Category Archives: Toni Morrison

Recitatif response

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The Story centers around two girls of two different ethnicities one is black and the other is white but the text never really specifies witch is witch, in fact the Morrison outright confuses the reader into changing there answer constantly forcing the reader reconsider what we thought we knew about the characters. Roberta was the white person for throughout the text we see that she was far better of than Twyla ever was many times when Roberta encountered Twyla outside the orphanage there were emphasis on the fact that she ha a driver or that the first time they met she was bragging about how she was going to a jimmy Hendrix concert. Later in their life they meat again and discus their life’s  it is there that the readers find out that Roberta is married to an ibm and executive a position that I doubt a black man could hold.

Roberta & Twyla

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In the passage “Recitatif”, it gets very confusing given that one character is black and one is white. We are not told what Twyla’s and Roberta’s racial background is. But some clues such as the time period, class, and actions can hint you. I think that Roberta is white. Their first encounter was at St. Bonny’s. where Roberta was there because her mother was sick and Twyla was there because her mother danced all night, which I believe was stripping. I felt that Roberta’s family was a white family, upper class where when her mother wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t able to take care of her she was sent into a place where she would be taken care of. Whereas Twyla was taken away because her mother was busy doing something else rather then take care of her. Down the lane Roberta and Twyla met again. They meant when Twyla was working and Roberta was just hanging out with two men. Another class encounter during the passage was when they both met, they were married. Roberta was married to an IBM executive and Twyla to a firefighter. This shows how their class differ. Roberta even had a driver where Twyla had to drive herself. In 1970s only white people had that type of money. Blacks were working class. So this is why I believe that Roberta is white and Twyla is black.

My mom and Me

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I may look too young to remember.This park was in the back of Tompkins Projects in Brooklyn. I lived there for a short time in my life, maybe between the ages of two and four. Back in the 1980’s floral print was the “in”. Apparently it was the norm for mom and her daughter to dress alike. Looking at myself makes me realize that times have obviously developed. I searched the back of the picture for a dare and there wasn’t one. That must have been one day in the spring when my mom picked me up from daycare. I think it was spring, and not summer. The sun was shining bright, and i didn’t have a jacket on, neither did my mom. The bright colors and trees already blossomed makes me know that this was spring.

I don’t think I was ever really entertained a this playground. It actually does not look that there was much to be entertained by. I was entertained at school playing with my classmates, learning my alphabet and running a muck. This orange bench i’m sitting on, which I think was some sort of object used for climbing, became a prop for photography. That was all the better for me, I was never really a climber anyway. Back to these floral prints and suspenders, in this playground that seemed more like a social court. With the lack of playground development and the fact that young ladies and little girls had oughta have shoes with buckles, is mostly the reason our fun was all in enjoying the sun, and taking pictures to remember this time, that would explain the huge smile on my moms face . People just seemed happier then. The fact that no one was in the picture but my mom and I,  is pretty relevant since I was an only child. Nothing in the background but plant life and free air. I think I had a piece of mind when my eyes closed due to the lighting of the camera, and woke up to the sun after the flash .

The 80's

The 80’s

Bigot

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Bigot (noun)

Definition: a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas, etc. : a bigoted person; especially : a person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group (such as a racial or religious group)

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bigot

Found in: “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison

Quote: “Maybe I am different now, Twyla. But you’re not. You’re the same little state kid who kicked a poor old black lady when she was down on the ground. You kicked a black lady and you have the nerve to call me a bigot.”

I understand now that this term was used for Roberta to turn the tables on Twyla, exclaiming that Twyla called HER the judgmental one, when Twyla “kicked” Maggie. In this scene, we can tell that Roberta is pointing the finger and that she hates the idea of what they did when children makes her a bigot.

Hunky-dory

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Hunky-dory (adjective)

Definition: free or trouble or problems

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunky-dory

Found in: “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison

Quote: “My ears were itching and I wanted to go home suddenly. This was all very well but she couldn’t just comb her hair, wash her face and pretend everything was hunky-dory. After the Howard Johnson’s snub. And no apology. Nothing.”

I understand now that Twyla was saying that after the incident were Roberta was very rude to her, she couldn’t just pretend that it never happened and everything was okay now.

Homework for “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison

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In “Recitatif,” Morrison presents two women, one white and one black, without identifying which is which. After reading the short story, how do you identify Twyla and Roberta? Write a comment tracing how you understand each character’s racial identity, using evidence from the text to support your understanding. Reply to one comment that you feel needs your insight!

PS–I’ve added additional meeting times if you are interested in meeting with me and getting an extension on Project #2. I look forward to working with you!