Tag Archives: Beloved

Salsify

Salsify (n) : a European biennial composite herb (Tragopogon porrifolius) with a long fusiform edible root —called also oyster plant, vegetable oyster

definition from Merriam Webster

(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salsify)

salsify

 

From Beloved by Toni Morrison (page 27, 3rd line)

She who had never had one but this one; she who left a dirt floor to come to this one; she who had to bring a fistful of salsify into Mrs. Garner’s kitchen every day just to be able to work in it, feel like some part of it was hers, because she wanted to love the work she did, to take the ugly out of it, and the only way she could feel at home on Sweet Home was if she picked some pretty growing thing and took it with her.

Paul D thought the 124 house is not important or a big deal, but the house is the only thing that she owned. When she was at Sweet Home, she had to take salsify flowers into Mrs. Garner’s kitchen just to make it feel like her house.

Beloved looking at the murder

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This is a scene of a woman killing her baby girl at a woodshed. The woman can be assumed as Sethe because of her swollen foot. Behind by the open door, a young girl who is wearing a black dress with lace is Beloved with three vertical scratches on her forehead. Beloved, who is an embodied spirit of the murdered child, is watching her mother killing herself. Beloved is crying by the door but she cannot do anything about the murder because she is already dead. The point of view of this picture is Beloved, who is watching the scene in the back. Beloved in the back symbolizes that even though she knows she was killed by her mother, she does not know why Sethe killed her and how she felt when she was killing her own child, because she is looking from the back. Also in this picture, Sethe’s face is not fully shown, which also means that Beloved is not able to understand the feeling of Sethe when she was killing her child. Because Sethe killed her baby girl and the only thing that the murdered baby knows is the fact that she was killed by her mother, she comes back alive to her mother as Beloved with full of venom and anger.

Killing Beloved

In a novel “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, Sethe is a black slavery woman who suffers from the memory of her killing her own daughter. The daughter comes back to Sethe as Beloved, embodied spirit of the murdered daughter with venom and anger toward her mother. The moment of Sethe killing her daughter has tragic ramifications throughout the entire novel. Because of the infanticide, Sethe lost her two sons, Baby Suggs, the people in the town and the daughter Beloved. Without the occurrence of infanticide, the story would be totally different from the original novel.

When Sethe escaped from Sweet Home with her children, the four horsemen – schoolteacher, nephew, one slave catcher and a sheriff – came to the house on Bluestone Road where the runaway slaves were, including Sethe and her children. At first, the four horsemen thought they were too late to catch Sethe but they started to walk toward a shed when some other slave stared at the shed. “Inside, two boys bled in the sawdust and dirt at the feet of a nigger woman holding a blood-soaked child to her chest with one hand and an infant by the heels in the other. She did not look at them; she simply swung the baby toward the wall planks, missed and tried to connect a second time … “(Morrison 175). After Mr. Garner’s death, Sethe knew that unlike Mr. Garner, schoolteacher was same as other majority of whites, who can make the slaves to work, kill them, or dirty them. As she thought that she does not want their children to go through what she had been went through, she decided rather to kill their children by herself than to let it happen to the children. So she took all her children to the woodshed and killed her “Crawling Already?” girl, Beloved.

The fact that Beloved was killed by her mother led the entire story tragic that Sethe lost her sons and other people in the town. First, the baby girl who was killed by Sethe came back to Sethe’s house as a ghost. “124 was spiteful. Full of a baby’s venom.” (3) 124 is the house where Sethe and her alive daughter, Denver were living. Sethe’s sons, Howard and Buglar, left the house earlier “as soon as merely looking in a mirror shattered it (that was the signal for Buglar); as soon as two tiny hand prints appeared in the cake (that was the signal for Howard)” (3). Beloved was a baby when she was killed by her mother, so she returned to her mother as a ghost in the haunted house. If Sethe did not kill Beloved, the house would not be haunted with the baby’s venom. Because she killed her own daughter, people around her left her. For example, Howard and Buglar left the house not only because of the haunted house and the baby’s venom, but also because of the fact that their mother killed her own daughter and tried to kill them too. Also other black people in the town started to ignore the residents of 124.

Sethe killed her own child because she loved her and wanted to protect her from living as a black slave at Sweet Home – or anywhere in the world. In page 194, after Paul D found out that Sethe killed her child as she was escaping from Sweet Home, he said Sethe’s love is too thick. But Sethe replied to him that “Love is or it ain’t. Think love ain’t love at all … It ain’t my job to know what’s worse. It’s my job to know what is and to keep them away from what I know is terrible. I did that.” She told Paul D that she had to kill the children to keep them away from being slave, but Paul D said that decision was wrong. He added that “’You got two feet, Sethe, not four …’” Even Paul D who loved Sethe deeply in his heart, could not accept the fact that Sethe killed her own baby, and made him leave her.

Because Sethe killed Beloved her only alive daughter, Baby Suggs and Denver had to go through hardships as well. When Stamp Paid kept trying to get to 124 to talk to Sethe, he realized that he understood Baby suggs’ feeling too late. “The heart that pumped out love, the mouth that spoke the Word, didn’t prove or condemn Sethe’s rough choice. One or the other might have saved her, but beaten up by the claims of both, she went to bed” (212). Baby Suggs used to say the Word at the Clearing every Saturdays, but she refused to preach after Sethe’s act of infanticide. Also when Denver used to go to Lady Jones to learn to spell and count, she had to stop going to Lady Jones because of her mother’s past. Nelson Lord was a smart classmate, “who put a stop to it; who asked her the question about her mother that put chalk, the little I and all the rest that those afternoons held, out of reach forever.” Nelson Lord asked Denver the question about her mother’s infanticide out of curiosity, and she could not just laugh about it because Denver was actually wondering what happened for what reason. After that, she stopped going to the class and she became deaf because she did not want to hear the answer from her mother. Baby Suggs and Denver are important families to Sethe but she made them have hard time because of her past.

Lastly, Sethe’s act of infanticide made the murdered daughter to bear a grudge against her mother and return to Sethe as Beloved, the embodied spirit of murdered child. After Sethe found out that Beloved was the embodied spirit of her own daughter, she tried hard to explain how much she had suffered for her children for her whole life, but Beloved never listened. “None of which made the impression it was supposed to. Beloved accused her of leaving her behind. Of not being nice to her, not smiling at her. She said they were the same, had the same face, how could she have left her? And Sethe cried, saying she never did, or meant to – that she had to get them out, away … that her plan was always that they would all be together on the other side, forever. Beloved wasn’t interested. She said when she cried there was no one. That dead men lay on top of her. That she had nothing to eat” (284). Even though Sethe tried to explain and make Beloved understand what she went through and what she meant, Beloved was too young to understand her mother and the murder. She already had inveteracy deep inside.

There are moments or occurrences that have ramifications throughout the story in novels like Beloved. In Beloved, the moment when Sethe killed her own daughter made the tragic of the entire story and if this did not happen the story would be totally different than the original story. Because the daughter was murdered by Sethe, people in the town ignored Sethe and her family for a long time, and Sethe lost her sons and grandmother Baby Suggs, and the most important person, Beloved.

 

Morrison, Toni. Beloved: A Novel. New York: Knopf, 1987. Print.

Claimed Cover Letter.

Project #2 Part 1:
Claimed
Part 2:
The Tree of Slavery

Dear Professor Rosen,
Something I am extremely proud of for my project #2 is the artwork that I produced. I love the quotes that make up the roots of the tree. It comes to show that slavery is deeply rooted in the world that can not be seen from the naked eye. It comes to show the ugly parts of slavery that is no longer remembered.

The most challenging part of the project is finding the quotes that will support my thesis statement. From the beginning while reading the story I knew I wanted to talk about ‘claiming’ and ‘being claimed’. I had an idea of what quotes I want to use but it was extremely difficult looking for the specific quotes I wanted to use because of the timeline of the story.

Some new skills I acquired with this project is finding the deep rooted meanings behind the story and behind slavery. Sometimes it is a lot easier to just read the book and understand what has happened in the plot. When reading it slowly in order to truly understand the novel and what the author is trying to portray it takes more skills but it also brings a lot more satisfaction.

Something I may want to change about the project is probably focusing more on the artistic part of the project besides just writing the paper. It might be cool to do a presentation on this project instead of on another book that resonates with me.

As a writer, I love digging deep into the meanings of several quotes and finding out the meanings of it not only to myself but also to the author and other readers as well. Although I like to find these meanings and incorporate them in my paper, I have trouble putting my thoughts together in a coherent essay for my readers because I have a lot to write about.

 

Claimed.

The need for possession is a reoccurring theme in the book Beloved by Toni Morrison that gives readers an insight to the turmoil and pain experienced during the time of slavery. This theme is ironic because as a slave, the characters in the story possessed nothing, being the possession of someone else. There is a need to own something of their own even though they do not even hold possession of themselves. This can be seen in the pivotal passage in Beloved that occurred on pages 192-193 when Paul D finds out what exactly happened in 124 and what Sethe has done in the house. The story of Sethe actually begins with the killing of her own daughter in order to protect them from going back to the Sweet Home under the watch of the schoolteacher. Without this killing, there would not be a haunted house that confined both Sethe and Denver. The ultimate need for possession can be seen with Sethe’s infanticide in order to keep her children for herself.

Sethe justifies her murder by saying, “I stopped him, I took and put my babies where they’d be safe” (Morrison 2004: 193). In this pivotal quote, readers can see that Sethe went to ultimate measures to claim what is hers. She wasn’t willing to give away that claim to the schoolteacher. And now, Beloved will always be hers only, and no one else. Only in Sethe’s possession would her children be safe from the schoolteacher and his nephews. This was a pivotal part of the story because it’s what drives all the events that happens afterwards while also explaining the turmoil of slavery to be in possession of someone else and how this turmoil makes you want to hold on even more to that little bit that you do own.

This sort of possession and love was chastised by Paul D when he says, “your love is too thick” (Morrison 2004: 193). Toni Morrison also explains that, “suddenly he saw what Stamp Paid wanted him to see: more important than what Sethe had done was what she claimed” (Morrison 2004: 193). To claim something is dangerous in the slavery world because their claims are never forever and that is why Paul D calls it too thick. Throughout the story, we see the characters trying to claim something. They could never claim anything because they were slaves, they couldn’t even put a claim on themselves. Paul D, Denver, and Beloved wanted to claim Sethe’s love for themselves. They’ve never known what it feels to hold a claim on something and they each have this thirst to finally claim something.

Another claim that can be seen was Sethe’s continuous claim to her daughter after she has died. Sethe gave “ten minutes for seven letters” (Morrison 2004: 5). This stood out to me a lot because it is the first look at how much she loved her children. It never explicitly tells the reader what exactly this line means. But it is implied that she was willing to give the engraver ten minutes of sexual pleasure in exchange for the 7 letters of ‘Beloved’ to be engraved on her baby daughter’s tombstone. It brings to mind the lack of independence Africans had before and after the Civil War. Names are independent for each individual. When her daughter died, she is only referred to as “Beloved” in the story and never by her actual birth name. I feel that ‘beloved’ is a word of ownership. You have to be someone or something’s ‘beloved’. In this way, her daughter will always be hers and will always stay with her.

The possession Sethe claims of her daughter can also be seen when Paul D complains about Sethe babying Denver. When Sethe apologizes for Denver, Paul D says, “It means she has to take it if she acts up. You can’t protect her every minute. What’s going to happen when you die?” (Morrison 2004: 54). In response, Sethe says “Nothing! I’ll protect her while I’m live and I’ll protect her when I ain’t” (Morrison 2004: 54). In this quote, Sethe explains her claim to Denver and how even if Sethe can’t protect Denver physically in person, she will still be able to protect her. This passage foreshadows Sethe’s claim to Beloved and what measures she will take to protect her children. This is why she exclaims that she will protect her daughters no matter what, dead or alive.

No matter how much Sethe tried to claim what is hers, such as her children, she was still claimed by her past as a slave. Paul D says, “It occurred to him that what she wanted for her children was exactly what was missing in 124: safety” (Morrison 2004: 193). In a way, I feel that the author Toni Morrison is telling the readers that no matter how hard Sethe tried to run from the Sweet Home and cruelty of slavery, she will never be able to be a true free woman. She is still claimed and possessed by her past even though she is no longer a slave. This resonates with the readers when thinking about racism and prejudice in the world today. Even though slavery has ended and people are advocating for equality, there is a chance that it may never be achieved no matter how hard we try. Africans will always be possessed by the turmoil their ancestors must’ve felt in slavery, and probably their own turmoil of racism.

The theme of possession is a struggle that can be seen throughout the story between Sethe’s hold on her children and slavery’s hold on Sethe. Of course the beginning of this turmoil is the beginning of slavery, but when Sethe tries to kill all her children in order to put a claim on them, readers are able to understand the pain and thought process of people in the time of slavery. Infanticide can be seen as an exit to slavery, a sort of blessing or safety for a mother. Sethe believes that death is the only escape for her children to the cruelty of slavery. This allows readers to see the negativity of slavery besides what the naked eye can see such as physical abuse. Slavery is seen as something that is worse than death, something that could affect their kin several generations down. We are still experiencing the aftermath of slavery whether it is racism or prejudices. This brings to mind the question: when will slavery’s possession on civilization ever end?

The tree of Slavery

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Slavery is like a tree in that it is rooted in history, and rooted in the lives of everyone in this society. The tree looks big, strong, and even beautiful but what is not seen in the naked eyes is the roots of the tree. Like the tree, the roots of slavery is still around today even though we do not see it. There is still discrimination and prejudice against black people even though slavery is abolished. Like the tree in Beloved, Sethe is ashamed to see the beauty of it even though it represents the tree where the other Sweet Home men may have been lynched.

Some quotes deeply rooted in the history of slavery that resonates with me are those involved in Sethe’s (and other slaves of the time) need to claim something during slavery. She has a strong desire to prevent her children from experiencing what she has experienced in Sweet Home. In order to put her children somewhere safe, the only escape is death. Stories like such are the roots of slavery that will never be erased from history even though we do not actively think about or see it in today’s society. This artwork is trying to bring sight to the roots of slavery and how it will always stay with us no matter how far we have improved since then.

Slavery is seen as something that is worse than death, something that could affect their kin several generations down. We are still experiencing the aftermath of slavery whether it is racism or prejudices. This brings to mind the question: when will slavery’s possession on civilization ever end?

 

Project #2 Cover Letter

The story “Beloved,” by Toni Morrison proved to be quite interesting.  I enjoyed reading the novel and was not surprised by the conclusion.  It was easy to relate to Sethe not thinking rationally about having her dead daughter who reincarnated live with her.  I can relate because many times we make mistakes and hope for a chance to fix those mistakes.   To Sethe this was her chance to make things right with her daughter and make her understand she killed her because she loved her.  For Part 1 of the project, deciding a pivotal moment in the novel was not difficult.  I am very proud of the fact that I was able to identify a pivotal moment and use interesting information to back up the main quote and the supporting quotes that I used.

Part 2 of project #2 was most challenging for me.  Although the story inspired me in many ways I had difficulty thinking of creative ways to depict that.  I choose to use concrete poetry.  I spent many hours trying to figure out how to do this creative method.   After figuring out how to convert my pivotal quote into a symbol, I spent some time trying to draw.  Finally, I drew a hat which represented the hat Schoolteacher wore when he came to take Sethe and her children back to Sweet Home and slavery.  I am not an artist, but I did my best.  I have definitely acquired a new skill.  I am now able to make concrete poetry.  I have also learn to use the five step method which I plan to use whenever I write similar essays.

The part of my project that I would change is the hat and the words.  I would try to draw a better hat and make it bigger and use a larger font size for the words of the quote.  I made a colored version of the hat but had difficulty pasting it in my post. I was not overly excited about the creative part of project #2.  This is because I am not a very creative person when comes to making images.  Therefore the part of project #2 assignment that I would change or eliminate is the creative aspect which is part 2.

As a writer I am intrigued by Toni Morrison’s method of writing.  I loved her creativity, the level of suspense and her use of flashbacks.  Whenever a flashback appeared in the story I became excited.  This is because each flashback gave an explanation and clarify what, why, where, when and how present day events were happening.

Feeble

feeble

: very weak

: not good enough : not successful or effective

fee·bler \-b(ə-)lər\ fee·blest \-b(ə-)ləst\

 

1
a :  markedly lacking in strength

b :  indicating weakness

2
a :  deficient in qualities or resources that indicate vigor, authority, force, or efficiency
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feeblePage 310 paragraph 1 – “Here Boy, feeble and shedding his coat in patches, is asleep by the pump, so Paul D knows Beloved is truly gone.”

I understand that Here Boy is just sleeping in the house, weak and lacking strength  by the way the situation is described in the sentence. He is just laying there shedding off the patches on his skin.

Cover Letter for Project #2

When I wrote this paper, I was wondering how was I going to write a 4-5 page paper on a book that I do not like. I was not really interested or excited about the text but I manage to bring issues in my thesis statement through a lot of research in the text and Internet. In this project, I am proud that I was able to formulate a thesis statement that was clear, understandable, and can be argued throughout my essay. Usually I am struggling to make a thesis statement when I am writing a paper, but in this project I had too many ideas bouncing around in my head. My thesis statement could have been a paragraph if I did not put any constraints on my ideas. The difficult part of this project was narrowing my thesis statement because of the many ideas I had. I had wrote so many ideas in my first draft of part 1 that I had to cut things out in order to keep the important things that would help me in aiding in my argument. Another challenging thing about this project was finding evidence from the text to support my argument. Although, I marked up my book and made notes, the language of the text was so off putting, so I had to continually go on SparkNotes to find out where certain information was located in the text and what a certain passage meant.

The skill that I required from doing this project is doing a better thesis statement for my essay. I believe this skill is going to be great in the future when I work in the legal profession because as an attorney you are supposed to formulate arguments in your case. Another skill I required is analyzing and interpreting passages from text. The five-step method from Professor Dever’s was hard to grasp at first but as I wrote my essay, I started to understand the concept behind that methodology. It made me analyze more in the evidence I was using to support my argument; something that I would never do. If I could change any part of my project, I would not change anything. After many revisions, I believe my work product is good and I am confident that it deserves a passing grade. If I could change any part of project #2, I would only include part 2 of the project because I got to be creative and I did not have to formulate a thesis statement in a structured paper. Basically, in part 2 I got to have fun. Lastly, I would consider changing the book and using a different text that is more clear, adventurous, and fun to read, so that students can enjoy writing about a book that they love.