Please read 87 - 124 and make one well informed observation (including a quote) - 1 paragraph. Be careful with your language, we'll look at a couple of these in class...so don't make silly mistakes.
Then, respond to another student's comment.
Have fun kiddos...
Then, respond to another student's comment.
Have fun kiddos...
"She's never gonna know who I am. You gonna tell her? Who brought her into this here world?" She lifted her chin, looked off into the place where the sun used to be. "You better tell her. You hear? Say Miss Amy Denver. Of Boston" (page 100).
ReplyDeleteDenver's name came from the last name of a woman who helped bring her into the world. This is an important development of Denvers character, because Denver is fascinated by the story of her birth. Amy Denver contributed to her character by giving Denver life and ensuring the pregnant mother she found in a field would not die.
I was fascinated when I read this part of the book, despite the fact that whitepeople took everything away from Sethe, Baby Suggs and the majority of the characters in the novel. I thought this quote really represented how not all people are the same, and not all ethnicity is to be labeled by the majority. It would be great to see more interesting connections between the past and the characters.
Delete“the perfect death of her crawling-already? baby” (116)
ReplyDeleteWhenever Sethe mentions her dead baby girl, she calls the child her “crawling-already?” baby. The question mark in the name really made me think because it appears whenever the baby is mentioned. I feel as if the question mark serves as a thing to emphasize the point that Sethe really didn’t have the chance to know much about her young baby before she was killed. It’s really sad because I also feel as if the “crawling-already” part shows so much expectation and hope for the child.
My response is for Teal’s observation. I really liked how she wrote about what Denver’s name can tell us about Denver. I remember the quote also as being really significant when I read it.
I agree with your response, and I think it is interesting at the same time.
DeleteI never really thought about the question mark on "crawling-already?",
so I really liked the way you analyzed that phrase.
I also think Sethe doesn't really know about Denver as much as she thinks.
"Years ago- when 124 was alive- she had women friends, men friends from all around to share grief with. Then there was no one, for they would not visit her while the baby ghost filled the house, and she returned their disapproval with the potent pride of the mistreated" (112).
ReplyDeleteIt talks about how 124 used to be a peaceful place, but it became cursed because of the baby ghost. It describes the before and after of 124, and how it affected the society and the people in there. The baby is an important key to the story, and I think the secret is being revealed little by little. When I first saw this sentence, I thought this described the whole novel.
"Those white things have taken all I had or dreamed." (104)
ReplyDeleteSuch actions of white people like cruel schoolteachers and men taking advantages of colored women are described in this novel. Morrison depicts the immorality in slavery, narrating from the colored people's point of view. This quote, coming out from Baby Suggs' mouth, is clear that she is blaming the white people for her unfortunates in the world because she was one of those people, who was deprived through racial discrimination.
I agree, Baby Suggs shows strong abomination towards white people. Also, your quote connects with Baby Suggs's final words, "there was no bad luck in the world but white people. They don't know when to stop"(123). Here too she is blaming the white people for her unfortunates like you've mentioned.
Delete"Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another(112)."
ReplyDeleteI thought this quote represents the central theme of this book: the dehumanization effects of slavery. Even if you escape to a free state, slavery haunts you both physically and psychologically. Claiming "ownership" of your self was separate from being free, because your identity was demolished. You were separated from your family, your old language was lost, and you were just owned as property. The fundamental need for one to be recognized and affirmed as human was neglected, and this made Seethe more difficult for her to claim herself.
I really like this quote, and I agree; the slaves that became free when they successfully escaped were faced with the dilemma of transitioning into a new life. I also agree with the fact that the psychological damages that haunted the former slaves made their lives almost as difficult as when they were previously owned as slaves and property of the white slave owners.
Delete"When she was feeling so fine letting Beloved massage away the pain, the fingers she was loving and the ones that had soothed her before they strangled her had reminded her of something that now slipped her mind.
ReplyDelete(115).
I think this quote pretty much summarizes Sethe's relationship with everyone around her. Although Beloved was a ghost that lingered in the 124 for ages, it finally comes with a body after she had mysteriously appeared from the water (from what I'm guessing). Sethe is being haunted by her past, and she is constantly reminded of her past that still lingers around her in indirect ways. I think this quote also applies to Denver, however she doesn't have any friends, family other than Sethe, Paul D and Beloved.What Baby Suggs made out of 124 is completely demolished by the ghost of Beloved. This quote also contrasts what Baby Suggs made out of 124, and the aftermath.
""Those white things have taken all I had or dreamed," she said, "and broke my heartstrings too. There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks"" (105).
ReplyDeleteThis quote was spoken by Baby Suggs, and was probably the hardest thing to read in the whole part of the assigned reading. Although so many things were taken from her, like her freedom and all of her eight children, they white slave owners also took away her hopes and dreams. I think this is what she meant by broken heartstrings. It's also extremely painful to know that, like the epigram said, more than six million people suffered through similar experiences.
Isabel:
DeleteI agree. It's also a sad quote because Baby Suggs is a character who preached to former slaves to appreciate themselves and to love "the hands that were bound", etc. It's sad that even someone so strong and sure of themselves can finally break and feel inferior to "whitefolks" due to her past, horrifying experiences.
Isabel:
ReplyDeleteA constant, very sad theme I am seeing throughout the book is the stress the African-Americans put on not loving something. Paul D embodied this idea originally, prompting Sethe not to get to attatched to Denver, as the pain of losing a loved one was imminent in slave times. Again, this theme crops up with the Underground Railroad facilitator Ella: “If anyone was to ask me I’d say, ‘Don’t love nothing’” (108), again referring to (baby) Denver. When put through extreme physical torture and emotional pain, humans seem to want to adapt to their environment; even if it means giving up a piece of them (for example, their ability to love someone or something) in order to protect themselves from more heartbreak. I like how Morrison illustrates this idea throughout the book with more than one character.
Yes, this hits the nail on the head for me. I feel that the slaves in this book all had a common downfall which was love. Halle went crazy because of what he saw happened to Sethe. Sethe then attaches herself to this house because of a dead baby's ghost and won't let go of it. Very interesting idea.
Delete"Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another", (111-112).
ReplyDeleteI found the concept of becoming free very interesting. Not only were the ex-slaves introduced to physical freedom, away from their original owners and plantations, but they were also emotionally free as well. Sethe describes how she was able to socialize with other ex-slaves, and even learning the alphabet for the first time. There is somewhat of a suggestion that Sethe, among others, does not know how to treat freedom, and what it sincerely means yet.
Christine Lilin
ReplyDelete"Her heavy knives of defense against misery, regret, gall and hurt, she placed one by one on a bank where clear water rushed on below" (101)
I thought that this quote was important because it's all about letting go. It can symbolize Sethe letting go of her past, of Halle and her disappointment, of her children who had abandoned her, of her own regrets, of the mistreatments she got as a slave, of her lost childhood, etc. It can also show the slave population as a whole learning to move on from their dark past and begin their lives anew, adapting to normality. It can also work as something that's necessary, such as Denver letting go of her despise toward Paul D and her jealousy, but most importantly, for Baby Beloved to forgive Sethe and to learn to let go.
Response: I liked the quote that both Mami and Claudio chose. It showed the hardships of the Reconstruction period because becoming free wasn't everything for the ex-slaves. For most of them, they had only known to live and submit their lives for someone else, their entire lives. They don't know what "normal" is and must adapt to the new sense of freedom. Moreover they must learn to love, not only the people around them but themselves.
"she had learned from her sixty years as a slave and ten years free: that there was no bad luck with whitepeople. "they don't know when to stop," (122-123) The whites are responsible for her enslavement and that of many others and some places such as sweet home had so many slaves, as if the whites really could not stop. This ties in with the ownership and freedom that Claudio brings up. The whites according to Baby Suggs here don't know when to stop claiming ownership on things and it becomes other humans.
ReplyDelete"In this here place, we flesh; flesh that weeps, laughs; flesh that dances on bare feet in grass. Love it. Love it hard. Yonder they do not love your flesh. They despise it. They don't love your eyes; they'd just as soon pick em out. No more do they love the skin on your back. Yonder they flay it." (103)
ReplyDeleteI found this quote striking because of its relevance to modern day discrimination in developed countries as well as developing. As with all incidents in history, there is no such thing as 100% of the population unanimously agreeing to the exclusion of someone. There were many cases in which the whites freed their slaves early or refused to have any at all. White children would instinctively play with colored children until their parents forbade them to do so. I believe as slavery progressed in the United States, the stigma of opposing it became a bigger issue to many people. The ones who were against slavery were a loud minority, and like sheep, most American landowners felt the need to fit the mold, resulting in the Abolitionist's cries falling upon deaf ears. It's connection to present day discriminatory issues is quite obvious in the mentioning of "yonder". Basically meaning "out there", it gives the text a feeling that the small sanctuary the women are in is the only safe place in the world. Like the slaves from the past, we are still scared of "out there", and we find reasons to hate it because we are incapable of comprehending it without risking our safety and dignity. Our reasons may be different but our fear is all the same.
Response:
I found Christine's quote to be particularly interesting not only is this one of the few instances in the book where I can develop a mental image, but because it also illustrates the difficulty Sethe has of letting go and realizing the clear water (salvation) beneath her unyielding defense. She can't seem to let her knives drop into the river because she has polished them for too long, they have become part of her identity and she can't bear to see them washed away so easily by the apparently simple act of forgiving and forgetting.
"Sethe looked down at her stomach and touched it. The baby was dead. She had not died in the night but the baby had. If that was , there was no stopping now. She would get that milk to her baby girl is she had to swim" ( 97 ).
ReplyDeleteThis was not exactly a strong impacting quote but I thought it once again really brings up the toughness in seethe, but at the same her motherly nature. It also changed the idea of Sethe loving Beloved more than she loved Denver. No matter what, she wanted to protect her children. If Denver had really died in her , and Beloved was the one alive , the positions between the alive and dead girl would have been reversed. I think the extra love Sethe give to Beloved is simply out of guilt.
Response:
I agree with Mami. The quote represents the theme of the book well. A slave may be freed from labor, but not necessarily a free person, just like how the reconstruction , instead of making things better, might have brought it for the worse. The black were used to their lives as slaves, they did not know how to live a "normal" life.
"If she could just manage the news Paul D brought and the news he kept to himself. Just manage it"(114). This quote shows how much of the "news" she has to endure. I think this does not only refer to the actual news that Paul D brought but also about her past as well. She is carrying her burden literally on her back with her scars. However, it really seems like Beloved has been alleged her pain physically for the neck bruises but also emotionally though it is not so explicit.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Teal, that was a really powerful way to end that section and I think it's just really really sweet. Also, that is one of the most favorite story for Denver because it is herself; I think this also means Amy Denver since although it is about the birth of Denver, Amy is the one who took great part in the story. Denver sees herself in Amy that makes her feel like it is her story.
"When the busy day is gone
ReplyDeleteand my weary little one
rock to and fro"(95)
"The two of them, merry as kittens, swung to and fro, to and fro"(88)
The song Amy sings connects to a passage at the beginning of the paragraph. This is especially intriguing because pairing these two scenes together brings up connections and themes that may not have been prevalent before. This connection also made me solidify the highly apparent theme of consolation. We constantly see references to rocking and softly consoling throughout this book.