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Problems with racism in literature
Racism in American Literature
The theme of oppression in many African American literary works
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Through both novels the hardships of relationships deem to be the most direct causation of the oppression of the blacks. For example in Beloved the relationship between Sethe and Denver deem to be in trouble. As Denver says ‘I think I’ve lost my mother Paul D’ highlights the emotional detachment Denver feels towards Sethe; followed by the possible strain caused by Beloved’s appearance. Denver’s use of ‘I think’ conveys uncertainty and confusion in their relationship; or whatever relationship they still possess. On the other hand it can be argued that Morrison is trying to present the ‘I think’ shows connotations of isolation that Denver feels. This is further supported by the possessiveness of ‘my mother’ as if to show that despite the isolation
Barbara Sher is quoted saying, “Isolation is a dream killer” which is a perfect summation of Ender’s lonely journey through an isolated childhood. Ender’s Game is a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card about a young boy named Ender Wiggin who is taken from his family at the age of six for rigorous training that ultimately leads the entire human space fleet against the alien race, the Buggers, that threatens to destroy all of mankind. Card makes it clear from the very beginning Ender is alone in all this. It is precisely this that is needed for the transformation Ender must undergo to carry the weight of an entire race on his shoulders. Isolation becomes the primary element that contributes to Ender’s success as a leader because it instills self-reliance, strength, and above all else, empathy. He realized that no one is there to help him, no one is coming to his rescue, and only he can be the one to save them all.
Isolation in Brave New World If one's different, one's bound to be lonely." John "The Savage" In the Brave New World, people who are different from the normal standard are alienated and isolated from society because of their individuality. The society of the Brave New World is structured and ordered – the government attempts to control everything. Alienation in the Brave New World can be categorized into three areas: appearance, intellect, and morals.
Isolation dominated the seventy four-year life of Emily Grierson in 'A Rose for Emily' by William Faulkner. Never in this story did she live in harmony with anyone one short time. Even when she died of age at seventy four, people in Jefferson town rushed into her house not because they wanted to say goodbye forever to her but because they wanted to discover her mystic house. Many people agreed that it was the aristocratic status that made Emily?s life isolated. And if Emily weren?t born in the aristocratic Grierson, her life couldn't be alienated far away from the others around her.
From the very beginning of Beloved I have found something very striking about Denver's mannerisms toward Beloved. She is extremely possessive of her sister, not allowing Sethe to assist in caring for the young woman when she is ill. She treasures her time alone with Beloved while Sethe is at work in the restaurant more than anything in her life at that point. She is driven by a hunger to know about the mysterious history of her sister; a hunger that cannot be satisfied by her responses to Sethe and Paul D's simple questions. She furthermore appears to be completely devastated, throwing herself into a blinding and violent rage in the midst of the cold house, when she believes she has been abandoned by the third and most precious of her siblings. It is an attraction that evidently lies in something more complex and difficult to understand than mere sisterly love; it lies rather in the unsettling sense of desperation on Denver's part to be essentially one with Beloved.
In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, love proves to be a dangerous and destructive force. Upon learning that Sethe killed her daughter, Beloved, Paul D warns Sethe “Your love is too thick” (193). Morrison proved this statement to be true, as Sethe’s intense passion for her children lead to the loss of her grasp on reality. Each word Morrison chose is deliberate, and each sentence is structured with meaning, which is especially evident in Paul D’s warning to Sethe. Morrison’s use of the phrase “too thick”, along with her short yet powerful sentence structure make this sentence the most prevalent and important in her novel. This sentence supports Paul D’s side on the bitter debate between Sethe and he regarding the theme of love. While Sethe asserts that the only way to love is to do so passionately, Paul D cites the danger in slaves loving too much. Morrison uses a metaphor comparing Paul D’s capacity to love to a tobacco tin rusted shut. This metaphor demonstrates how Paul D views love in a descriptive manner, its imagery allowing the reader to visualize and thus understand Paul D’s point of view. In this debate, Paul D proves to be right in that Sethe’s strong love eventually hurts her, yet Paul D ends up unable to survive alone. Thus, Morrison argues that love is necessary to the human condition, yet it is destructive and consuming in nature. She does so through the powerful diction and short syntax in Paul D’s warning, her use of the theme love, and a metaphor for Paul D’s heart.
Isolation happens all the time, whether it is someone staying home ignoring the populous or a teenager ignoring his family it isn’t something new. In the two novels we have read this past quarter The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye isolation is one topic that is continually brought up. Different themes and issues are used in each book as a way to bring up and show isolation. Even though both novels use this topic The Catcher in the Rye does a better job of getting the reader to understand isolation than The Great Gatsby.
Likewise, Denver indicates that she cannot grasp why her mother would pour the blood out of someone, especially her own daughter. The young girl contends that “All the time, I’m afraid the thing that happened that made it all right for my mother to kill my sister could happen again. I don’t know what it is, I don’t know who it is, but maybe there is something else terrible enough to make her do it again.” (242-243) Though Denver tells of her fears of the memories, she also speaks of her desire to know what the memories truly do hold. Morrison’s use of the nebulous word “thing” points to the reason behind Sethe’s motive of committing infanticide, which Denver can’t name. Chiefly, the “thing” is what causes Denver to be in a state of distraught. Denver believes this “thing” may motivate her mother to act the same way once again. Furthermore, Morrison’s use of repetition “I don’t know” twice—emphasizes Denver’s need to know what that “thing” might be and wants to know not only the objective facts of the past, but to understand the underlying motives that can cause her mother to perform such an act again without a clear understanding of why. Denver does not wish to be confined within boundaries where her “freedom” to live is taken away. One can see the internal struggle in Denver, which raises questions about Sethe’s inexplicable
In her novel Beloved, Toni Morrison writes about the life of former slaves of Sweet Home. Sethe, one of the main characters, was once a slave to a man and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Garner. After Garner’s sudden death, schoolteacher comes to Sweet Home and takes control of the slaves. His treatment of all the slaves forced them to run away. Fearing that her children would be sold, Sethe sent her two boys and her baby girl ahead to her mother-in-law. On the way to freedom, a white girl named Amy Denver helped Sethe deliver her daughter, who she later names Denver. About a month after Sethe escapes slavery, schoolteacher found her and tried to bring her back. In fear that her children would be brought back into slavery, Sethe killed her older daughter and attempted to kill Denver and her boys. Sethe, along with Denver, was sent to prison and spent three months there. Buglar and Howard, her two sons, eventually ran away. After about eighteen years, another ex-slave from Sweet Home, Paul D., came to live with Sethe and Denver. A few days later, while coming home from a carnival, Sethe, Paul D., and Denver found a young woman of about twenty on their porch. She claimed her name is Beloved. They took her in and she lived with them. Throughout the novel, Morrison uses many symbols and imagery to express her thoughts and to help us better understand the characters. Morrison uses the motif of water throughout the novel to represent birth, re-birth, and escape to freedom.
In her novel Beloved, Toni Morrison explores the paradoxical nature of love both as a dangerous presence that promises suffering and a life-giving force that gives the strength to proceed; through the experiences of the run-away slave Sethe. The dangerous aspect of love is revealed through the comments of Paul D and Ella regarding the motherly love of Sethe towards her children. Sethe's deep attachment to her children is deemed dangerous due to their social environment which evidently promises that the loved one of a slave will be hurt. On the other hand, love is portrayed as a sustaining force that allows Sethe to move on with her life. All the devastating experiences Sethe endures do not matter due to the fact that she must live for her children. Although dangerous, Sethe's love finally emerges as the prevalent force that allows her to leave the past behind and move on with her life.
Tony Morrison’s novel Beloved, explores how slavery effects of the lives of former slaves. Morrison focuses more specifically on how the women in these situations are affected. One of the main areas affected in the lives of these women is motherhood. By describing the experiences of the mothers in her story (primarily Baby Suggs and Sethe) Morrison shows how slavery warped and shaped motherhood, and the relationships between mothers and children of the enslaved. In Beloved the slavery culture separates mothers and children both physically and emotionally.
Isolation, a state of alienation often enforced to protect one’s self from any unwanted persons and/or societal functions. This protective barrier otherwise known as isolation is usually established when one has not yet resolved their own inner conflicts and is instead accusing society and its members. Isolation is not only a physical state, but a state of mind that can severely impact one’s mentality. In recent years, a professor from the University of Chicago centered his attention on examining the minds of the socially isolated. While conducting multiple cerebral experiments, the professor along with his colleagues discovered that “The brains of lonely people react differently than those with strong social networks.” The human mind is created in a peculiar way, to therefore experience regular communication with others, to be able to share ideas and ultimately create strong social connections. However when the mind lacks these fundamentals on a daily basis, it can have a huge underlying effect on one’s overall persona and can drastically alter one’s view on society and its components. Through protagonist, Holden Caulfield’s character in J.D Salinger’s novel; “The Catcher in the Rye”, readers are able to examine to which extent constant isolation can truly influence and alter one’s moral beliefs and/or personal convictions. In the novel, Holden Caulfield voluntarily isolates himself physically, emotionally and socially, as a method of self protection against what he perceives to be a victimizing world around him. As each chapter progresses, Holden Caulfield is delineated by his constant isolation, eventually leading it to become such a crucial aspect in his life that it ultimately shapes not...
"…Races condemned to 100 years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth." These powerful last words of the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude ring true. The book demonstrates through many examples that human beings cannot exist in isolation. People must be interdependent in order for the race to survive.
In Beloved, Toni Morrison frequently alternates between telling stories from Sethe's past, to telling events in the present. Morrison introduces Beloved, who serves as the link between Sethe and Paul D's past at "Sweet Home" as slaves, and the present, living in Ohio as a free family of three: Sethe, Paul D. and Denver. The character of Beloved allows Morrison to explain the experiences and characteristics of the three characters, and how they are reactions to their pasts. Up to Beloved's arrival, Sethe and Denver lived in a "spiteful house.", which created a state of uneasiness. The ghost of Beloved had driven off Sethe's two sons, yet the mother and daughter continued to live at 124. With the arrival of Paul D., some of Sethe's history as a slave resurfaces. Beloved's ghost physically appearing to the lives at 124 allows Morrison to creatively interlock the present events and feelings with the agonizing history Sethe, Paul D. and Denver experienced.
Walt Whitman, a poet and journalist of the nineteenth century, is famous for his ability to see past the physical and write about themes that delve deep into the emotional. In his lyric poem, “A Noiseless Patient Spider,” this fact is highlighted by his concise yet sublime description of isolation as felt by both the spider and reflective speaker. This particular theme of isolation is commonly utilized in writings of detective fiction, such as those by Edgar Allan Poe, to highlight the crazed emotional state of man as well as his fervor and ability, when provided with an enclosed space, to connect the dots and thereby come to a conclusion. In Walt Whitman’s poem, the effects of isolation in detective fiction are mirrored and manifested as reasons for loneliness as well as for finding meaning in the universe by way of the desire for a connection between life’s seemingly meaningless events.
In Toni Morrison's Beloved, there were many different love filled and driven relationships. There are family relationships between siblings, and relationships between mother and children. There are relationships between two different adults in various sorts.