Many readers have pointed out that Toni Morrison writes fiction like a poet. One of my favorite lines from this week's reading is, "Wolf killer turned hawk fighter he worked night and day to keep one from the door and the other from under the windowsills" (61). This is a wonderfully magical sketch of Claudia's father, a character who is not in the narrative much b/c he probably is working all the time. It sounds as if, though he's absent, he is protecting the family from predators.
I'd like you to choose a line from this week's reading that you found provocative or poetic and write a brief description about why.
Page 74. "The THING to fear was the THING that made HER beautiful, not us." Claudia discusses the "rich" white girl, Maureen Peal, and how they had begun to feel not just jealousy, but envy as well. What is the "thing" they're discussing that differentiates the two girls? Is it the color of Maureen's skin, hair, and eyes? And are they fearful of it because this would be a constant fear they would face in their future lives when trying to find a job/suitable husband?
ReplyDeleteThe line that I liked this week was the line in which Claudia and Pecola are talking about Ms. Marie. They say "Well everyone calls her Miss Maginot Line. Ain't you scared? "Scared of what?" "The Maginot Line". This stood out to me because I didn't understand why Ms. Marie was called the "The Maginot Line. I googled what the Maginot Line was and I found that it was a form of protection for the army in World War I from airstrikes. I believe that this means that Ms. Marie is probably a very strict woman who doesn't put up with anything that bothers her. This could be a form of symbolism because in this book the Maginot Line is referred to as a person, in this case Ms. Marie. I also wonder why the kids are afraid of her and they refer to her as The Maginot Line.
ReplyDelete"When you ask them where they are from, they tilt their heads and say "Mobile" and you think you've been kissed. They say "Aiken" and you see a white butterfly glance off a fence with a torn wing. They say "Nagadoches" and you want to say "yes, I will." You don't know what these towns are like, but you love what happens to the air when they open their lips and let the names ease out." Page 81
ReplyDeleteI feel like this part is very poetic because the narrator is saying how what ever comes out of these girls mouths makes them feel like it is everything they have and do is wonderful. Not just words but feelings, beautiful moments, and they make them want to do things just because they are so amazing. I like how just the presence of them in their neighborhood makes they feel as if their is "love in the air" I guess because they do not live in the towns that these other girls are from they see them as these amazing creatures that are noting like them and they think they are not going through the same struggles of everyday life like they are. But truly I think everyone has there moments of good and bad. You may look and sound quite perfect on the outside, but on the inside you can be struggling just as much as anyone else.
More on Claudia/Frieda's father: It seems that that line is also expressing a kind of desperation, that "being put outside," as their mother would say, is a very real danger in their world, that they live close to the pavement and becoming homeless is just a thing that people have to expect in this world.
ReplyDeleteOn page 74 Morrison states..
ReplyDelete"Jealousy we understood and thought natural- a desire to have what somebody else had; but envy was strange, new feeling for us."
Even though this line is pretty straight forward I believe it is provocative because its referring to a character trait which I believe is important because this can change a readers perspective on a character. As Morrison states on page 74, Maureen Peal wasn't the enemy or worthy of intense hatred. The feeling of envy was something she wasn't used to and it revealed another side to her character.
"There was a hint of spring in her sloe green eyes, something summery in her
ReplyDeletecomplexion, and a rich autumn ripeness in her walk."
In this quote, Morrison puts it in the chapter of Winter, but then the character states that the new whites girls green eyes had a hint of spring and her skin was like autumn season. This is a little interesting to me on how these three different season are being presented all in one scene basic it onto one new character...
A line that stood out to me from last weeks reading was "The cat will always know that he is the first in her affections. Even after she bears a child." (87) I found this line to be a perfect example of what it is to degrade someone or make them feel like they have no value since it refers to Geraldine and her lack of parental support for her son Junior. Even though Junior is colored, Geraldine still wants him to be around white people and make him believe that those that are black are the wrong people to be with. Since Geraldine showed more love and care for her cat, Junior ends up turning into more of an animal by bullying girls and even enjoying himself doing it. He at first wanted to enjoy himself and be around the people he wants to be but his mother and society end up turning him into an insecure person with a brainwashed mentality.
ReplyDelete*(86)
Delete"When he had moved on ,the dark took him away, not his nakedness. That stayed in the room with us. Friendly-like." This was from Claudia thinking about the time herself and Freida had seen their father naked. I think this phrase has a lot more meaning than words. It not only shows the innocence of the girls but also touched the concept of home ethics. It also reinforces the well known trait about kids which is that they never forget anything.
ReplyDeleteI find it slightly amusing the way this sentence is phrased. Instead of just saying they saw him naked and never forgot It was put in a way that gives the reader a full vision of what had transpired.
What alarmed me was that they knew that this was definitely something they have not experienced before but at the same time had a instinxct that its also something that they are not supposed to be experiencing either. And although they are innocent little children, they are not too young for a million questions to not be in their heads after. A nd for them to say that vision stayed with them "Friendly-like" made me uncomfortable a tad but I also understand that they are young and although the nakedness does not have to be viewed negatively, It should be explained to children that age by then about males and females and the differences in body.
I believe while raising a child the most important thing to do is explain. Explain until you cant explain anymore. the more they understand the more they will know how to act and understand different life situations
"White kids;his mother did mot like him to play with niggers. She had explained to him the difference between colored people and niggers"(87). This is provocative because it shows a lot of resentment towards black people and also it shows a lot of arrogance.
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