As I'm reading each of these books for my upper English class, there is one theme that a current history student couldn't help but notice. She seems to be inspired by little known historical occurrences in African American cultural. Though she spins it into a fictional what if book, the base of at least part of the book was something historical that she got a glimpse of.
One example (which I know I have mentioned before) is Margaret Garner for the Sethe character in Beloved. She researched a little of the back story and the actual events of Garner's life, but she altered it into a "What would have happened if she not only lived, didn't kill ALL her children, but was able to stay in that community that harbored her?" At the same time, she reminds the audience of the horrific side of slavery in her description of where some of the characters came from or how it affected their actions later in the story. This also reminds the reader that just because some things are in the past, doesn't mean that the ripples still can't be felt in current generations. Until current generations acknowledge that ramification, accept the situation, and learn how to move forward, the community will find it very difficult build a better situation.
In Jazz, she noticed a picture of a girl who was killed by a boyfriend in that time frame from Harlem. There is no information on who this girl was, why the boyfriend killed her, and so on. So from there, Morrison, once again, used her imagination and created the back story and how it affected those characters. Intertwined in that inspiration, she theorized how Southern African Americans may have perceived and was affected by the migration to the North, which was so different from their lives in the South. Once again, the past can't just be left behind because it affects people's lives, she also integrates those same harsh conditions the Southern African Americans left behind and how it affected their interaction with other people.
Currently I'm reading Paradise which was inspired by the amount of "black towns" in Oklahoma after the Civil War. As the newly freed African Americans were trying to find their new home and get a fresh start, they were met with doors slammed in their face, unwelcoming actions from white communities that didn't want their "intrusion" and forced to move on. It was this process that lead a large amount of African Americans to "settle" in Oklahoma and create their own single race communities as they joined together (using their 20 acre allotment) to create a town that would bond them, support them, and such. This is another little known fact in African American history that Morrison has touched on as the backdrop for her fictional book.
Based on this new insight, it makes me rethink how I've read her books previously (will have to reread and see what else I can get from them), consider what multiple messages she is not only telling her African American community, but to all readers. Though she doesn't necessarily write for people outside her community, it definitely leads to personal insight.
Toni Morrison Pic
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Sula
This was an interesting book that had a "binary" view of things. You have the white and black dynamic, difference of mothering styles throughout the book, and different types of personality interactions.
The reader is immediately introduced into the white and black dynamic per how the community of Bottom was established and the irony of the name of the community. The additional irony is the ending result of that community based on future interaction between the white and black communities. Then you have Nel and Sula's mother and grandmother difference of raising children (be it hands on or free will) and how that affects those characters as they grow up. This then leads to the how Nel and Sula's personality transitions as they grow into their own womanhood and friendship changes through time.
As usual, Toni Morrison illustrates the injustices between the races and the lasting effects of racism. She also does a great job demonstrating how the differences of raising children can have a lasting effect on them and future generations.
The reader is immediately introduced into the white and black dynamic per how the community of Bottom was established and the irony of the name of the community. The additional irony is the ending result of that community based on future interaction between the white and black communities. Then you have Nel and Sula's mother and grandmother difference of raising children (be it hands on or free will) and how that affects those characters as they grow up. This then leads to the how Nel and Sula's personality transitions as they grow into their own womanhood and friendship changes through time.
As usual, Toni Morrison illustrates the injustices between the races and the lasting effects of racism. She also does a great job demonstrating how the differences of raising children can have a lasting effect on them and future generations.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
post-post
Just to let y'all know, I'm trying to avoid giving too much information on these books because I think part of the fun is reading the books yourself and seeing the story unfold. I've also decided to choose the books that I particularly enjoyed so far in the class. I don't know if you have access to critical literary essays, but I strongly suggest reviewing those as well because they also lead to additional review of the material and how else to analyze it.
I hope you enjoy reading these novels.
I hope you enjoy reading these novels.
Jazz
This book was partially inspired by a photo of the Jazz age in Harlem. The picture was of a deceased young woman who was killed by her boyfriend. As usual, Toni Morrison took the idea and ran with it by developing a back story of who that woman was and why she ended up like that. Of course there isn't just that part of the book, but how she affected other lives as well.
Her boyfriend ends up being married, which extends to ramification to his wife and what that brings out in his wife per his indiscretion. As his affair plays out, more people become part of the rouse. All of these characters end up interacting at different point in their "small" community in Harlem.
The other side of this book is the discovery of the main narrator. How does this narrator know so much? Is the narrator reliable? Who is the narrator? There are some clues of this throughout the book, but it isn't till the end that the reader becomes more aware. If this book is read a second time with this idea in mind, the reader can find other hints to this as well throughout the book.
Finally, per the name of the book (Jazz), music and it's cultural plays a key role as well. There are aspects that seem like scatting via the vocalized sounds that may seem difficult to pronounce when initially read. As each character tells their story in their monologue, it plays the role of a solo in Jazz music. Once they are all combined in their own pitch and style, the Jazz becomes it's own style, sound, and song.
If I could find the picture that was the inspiration, I would have shared it, but no matter what, Toni Morrison does a great job with developing the reader's imagination in this story.
Her boyfriend ends up being married, which extends to ramification to his wife and what that brings out in his wife per his indiscretion. As his affair plays out, more people become part of the rouse. All of these characters end up interacting at different point in their "small" community in Harlem.
The other side of this book is the discovery of the main narrator. How does this narrator know so much? Is the narrator reliable? Who is the narrator? There are some clues of this throughout the book, but it isn't till the end that the reader becomes more aware. If this book is read a second time with this idea in mind, the reader can find other hints to this as well throughout the book.
Finally, per the name of the book (Jazz), music and it's cultural plays a key role as well. There are aspects that seem like scatting via the vocalized sounds that may seem difficult to pronounce when initially read. As each character tells their story in their monologue, it plays the role of a solo in Jazz music. Once they are all combined in their own pitch and style, the Jazz becomes it's own style, sound, and song.
If I could find the picture that was the inspiration, I would have shared it, but no matter what, Toni Morrison does a great job with developing the reader's imagination in this story.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Beloved
Toni Morrison gained inspiration for the character of Sethe from the Margaret Garner story (http://www.ohiohistoryhost.org/ohiomemory/archives/876). She then expanded on that situation by developing an alteration of history dependent on what would have been the situation if the mother had lived and was not taken back to the South.
The mother is over wrought with guilt and regret for her actions that affected her relationship with her children and the community. Since the community didn't know of her rationale and her past with one of the riders, they thought she had gone mad and was ostracized. Based on her Post Traumatic Syndrome from her experiences and the loss of one of her children and the fact that she was willing to kill the rest as well, her relationship with children as they dealt with her personal issues with the past and the weight of concern if she had fulfilled her actions against the children effected their choices of staying with the family. Her two sons leave as soon as they can, but the other daughter stayed behind based on another type of relationship she had with a significant unknown character.
This book was interesting to read as the reader you gain insight in the characters' actions and interactions, slavery environment and how it effected those individuals, and how Northern communities developed as slaves ran from enslavement. As with Toni Morrison's other novels, the characters also find their way to move on from traumatic situations by acknowledging them, accepting them as the past, and allowing themselves to move forward.
The mother is over wrought with guilt and regret for her actions that affected her relationship with her children and the community. Since the community didn't know of her rationale and her past with one of the riders, they thought she had gone mad and was ostracized. Based on her Post Traumatic Syndrome from her experiences and the loss of one of her children and the fact that she was willing to kill the rest as well, her relationship with children as they dealt with her personal issues with the past and the weight of concern if she had fulfilled her actions against the children effected their choices of staying with the family. Her two sons leave as soon as they can, but the other daughter stayed behind based on another type of relationship she had with a significant unknown character.
This book was interesting to read as the reader you gain insight in the characters' actions and interactions, slavery environment and how it effected those individuals, and how Northern communities developed as slaves ran from enslavement. As with Toni Morrison's other novels, the characters also find their way to move on from traumatic situations by acknowledging them, accepting them as the past, and allowing themselves to move forward.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Toni Morrison
She has written several books of varying topics and focus. Currently I have read Sula, Beloved, and Song of Solomon. I'm presently involved in Jazz and progress to Paradise by the end of this project. I'll try to give tidbits on these books (theme, characterization development, historical reference, etc). I'll also add relevant historical and other types of art that relates to the material.
She has been interesting to read because of the subject matter, how she writes, how each book has slightly different styling, and so on. There seems to be common steady themes with minor ones that are related to the books individually. So far they have been: relationships (mother/child and couples), race relation (historical reference and "current" backdrop) that can relate to current situation, strong female character development, usually a negative male counterpart, and such.
She has been interesting to read because of the subject matter, how she writes, how each book has slightly different styling, and so on. There seems to be common steady themes with minor ones that are related to the books individually. So far they have been: relationships (mother/child and couples), race relation (historical reference and "current" backdrop) that can relate to current situation, strong female character development, usually a negative male counterpart, and such.
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