Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Blog #5
In Beloved, The Bluest Eye and Songs of Solomon Morrison explores the affects of racism and slavery through her characters Beloved, Pecola and Milkman. Morrison also shows through these characters that past actions affect future generations. For example Beloved dies because of slavery even though she herself was never a slave. In The Bluest Eye Cholly is subject to humiliation because of two white men. This causes Cholly to take out his anger on women. This moment that happened even before Pecola's birth drastically affects her life. Milkman, in the Song of Solomon, has genetic malady an emotional disease that is caused by oppression and passed on to future generations. This draws a parallel to Beloved where rememories are constantly referred to as a way of the past affecting future individuals. Morrison clearly wants to show that slavery still has an affect on present generations even though it was abolished. Morrison was always taught to be proud of her African American heritage. Though she herself was never a slave her parents were subject to racism in the south. This has evidently affected her own life and has influenced her novels.
Articles:
Toni Morrison's Beloved:
History, "Rememory," and a
"Clamor for a Kiss" by Caroline Rody
Redeeming History: Toni Morrison's Beloved by Helene Moglen
Articles:
Toni Morrison's Beloved:
History, "Rememory," and a
"Clamor for a Kiss" by Caroline Rody
Redeeming History: Toni Morrison's Beloved by Helene Moglen
Monday, March 22, 2010
E True Hollywood Story
Toni Morrison was born February 18, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio. Her born name was Chloe Wofford which she later changed to Toni Morrison. She was the second child of parents George Wofford and Ramah Willis Wofford. Her parents had moved to Ohio from the south because of the racism they encountered there. In Ohio Morrison went to an integrated school where at one point she was the only African American in her class as well as the only kid that could read. After graduating with honors she attended Howard University. There she majored in English. It was because of a repertory company that Morrison visited the south. There she saw racism that her parents had dealt with. She later attended Cornell University were she received her masters degree.
After graduating Morrison taught introductory English at Texas Southern University. There African American history was more celebrated than she had seen before. This is where she saw that she could incorporate her culture in her work. When she returned to Howard University to teach,in 1957 it was a time of civil rights movements. It was there that she met her husband Harold Morrison. After having her first kid in 1961 Morrison joined a writer's group. One day Morrison decided to write a short story to bring to the group, instead of bring in someone else's work. This story was based off of a girl she had known when she was younger who wished for blue eyes. After divorcing her husband Morrison got a job as an editor and began working on her own novels. In 1970 she published The Bluest Eye, which she had developed from the short story she brought to her writer's group. She later published works such as Sula and the Song of Solomon.In 1993 Morrison won the Nobel Prize in literature. This was a remarkable achievement because she was the first female, African American to win the award.
It is clear that that Morrison's interest in her heritage came from her parents. They had always educated their children on African American culture. Morrison's novels were inspired by certain qualities of African American culture she had either observed or learned about. For example her first novel The Bluest Eye was based off a child she had known. Her novel Beloved was inspired by a slave named Margaret Garner that she had read about.
After graduating Morrison taught introductory English at Texas Southern University. There African American history was more celebrated than she had seen before. This is where she saw that she could incorporate her culture in her work. When she returned to Howard University to teach,in 1957 it was a time of civil rights movements. It was there that she met her husband Harold Morrison. After having her first kid in 1961 Morrison joined a writer's group. One day Morrison decided to write a short story to bring to the group, instead of bring in someone else's work. This story was based off of a girl she had known when she was younger who wished for blue eyes. After divorcing her husband Morrison got a job as an editor and began working on her own novels. In 1970 she published The Bluest Eye, which she had developed from the short story she brought to her writer's group. She later published works such as Sula and the Song of Solomon.In 1993 Morrison won the Nobel Prize in literature. This was a remarkable achievement because she was the first female, African American to win the award.
It is clear that that Morrison's interest in her heritage came from her parents. They had always educated their children on African American culture. Morrison's novels were inspired by certain qualities of African American culture she had either observed or learned about. For example her first novel The Bluest Eye was based off a child she had known. Her novel Beloved was inspired by a slave named Margaret Garner that she had read about.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Song of Solomon quotes and analysis(TM Blog #3)
1."They kidded him,abused him,told their children to tell him they were out or sick or gone to Pittsburgh.[...] Mr. Smith smiled through it all, managing to keep his eyes focused almost the whole time on his customers' feet. He wore a business suit for his work, but his house was no better than theirs. He never had a woman that any of them knew about and said nothing in church but an occasional 'Amen.'He never beat anybody up and he wasn't seen after dark,so the thought he was probably a nice man. But he was heavily associated with illness and death[...]"(8).
This passage shows how isolated Mr. Smith is from his community. In The Bluest Eye Morrison shows the effect of a community scapegoating an individual. Morrison shows the desolation of Pecola as a result of her community rejecting her at the end of the novel. In the Song of Solomon Morrison introduces this same concept early on in the novel. This quote describes the community's attitude toward Mr. Smith, which leads to his suicide. Morrison states that although the community viewed Mr. Smith as a nice man they associated him with bad thing such as death and illness. This is because of his career as a tax collector. Morrison points out that "he wore a business suit for his work, but his house was no better than theirs". She does this to show that Mr. Smith is not the one who benefits from this tax. It was never Mr. Smith's desire to make these people's live difficult; he only collected the tax because it was his job. Although the government is to blame for the taxes, the community clearly holds Mr. Smith accountable. This displacement of anger can alss be found in The Bluest Eye. For example Cholly displaces his anger on women for the actions of the two white men. Morrison shows that it is human nature to blame an oppressed group or individual rather than the oppressors because it is easier. She stresses in both novels that this displacement is also very destructive.
2."Surely , he thought, he and his sister had some ancestor,[...] who had a name that was real. A name given to him at birth with love and seriousness. A name that was not a joke, nor a disguise, nor a brand name. But who this lithe young man was, and where his cane-stalk legs carried him from or to, could never be known. No. Nor his name. His own parents, in some mood of perverseness or resignation, had agreed to abide by a naming done to them by somebody who couldn't have cared less[...] A literal slip of the pen handed to his father on a piece of paper and which he handed to his only son, and his son likewise handed on to his[...]"(18)
This passage suggests that Macon's parents were absent from his life. As seen in The Bluest Eye with Cholly, this parental absence negatively affects the fathers relationship with his own children.In this quote the absence is symbolized by the "thoughtless" name given to Macon Dead.Morrison shows with both Cholly and Macon that there is a direct correlation between past experiences and present actions.
3."She’d stepped away from him to pick flowers, returned, and at the sound of her footsteps behind him, he’d turned around before he was through. It was becoming a habit—this concentration on things behind him. Almost as though there were no future to be had"(35).
This quote points out Milkman's focus on the past, and how it distinguishes him from other children his age. Earlier in the novel we learn that once Milkman figured out only birds and planes could fly he lost interest in life. He, in a way, became "dead" like his father referenced by their last name. Milkman is clearly affected by the oppressive acts his ancestors had to endure, even though they occurred before his birth. This theme of past oppressive acts affecting future generations can also be found in Beloved and The Bluest Eye .
4."What I’m saying is, under certain conditions they would all do it. And under the same circumstances we would not. So it doesn’t matter that some of them haven’t done it. I listen. I read. And now I know that they know it too. They know they are unnatural. Their writers and artists have been saying it for years. Telling them they are unnatural, telling them they are depraved. They call it tragedy. In the movies they call it adventure. It’s just depravity that they try to make glorious, natural. But it ain’t. The disease they have is in their blood, in the structure of their chromosomes"(157).
Guitar says this in response to Milkman saying not all white people are racist towards African Americans. Guitar believes that the only reason some whites are not oppressive is because they do not have the opportunity. According to him "under certain conditions" all white people would do it. This is somewhat ironic because by calling all whites racist he is in fact being racist himself. Guitar refers to the white society as unnatural. Similarly in The Bluest Eye Morrison suggests that the white standard of beauty is "unnatural".
5."Milkman stood before his mirror and glanced, in the low light of the wall lamp, at his reflection. He was, as usual, unimpressed with what he saw. He had a fine enough face. Eyes women complimented him on, a firm jaw line, splendid teeth. Taken apart it looked all right. Even better than all right. But it lacked coherence, a coming together of the features into a total self. It was all very tentative, the way he looked, like a man peeping around a corner of someplace he is not supposed to be, trying to make up his mind whether to go forward or to turn back. The decision he made would be extremely important, but the way in which he made the decision would be careless, haphazard, and uninformed"(69).
In the novel Morrison continuously brings up the idea of lost identity.Milkman like his father has no true name, due to the drunk man mentioned earlier. The loss of their name symbolizes the "loss" of their identity. Milkman states that his face lacks coherence which again stresses the unknown identity. Milkman knows little of his family history. It is only when he discovers the past of his great-grandfather that he is able to feel whole.
This passage shows how isolated Mr. Smith is from his community. In The Bluest Eye Morrison shows the effect of a community scapegoating an individual. Morrison shows the desolation of Pecola as a result of her community rejecting her at the end of the novel. In the Song of Solomon Morrison introduces this same concept early on in the novel. This quote describes the community's attitude toward Mr. Smith, which leads to his suicide. Morrison states that although the community viewed Mr. Smith as a nice man they associated him with bad thing such as death and illness. This is because of his career as a tax collector. Morrison points out that "he wore a business suit for his work, but his house was no better than theirs". She does this to show that Mr. Smith is not the one who benefits from this tax. It was never Mr. Smith's desire to make these people's live difficult; he only collected the tax because it was his job. Although the government is to blame for the taxes, the community clearly holds Mr. Smith accountable. This displacement of anger can alss be found in The Bluest Eye. For example Cholly displaces his anger on women for the actions of the two white men. Morrison shows that it is human nature to blame an oppressed group or individual rather than the oppressors because it is easier. She stresses in both novels that this displacement is also very destructive.
2."Surely , he thought, he and his sister had some ancestor,[...] who had a name that was real. A name given to him at birth with love and seriousness. A name that was not a joke, nor a disguise, nor a brand name. But who this lithe young man was, and where his cane-stalk legs carried him from or to, could never be known. No. Nor his name. His own parents, in some mood of perverseness or resignation, had agreed to abide by a naming done to them by somebody who couldn't have cared less[...] A literal slip of the pen handed to his father on a piece of paper and which he handed to his only son, and his son likewise handed on to his[...]"(18)
This passage suggests that Macon's parents were absent from his life. As seen in The Bluest Eye with Cholly, this parental absence negatively affects the fathers relationship with his own children.In this quote the absence is symbolized by the "thoughtless" name given to Macon Dead.Morrison shows with both Cholly and Macon that there is a direct correlation between past experiences and present actions.
3."She’d stepped away from him to pick flowers, returned, and at the sound of her footsteps behind him, he’d turned around before he was through. It was becoming a habit—this concentration on things behind him. Almost as though there were no future to be had"(35).
This quote points out Milkman's focus on the past, and how it distinguishes him from other children his age. Earlier in the novel we learn that once Milkman figured out only birds and planes could fly he lost interest in life. He, in a way, became "dead" like his father referenced by their last name. Milkman is clearly affected by the oppressive acts his ancestors had to endure, even though they occurred before his birth. This theme of past oppressive acts affecting future generations can also be found in Beloved and The Bluest Eye .
4."What I’m saying is, under certain conditions they would all do it. And under the same circumstances we would not. So it doesn’t matter that some of them haven’t done it. I listen. I read. And now I know that they know it too. They know they are unnatural. Their writers and artists have been saying it for years. Telling them they are unnatural, telling them they are depraved. They call it tragedy. In the movies they call it adventure. It’s just depravity that they try to make glorious, natural. But it ain’t. The disease they have is in their blood, in the structure of their chromosomes"(157).
Guitar says this in response to Milkman saying not all white people are racist towards African Americans. Guitar believes that the only reason some whites are not oppressive is because they do not have the opportunity. According to him "under certain conditions" all white people would do it. This is somewhat ironic because by calling all whites racist he is in fact being racist himself. Guitar refers to the white society as unnatural. Similarly in The Bluest Eye Morrison suggests that the white standard of beauty is "unnatural".
5."Milkman stood before his mirror and glanced, in the low light of the wall lamp, at his reflection. He was, as usual, unimpressed with what he saw. He had a fine enough face. Eyes women complimented him on, a firm jaw line, splendid teeth. Taken apart it looked all right. Even better than all right. But it lacked coherence, a coming together of the features into a total self. It was all very tentative, the way he looked, like a man peeping around a corner of someplace he is not supposed to be, trying to make up his mind whether to go forward or to turn back. The decision he made would be extremely important, but the way in which he made the decision would be careless, haphazard, and uninformed"(69).
In the novel Morrison continuously brings up the idea of lost identity.Milkman like his father has no true name, due to the drunk man mentioned earlier. The loss of their name symbolizes the "loss" of their identity. Milkman states that his face lacks coherence which again stresses the unknown identity. Milkman knows little of his family history. It is only when he discovers the past of his great-grandfather that he is able to feel whole.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Morrison Blog#2
1. "It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sights-if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful,she herself would be different. Her teeth were good, and at least her nose was not big and flat like some of those who were thought so cute. If she looked different, beautiful, maybe Cholly would be different, and Mrs. Breedlove too. Maybe they'd say ' Why,look at pretty-eyed Pecola. We mustn't do bad things in front of those pretty eyes."(46)
Just before this passage Morrison describes Pecola's relationship with the other kids at school. Pecola is often made fun of and ignored. This quote introduces Pecola's desire for blue eyes, which is brought up though out the novel. It is clear that Pecola does not only wish for blue eyes so she can be "beautiful" but because she believes having this trait will change her life. Pecola blames herself for the hardships in her life. She describes other features such as her teeth and nose but finds fault in her eyes. Morrison uses these blue eyes to show white ideals. Morrison includes Shirley Temple and Mary Jane in the novel because they have this trait and are representative of the white ideals. This is not the only time Morrison focuses on the eyes. Bob, the dog Soaphead tricks Pecola into killing, is "disgusting" because of its runny eyes. Morrison stresses the eyes to evoke sympathy from the reader. This is because the eyes are often seen as a the most personal part of a person so we connect with the character.
2. "Each pale yellow wrapper has a picture on it. A picture of little Mary Jane, for whom the candy is named. Smiling white face. Blond hair in gentle disarray, blue eyes looking at her out of a world of clean comfort. The eyes are petulant, mischievous. To Pecola they are simply pretty. She eats the candy, and its sweetness is good. To eat the candy is somehow to eat the eyes, eat Mary Jane. Love Mary Jane. Be Mary Jane."
(50)
In this passage Morrison describes not only Pecola's ideals but society's as well . It is the physical description of the girl that show the ideals of society.It is the "world of clean comfort" that represents Pecola's. In The Bluest Eye Pecola believes the "perfect" life goes along with beauty. Pecola can never become what she believes to be beautiful, because she is of a different race. Morrison will show later the effect of these racist ideals on the individual.
3."The birdlike gestures are worn away to a mere picking and plucking her way between the tire rims and the sunflowers, between Coke bottles and milkweed, among all the waste and beauty of the world—which is what she herself was. All of our waste which we dumped on her and which she absorbed. And all of our beauty, which was hers first and which she gave to us."(205)
The birdlike gesture refers to Pecola after she has gone crazy. At the end of the novel Pecola believes she has blue eyes. She becomes consumed with herself escaping reality. Claudia reflects on Pecola's tragic fate, claiming that it was the community's fault. Claudia mentions that the town dumped their waste onto Pecola.By calling Pecola ugly the town has made themselves feel better in comparison. Morrison shows the affect of having unrealistic standards of beauty on the individual in both the passage and the novel.
4."Cholly, moving faster, looked at Darlene. He hated her. He almost wished he could do it - hard, long painfully, he hater her so much. The flahslight wormed its way into his guts and turned the sweet taste of muscadine into rotten fetid bile. Her stared at Darlene's hands covering her face in the moon and lamplight. They looked like baby claws."(148)
This passage is important because it is representative of an important chapter about Cholly's life. Morrison sets up the novel so at the beginning we make our own judgments of Cholly as well as the other characters. For most Cholly has a negative impression because of his actions. This is especially because he rapped his daughter. This chapter makes the reader understand Cholly's actions if not justify them. We learn that two white men watched Cholly have sex. Instead of placing his anger on the men he hates women, as evident by this quote. The descriptive language Morrison uses like "rotten fetid bile" and "baby claws" brings us into the scene and makes us better understand Cholly's emotion.
5."Love is never any better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly, stupid people love stupidly, but the love of a free man is never safe. There is no gift for the beloved. The lover alone possesses his gift of love. The loved one is shorn, neutralized, frozen in the glare of the lover’s inward eye"(206)
The love of a free man refers to Cholly. In this book Morrison wants us to judge the actions of the characters. After we have made these judgments she provides more information about the characters lives so that we may feel more sympathetic for them. Although Morrison does not justify Cholly's actions she does try to explain them. In this passage Claudia suggests that Cholly was the only one who ever loved Pecola. His way of showing love was abusing Pecola because of his life experiences. Claudia states that "love is never any better than the lover". At the beginning of the novel Morrison tells the reader to focus on the how rather than the why. This passage gives explanation for why there is a lack of love in the community.
Just before this passage Morrison describes Pecola's relationship with the other kids at school. Pecola is often made fun of and ignored. This quote introduces Pecola's desire for blue eyes, which is brought up though out the novel. It is clear that Pecola does not only wish for blue eyes so she can be "beautiful" but because she believes having this trait will change her life. Pecola blames herself for the hardships in her life. She describes other features such as her teeth and nose but finds fault in her eyes. Morrison uses these blue eyes to show white ideals. Morrison includes Shirley Temple and Mary Jane in the novel because they have this trait and are representative of the white ideals. This is not the only time Morrison focuses on the eyes. Bob, the dog Soaphead tricks Pecola into killing, is "disgusting" because of its runny eyes. Morrison stresses the eyes to evoke sympathy from the reader. This is because the eyes are often seen as a the most personal part of a person so we connect with the character.
2. "Each pale yellow wrapper has a picture on it. A picture of little Mary Jane, for whom the candy is named. Smiling white face. Blond hair in gentle disarray, blue eyes looking at her out of a world of clean comfort. The eyes are petulant, mischievous. To Pecola they are simply pretty. She eats the candy, and its sweetness is good. To eat the candy is somehow to eat the eyes, eat Mary Jane. Love Mary Jane. Be Mary Jane."
(50)
In this passage Morrison describes not only Pecola's ideals but society's as well . It is the physical description of the girl that show the ideals of society.It is the "world of clean comfort" that represents Pecola's. In The Bluest Eye Pecola believes the "perfect" life goes along with beauty. Pecola can never become what she believes to be beautiful, because she is of a different race. Morrison will show later the effect of these racist ideals on the individual.
3."The birdlike gestures are worn away to a mere picking and plucking her way between the tire rims and the sunflowers, between Coke bottles and milkweed, among all the waste and beauty of the world—which is what she herself was. All of our waste which we dumped on her and which she absorbed. And all of our beauty, which was hers first and which she gave to us."(205)
The birdlike gesture refers to Pecola after she has gone crazy. At the end of the novel Pecola believes she has blue eyes. She becomes consumed with herself escaping reality. Claudia reflects on Pecola's tragic fate, claiming that it was the community's fault. Claudia mentions that the town dumped their waste onto Pecola.By calling Pecola ugly the town has made themselves feel better in comparison. Morrison shows the affect of having unrealistic standards of beauty on the individual in both the passage and the novel.
4."Cholly, moving faster, looked at Darlene. He hated her. He almost wished he could do it - hard, long painfully, he hater her so much. The flahslight wormed its way into his guts and turned the sweet taste of muscadine into rotten fetid bile. Her stared at Darlene's hands covering her face in the moon and lamplight. They looked like baby claws."(148)
This passage is important because it is representative of an important chapter about Cholly's life. Morrison sets up the novel so at the beginning we make our own judgments of Cholly as well as the other characters. For most Cholly has a negative impression because of his actions. This is especially because he rapped his daughter. This chapter makes the reader understand Cholly's actions if not justify them. We learn that two white men watched Cholly have sex. Instead of placing his anger on the men he hates women, as evident by this quote. The descriptive language Morrison uses like "rotten fetid bile" and "baby claws" brings us into the scene and makes us better understand Cholly's emotion.
5."Love is never any better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly, stupid people love stupidly, but the love of a free man is never safe. There is no gift for the beloved. The lover alone possesses his gift of love. The loved one is shorn, neutralized, frozen in the glare of the lover’s inward eye"(206)
The love of a free man refers to Cholly. In this book Morrison wants us to judge the actions of the characters. After we have made these judgments she provides more information about the characters lives so that we may feel more sympathetic for them. Although Morrison does not justify Cholly's actions she does try to explain them. In this passage Claudia suggests that Cholly was the only one who ever loved Pecola. His way of showing love was abusing Pecola because of his life experiences. Claudia states that "love is never any better than the lover". At the beginning of the novel Morrison tells the reader to focus on the how rather than the why. This passage gives explanation for why there is a lack of love in the community.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Bluest Eye Blog#1
The Bluest Eye is about a an African-American girl named Pecola. Pecola undergoes a series of verbal and physical abuse by both her family and her community. One of the key plot points is when her father, Cholly, rapes her and leaves her pregnant. Morrison tries to show the affect of racism on the individual in this novel. More specifically, Morrison shows how society's standard of beauty affects the individual, girls in particular.
Morrison's character Pecola is described as being the opposite of society's ideals. Pecola constantly compares herself to a white ideal, such as Shirley Temple. Morrison uses the blue eyes Pecola desires to symbolize the physical ideals of the culture at that time. The structure of the novel also aids Morrisons comparisons through out the novel.At the beginning of each chapter is a prologue from Dick and Jane. This white ideal is contrasted with the life of Pecola. The novel is also divided into the four seasons. Each season holds certain expectations which the characters in the do not live up to. For example it is in autumn, the season of harvest, that Pecola's baby dies.
The novel shows that it is the society and community Pecola has grown up in that has made her set unrealistic standards for herself. These unrealistic expectations are what leads to Pecola's disintegration. As I look back on the novel, it is clear that Morrison wishes to provoke the readers to question their own standards of people including themselves.
Morrison's character Pecola is described as being the opposite of society's ideals. Pecola constantly compares herself to a white ideal, such as Shirley Temple. Morrison uses the blue eyes Pecola desires to symbolize the physical ideals of the culture at that time. The structure of the novel also aids Morrisons comparisons through out the novel.At the beginning of each chapter is a prologue from Dick and Jane. This white ideal is contrasted with the life of Pecola. The novel is also divided into the four seasons. Each season holds certain expectations which the characters in the do not live up to. For example it is in autumn, the season of harvest, that Pecola's baby dies.
The novel shows that it is the society and community Pecola has grown up in that has made her set unrealistic standards for herself. These unrealistic expectations are what leads to Pecola's disintegration. As I look back on the novel, it is clear that Morrison wishes to provoke the readers to question their own standards of people including themselves.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
New Yorker: The Time Traveler's Wife
Most love stories consist of two people meeting and then falling in love. Niffenegger’s novel The Time Traveller’s Wife, is no usual love story. The two characters, Clare and Henry, first meet when Clare is six and Henry is thirty-six. However, in reality the two are only eight years apart in age. How is this possible? Henry, we find, has a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel unpredictably. He visits his future wife when she is a child, watches his own mother die many times over from different angles, and eventually learns his own peculiar fate. Although at times a little creepy, Niffenegger does a brilliant job of combining both science fiction and romance into one novel. With effortless switching between time and perspective, the novel never gets trapped by its chaotic narrative.
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