Slavery's Influence on Society Today

     Heather Humann's brings up some very interesting views of Toni Morrison's portrayal of Racism and Hegemony in the novel Beloved. She starts her essay with connections to racism seen in popular movie scenes in The Sapranos and Bamboozled reminding us of the stereotypes we still have in our society today towards African Americans. From these scenes she connects aspects of everyday life such as Aunt Jemima maple syrup and Uncle Ben's rice making the reader realize that racist influence from the days of slavery is still very present in our everyday lives today. Humann then goes on to describe parts of Beloved that exemplify where these cruel stereotypes we have today came to life. She goes in depth about the "Schoolteacher" and his profound affect of Sethe during this book from his animalistic treating of slaves. Through her analysis of the relationship between these two characters it is really demonstrated how Morrison depicts the huge gap in social class between a white land owner and a slave during this time period. 

    Humann's text on Beloved brought up some aspect of our society today that I had not realized are so heavily influenced by racism. Every saturday morning I wake up and don't give a second thought about smothering my pancakes with Aunt Jemima's syrup. The fact that the brands name originated from the song "Old Aunt Jemima" depicting and old slave mother which was often performed in black face in theaters during the times of slavery. The fact that this brand still continues to use this name I find very disturbing yet it is seldom questioned by anyone. While slavery is a part of American history and is something that we must remember, this is a disrespectful way of doing so. I fully agree with Humann in that we as Americans should do everything we can to keep the influence of people like "Schoolteacher" out of our lives. 

     

Assisted suicide?

The novel Beloved is an extremely interesting piece of literature to view through the Marxist lens. With the basis of Marxism being the idea of a "destruction of social classes" the ideas really clash with the time period that Beloved took place in. With these ideas in mind I found that many of Sethes seemingly dark and profound actions throughout this book to actual have some justification. Before coming to 124 all that Sethe knew in life was oppression and loss.
       While her owners in her time of being a slave were not as bad as some, it was still very clear that her quality of life was not to be desired. Once Sethe escapes and makes it to 123 life finally seems like it is worth living until the "schoolteacher" Sethes old slave master comes for her collection. Since she is so afraid for her children to be forced into a life of slavery she decided to take the life of her own child deciding that the evils of slavery are far worse than the unknown of the after life. "I stopped him, I took my babies to where they needed to be safe" (173). This quote really hit me and gave the realization that Sethe truly wanted the best for her children and that the choice she had made was the correct one. While Paul D has sympathy for Sethe about the killing of Beloved he tells her that she was simply blinded by her love for her child. Sethe gets the final word saying that "It ain't my job to know whats worse. It's my job to know what is and keep them away from what I know is terrible"(173) making it very clear that Sethes is in full belief she did the right thing for her child.
       Sethes actions in this book only exemplify the problems in this world created simply by social classes. While slavery is a pretty extreme social class that is no longer present in the United States today, it shows the struggle and hopeless feelings that many may have today's society of being trapped in poverty. Beloved in many ways give lots of credibility to Marxist beliefs.

Sexual Abuse of Slaves

       In "Figuration's of rape and the supernatural," Pamela E. Barnett writes about multiple things. She mostly writes about the sexual assaults throughout the book, sexual assaults from the supernatural, sexual assault of both genders, loss of manhood, comparisons of characters, and the ghost aspect of this. The main thing that connects all of these subjects in the book are that they all connect to the fact that these subjects do not allow the characters to move on and they haunt them. There are too many subjects for me to write about all of them, so would like to write about the comparisons of real slaves and the characters with sexual assault.
       Barnett also writes about how much sexual assault there is in the book that is not usually spoken about. At one point Barnett lists off all of the sexual assaults that occurred in Beloved which is a lot. She then begins to speak about actual slaves and what stories they told when they became free. Permanently slaves never really spoke about the sexual assaults they had experienced, so others did not really know about that part of slavery. Others mostly thought about the beatings and abuse. The fact that Toni Morrison tackled the subject of sexual abuse that was very occur-ant throughout slavery just not spoken about, gives a whole new aspect that many others were unaware of including me. Now that I think about it, when we were learning about slavery the sexual abuse aspect was never spoken about, even when I would watch documentaries on it, the sexual abuse was rarely spoken of. The only thing I did know about before this was that, many slave women were raped by the owners and tended to have mixed children, but I never really thought that women would be so much more abused than that sexually and that men were sexually abused as well.
       By reading this part of the article, it makes me wonder why slave did not speak about it. I believe that slaves did not speak about it because they were in the same position as Paul D and Sethe, except they were never able to face their past, like what Paul D did. The real slaves just wanted to stuff it all in a box and I do not think they ever got to the point where they were brave enough to open it. This also means that they were never really able to truly start to live life again, or move on, which is quite sad.

Our Ids, egos, and superegos

Its really hard for me to relate to this book using the psychoanalytic lens because so many horrible things went on this book that I think the experiences and the way we think now to the way they thought in the past are way different. One thing I do relate to is our Ids, egos, and superegos. I learned that an Id is like our bad selfish thoughts, our ego is the person, and the superego is our selfless and good thoughts. This reminds me of the little devil and angel on the shoulders of characters in cartoons. I believe this was highly implanted in the book and I can relate to this in my life.

In the book I believe Beloved is the ID, Sethe is the ego, and Denver is the superego. Beloved seems to be a horrible event in Sethe’s past that seems to haunt her and torture her mentally and she can be seen as a succubus demon. Sethe is like the ego because she is like the main character in the book who struggles with living in the present while she keeps remembering the past. Denver is like the superego in the story because she seems to be the one thing from the past that Sethe does not regret and loves the most in life. This can be related not only to my life but to the lives of many others.

We all have ids, egos, and superegos that we use in everyday life to decide on whether one thing is worth it or not. One example could be someone getting in a fight and having to decide whether fighting is worth it (id) or whether he should just walk away and no one gets hurt (superego). We all use them from time to time and I use them often times when I have work to do and I decide to either work on it to keep up with the work or procrastinate and do it all at the last second, and the Id usually wins.

Women Have power over Men

“‘What you come in here for?’

‘I want you to touch me on the inside part.’

‘Go back on in that house and get to bed.’

‘You have to touch me. On the inside part. And you have to call my name.’

‘Call me my name.’

‘No.’

‘Please call it. I’ll go if you call it.’

‘Beloved.’ He said it, but she did not go. She moved closer with a footfall he didn’t hear and he didn’t hear the whisper that the flakes of rust made either as they fell away from the seams of his tobacco tin. So when the lid gave he didn’t know it. What he knew was that when he reached the inside part he was saying, ‘Red heart. Red heart,’ over and over again” (138).

This quote from the book Beloved, occurs when Beloved goes to visit Paul D. out in the storage shed and asks him to touch her "on the inside part." As the scene goes on Beloved is able to force him to do things he previously refused to do therefore, forcing him to enter a world he had long shut away. When he enters this past world unaware of what is happening and is unaware that his repeating of the phrase "red heart" is an indicator that he has entered this world.

In this excerpt from the book Beloved, it can easily be seen that there is a power shift between the genders. In most of the book up to this point, men have held most of the power, however in this scene between Beloved and Paul D. we can see the dominance being shifted from the man to the woman. In this scene Beloved commands Paul D. to touch her by saying, "You have to touch me." This is a very powerful because in this time period women are stereotyped to being submissive to the commands and demands of men. This specific line reveals how Beloved is defying the gender stereotypes and showing Paul D. who is in charge. Similarly, in this time period it was stereotyped that rapists were mostly men and victim of rape were mostly women. This stereotype is defined in this scene because Beloved makes Paul D. do this he does not want to do, and this could be considered rape. By Beloved "raping" Paul D. it is a sign of how strong and powerful of a female character she really is in this book.

One stereotype, however, that is not defined is the very old stereotype that women are manipulators. This is evident multiple times throughout this scene, it can be easily seen when all Beloved has to say is "Please call it. I’ll go if you call it" and Paul D. obeys her and calls out her name. Beloved manipulated Paul D. in this situation because she says that she will leave if he calls his name, however much to Paul D.'s disappointment, she does not leave after he has called her name.

Circularity

       In the "Circularity of Toni Morrison's Beloved" The writer speaks about how there is a repeated theme of circularity and contradictory in Toni Morrison's books, especially in Beloved. The author gives multiple examples of how this is shown. One example would be how Sethe's past is not staying in the past. It keeps circulating her. Her flashbacks get triggered by the smallest things. The whole town is aware of her past and avoids her due to it. It makes her think of why they avoid her which trigger a flashback. Paul D brings back her memories at Sweet Home. The haunting of the dead infant and beloved always reminds her of what she had done. Sethe is unable to move on and keeps going in circles and circles of her past. Another part in relation to this is the rings around Paul D's neck that has been referenced multiple times. This ring that is around his neck represents slaves inability to move on from life and start living life. Even after being a free African American they are still a slave to their past that will always haunt them.
       The writer also writes about contradiction within "Beloved." Something that Sethe desires most is to have a family, yet in order to keep her family she must be continually haunted by her past. Her past is the thing that hurts her the most, but having her family is also her strength and her life. There is a contradiction within this because this is the cause of her pain but also her motivation to push through life. Another contradiction is in the last pages of "Beloved." Toni Morrison writes, "It was not a story to pass on. (324)" But if we think about, Toni Morrison passes on the story through this book. She contradicts herself. I think this symbolizes what must be done. Even though this story is not a happy story and there is no happy ending, slavery is something we should never dismiss or forget. Even though slavery is horrible, we must teach each new generation about it so we can never forget and never do the same thing. It is something that must be done no matter how horrible it is.
       This perspective is certainly something I would have never realized. It is a perspective on the big picture of the book, it is also very detailed and hidden unless you dig deep. It has definitely changed my aspect on the book, and it will surely be in my mind every time I think about "Beloved" now.

Lorenzo Fernandez Responding and Reflecting

      I have gained a very interesting perspective on education for African Americans during the reading of Beloved. Living in the present day I go to schools with all different types of people from many different races and cultural backgrounds. I get a free quality education provided by the government that everyone has equal access too. This is a huge factor in what makes the American dream so attainable for anyone who works hard.
       In the days of slavery up until the 1960’s, people did not have equal rights or equal access to education. This is very evident on page 120 where Denver gives some insight on what school was like for her. The fact that Bible Lady Jones is the only teacher for all the children shows just how weak this system was. On top of this she very unqualified to teach but still tried to do it for the good of the African American children. With this huge gap in education between whites and blacks I think that it was a direct factor in suppressing African Americans and kept them in the poorest bottom of society.

I did not really think of how difficult it must have been for ex slaves to progress in society after being freed until reading this book. With out being able to read or write sufficiently it must have been nearly impossible for African Americans at this time to be successful. While white children got to go to good schools with qualified teachers and lots of resources African Americans essentially had no formal education. This seems absolutely ridiculous as it goes against all my beliefs I have today in terms of equality. A good and equal education system is the first step of starting a life and becoming a successful person. With African Americans being denied this very basic right our society was only setting them up for more hardship and failure in the future. 

 

Who we are and why

When I think about Beloved and try to relate it back to my life I think of how each character is unique. Sethe, Paul D, and many more slaves each have different experiences that they grew up with and these experiences created their personality and beliefs. I think of this and relate it back to my life where everyone has their own experiences in the past or growing up that gave them the personality they have today. We all were raised differently and experienced different things and this led us all to be unique in the way we act and think. One example is when I see all my friends here in Summit and how our culture is so unique and diverse. 

Each student is different in their own way because they all come from different backgrounds. In the book we learn about Sethe’s experience in Sweet Home and all the horrible things she went through not only there, but on her travel as she escapes. All these things that she has faced has built her character to grow up as a strong independent woman who cares for no one but Denver. Another example is Paul D and all the things he went through at Sweet Home like seeing Sethe violated, Halle go crazy, and treated like an animal by having a muzzle put on him so that he can’t talk. All this has turned him into a man that bottled up his emotions and his heart in a tin can never to be opened again.

His character changes as he begins to settle down and fall in love with Sethe and he starts to open up the “tin can” and starts feeling emotions again that he has put away for so long. Our personalities all change as we grow up and add new experiences and new chapters to our lives.

The Circularity in Beloved

Philip Page’s Article on “Circularity in Toni Morrison’s Beloved” talks about the circularity in Beloved and how everything seems to never end. Some examples it gives are the way Sethe’s 124 house is surrounded by tons of other houses with black slaves who ran away and how this is circularity because while we focus on Sethe’s life we know that there are more people like her with their own stories, and new slaves are always born, some of which end up running away and move in to the same town where Sethe is. In a way its like a never ending circle of slavery and this is what Philip is trying to imply. Another example Philip gives us is when Sethe is trying to explain to Paul D why she killed the baby in the first place and she circled the subject trying to narrow it down to the answer, but only managed to say random words that weren't quite the answer. As she circled the subject she also circled Paul D walking around him in circles as if he was the answer she was trying to reach. The answer was in the middle of this imaginary circle that she went around and she tried to narrow this circle enough for Paul D to understand, which she managed to do when she said “ I took and put my babies where they’d be safe” (193). 
I never thought about the book as a circularity like Philip did because I was mostly focusing on Sethe’s story. It never came to me that Sethe was just one of many stories that other black slaves lived through and carried the burden of remembering, and I never thought of how this all seemed endless because the slaves had kids and these kids grew up to be slaves and the circle would go on and on. Occasionally some slaves managed to escape or buy their freedom and they would end up just like Sethe with horrible memories that they can never forget.

Critical Lens: Motherhood in Toni Morrison's Beloved

In the article “Motherhood in Toni Morrison’s Beloved: A Psychoanalytical Reading” Sandra Mayfield talks about Beloved having to do with “motherhood and mothering”. She discusses the parts of the book where Sethe can only remember the mark under her mother’s chest and nothing else about her, and how Sethe got married with Halle and had four kids with him. She discusses how Sethe thought about a future for her kids where they did not have to be slaves and explains all the struggles she has raising children. I agree with Sandra that Beloved deals mostly with motherhood because we learn about Sethe’s horrible experience running away from sweet home while pregnant with Denver and raising her alone. She is seen as the mother figure in her home to Denver, Beloved, and even Paul D whom all fight constantly for the attention of Sethe.
I think motherhood is the most important thing in this book because its hard to have loved ones in a setting where you are someone else’s property and there is no guarantee they will survive or stay with you forever. All the blacks are seen as property and the owners normally don’t care whether or not they separate you from your family. This reminds me of the case where Paul D gets in a fight with Sethe and when Sethe defends Denver he thinks, “The best thing, he knew, was to love just a little bit...so when they broke its back, or shoved it in a croaker sack, well, maybe you’d have a little left over for the next one.”(54). While the book has to do with motherhood, I believe it pertains more to the haunting past that freed slaves have to bear with for the rest of their lives. For example, Sethe has to deal with having to remember how they “took her milk” and learning more about the past like how Halle went insane because he was there when they violated Sethe and could do nothing about it. Paul D deals with having a muzzle put on him so that he doesn't talk and his experience running away from jail for a long time and focusing on surviving.

Toni Morrisons Purpose for Beloved

       One question that was frequently asked during class was "what is Beloveds purpose?" I began to believe that Ms. Lord was most likely leading us on to something, so I started to look more into it. After doing my last blog about how Beloved impacted Denver, I started to think about Beloved's impact on the rest of the characters throughout the book. I noticed that she is a vital character for all of the characters and she had made a big impact on each of them. Beloved forces Paul D and Sethe to face their deepest pains to be able to move on with their lives.
       In one chapter there is a scene where Beloved rapes Paul D. It is almost as if she hypnotizes him and forces him not to refuse her. While that is occuring, Paul D keeps talking about a tobacco can slowly opening. This repreents his deepest pains that he had locked away in order to not remember.

"Call me my name."
"No."
"Please call it. I'll go if you call it."
"Beloved.' He said it, but she did not go. She moved closer with a football he didn't hear and he ddn't hear the whisper that the flakes of rust made eithor as they fell away from the seams of his tobacco tin. So when the lid gave he didn't know it. What he knew was that when he reached the inside part he was saying, 'Red heart. Red heart.' over and over again. Softly then so loud it woke Denver, then Paul D imself. 'Red heart. Red heart.(137-138)"

While having sex with Beloved he repeats "Red heart" to the point that it woke Paul D mentally and I believe that it means in his can was his heart. The can was closed and Beloved forced Paul D to open it, revealing his emotions and past that are traumatic and that he tried to forget which is the "Red heart." He was forced to face his deepest fears, ultimatly leading to Paul D leaving which was what Beloved wanted. I think that Beloved purposefully made Paul D face his past because she knew that he would leave if he did. Beloved wanted Sethe for herself, not to share with Paul D.
       Beloved also forced Sethe to face her most traumatic past. Beloved told Sethe who she truly was and basically giult tripped Sethe to the extreme o the point where she almost killed Sethe. She haunted Sethe physically and mentally. It wasn't until Sethe tried to "save" Beloved by trying to kill Mr. Bodwin, that Beloved forgave Sethe. The crime of killing her own dauhter had always haunted her, and by Beloved forgiving her, it released her guilt. By getting rid of Sethes guilt and forgiving her, it feels as if Beloved was allowing Sethe to live again and start to move on. Ultimatly Beloved had helped Sethe face her deepest pains and not be stuck in the past anymore.
      Overall I do not believe that these were Beloved's intentions to do so. She had negative intentions. She did not care about Denver at all (you'll get what I'm talking about if you read my past blog), she wanted to get rid of Paul D, and She wanted to Haunt Sethe so she would not forget what she did to Beloved. Even though she had negative intentions, Toni Morrison created Beloved in order to help all of the characters move on, even if it wasn't Beloved's intentions.

“Unconscious, [and] Emotional... consequences of slavery”

In Barbara Shapiro's article she examines the “unconscious, emotional, and psychic consequences of slavery” and shows how the system of slavery robs mothers and children of one another and themselves. She explains in her article that the central figure of the book is the character Beloved, and she shows how the novel is not so much about the physical death of Beloved, but rather the “psychic” death. This type of death “involves the denial of one's being as a human subject.” Shapiro shows that at the core of all of our beings is the need for us to connect with another and most specifically with our mothers. She also shows, how it becomes impossible for both children and slaves to see their “self” when “society denies them that status.” She goes through the different stages of child development and shows how slavery has impaired their ability to develop “normally.” She explores the rape of Sethe and shows the many ways that the rape robbed Sethe of herself, and her possible life.  Ultimately however, she claims that the novel is not “hopelessly bleak or disparaging.” She illustrates how each of the characters have survived and best of all, she explains how “Beloved demonstrates the interconnection of social and intrapsychic reality.” She shows how Sethe, by “claiming ownership,” has access to “the free autonomous self.” She says that this self is accessible through relationships and people being able to recognize one another for who they are.

By reading Shapiro's analysis of Beloved through a feminist lens, I was able to gain another great perspective of the feminist lens. She brought up the ideas of normality and psychic thoughts that occur throughout the book, which can be seen as typically the psychoanalytical lens, however she was able to use these ideas in such a way that made it possible to see it from both a psychoanalytical and feminist lens point of view. The feminist lens point of view can most predominately be seen when Shapiro is talking about how the core of our being is to connect with others. This is very important to the feminist lens since this lens talks about the relationships between men and women often.

Denvers growth

Men or Women? Who is on top?

Beloved overall, has been one of the hardest books for me to read. Not because of the complexity of the scene tenses or the lengths of the chapters but simply because of the content. I personally and unable to relate to the book on a deeper level because I cannot relate to being a slave or having no freedoms. This makes understanding the book very difficult. However, by analyzing the book through the feminist lens I have been able to find small parts of the book that I am able to relate to.

The most significant part of the book that I am able to relate to is the idea that men are seen as being far superior than women. This is a concept that I would have hoped to be gone from society today, but unfortunately it is still present. This issue is one that I can relate to because all around me I see men getting better treatment than women. This can easily be seen in how there is still a wage gape in the united states. This can also be easily seen in how we still have never had a female president in office. This theme is also significantly prominent in Beloved. In beloved we can easily see how male are perceived as dominant, when Paul D. becomes saddened because he believed he would be able to make 124 “safe”, when in reality he was unable to do so (193). This shows how Paul D. though because he was a male figure and therefore "more powerful" than Sethe he would be able to fix all the problems.

One other concept that is easily seen throughout the book through the feminist lens is the idea that women are seen as the “bread maker” of the household. This is seen concretely in how Sethe is the only person either obtaining or making the food that is served in 124. While Paul D. is at the house, he never pitches in to help make a meal. This can be seen in the stereotypes of women and how they are supposed to be “housewives” and make the meals for when their husbands come home from work and they are the sole caregivers for the children. This is not as common in today’s society however it is still seen constantly in the society around us.

While the book Beloved was difficult to comprehend at times, I think reading definitely helped me to understand more about both slavery and the pressure that was placed on the women in society.

"Slavery and Motherhood"

In “Slavery and Motherhood in Toni Morrison’s Beloved” by Terry Paul Caesar, the author is very direct with her interpretation of the book through the feminist lens.   In this article she utilizes the concept of the Ájé which is a “sister system” where no males are present. Women who are referred to as Ájé are “feared and reserved in Yoruba society” (171). The author states that when “Ájé is passed genetically and amalgamates spiritually and physically, the result is mothers and daughters immersed in a web of creation and destruction, love and hate, silence and signification.” This all ties back to the relationship between Sethe and her daughter Denver as well as her other daughter Beloved. The author focuses on the relationships between the feminist characters in this novel, taking a specific viewpoint of the feminist lens and analyzing it closely. Interestingly, Ájé discusses the killing of the progeny, “mentally, spiritually or physically” and reveals that we as readers need to reassess this simplistic interpretation and in the case of Beloved and Sethe she shows that there is no destruction  but rather, “putting them [daughters] where they’d be safe”.   Caesar delves into a discussion of the Ájé of Margaret Garner, the woman who Beloved was modeled after and relays how Morrison is actually linking her with the characters in the novel. By showing the healing that can go on through  this cosmic plane, Sethe and Beloved are reunited and freed.  

I have never heard of Ájé before this article and Caesar provided me with a new perspective that actually made me feel as though there was more deeper healing involved in the novel than I had originally anticipated.  She begins her article by saying that Morrison often is frustrated by the critical writings about her novels because they are usually inaccurate and this was her attempt at understanding what Morrison intended.  It was fascinating for me to read Morrison’s response to this critique because I believe this article analyzes through such an uncommon perspective.

Beloved and Sethe

       When reading Beloved I would constantly asked myself why Beloved was obsessed with Sethe. Like many other readers I am lead to believe that Beloved is the dead baby of Sethe. Beloved came already knowing things about Sethe that even Denver was unaware of. It is understandable for Beloved to be really interested in her family, but why be interested in only Sethe? Why not ask about her brothers or father? Why not get close to or care about Denver? Why is she only really interested in Sethe?
       I believe that Beloved is obsessed with Sethe because Beloved does not want to Sethe to forget what she did to Beloved before she was Beloved. Before Paul D came, everybody's lives in 124 were revolved around the dead baby haunting the house. The dead baby was constantly causing a ruckus and was haunting Sethe both physically and mentally. Denver enjoyed the dead baby around the house and Sethe's two sons left 124 because they were unable to withstand the haunting. The dead baby was definitely not forgotten and was thought about most likely everyday.
        It was not until Paul D came that things began to change. Paul scared the spirit of the baby and stopped the haunting. When Paul D came Sethe changed as well, she was not frozen in time as much as she used to be. She began to move forward. Denver, Paul D, and Sethe went to a carnival and actually enjoyed themselves for once.

"They were not holding hands, but their shadows were. Sethe looked to her left and all three of them were gliding over the dust holding hands.... Nobody noticed but Sethe and she stopped looking after she decided that it was a good sign. A life.... Sethe returned the smiles she got. Denver was swaying with delight. And on the way home, Although leading them now, the shadows of three people still held hands.(56-57)"

Right when Sethe began to forget and live life Beloved popped up at the doorstep of  124. Don't you believe it's a little suspicious that right when Sethe began to forget the dead baby, Beloved comes? I do not think that this is coincidental. In Beloveds first few days at 124 she also said, "She is the one. She is the one I need. You can go but she is the one I have to have.(89)"
       Beloved is not allowing Sethe to forget. When Sethe found out who Beloved truly is, the dead baby, Beloved places guilt in Sethe. "Sethe was trying to make up for the handsaw; Beloved was making her pay for it.(295)" Beloved began to get bigger and bigger to the point where " her belly [was] protruding like a winning watermelon.(295)" Sethe began to get skinnier and taller. It seems as though Beloved is sucking the life out Sethe, and Sethe is allowing Beloved to with the guilt. It is not until Mr. Bodwin comes that things change.
       One day when Mr. Bodwin comes, a white man, Sethe see's him and thinks that Mr. Bodwin is trying to take her children away again. Instead of killing beloved again, she decides to try and kill a white man. If Sethe had succeeded in killing Mr. Bodwin she would have been killed. The fact that she is willing to sacrifice herself in order to save Beloved made Beloved forgive Sethe and leave the house.

Paul D's tension with Beloved

“I am not a man” “I want you pregnant, Sethe. Would you do that for me?” (151)

In page 151 Paul D wanted to meet Sethe at er work and break the news that he couldn’t stay in the house anymore and that he feels beloved is causing it all. After finding her and talking to her, instead of telling her that he’s leaving he tells her that he “wants her pregnant”. I believe that Paul D does this because he feels like beloved is taking away the attention that he use to get from Sethe and by having a baby he can save that relationship. He was finally starting to settle down with Sethe and he was having a great time with her during the carnival, but then out of nowhere beloved shows up sick and in poor health and takes away the attention that he was getting from her. To add on to his discomfort with her Beloved visits him at night when he’s sleeping in the shed and she tells him that she wants him to touch her on the inside part. After a while he actually  does have sex with her and the “tin jar” where his heart was begins to open, and as he is having sex with her he begins to shout “Red Heart!”. 
He could not bring himself to leave Sethe and at the last second he came up with the idea of having a baby with Sethe in order to keep her close to him and away from Beloved who is obsessed with Sethe. Sethe does not fully agree with having a baby as she has had a horrible experience when she was pregnant with Denver but she takes the comment in a good manner and seems like she is considering it. After the talk Paul D gives her a piggyback ride and on the way home they act as if they were young again. This is because the thought of having a kid makes them feel young again.

Revealing/Reflecting Lorenzo Fernandez

Beloved’s entrance into the novel begins with Sethe’s explanation of her use of prostitution to engrave a headstone for her deceased baby, as mention in my previous blog. Morrison illustrates a “fully dressed woman” walking “ out of the water” and resting on a tree trunk for a couple of days while “sopping wet”(60). Although mysterious, the water represents the unknown because “nobody saw her emerge” and they hesitates from interacting with her(60). The strange woman who is later introduced as Beloved, but not directly correlated with the deceased baby yet, is invited to stay at 124. Being “thirsty” for water, Denver offers her water and she “gulped water… as though she had crossed a desert”(63). Because Beloved does not “use a last name” and arises mysteriously, it is clear that the strange woman is associated with the deceased baby in some way. 
Due to people leave 124 because of Sethe’s haunting baby, the woman Beloved represents the physical spirit of the future Beloved, if she had not died. Many African Americans during this time period of slavery and lower class people depended upon the spiritual world more. Beloved’s “quiet devotion” to Sethe is like that of a curious child seeking attention. Because Beloved is Sethe’s daughter, Sethe feels open enough to bring up her “past life” even though it “hurt”(69). Questioning the absence of Sethe’s “diamonds”, Beloved knowledge of her past possessions suggest a connection to Sethe that is very deep for Beloved’s “thirst of hearing” about Sethe and receiving love from her. Sethe and Beloved’s desire for family and eachother’s love is amused with their interactions and remembrance of the past. Beloved plays with Denver as though she is her sister and makes her “heart” feel like “traveler who had made it home” because Beloved had been “left behind”(66,88). Former slaves depended upon family because of the discrimination from the white people and found happiness through connections with their loved ones, dead or alive.

Confusion with chapters 20-24

Chapters twenty to twenty four are very complex chapters that I did not understand. These four chapters are interior monologues by Beloved, Denver, and Sethe. The style of these chapter are very confusing and is very similar to poetry. I spoke with someone and tried to figure out where exactly the three women where. Ms. Lord explained to me that some people believe that they were on a slave ship. They kept talking about how the "men without skin" were throwing off dead African Americans into the sea. I reread these chapters, and a few things made more sense in the aspect of them being on a slave ship. This made me wonder, why were they on a slave ship? Beloved has most likely never been on a slave ship and if she has she would not have remembered it. So it is most likely that they are not literally on a slave ship. So then what does the slave ship symbolize? We knew Beloved was dead, so we questioned if there was a connection about where they were and Beloved being dead. Then it came to me, There is a famous saying in funerals that they person may be dead but they are not gone, they are in everyone hearts because that person will be remembered. Is this why Beloved is haunting Sethe so strongly. Everyone thought about Beloved all of the time before Paul D came into the picture. Is Beloved in between life and death? She is physically dead but her spirit is strong and alive. While Sethe on the other hand was the opposite. She may have been physically alive but she was mentally gone. She is stuck in the past and all she thinks about is Beloved. Nobody really did care about her or spoke with her except Denver. This explains why they are both on the slave ship. The Slave ship represents the in between of life and death, which helps me comprehend these four chapters a bit more.

Denver's Oedipus Complex

“Why don't you spend the night Mr. Garner? You and Ma'am can talk about Sweet Home all night long""I can't live here. I don't know where to go or what to do, but I can't live here. Nobody speaks to us. Nobody comes by. Boys don't like me. Girls don't either."(17)

I believe this is an example of an "Oedipus Complex" situation where the child's need for their parents grows and as they mature they realize that they are not the center of attention of their parents. The child begins to realize that the attention they get from their mother is thwarted by the mother's attention for the father. This applies to the current situation Denver is having with Paul D moving in and taking the attention Denver gets from Sethe and giving it to Paul D. Denver was alone with no one but her mother because the people feared their home and avoided it like she said, “Nobody speaks to us. Nobody comes by.” but now that Paul D comes into their life Denver realizes she is not the center of attention. This feeling may have come on to her evens stronger because she has lived in that house with only Sethe for years and so Sethe had no one else to focus on but her, so now that another human hs entered the household she experiences these feelings which she has never felt before.

Another way this can be seen as is Denver’s frustration with the life they were given. She grew up in a home and with a family that was feared by almost everyone in the town and because of this she never had any friends or anyone to socialize with. This frustration could have made her angry with the fact that Paul D represented the Sweet Home history, and him coming back to it could be a symbol of the history haunting her family and making Denver hate him. On page 17 of the book Paul D asks Sethe why people don’t speak to them and when Sethe replies that its the house Denver gets angry and says, “It’s not! It’s not the house. it’s us! And it’s you!”. Denver knew that the fact that the house was haunted had nothing to do with why people didn’t visit but actually it was because of the history with slavery and all the gruesome things that went on with that family.

Being Independent and Strong

I personally have learned a lot of valuable information from reading Beloved. This is because this book has strengthened my knowledge of how slaves were treated back then and more specifically, how women slaves were treated. I knew that slaves were treated in horrible ways but, through learning about all of the bad things that happened to Sethe throughout the book and at Sweet Home and how they  “stole her milk,” it helped me to realize the extent to which slaves were treated unfairly. My past knowledge was vague and I only had a small idea of how African American’s were treated in the south from learning about Emmett Till’s death in 8th and 10th grade. Other than this I had a very small amount of knowledge of how they were treated and most of my knowledge was about African American and slave men. I saw life through the eyes of an African American when we read Malcolm X in 10th grade, but this book was from the perspective of a male and so I did not have any women perspectives in my mind.

Looking specifically at the text through the feminist lens has greatly strengthened my belief that women are often seen inferior or submissive to men. Although Sethe, at time, seems to have more power and control in 124, Paul D. seems to have more control than she does, which is seen in how he is able to get rid of the ghost spirit Beloved, when Sethe was unable to do that. This relates to my everyday life, because even in today’s society, men seems to have more power than women. This can be seen in how we have never had a female president or how men are still being paid more than women are. Another connection between the book and my life is that in the book Sethe is able to hold her ground and stand up to those who are considered above her such as Paul D. This can be seen when she is talking to Paul D and she says that he has to come and sleep in her bed where there are sheets and not on sacks of potatoes in the shed. This relates to my life because as a woman I am confident enough to voice my opinion about topics even when they may contradict the ideas of teachers or family members. This all relates to the feminist lens because women are stereotyped to be the ones who listen to the men and obey what they say and Sethe goes against this stereotype breaking away from societal norm.  Overall, women are seen as weak, but it can be seen in both Sethe’s actions and my own that women have the ability to be strong and independent from a male counterpart or authority figure.

Lorenzo Close Reading

Beloved is an extremely interesting book to look at through the Marxist lens as it took place in a much different time where social classes and your race played a much bigger part in society. You can see first hand in many parts of this book how badly slaves were treated both before and after the civil war. In page 5 of this book Sethe is with Denver getting a tombstone engraved for her dead baby. The man engraving the tombstone tells Sethe “Ten minutes, I’ll do it for free.” referring to a trade for sex. Sethe agrees even in front of Denver and thinks to herself how she could have possibly gotten more letters for more time. The fact that Sethe was so willing to give herself up for such a small thing like a gravestone shows the morals that were imposed on her in her past life as a slave.

With such a huge discrepancy in wealth and education I think it is clear that in this time ex slaves were basically set up for failure in the future. This passage only further demonstrates that the horrific things Sethe has gone through in her life has deeply affected her and the respect she has for herself. While her morals do seem a bit questionable another thing that is revealed about Sethe and her family is the bond she feels with her children. This is displayed through Sethe's inner thoughts when she thinks “(she) could have had the whole thing, every word she heard the preacher say at the funeral engraved on her baby's headstone: Dearly Beloved.” Even when Sethe had no money to pay for a proper headstone she was still thinking that the one she got was not worthy for the burial of her baby. I think this reveals a strong sense of respect Sethe has for her family even if it is in turmoil. Normally I would think that a person with little money would careless about a headstone, but the amount of thought Sethe puts into it shows how much she cared for her baby.

Close Reading...

“The jump, though Paul D, from a calf to a girl wasn’t all that mighty. Not the leap Halle believed it would be. And taking her in the corn rather than her quarters, a yard away from those who had lost out, was a gesture of tenderness. Halle wanted privacy for her and got public display. Who could miss a ripple in a cornfield on a quiet cloudless day? He, Sixo and both of the Pauls sat under Brother pouring water from a gourd over their heads, and through eyes streaming with well water, they watched the confusion of tassels in the field below. It had been hard, hard, hard sitting their erect as dogs, watching corn stalks dance at the moon. The water running over their heads made it worse.” (Morrison 32)

The passage starts when Paul D. is lying next to Sethe after having had sex and he recalls what life was like when they were both back at Sweet Home. “The jump… from a calf to a girl wasn’t all that mighty.” Starting the passage with this statement reveals how the rest of the passage will be talking about how slave women were held in a higher regard than slave men at Sweet Home. Comparing a “girl” to a “calf” and stating that they are practically equal conveys how the men at Sweet Home had to have sex with calves so as to not feel an overwhelming desire to have sex with Sethe, and in turn be called a rapist. Also, although sex with calves is disgusting to think about, it was a respectable choice to retain the innocence of Sethe and give her some respect. Because of their actions they can be seen as dehumanized because they are abusing animals in such a horrific way. Additionally, they are becoming dehumanized because of their actions with cows, but they are forced to take these actions because they are slaves and have no freedom. Therefore all of the actions that they take, in any respect, are restrained and constricted by society.

As the passage continues, it talks about how Halle took Sethe away from others “a gesture of tenderness,” when he went to have sex with her. This “tenderness” proves that although the men do not have much respect for themselves, they do however, have an immense respect for the women even though they are slaves. Similarly, they have respect for each other. Halle understand how difficult and almost torturous it is for the men because he was once in that position. This act of “tenderness” was not only directed at Sethe. It was also meant for the men at Sweet Home so that they did not have to be tortured further through having to witness his private actions with Sethe.

While thinking back to the time when Paul D. witnessed Halle and Sethe have sex he states, “it had been hard, hard, hard sitting their erect as dogs.” This sentence that was placed at the end of the passage was simply another attack at the men at Sweet Home. It further dehumanizes the men because they are being compared to “dogs.” They are seen as animals who their main goal is sex and because they are not able to gain this from women they turn to cows and turn into beasts or dogs. Additionally, because they are able to see what Halle is doing with Sethe and they continue to watch it, it reveals how little respect they have for the act. This can be seen throughout the entire passage. They first talk about having sex with cows at the beginning of the passage, and then the passage concludes with them intently watching Halle have sex with Sethe. All together this degrades the men and makes them be seen in a much lower regard than women are, even thought the men are of better social standings then the women are.

Overall, this passage reveals that men are dehumanized because of their actions at Sweet Home. Similarly, they women are raised above the men and looked with more respect, even though the are slaves. Finally. this passage reveals that no matter how hard the men try, and even if their actions are done with the intent to be kind, their actions never truly have entirely positive results because there is always some negative, or degrading aspect to all of their actions.