the audience something to relate to, no matter how radical the situation may seem. For example, the imagery used by Amy Denver to describe velvet--something that that readers are familiar with, to her image of Sethe’s chokecherry tree--something that seems almost gruesomely unimaginable, is just as descriptive, which unexpectedly throws the reader into the scene to experience every part of Sethe’s journey with her. This usage of In Medias Res serves to be the only way Morrison’s work could actually flow together, as coupled with supernatural beings, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. For the audience to immerse themselves within the story and understand its message, they must accept the novel’s “demanding,” and continue to read in its entirety because with every “middle,” there is a beginning and an end.
Hi Katie
DeleteAfter reading your blog post, I have a better understanding of Medias Res. Initially, when I read the chapters realized those were the middle of the story, I was left with confusion and pondered upon the characters, 124, and slavery. From her elucidation of the past, I was finally able to learn the growth of the characters and the whole story. Slavery is a sensitive subject and nowadays many of us may be able to relate. But like you said, the radical situations in the story had given the readers a different light on slavery. Through the story, we can gain a perspective on how Morrison perceive the people at the time. She has taken the reader to a journey that is intimate and unforgettable. Your response comprehensively includes the details that were given in the book and something I can relate to as well.
Stephanie Zhang Period 6
Hi Katie! I agree with the quote and your response completely. In the beginning of the novel, we are placed in the middle of the action with no background or context--it takes an active reader to piece together all the chapters that are happening simultaneously, in the past, or in the present to formulate the whole story. I like how you brought up the point on how Morrison uses intimate details to allow the reader to connect with any situation--this made me think of Sethe attempting to kill her children. Shockingly, while reading, I found myself sympathizing with Sethe for trying to protect her children rather than being horrified and disgusted. Though Morrison's poetic diction adds to the somber mood in the book, I agree that it can also confuse and overwhelm the reader; nevertheless, her imagery takes Sethe's journey to a new level and allows us to begin to comprehend the horrors of slavery.
Delete2. Love
ReplyDeleteAmidst the “inhuman” times of slavery that planted a “jungle” within every person, the different modifications of love that the black characters had for each other contrasted with the discriminatory hatred for blacks during this time. The various forms of love define the book by allowing the readers to experience the psychological effects of the horrors of slavery and how, through love, those who were affected begin to come to terms with the trauma, further demonstrating that “love overcomes all.”
The surrounding hatred manifests in the cruel and brutal acts of slavery conducted by the “men without skin;” however, the black characters’ love for each other allows them to overcome this hatred that surrounds them. In the community love that assembles and formulates near the end of the book, we can see that all thirty women understand the resulting trauma of slavery, and believe that past sins should not come back to the present. As Beloved is a symbol of the past hardships of slavery and represents the voices of the dead, this form of unifying love allows those who are the most damaged to slowly cope with their haunted pasts of slavery, especially when Sethe is literally punched back into reality, allowing her to begin the healing process without Beloved. The “thirty-mile love” between Six-O and his thirty-mile woman exemplifies the sacrifices that each character had to make to achieve happiness. With Six-O’s sacrifice of his life by helping the woman escape the white men, he gives the woman and “his blossoming seed” to have a chance at freedom. Furthermore, the self-love that Sethe begins to develop through the urging of Paul D releases the burden that she had been holding onto of killing her baby. She is able to overcome her past by eventually forgetting Beloved and regaining her life back.
However, we can see that these modifications of love can also bring forward the “jungle” in the characters. Especially when Sethe attempts to kill her children because of her “thick love,” Sethe’s actions are perceived as monstrous and animalistic. Thus, love is not completely immune to inhumanity and, like each character in the book, has a darker side. Still, this encompassing love is a testament to human nature even in times of hardship. The varying forms of love was a bright light in the face of hatred and darkness.
Hi Emily!
DeleteI thought it was interesting how you talked about the darker side of love, and pointed out that each character has their own "jungle". It's always easy to see who the victim of a situation may be, but I like how Morrison portrays both the villain and victim as individuals that have their own moments of good and bad.
Shawn Xing
ReplyDeletePeriod 6
5. Art - Beautiful and Political
“I am not interested in indulging myself in some private, closed exercise of my imagination that fulfills only my personal dreams...The best art is not just beautiful language and technique. The best art is that which is irrevocably beautiful and unquestionably political at the same time” (Morrison).
Morrison’s prose is more than just beautiful “art”; During interviews, Morrison has warned against going into a “national amnesia”, in which slavery becomes a forgotten chapter of America’s past. Indeed, the novel Beloved can be seen as a beautiful masterpiece that also argues for the political importance of collectively confronting the history of slavery. Within the first chapter of the book, Morrison emphasizes the importance of confronting the past. We learn about Sethe’s conception of the past--”rememory”--and how it never dies out; instead, past experiences can actually manifest themselves in the present. The “ghost” of Sethe’s dead daughter at 124 and the reincarnated Beloved that stay to haunt Sethe and Denver can be interpreted as representing “rememory.” Further, Beloved’s narrative, representative of the institution and history of slavery as a whole, is made apparent by her supposed memories aboard a slave ship (most likely referencing the historical Middle Passage) that are revealed in chapter 22. Indeed, Beloved can be seen as the universal experience of slaves living on in the present, and the novel Beloved, therefore, is a story about how we shouldn’t--can’t--forget about slavery. Beloved is art both beautiful and political.
Hi Shawn!
DeleteI found this a harder topic to approach but it's interesting how you included Morrison's quote about America's "national amnesia". I definitely agree that she utilizes very interesting prose throughout the novel, and the way she formats the character's dialogue and monologues should indeed be classified as art. Your quote affirmed the political aspect of her work, and I think that she has succeeded in making sure that the struggles of slavery will never be looked over.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. Interior History
ReplyDelete“...history is not the sum total of the story Morrison tells in this novel. She seeks to get at the interior of that history...”(Carolyn Denard). “The novel is not about slavery. Slavery is predictable. There it is and there’s [information] about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. [The novel] can’t be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people” (Toni Morrison).
As individuals, we each have a unique story to tell that affects who we are, who we become, and how we manage to live in this world. Without those unique backgrounds, we become mere human body parts that can be evaluated by physical properties and characteristics. In correlation, the subject of history entails much more than significant dates and facts about different historic events; history is a story to be told accompanied by the stories of the people who experienced it. As Toni Morrison said, “it is the interior life of some people”, not the exterior mold the world was shaped in at some point in time. Morrison’s book Beloved exemplifies this idea perfectly, because the characters in Beloved portray the realistic hardships of slavery, sharing experiences with physical and emotional damages. For example, Paul D and Sethe have undergone various types of abuse including sexual, physical, and verbal. I listened tentatively in history class whenever slavery was an active topic, yet Sethe was violated by two white men in a way that I could never imagine, until it was presented to me in this novel; Paul D was also sexually harassed by men. The point is regardless of how many times an educator shares with you the general “story” of slavery, it will never compare to the actual stories of slaves, and their experiences as people.
Hi Sophia, I found your opinion on this quote really interesting and I agree with what you said. There is so much more beyond the history of past events; there's more than the facts about how many people died and more than the fact the slavery lasted for hundreds of years. The much more deep and powerful aspect of history is how human lives were really affected by it. Especially for something as cruel as slavery, how people's lives were affected is such an important part of history. I think that in order for us to grow as human beings and make the world a better place, we need to truly understand the effects of our actions and come to terms with them, no matter how bad they may be.
Delete3. In medias res
ReplyDeleteWhen I first picked up the book Beloved, I read the first chapter and all I thought was what just happened? I stopped reading because I felt like there’s something I need to know before I started. But I wasn’t supposed to know anything. That’s what makes this book so compelling. It forces you read on to find out what happens, and fit the pieces together. At every aha! moment I was able to freak out and just enjoy learning about the character’s in the novel. I believe Toni Morrison has an in medias res opening because, to many of the readers, the world of slavery is foreign. She wrote the story in a time where slavery was far over, and the world was becoming a better place. Like when you first meet a person you do not know anything about them, and with Sethe we simply knew she was a former slave. And just like how you learn things about a stranger as time passes, we learn about Sethe: her past, her tragedies, her escape, etc. With each bit of new information, you begin to understand her and her choices in life. You see the reasoning behind her decision to kill her daughter, why she finds it so hard to trust others, and why she devalues herself. The same goes with the rest of the character’s in Stamp Paid, Denver, Baby Suggs, etc. In Denver’s case you first see her as a shy girl. As you continue to read you begin to understand she is like this because of what her mother has done. FInally in the end she has grown into a strong, independent black woman. Personally, her growth and development was my favorite part of the story. Reading this book reminded me of getting to know a person better and while I thought the opening was dumb at first, it made Beloved an entertaining book to read.
Hi Clarence, I thought your response on the progression of Denver was well thought out. At first, I thought Denver was going to be a character that was listless and one to be ignored, but as the story progressed she did as well. I felt as if the purposeful use of media res allowed Morrison to grip the reader into the mindset of constantly questioning what happened and what could happen.
DeleteI also think Morrison's in medias res opening to the book was super well played, captivating us in a story we didn't even know yet. I like how the way it plays is kind of like a journey we go on with the characters we follow. As we know, slaves like Sethe and Paul D had a tendency to lock away their horrific pasts. But, as Beloved breaks the tin box open and reopen wounds that were ignored for so long, we get to see their beginnings as the kind of relive them and come to terms with them until we reach the conclusion of the novel. Beloved's in medias res is not only captivating, but it also plays well with the plot and characters.
Delete^^ Michelle Ly, Period 6 ^^
Delete2 - Love
ReplyDelete“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters in Beloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
In Beloved, the black people have very thick, and caring love. Although they have been through harsh and difficult situations, they still have enough goodness in their heart to love others. The whites dehumanize the blacks, by treating them like animals and making them work in harsh conditions. Even though they face these struggles, they do not break and instead love their families more. It is as if they fuel their love with the horrible abuse that they face. A perfect example of this is Sethe. She was raped and beaten for trying to escape, but instead of being cold and losing hope she loves her children more and more. Her love is so strong that she is willing to kill her loved ones so that they do not suffer the way she did. Other characters in the book share the thick love that Sethe expresses towards her family.
Hey Ryan!
DeleteI like how you mentioned "thick love" because thats exactly the type of love that is going on in this book. Sethe turning her pain into love is also another good observation. You're right it shows how strong she is and how she is willing to sacrifices herself if it means a better life for her children.
Hello, I am Michelle Ly from Period 6 and I’m answering #4 Fact vs. Fiction.
ReplyDelete“...and the crucial distinction for me is not the difference between fact and fiction, but the distinction between fact and truth. Because facts can exist without human intelligence, but truth cannot” (Morrison)
Truth is like a well cooked dish. Fact is only the meats and carbs, plain and unmistakable. Fiction is the spices and garnishing, what gives food depth and color. Morrison combines a mixture of fact and fiction to make what is the truth. A dog will eat it up, regardless of taste. A computer can scan it and tell you each ingredient. But, humans are the only ones able to appreciate the flavor.
Fiction and fact are easily distinguishable; if it happened, it’s a fact, if not, it is fiction. The truth must be real, but it also must embody what can only be felt. Sethe killed Beloved; that is a fact. The pain and suffering that led to her decision in the shed is the truth. People can say that millions of people were killed by slavery, but you can not understand what slaves went through by that alone. The emotions that Beloved (the character) represented, how their anger, confusion, and yearning mixed and festered is something that cannot be described in numbers, not even words. However, even though Beloved is a ghost(what we can regard as something fictional), she is part of what we can call the truth because all the unjust deaths that made her up had happened. She was all of those raw emotions embodied in a girl.
The plot is fiction. Slavery is a fact. Beloved is a truth.
Susan Keath
DeletePeriod 4
Hey Michelle, I love the way you compare truth, fact, and fiction to a well cooked dish. I also agree with you on how truth is the overall with facts and fiction to add to it. When we see how facts and fiction are played together, we are the ones to judge to believe it as a fact or accuse of it as a lie. Beloved’s emotions range from frustration to pure love and I agree with you Michelle that with these emotions, they show the true and multiple emotions African Americans have gone through. These are facts that laid out and can be told without human’s judgement, while truth needs multiple perspectives and opinions, whether it is truth.
Hi Michelle,
DeleteI really liked your analogy of the truth and a well cooked dish. I never saw it that way, but I agree with what you mean. The truth is mixed with facts and fictions, to tell the whole whole story. Even though we know that many people have died in slavery, we will never know how they felt with just the facts alone. This story was fiction, but it shows how some slaves could have lived. It shows the cruelty and discrimination they felt because of their slave owners.
Aye Chan Moe
ReplyDeleteP6
4. Fact vs. Truth
Though it is based on the true account of Margaret Garner, Beloved is classified a fictional narrative that builds upon the inspiration from initial facts. What Toni Morrison has done, however, is to transform fact into truth by garnering human intellect to discuss and deliberate her work.
Morrison is not interested in breaking down slavery into statistics – anyone can process cold, hard numbers that emerge with adequate research. She would rather expound on the complex physical, emotional and psychological effects of the institution on slaves and slavemasters alike.
“This is not a story to pass on,” Morrison writes in the last chapter, not only as a reference to Beloved’s disappearance from everyone’s memory, but also as her social commentary of society at large. People in general do not like to talk about slavery; to be fair, it is not exactly the most lighthearted conversation starter either. Nonetheless, without profound debate and dialogue on the subject matter, a fact remains exactly as it is – a fact. There cannot be truth without the understanding of fact and Morrison’s novel enables its readers to arrive at the truth through their respective appreciation.
The intellectual conversations she spurs with her book help many understand and feel, not just know and see. It truly is a lovely and impactful way to give a voice to the 60 million, without resorting to simple facts and figures.
Hi Aye!
DeleteI completely agree with what you are saying. Slavery is not really discussed in an emotional manner; it is usually just explained and taught in a factual manner in history textbooks, and thus, it elicits a sense of detachment. Toni Morrison, however, wants people to understand how cruel and inhumane slavery really was by describing the psychological effects of it in her novel. By doing this, she allows readers to "understand and feel, not just know and see" the impact and result of slavery.
Hi Aye!
DeleteI agree with your response that truth allows us to “understand and feel, not just know and see”. By writing this novel, Morrison gives a voice to the 60 million and makes them more relatable to us. We can discern them as more than just a number, and as humans instead, as we comprehend the psychological effects of their journey and the truth about the tremendous impact of slavery.
4. Fact vs. Truth
ReplyDeleteFacts don’t require much brain-stretching because we generally accept them without question. Finding the truth, however, is a different matter altogether, and it requires perception and understanding. Although truth might exist separately from our knowledge of the truth, in the context of literature vs. history (a.k.a. fact vs. truth), literature like Beloved can reveal truth.
Morrison reveals the truth of slavery in Beloved through the countless ways the trauma of the past affects people’s daily state. For example, Sethe believes that “he counted my feet,” (106) which demonstrates that Sethe actually believes she’s part-animal, just like the Schoolteacher said. When Paul D thinks of his lack of a red heart, he calls it as “red as Mister’s comb” because his heart is inextricably linked to slavery. Morrison designs Beloved to help the reader understand more of slavery.
Philosophically, Morrison’s quote partially refers to the old argument “if no one hears the tree fall, did it make a sound?” because she states that truth without human understanding does not exist. Although she takes the position of “there wouldn’t be sound with someone to hear it,” I disagree with that assumption and will leave it for others to debate. However, I agree that literature such as Beloved provides a greater understanding to the reader more than simple facts do.
Hey Serene, it's interesting that you mentioned the philosophical argument of "If the tree falls in a forest," because that was what I was thinking when I responded to the prompt too, except I didn't really know how to tackle the idea as succinctly like you did.
DeleteI was just a tad confused by your first textual evidence about counting feet, because I was under the impression that Sethe is bitter about Paul D's derision of her as an animal, not that she actually believes she's part-animal; I think the whole idea behind Sethe's confession to Paul D and his consequent departure is to highlight that Sethe does not think of her actions as wrong, despite her guilt.
Hi Serene!
DeleteI agree with what you have to say. The slave connections are vital to the story in understanding the characters' emotions. It is a fact that Sethe was a slave, but it is true that she was treated poorly and traumatized for the rest of her life.To be able to understand slavery as a whole, Morrison used the emotional responses of the slaves-truth-to give the reader a broader perspective rather than simply understanding facts (such as the 6 million and more).
2. Love
ReplyDelete“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters in Beloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
Love can be described as anything a person wants it to be. Each person has their own way of conveying love. Everybody is different in that regard. That being said, I agree with Denard's statment that in this story various people tried to impart love in inhuman times. The most obvious example at first is Sethe killing Beloved. In a general context, what kind of parents kinds kills his or her child? As an audience, we would say that the person is crazy and should be nowhere near a child. In the context of this story, Sethe tries her best to make her actions seem justifiable. She says "It's my job to know what is and to keep them away from what I know is terrible". In the late 1800s, slavery was still very prominent as evidenced throughout the novel. Sethe clearly knows how horrifying slavery can be, and she ultimately doesn't want her child to go through that. To Sethe, slavery is worse than actual death. In her mind, she displays her love to her by killing her off before she's caught. The times are so bad that death to one's own kid seems justifiable to her. White people saw a "jungle" under every black person. To them they were animals needing to be tamed. People were basically inhuman in slavery and Sethe knew that. Now is it still justifiable that she killed her own daughter, not at all. Is she crazy? Yes. But in the heat of the moment, that thought of going back made her react out of her own version of love. The situation just pressured her into making an unfathomable decision. Ultimately, that is how she conveyed her love to Beloved at that moment. Sethe is glad that Beloved will never to get to experience the terrors of slavery.
Hi Skanda!
DeleteWhen I read the first sentence of your response, I was initially confused by its vagueness. However as I read along, I began to understand your lead-in sentence's purpose. It's actually a very effective introduction to the topic of love that you responded to since you built upon your first statement of how love is open to interpretation. Also, I really liked how you analyzed the story within its historical context. By doing so, you're able to reach a more in-depth understanding of Sethe's thought processes at the time. Overall, good response!
Hi Skanda!
DeleteI really liked how you related the story to the real life events and situations. It really brought to my attention more that this book is rooted based upon true events. Like you, I also wrote my initial response to this prompt and like you, I also agreed with Denard's thought and your analysis that Sethe killing Beloved is an example of how she tried to impart human love in inhuman times.
Hey Skanda,
DeleteI agree with your opinion of Sethe's love. Although what she did was wrong, it was her own version of love that made her do it. She knew that life was horrible as a slave under schoolteacher, so she tried to protect her child by killing her. It shows how "thick" her love is, because she loves Beloved so much that she would rather have her die a fast death than be tortured for the rest of her life.
Hey Skanda,
DeleteYour thoughts are the same as mine as in the sense that Sethe was showing her love towards her children by trying to hide them from a greater evil that she has experienced before. Your analysis of family love is strong, however you seem to lack analysis about the other forms of love present in the novel. What is your point of view on the other forms of love present in Beloved?
Hey Quang. I think that Beloved is absolutely justified in being angry at Sethe. Even though I do say everyone has their own version of love, I don't agree with Beloved's form of love as she basically controls Sethe at the end towards the point of insanity. Now that I think about it, sometimes love can cause people to do unjustifiable things. In inhuman times, love can cause people not to use logic as a justification and instead use emotions as a justification. In the end, Beloved is just emotionally abusing Sethe to the point that she doesn't seem like she's loving her own mother anymore.
Delete2. Love
ReplyDeleteI agree with Denard's notion that the love the black characters emit throughout the novel in light of such times is phenomenal. My absolute favorite scene, in which Baby Suggs preaches on the value of self-love, was especially powerful. She knew that these people were disheartened, abused, and tired, and she strove to let them know that they do not need love from anyone. Baby Suggs assured these people "they do not love" them, and it is their own duty to love themselves. Though her physical strength was deteriorating toward the end of her life, her will to spread this self-love grew.
And of course, Sethe's motherly love, which seems present in just about all her behaviors throughout the novel. While Paul D was afraid to love anything or anyone too "thick," Sethe believed that "thin" love could not exist. I believe Paul D's return demonstrated a conquering of this fear, and an understanding of Sethe's character and past actions.
Hey Katya! I too was enamored by how Morrison depicts the ceremonial ritual; through Baby Sugg's voice, she was able to deliver the wisdom of claiming ownership of oneself and loving every inch of what they discover.
DeleteHere, the former slaves go through their own form of cleansing as well as remembrance for the dead and the alive. It’s touching and filled with hope for the future, and it definitely encompasses the communal rapport and love the blacks have fostered among themselves.
Serene Hart Period 6
ReplyDelete2. Love
“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters in Beloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
There is no one set definition of love because it can be shown through many different relationships and in many different situations. In Beloved, defining love is especially difficult because there are multiple instances of love and devotion shown throughout the book in a variety of different relationships between Baby Suggs, Beloved, Denver, Sethe, Paul D, and the community. Love is crucial to our well-being but it can also become detrimental to our well-being. It can bring you back down to reality and make you realize that you are human. (Not love itself but rather the heartbreak that can come from loving someone.) Love can bring the dead and the forgotten back to "life." Many different types of love are present in Beloved: jealous love, selfless love, eternal love, self-love, selfish love, and community love. Love is not always sweet, love is not always easy, light or humble. Sometimes it's heavy, strict and controlling.
A controlling theme in the novel is how women negotiate or mediate between their nurturing compulsion to love the other, the thing that's bigger or better than they are in their lives — husband, children, work — and the other part, which is the individual separate self that has separate obligations. As Sethe confronts evil in herself and in the institution of slavery, motherhood itself rescues her from the oblivion of guilt, shame, and madness. Without the underloved ghost or the coddled Denver, Sethe might have disintegrated from within, pulled apart by her "rememory." Instead, she takes refuge in love for her children, and she tentatively acknowledges the ego that Paul D returns to nurture — "Me? Me?"
I agree with how you view the portrayal of love in Beloved and how it doesn't have a set definition in the novel because of how different people decide to express them. Love is very flexible; if I could give it a definition, I would compare it to water. It can be soothing and healing when it flows gently, but it also has the power to cut even diamonds. Sethe's motherly love is what pulled her through and kept her will to live alive, but, the way she expressed her love to Beloved made the waves splash back and cut her. In the end, however, it is love, again, (but self love this time) that seems to relight her will to live.
Delete-Michelle Ly Period 6
Holly Chaney Period:4
DeleteI love that you pointed out how undefinable love seems to be throughout the novel. There are so many types its hard to keep track of what is what and what we are supposed to think about each type. Its obvious Sethe's love is over-the-top when it comes to her children. I like how you went into more depth of the quote given to explain why Sethe's love is so intense and how it stems from her experiences in slavery. As always Serene, I love your writing and interpretation. keep it up!
Hi Serene, I really enjoyed your blog and it made me really think about what kinds of love there are in the world. I have always thought of love as something uncomplicated, and simple. However after reading "Beloved"and your comment, I have come to realize love has many different forms and people that love have very different ways of showing their love. Like you mentioned, Sethe's love is very strong and "thick" as Morrison says, but it's a completely different kind of love that Paul D has for Sethe. Both cases can be defined as love, but one is almost softer than the other (not in a bad way).
DeleteJulia Vasquez Period 6
ReplyDelete2. Love
Love pays a vital role in this book. If they aren't yearning for love its because they have too much of it. For Sethe this is a major key. Sethes sole priority is to to be able to provide for her children. Since Sethe never had solid relationship with her mother it was important for her to have one with her kids. When Sethe killed Beloved it was simply because her love was to strong to let her kids return to the camp. Beloved was mad at Sethe for killing her but all Sethe was doing trying to put her daughter out of a bit of misery that school teacher was going to cause. With Denver Sethes love was deep but not as deep as the love between Sethe and Beloved. Denver will from now just be the one child who takes care of her mom, no longer the only child that survived and was sain enough to stay with her. No love could compare to Beloved and Seethes. Even if it wasn't love there feelings they had for each other were strong and unbreakable.
Hey Julia! I agree that Sethe's love for her children is remarkable. While those around her could not believe the lengths she went to, from giving up her own meals to attempting to kill her children when she spot the schoolteacher approaching, Sethe only wanted the best for the "life she created."
Delete4. Fact vs. Truth
ReplyDelete“...and the crucial distinction for me is not the difference between fact and fiction, but the distinction between fact and truth. Because facts can exist without human intelligence, but truth cannot” (Morrison).
In Morrison’s book “Beloved”, she portrays a series of human emotions, actions, and thought processes and present to us the slavery world perceived by her. Fact is, for example, slavery exists. But the truth is different. It can range from how the white people treated the Black mercilessly to the violent nature in the blood of Black people. Opinions and judgements vary depending on different angles of point of view. Everyone is born and raised in different environment and therefore have disparate perceptions on the same “fact” presented. One person can think positively on a situation while the other thinks of the negativities and the darker side of the story. This also lead me to conclude the unfairness exists in the world because most people follow what others follow, and are difficult to alter their existing standpoint. For example, as it is described in “Beloved”, though the White people knew how hard the Black people work for them and witnessed their kindness, intelligence, passion, fear, which are also possessed by the White people, they continued discriminated against the Black people because they are too prideful and stubborn to accept a new world, or to face the fact. Eventually, slavery dehumanized both races as it created fear and hatred on both sides. The truth can never be told, because it was never spoken objectively.
This is Stephanie Zhang From Period 6 btw
DeleteHey Mulan/ Stephanie,
DeleteYour analysis of fact vs. truth is very well thought through. It is true that people from all walks of life see the world through their own lens and craft their reaction to the world based on their past experiences. I also enjoyed how you related the fact of slavery to both races that are present in the novel and how it affects them both. It is a fact that slavery had an impact on both races, but the truth is that the impact is present in different shades.
nadia ali, period 4
ReplyDelete4. Fact vs. Truth
I feel that Morrison is correct in her distinction between fact and truth. We arbitrarily use the “fact” and “truth” because we assume that they are synonyms. “Fact” often relates to data and indisputable statements; it is a statement that we accept as accurate. However, truth-in my opinion- is a cross between fact and the human response the fact produces. For example, it is a fact that Sethe killed Beloved as a child. The truth-which depends on human intelligence-is whether or not killing Beloved was necessary. Any machine can monitor Beloved’s heart rate and pronounce her dead. Truth, however, depends on the emotional response the fact produces; here, it is indeed true that Sethe killed Beloved out of love. No computer could interpret Sethe’s killing of Beloved as an act of love. Therefore, I agree that facts can exist without human intelligence; truth cannot survive without emotion and bias.
Hi Nadia,
DeleteI completely agree with your description of the subtle differences between fact and truth. I, personally, am guilty of using the two words interchangeably! Your analysis of the term "truth" made me reevaluate what I hear on a daily basis: what is a fact, and what is true. For example, I can be told that my friend got in a car crash-- a fact-- but I can also be told by my friend that the same car crash makes them afraid to drive, afraid to leave the house, or afraid to take risks-- the truth.
Chrixy Lam P4
Hi Nadia!
DeleteYour response really caught my eye and attention, because I believe you did a great job determining the different connotations between the two words that tend to be used interchangeably. I completely agree with you, especially on that truth contains human emotion and opinion while facts can be easily pulled up through book or internet research. It makes me wonder if people are more lenient towards the "truth" rather than stated out facts, since people tend to emphasize ad relate easily?
Justin Chieng Period 4
ReplyDelete2.Love
Love in this novel seems to be the greatest factor of the fall of Sethe. Sethe's decision to take her own child's life to guide Beloved to a better place seems to be justified by the thought of heaven being better than slavery, but is the method of sending one's child off justified? Being at odds, it is difficult to accept the extreme thought process of killings one child, but it may be the ingrained opinion that killing another being is cruel and heartless. To add on to the various types of love, other than Sethe’s, we are offered the love of Beloved. Beloved at first seems to be an adolescent yearning for motherly love, but as the story progresses, her love becomes this demonic infatuation that takes over Sethe’s life. While Sethe’s love is for the betterment of another individual, Beloved’s loves seems to remind me of more of an obsessive being that thrives on revenge. Taking these two different types of love into consideration, it seems that love is the underlying factor that aids an individual into acting upon extreme notions, but at the expense of another it may seem justified. Although I do not particularly side with Sethe on killing a child for a better life, it is understandable that one may look upon this action as a method of saving an individual's life from the horrors of slavery.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteShawn Xing Period 6 comment 2
DeleteHello Justin,
Your response that it is difficult to accept the extreme of taking the life of a loved one in order to free him or her from suffering (in this case, the pains of slavery) reminds me of the controversy over life support and "pulling the plug." Proponents argue that when one is barely clinging onto his or her life, bluntly stated, it may be better to put one out of his or her misery. Do you think that parallels can be drawn here--and more importantly, is the method of homicide important in this debate? I think we are less likely to accept Sethe's action because of the violent nature (cutting Beloved's neck), but "pulling the plug" is often seen as humane and peaceful. I would love to hear what you think about this.
Hi Justin, I do see where you are coming from. While it may seem horrible that a mother has murdered her own flesh and blood, she believed what she did was correct. While I also do not totally agree with her actions, I see where she is coming from, and why you sympathize with her plight. Sethe was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it would depend on the person to decide whether death or slavery is the better alternative.
DeleteHi Justin, although I do understand why you would say that Sethe took the life of her own child's life so that she wouldn't suffer the pain and agony of being a slave, I don't believe it was the child's choice to end its life. I completely understand why you would say she killed her child out of love, but ultimately, it is up to the child to decide if it wants to endure the pain of slavery, or take the easy way out.
DeleteFact vs. Truth
ReplyDeleteThe difference between a fact and the truth is that one is based solely on what has happened, while the other involves the human mind. In other words, facts are straightforward. They are the details of a story and are not opinionated. However, truths depend on the experience of each individual. Every person must decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. That is why finding the ultimate truth in a situation can be difficult; it is just so multi-faceted.
Truths are what drive the book Beloved forward, not the facts. Sure, Sethe’s killing of the crawling already? baby is vital to the plot line, and it is indeed a fact--unarguable and purely logical. No one can deny that Sethe killed her child; it happened; it is true. However, what follows after the fact is more important--that is, the truth and integrity behind her decision the kill the crawling already? baby. Did she, Sethe, do the right thing? Was killing her child understandable in these circumstances? Well, it is complicated. On one end, Paul D.--and mostly everyone else--disagrees with Sethe’s decision. He states that “there must have been another way,” and even goes so far to rebuke her impulsiveness by criticizing Sethe’s “four feet.” But Sethe says otherwise. She argues her love was “too thick,” and in no way would she let her daughter be taken away into slavery. She loves her crawling already? baby too much--too much to let her go into schoolteacher’s clutches.
Overall, the facts in a novel set the scene for the truths. They (the facts) do nothing more than to provide details of the story for interpretation. But the truth is what matters most. It is an opinion. It determines a person’s motives and ideals. It is the embodiment of an individual’s emotions, background, and personality. Basically, it is everything.
Michelle Huang Period 6
DeleteHi Sammy! I love your interpretation on the difference of fact and truth. It is true, facts seem to have a more clinical connotation to them while the truth is often more complex and takes into consideration human compassion and feelings.
What I kind of do not understand is the when you stated that truths are opinions. I think that there is a factor in opinions on truths, but I do not think I would equate opinions to truths because a person could hold an opinion; such as the world is flat, but it is not really the truth. I do think that your idea of truth having more emotional backing to it than facts, but I think that I would say that truth has facts with justified emotional input.
Overall, however, great response! :)
Philip Chen
ReplyDeleteP4
“I am not interested in indulging myself in some private, closed exercise of my imagination that fulfills only my personal dreams...The best art is not just beautiful language and technique. The best art is that which is irrevocably beautiful and unquestionably politcal at the same time” (Morrison).
Toni Morrison wrote the novel not just for us to admire. She wanted us to experience the deep, moving feelings as we view the horrors of slavery and further understand how it asserted its control over the black population. Throughout the book, as the inhabitants of 124 recall their past experiences, we feel the gravity of their suffering. Paul D, for instance, struggled to grasp his identity as a “real man” after the schoolteacher whips him, stripping him of his dignity. His emotions pained him so much that he locked his feelings in the “tobacco tin” of his heart. The schoolteacher imposes upon him the concept that “definitions belong to the definers”; the slave owners, not the slaves, controlled language and thus decided society's rules. During jail time, Paul D and his chain-gang adjusted the meanings of words so that the whites couldn't understand their songs. While the slave owners seized the sense of self away from the blacks, the blacks found their own subjectivity in shifting language. The book is filled with beautiful rhetoric but Morrison ultimately wanted us to learn from history. Her art serves as a political act, exposing the methods whites used to wield power while illustrating the blacks’ tactics to claim their humanity.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteShawn Xing Period 6 Comment 1
DeleteHello Philip,
I want to extend on the dialogue that you have started. I agree that Morrison aims to illustrate the horrors of the institution of slavery. What do you think of this quote: “It was not a story to pass on... It was not a story to pass on... This is not a story to pass on” (Morrison 323-324)? I think that Morrison's mission is layered by the fact that slavery was "not a story to pass on" (meaning that people have always tried to either forget this dark chapter in our history or have silenced those that attempt to “pass [it] on" because the story of slavery is easier to just repress). So do you think that Morrison aims to also ensure that people confront the history of slavery? I would love to hear what you think about this.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteShawn,
DeleteThank you for engaging with me in this dialogue. I would agree with your interpretation of the quote. Morrison isn’t telling us to stop looking back at the past because she just did by writing this book. Instead, she means that slave narratives are hard to retell because no one wants to relive them. I think your recent post touches on this subject well; in America, we suffer from a “national amnesia” that makes us ignore the dark times in history. Just like how Paul D keeps his experiences in his “tin box,” Americans don’t want to revisit the trauma that occurred during slavery. As you said, Morrison does want the “story to pass on,” so that we can confront the history of slavery. After we articulate our past grievances, we can then learn to deal with our problems today. The themes this book teaches us include race, love, identity, community, and family, just to name a few. We can take these lessons to help us resolve the lingering effects of the past.
Shawn, to continue our dialogue, what do you think of Morrison’s statement on the morality of Sethe killing her daughter? On a PBS talk show, she states, “It was the right thing to do, but she had no right to do it.” I think this relates to the politics of the slave that we mentioned in our posts. In a sense, death has become a sanctuary for the slave. Did Sethe have the right to grant her that sanctuary? The “definitions” set by the slave-owners throws her into such a paradox. I think Morrison’s statement says a lot about the political condition of the slaves and I would love to hear your take on this.
2: Love
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Denard’s statement in the sense that love is a more harmful element than it is a protective one. I can see why Denard thinks that love supplies the black characters with protection and guardedness in a world filled with the evils of slavery, however, a question we must ask ourselves, is what is this self-defining humanity she speaks of? This humanity doesn’t exist; slavery has already stripped the characters of their humanity, and love in this novel serves to make them even more broken.
First we can look to Sethe’s killing of Beloved. After murdering her daughter out of “love”, Sethe loses all hope for living. Rather than being a balm for the horror of slavery, this love instead leaves an unremovable mark on Sethe that haunts her for the rest of her life. It can be argued that once Sethe realizes that Beloved has returned, her love for Beloved restores happiness and “self-defining humanity” to her world filled with hatred, however, this perception is a facade seeing how as her love for Beloved stay strong, both her life and humanity decline until she almost shrivels up.
After going through the abuse of slavery, Paul D was left with a “ terrible tobacco tin buried in his chest where a red heart used to be.” (86) He is described as a broken man who could not be moved, however, when he is approached by Beloved, he is exposed to love for the first time since the aftermath of the atrocities. Rather than restoring the “red heart” (138) he once had, love instead broke him even harder and left him in shambles. The result of this love? Him in exile in a church, refusing help, with “His tobacco tin, blown open, spilled contents that floated freely and made him their play and prey.” (258)
So as we can see through these two examples, love does not serve as a balm for a world filled with hatred. Rather, it serves to fill the black characters with guilt, regret, and weakness.
Hi Michael,
DeleteFirst of all, I must applaud your bravery for actually disagreeing with Denard's quote! However, I think that Paul D doesn't love Beloved, but, instead, is involuntarily "moved" into opening his red heart and remembering his time as a slave. After all, Paul D does say that he was "f***ing her when he was convinced he didn't want to" (72). Therefore, although Beloved caused Paul D's sorry moment on the church steps, love had nothing to do with it.
Serene Kamal Per. 6
Hey Michael,
DeleteI would have to disagree with you. Love was what drove Sethe to he shriveled state, it was what left Paul D a broken man, but love, in the chaos and sorrow it brought, acted as a means for these characters to go through a rebirth. Paul D and Sethe both endured utter disorder. But it was this disorder that allowed them to to grow as individuals and move past the atrocities they experienced, eventually finding each other through acts of love. Focusing on a more isolated case, Denver never had to fully experience the direct effects of slavery, however, it was inevitable that at some point later in her life she would have. In her act of love for her mother, Denver's exposure to the world around her "guarded" her in a sense by allowing her to grow as an individual and prepare for long term living with others.
Interior History
ReplyDelete“...history is not the sum total of the story Morrison tells in this novel. She seeks to get at the interior of that history...”(Carolyn Denard). “The novel is not about slavery. Slavery is predictable. There it is and there’s [information] about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. [The novel] can’t be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people” (Toni Morrison).
Slavery has no doubt always been a sensitive subject, and generally when people are exposed to it and its history, it is explained in a factual fashion (usually in history books.) It is probably explained this way in order to establish a sense of detachment to these cruel times even though it is a pretty recent event. Rather than focusing on the facts of slavery though, Toni Morrison goes deeper into it by concentrating on the psychological effects of it, which helps her readers feel for the people that went through slavery. Morrison is able to portray the impact of slavery by setting the story primarily at 124, where the effects of slavery are seen, instead of Sweet Home, where slavery is actually happening.
The cruelty and inhumane treatment of slaves have already been described superficially to students but by illustrating how they dealt and accepted the barbarism they went through, Morrison is able to make slavery a more personal and relatable subject, even if through her fictitious story.
With Sethe, we are told that she is violated terribly at Sweet Home which factors into something we as readers, or at least I, would have already expected because we have been taught that slaves were always treated brutally by their owners, be it sexually or violently. At 124, the aftermath is portrayed where she felt so hurt and disgusted with what she had to go through that she turn a little bit crazy trying to protect her children from slavery and going through the same things she had to endure. She loved her children so much, she felt the only way to prevent the same things from happening to them was by sending them to the life after death.
With Paul D, we are first introduced to him as a very sympathetic and good man. Throughout the novel, however, we find out that beneath all those characteristics are a whole bunch of pain and hurt — watching Sixo die laughing, seeing Halle mentally destroyed churning butter, and more. With his past, we come to understand why Paul D behaves the way he does, and why he is so scared of love and attachment.
By portraying the actual lives of African Americans, their thoughts, their decisions, their happiness, their sadness, slavery becomes much more than just something of factual past.
Hello Klaire! :) This is Danna Xue from Period 6
DeleteI agree with your point that Toni Morrison's vivid characterization helps us understand the bigger picture of slavery. There is a certain power to seeing certain concepts come to life through an actual character. I was able to better picture the bewilderment and the pain that slaves had to bear after reading about Beloved's haunting of Sethe and the slave ship passage (where no punctuation was used). The unfamiliar stream of consciousness helped me picture how confused and frightful the slaves must have felt, leaving their homes to a foreign, uncomfortable new world.
5. Art- Beautiful and Political
ReplyDeleteI agree with Morrison's statement, that art is more than just a product of technique, language, and aesthetic value. Just as paintings from the Renaissance era are not only beautifully painted but represent ideologies of humanism, as well as jazz music that was not only catchy and pleasant to listen too, but reflected the free spirits of the American people, Toni Morrison argues that the best art is that which represents political ideals. The best art should not only be beautiful in an aesthetic sense, but also embody deeper values in a powerful and meaningful way. In this sense, I believe that the novel Beloved qualifies as one of the best works of art.
Toni Morrison presents the character's thoughts artistically- from Beloved's stream of consciousness to the "footprints" that "come and go, come and go." (324) Every symbol has a deeper meaning to it. For example, the footprints which both adults and children could fit their feet into represents the impact of slavery on not only 124, but the entire community as a whole. Morrison’s jungle metaphor in which she compared the tension between black and whites to a jungle is another political portion of her work of art. Although the symbolism and metaphor of the jungle and screaming baboon is descriptive and figurative, the political tension and the struggle is made clear through this imagery and leaves a greater impact on the reader. By leaving some ends untied and through her reverse-explanation of several of the recurring symbols, including Paul D's tobacco tin heart, we come to see that Morrison's stylistic choices masterfully reflect deep political values of her people and her time.
DeleteHey Danna, reading your comment, on a peer level, helped me understand Morrison’s quote above. At first it seemed odd to think that Morrison was able to create an image of beauty out of something so horrid, but it was not the beauty itself that created the image , it was also the addition of the politics. Having taken both politics and beauty seemed to help relate a deeper personal sense of what slaves experienced to what an individual would arrive with the term slavery.
By the way, Cello Banana is my username (this is Danna Xue from Period 6)
DeleteKelsea Jeon, Period 6
ReplyDelete1. Interior History
One of the final lines in Toni Morrison’s Beloved is, “They are so familiar. Should a child, an adult place his feet in them, they will fit. Take them out and they disappear again as though nobody ever walked there” (324). To add some context to this quote, Morrison refers to Beloved’s footprints that come and go in the back of 124. Something so unique to every individual-- their footprint-- can also be universal. Every ex-slave walks their own paths, but their roads are all undeniably affected by their experiences with the dehumanizing institution of slavery. This idea that the footprint fits everyone, that it is relatable among everyone, but that there is a unique individual experience, is a major theme of this novel.
The specific experiences that Sethe and her kin undergo in 124 can be traced with the first lines of every part in the novel: “124 was spiteful (3),” “124 was loud (199),” “124 was quiet” (281). The progression of 124 is influenced by the protagonists’ experiences with Beloved, who died as a result of Sethe’s fear of white people and of any of her loved ones returning to the institution that had traumatized her. Sethe’s experience with slavery differ greatly from that of her neighbors-- a haunted home, a murdered baby, and a ghostly daughter.
Yet, while the interior life of the main characters of the novel is affected by slavery, the human aspect of them is seen as they never fail to love-- from the smallest of items to loving so thickly that it leads to death, as with Sethe and Beloved. The concept of every slaves' individual interior history-- that slavery has left a lasting mark on most, if not all, slaves’ lives, but that everyone experiences this institution in unique manners-- prevails in the novel, from the first page of the book until the very end.
Hi Kelsea! I commented on the same quote and I totally agree with you. Events in history, like slavery, all have unique personal stories buried under the straight-forward date and facts. I really enjoyed your reference to the novel about the footprints because I felt it really captured the meaning behind your blog and the quote as well.
Deletenice
DeleteMany famous stories force the reader into its world head-first, necessitating that the audience quickly adapt and learn. Some notable examples include the Odyssey, the Iliad, and Star Wars.
ReplyDeleteThe first few pages in the book were confusing at first and many things were unexplained.
>“’Grandma Baby must be stopping it.’ said Denver.” (4)
Why does she call her Grandma Baby?
>“Sethe and Denver decided to end the persecution by calling forth the ghost that tried them so.” (4)
Their house is also haunted by ghosts?
In medias res makes our thoughts run wild – “What does this mean? Or that?”
When reading, our experience is not unlike that of a new slave, disembarking from a ship. We are placed in an unfamiliar world, with unfamiliar characters and vocabulary that we must learn ourselves, for there is nobody to hold our hands and guide us. In medias res forces us to think for ourselves.
But it is this unfamiliarity that compels us to read – we want to know. We want to know why Sethe attempts to murder all of her children, why the locals hate pride, what each confusing scene or decision means.
While initially frustrating, it makes the book a more enjoyable read overall. The joy and satisfaction of decoding once cryptic sentences, understanding the subtleties that show Morrison’s thoughtfulness, and simply finally learning the order of events is unrivaled.
Hi Dylan!
DeleteI agree with your point that withholding information increases the reader's motivation to keep reading, reading, reading. Morrison indeed introduces problems faster than she resolves them with her in medias res opening, which I initially found bothersome. However, like you said, the eventual understanding of the chronological timeline is absolutely worthwhile. Furthermore, I enjoyed your connection of Morrison's in medias res style with those of past literature and current pop culture, demonstrating that we've been exposed to this technique many times before even if we perhaps didn't consciously recognize it.
Hey Dylan,
DeleteYou're absolutely right that Morrison's method of in medias res draw us in and the examples you choose were more than true. Who would have expected ghosts to be a central plot element? Although, I would have to add that her usage of this can have two effects on readers, either they can wildly think of all the possibilities for the plot and slowly narrow it down or they can just follow what she's provided and slowly escape this tunnel vision and she the whole plot. Regardless, I have to agree that it was beyond satisfying to finally be able to see it all come together.
Melody Hsueh
ReplyDeletePeriod 6
1/13/15
2. Love
“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters inBeloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
Although I agree that the story shows various ways in which a people tries to impart love in inhuman times, there are also blacks who stay away from loving too deeply. One such character is Paul D. He realizes the reality of their times. As slaves, their loved ones can disappear anytime. Thus, to protect himself, he loves enough to make sure that “you'd have a little love left over for the next one” (27). He keeps his “red heart” inside his tobacco tin. However, when Beloved lures the heart out later in the story, it shows that there is still love in the blacks even though the whites see them as mere animals. No matter how much one tries to suppress their love, it is still there. In times of suppression and slavery, “Baby Suggs, holy, offered up to them[the community] her great big heart” (52). No matter how painful it is, the people are still inclined to find, protect, and share their love. For example, Sixo suprasses his obstacles and travels thirty-miles to find love, Sethe tries to protect her children even if it means to go through the means of killing her own babies, and philanthropists such as Baby Suggs and Stamp Paid who shares their love.
Hi Melody!!
DeleteI think you focusing on Paul D us very interesting. Most people are focusing on Sethe but she wasn't the only person effected by love. Back in those days Paul D's way of thinking wasn't completely abnormal. A lot of people thought the same as he did and when Sethe "moved him" his mind opened to all the opportunities that love had to offer.
Hi Melody!
DeleteI like your response about how all the characters have love in one form or another, even if it is varying in amount. I think Paul D’s experience with love changed the most throughout the story, going from the line of thinking that loving small was the best way to survive for fear of experiencing even more pain if something he dared to love too much was taken away from him, to investing all this repressed love into Sethe as he wants to have “some kind of tomorrow” with her.
Tiffany Lau, Period 6
ReplyDelete3. In Medias Res
Toni Morrison's decision to begin the book in the middle of the story is indeed extremely crucial to the plot. In alternating between the present and the past, readers are left to ponder the significance of the events that occurred -- how has each character's history shaped them into person they are? Even broader, the non-sequential plot line highlights the impact of slavery on the society of the time.
To be honest, I personally prefer books that occur in the present tense. That way I can make my own decisions about the characters through observing their actions in the present. What made Beloved intriguing was that each character was introduced, but not truly known until we received a flashback of their pasts. In many cases, my opinion of characters changed quite a bit as the novel progressed. For example, I met Denver, thinking she was just a particularly reticent, possibly mentally unstable daughter, but after uncovering her past, her personality became so much clearer. She was no longer just a quiet, awkward girl, but an admirable survivor and arguably the sanest one of them all.
At the start of the book, readers are immediately thrown into the microcosm of 124 with the initial sentence, "124 was spiteful." I recall asking myself, "What is 124? A person? A date?" When I realized that 124 was in fact an address, and the primary setting of the novel, I still had many questions left unanswered. As such, the story is very much a mystery. Fortunately, I was able to painstakingly piece together the puzzle as I uncovered the characters' pasts and presents. Character and plot revelations were sudden, like Morrison intended. In doing so, she was able to engage the audience in the story that much more. We had to Beloved is not an easy read, so following the intricately woven story is made all the more rewarding.
Hi Tiffany,
DeleteI agree with your point that the Medias Res provides the readers a comprehensive view on the characters through their development from the past to the present. Indeed, just like you, I was a little annoyed by Denver in the beginning of the story because of her constant whining. However, as I read deeper into the story, I realized how caring and brave compared to her other sister, Beloved. It was Denver's past that shapes her present. Sethe too, is also influenced by her experiences in the past. In the present, she is quiet, alone, and prudent. She is also guilty for killing her daughter. However, her character change is drastically impacted by slavery and she killed her own baby to protect her from slavery. I wouldn't be able to understand her for what she did to her own blood if I were't aware of her thought process.
Stephanie Zhang-Period 6
Hi Tiff!!
DeleteI agree with you that Medias Res allows readers to understand characters more comprehensively through the unraveling of the sentences we did not initially understand and as you said, piecing together the puzzle. “The story is very much a mystery” because of the unfamiliarity of the components of the story itself. However, venturing into the unknown makes us want to know more and understand. Throughout the novel, we were constantly asking ourselves “why” or “what” because we craved to understand what was happening and this curiosity is what compelled us to continue reading thoughtfully and intently.
Sabrina Yip, Period 4
ReplyDelete1. Interior History
“...history is not the sum total of the story Morrison tells in this novel. She seeks to get at the interior of that history...”(Carolyn Denard). “The novel is not about slavery. Slavery is predictable. There it is and there’s [information] about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. [The novel] can’t be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people” (Toni Morrison).
In Toni Morrison's Beloved, the story revolves around the detailed conflicts slaves face as they struggle to endure their hardships and survive in a society that frowns upon their very existence. Like Morrison stated, the novel does not serve the purpose of depicting slavery as it is, but rather, centers in on the traumatic backstory of a few key individuals in order to emphasize their humanity during a time of savagery. By delving deeply into some of the characters' turbulent history, Morrison is presenting the reader with the characters' most vulnerable moments-- moments where the extent of the impact of slavery is grasped and understood by the readers as they are able to imagine the unimaginable circumstances of those bounded by it. I agree with Morrison's point that the novel cannot be driven by slavery alone; if it were, Beloved might as well be a history textbook. What sets a novel apart from a textbook is the authenticity of the voices that paint the picture of slavery through their heartbreaking and emotionally degrading experiences.The readers are taken along on a journey, a feels trip if you may-- traveling alongside a broken Sethe as she races towards freedom in one chapter, and witnessing the shame Paul D feels as he is dehumanized and given less freedom than a rooster in another. By exposing the readers to the characters' raw feelings and agonizing struggles, Toni Morrison documents the effects of slavery through the direct impact it had on people and the emotions that came with every powerful story of struggle and survival.
Hi Sabrina!
DeleteI agree with your response on how the "authenticity of the voices" separate a novel from a textbook. While reading the novel, I became not only blatantly aware of the horrors of slavery but also how it affected different individuals. It's true that although the textbook can teach us about the instances, it doesn't tell us the emotions and direct impact it had on the people. And Toni Morrison is able to do both in Beloved. Good job on the response!
Hi Sabrina! I also agree with Toni Morrison's claim that the novel is not about slavery, rather it extends beyond history and enters the psychological realm. Although slavery plays a vital role throughout the story, she is not writing about it from a historical perspective. She gives the audience a deeper understanding about this time period by illustrating how these circumstances have left an invisible scar on those who were affected. This is indeed a side of slavery that we do not see often, giving us a glimpse into this interior history that Morrison discusses. Nice response!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Sabrina! I also agree with your belief that this novel goes beyond the scope of pure history. The feelings, or " this feels trip"(I can't even kid I love this word play) was what set this book differs from the norm since slavery is not the main focus of the novel. Toni Morrison instead focuses on a very specific part of slavery, which was the psychological effects of the enslaved, and how it would continue to haunt them even after they have been freed or if they escaped. This shows us just how seriously damaged people become after such a traumatic experience, and how they could still troubled by their past even years after the fact. Great response!
DeleteEileen Lee Period 6
ReplyDeleteLove
“The largest portion of the self-defining humanity of the black characters in Beloved, surprisingly enough in a world filled with hatred, is their manifestation of love—thick love, tiny love, jealous love, thirty-mile love, self-love, family love, community love—the modification of it, the protection from it, the overindulgence in it, the guardedness of it, the insistence on it. Loving the self, the family, the friend, the child, the natural world becomes a balm for the horror of slavery. In the foreground of this text is a story of the varying ways in which a people tries to impart human love in inhuman times” (Denard).
If one has even read a page of Morrison’s Beloved, he or she can easily say that the novel is nothing but a mushy, heartwarming romance. I would personally categorize Beloved on a bookshelf of mystery, crime, or even horror. However, as easy as it is to overlook, the theme of “love” actually plays a huge role in the plot and upon the relationships of the characters. The novel revolves around love that the characters feel toward one another, which greatly impact their actions and the plot overall. Whether it is motherly love, sisterly love, obsession, or homosexuality, all ties down to the common factor that the characters are acting out of love.
It is a given that not everyone will, but I am all for Denard’s statement. I believe Morrison showed the readers that love can vary in many forms, which often comes in dark sides such as jealousy and obsession. Beloved is “obsessed” with Sethe and Denver may be “obsessed” with Beloved, but in the end happened because they cared and felt affectionate (even thought it was too much).
Hey Eileen,
DeletePersonally, I agree with your view that Beloved is a mystery, crime of horror story. However, I see it as more of a survival story. It is a story about how the past can have a negative effect on the future. In your analysis of the theme of love, I feel you did not take into account the hate in this story. The black community turns their back on Sethe and Baby Suggs and the tension seen between white people and black people, just a few examples of this. Still, I agree with your view that Sethe, Denver and Beloved did act the way they did because of their different forms of love, whether it be obssession or motherly love.
Andrew Ortegaray P.4
ReplyDelete2. Love:
At the core of all human interaction is a presence of love, but the odd thing is love is not uniform. Love is arbitrary; it’s primal. Sometimes there is a lack of love or an excess of it, but always love is a factor. With this overriding presence of love in the human experience, it actually is no surprise that love plays a key role in Beloved, but what is remarkable is what Morrison accomplishes with it’s presentation.
Love is a unique for everyone, but love can be influenced by the actions of others; it can easily grow disaffirmed. With the setting of slavery in Beloved, she is able to take this notion to the extreme and truly reveal just how variable love can be. Early on in the novel a very intimate love is seen between Paul D and Sethe where his cheek “press[es] into the branches of her chokeberry tree” (Morrison 20). This exchange between the two is filled with a sympathetic and caring form of love that is not particularly uncommon. Love takes on many other forms though, through the nigh brotherly love seen between Paul D and the other men from Sweet Home; love that is simple, caring. It’s also presented in what could be considered a far more twisted form. Looking at the love that Beloved held for Sethe and Denver. This was a type of love that wasn’t necessarily wholesome and caring; it was a type of love that was tainted with spite, with jealously that instead of strengthening the relationship between these characters only maimed it. Many of the forms of love in the novel are relatively simple and follow expectation, but one that stands out is the reciprocated love Sethe has. Her experience’s are arguably the most unique and this leads her to experiencing countless forms of love and in particular the love she has for her children. At one of the critical points of the novel, a turning point if reached with the death of Beloved, but this rather extreme moment originated out of motherly love. Through Sethe, Morrison lets us see a new form of care that is defensive and beyond violent, but undoubtedly love at it’s core.
Andrew,
DeleteIndeed, there is an extent to which you can love someone, but is it ever clearly defined in the book? I realize that on both ends of the spectrum lies “thick love” and “thin love”--thick love, as in loving someone to the point to where it becomes irrational, and thin love, like what you mentioned about Paul D--but where is the middle? I would like to say that Paul D. found the balance between thin and thick love at the end of the book when he chooses to stay with Sethe, but maybe there is a better example you can find. What’s your take on it?
Hi Andrew,
DeleteI appreciated how you not only identified the love in the book, but categorized it based on the individual who was giving/receiving it. I thought it was interesting that you highlighted how love may not always stem from a place of "love", but rather a place of spite or jealousy. It never occurred to me that love could grow out of such an emotion. I wholeheartedly agree that love can be expressed in many forms, I find that most people in today's society have a difficult time recognizing love in different ways. Something I think you also got close to touching on was how love, and the way someone expresses it, can change over time. Surely the love that Sethe felt and expressed for Halle as they wanted to get married was much different than the way she showed love and affection to her children. Granted, the relationships were different but it seems to me that after everything Sethe endured, her methods of showing affection changed just as she did.
1. Interior History
ReplyDelete“...history is not the sum total of the story Morrison tells in this novel. She seeks to get at the interior of that history...”(Carolyn Denard). “The novel is not about slavery. Slavery is predictable. There it is and there’s [information] about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. [The novel] can’t be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people” (Toni Morrison).
As we all know by now, Toni Morrison book, Beloved is about the historical reality of African Americans in the past. I believe that slavery drives a quarter of the book, while the rest is driven by experiences and personal life story, combine with supernatural. Morrison gets start to the point on showing us the form of racism, slavery, the destruction of African American identities, and other unspeakable cruelty. For example, one event was the cherry blossom tree on Sethe's back, given by the nephews of the schoolteacher. Slavery isn't the only things about this story but it helps drive the story into traumatic events all the way to the end. The end of the novel paradoxically appears to belie the crucial theme of the book, and it is able to preserve continuity through story, language, and culture between generations of blacks. During the drive os showing racism, we see the story of Beloved and how she's trying to find herself. Toni Morrison gives us a taste of a crazy women, with a smart spoiled daughter, and a baby ghost.
Hi Susan!!
DeleteI found it very interesting how you divided the forces driving the plot into distinct categories: slavery, experiences, personal life story, and the supernatural. Opening the novel with harsh images of slavery establishes it at the center of events that occur later the book, and I think you explained that very well. Where the characters end up when the story finishes is indeed impacted by slavery, but I believe that the other forces you mentioned played a key role as well, in allowing them to develop and let go of the past. At the end, you describe how the story ultimately revolves around people – not stereotyped, one-dimensional caricatures meant to serve a narrative purpose, which I really enjoyed.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
ReplyDelete1. Interior History
“...history is not the sum total of the story Morrison tells in this novel. She seeks to get at the interior of that history...”(Carolyn Denard). “The novel is not about slavery. Slavery is predictable. There it is and there’s [information] about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. [The novel] can’t be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people” (Toni Morrison).
Though Beloved is based on the history of slavery, the story itself is not driven by slavery's past. I think that slavery is an essential part to the character development that progresses throughout the novel. Morrison creates her novel in such a way that the main focus is the way experiencing slavery affects personal life, specifically that of Sethe. The experiences that are mentioned throughout the novel form the traumatic and dramatic feelings that eventually come together to create a plotline. The emphasis on the barriers between status, culture, and race paves the way for a novel of self-discovery that simply takes place in the time of slavery.
Hi Hester! I agree that there is much more to the story than the institution of slavery, even though it easy to become transfixed on it. Because it is difficult to put immerse ourselves in the time period, we must look even closer to grasp themes as well as certain aspects of our own personal interpretations.
DeleteHi Hester! I totally agreee with you on how character development plays a role in creating the plot for the story Beloved. It is not just history because history paved a perfect road for traumatic and dramatic story but it's the signs along the streets, that are the personal stories. It's discoverying personal stories and events that happen through slavery.
Delete5. Art - Beautiful and Political
ReplyDelete“I am not interested in indulging myself in some private, closed exercise of my imagination that fulfills only my personal dreams...The best art is not just beautiful language and technique. The best art is that which is irrevocably beautiful and unquestionably politcal at the same time” (Morrison).
I agree with Morrison in that the best artwork holds political value, especially if it is not intended to do so. Art in itself is a very symbolic act, with each artist putting their own distinct view on the world in their work. Toni Morrison almost switches this idea in her book when Amy Denver describes Sethe’s back wounds. "It's a tree, Lu. A chokecherry tree. See, here's the trunk--it's red and split wide open, full of sap, and this here's the parting for the branches. You got a mighty lot of branches. Leaves, too, look like, and dern if these ain't blossoms. Tiny little cherry blossoms, just as white. Your back got a whole tree on it. In bloom.” She turns Sethe’s pain (an act that holds quite a bit of political weight) into a more digestible and easier to visualize “artwork.” Denver views Sethe’s back as a tree, describing the lashes as branches and the pus as sap to emphasize how deeply hurt Sethe is, so much so that the tree is in full bloom, revealing her back is almost raw from being beaten. Going just a bit further into the tree metaphor, trees are often a symbol of life, and although Sethe was nearly beaten to death, the image of a tree on her back (as opposed to just scars,) is symbolic of Sethe’s new life away from Sweet Home. By utilizing this metaphor, Morrison is able to put her idea of art with a meaning into action.
Hi Emilie!
DeleteI really liked how you connected the "chokecherry tree" metaphor of Sethe's back to what Morrison does with politics when she turns it into art. However, I originally perceived the metaphor of a chokecherry tree much more pessimistically than you did. I thought that the blossoms on her back stemmed from the violence of slavery and might foreshadow Sethe's episode in the shed, but I like your idea that from the pain of slavery might come a new, better life.
Mashu Sugiyama Period 4
ReplyDelete“...history is not the sum total of the story Morrison tells in this novel. She seeks to get at the interior of that history...”(Carolyn Denard). “The novel is not about slavery. Slavery is predictable. There it is and there’s [information] about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. [The novel] can’t be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people” (Toni Morrison).
As Toni Morrison explained, although the novel’s setting is during the tough times of slavery, There is more to the novel than just history. Instead of focusing on the history timeline of how harsh slavery was to the black people in the novel, the novel focuses on each individual's thoughts and emotions as the story proceeds. As Toni Morrison states, “It has to be the interior life of some people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people,” explaining that we shouldn’t just know about what happened as the big picture, but focus on the little details also.
For example, in Sethe’s case, she is violated multiple times at Sweet Home, which directly correlates to how slaves were treated in the poorest conditions and how they were treated more like tools than actual humans. Instead of just saying what exactly happened, they show how Sethe takes action and escapes into the 124.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete