Hi this is Keith, and I have some questions about where I am at in Beloved. First why is Beloved(the child)Â not mentioned in the story until her death. There was many mentions of Seethe’s sons throughout the story. It would have been nice to know her before her death. Also the Beloved that is living with Seethe and Denver was contemplating her body parts falling off. I would imagine that if she was a zombie, but she is not. She is a living person. I also have questions of Denver, such as why she let Beloved choke Seethe, and did not talk about her activities with Paul D. If she wanted to get rid of Paul D, It would have been the perfect way. About Paul D. it was something I would not have seen. That he was being controlled by Beloved totally shot dead my theory that he was the only normal person in the story. How could he do what he did with Beloved (more than once), and how could he leave Seethe for what she did 18 years ago. She was frightened and delirious back then. The only thing I did notice is that he stayed in town so I feel he still has a big part in the story. I have to assume that Baby Suggs ability to endlessly feed the party that day is probably a symbolic gesture that she was more than a person but someone who held special powers. Though I don’t see why that was important. It has been a hard book to read when it is constantly phasing in and out of different times. But now I am interested in how this will play out. That is usually a good sign that the story is well written, even though I would have never thought to read it. So I give Toni Morrison a lot of credit of being a good author.
Monthly Archives: April 2015
Spry
Spry (adjective) – full of life and energy.
This was found in âBeloved,â on page 142, in the third paragraph. âWhere she was once indolent, resentful of every task, now she is spry, executing, even extending the assignments Sethe leaves for them.
With every task given by her mother, Denver became full of life and completed them, only to want more.
Indolent
Indolent (adjective) – not liking to work or be active.
This was found in âBeloved,â on page 142, in the third paragraph. âWhere she was once indolent, resentful of every task, now she is spry, executing, even extending the assignments Sethe leaves for them.
Denver never liked to work. She was resentful of the tasks given.
Lisle
Lisle (noun) – a smooth tightly twisted thread usually made of long-staple cotton.
This was found in âBeloved,â on page 138, in the second paragraph. âDenverâs skin dissolved under that gaze and became soft and bright like the lisle dress that had its arm around her motherâs waist.â
The dress that Denver saw had smooth tightly twisted thread mad of cotton.
Buckboard
Buckboard (noun) – a four-wheeled vehicle with a floor made of long springy boards.
This was found in âBeloved,â on page 12, in the first paragraph. âWhen he turned his head, aiming for a last look at Brother, turned it as much as the rope that he connected his neck to the axle of a buckboard allowed, and, later on, when they fastened the iron around his ankles and clamped the wrists as well, there was no outward sign of trembling at all.â
Paul Dâs neck was connected to a four-wheeled vehicle, kind of like a car.
Continuing Beloved
As Spring Break winds to an end, your reading beckons. The last time we met, we agreed to read through page 247 (if you have the red cover). This is the chapter that begins with the sentence “Beloved is my sister.” It ends with “She’s mine, Beloved. She’s mine.”
Since we’re covering so much of the novel before we meet in person, let’s use this week’s online discussion to formulate questions and do our best to answer them. In the comments below, please ask a question of the class–something you want to think more about, something you want explained, something that bothers you, excites you, intrigues you. Frame your question with what you do understand and what you’re thinking about it, and quote specific passages that help you set up the question. You can ask related questions in one comment, but if you have more than one unrelated question, please ask them in separate comments.
For homework (instruction post to come soon), we’ll all dive in to answer these questions.
Since we’re still on spring break, discussion participation is due after break: Monday at 3pm.
Bereft
Bereft (adjective): 1 a: deprived or robbed of the possession or use of something b: lacking something needed, wanted, or expected; 2: suffering the death of a loved one (Merriam-Webster)
Found on Page 78, paragraph 2 of Beloved–>âThis girl Beloved, homeless and without people, beat all, though he couldnât say exactly why, considering the colored people he had run into during the last twenty years. During, before and after the War he had seen Negros so stunned, or hungry, or tired or bereft it was a wonder they recalled or said anything.â
I believe this word in the quote means when Paul D observed Belovedâs nice dress and shoes, he was suspicious of her being homeless because the slaves Paul D encountered were either hungry, robbed, or deprived of something. This meant that Beloved did not look hopeless and she did not look like she was lacking anything according to Paul Dâs assumptions.
Malevolent
Malevolent (adjective): having or showing a desire to cause harm to another person (Merriam-Webster)
Found on Page 77, paragraph 15 of Beloved–>Â âI take the shoes! I take the dress! The shoe strings donât fix!â she shouted and gave him a look so malevolent Denver touched her arm.â
I believe this word in the quote means that Beloved was getting so upset with Paul D that she gave him a look of wanting to harm him because he kept questioning why she had new shoes if she had walked a long way to 124.
Privy
Privy (noun): 1 a: a small building having a bench with holes through which the user may defecate or urinate; b: toilet; (Merriam-Webster)
Found on Page 61, paragraph 2 of Beloved–>âShe hoped Paul D wouldnât take it upon himself to come looking for her and be obliged to see her squatting in front of her own privy making a mudhole too deep to be witnessed without shame.â
I believe this word in the quote means that Sethe did not want Paul D to witness her urinating heavily in the outhouse.
Noisome
Noisome P 35
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison
“for the noisome cologne signal that thrilled the rabits before it confused them”
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noisome
Toxic, Hazardous, unhealthy
“for the toxic cologne signal…..”
Alex Rodriguez was suspeneded from baseball for the use of noisome and illegal steroids.
