Tag Archives: Beloved

Homework Instructions, Week 11

Quoting Beloved effectively

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In our most recent class, we talked about using quotations more effectively. For homework, and to help you develop your next project, please use the method below to discuss one quotation you plan to use for Project #2. In your post, rather than writing this as a paragraph as you will in your project, break your work into each of the five steps, identifying each part so you can see what goes where, and so we can identify each part in each other’s responses.

Also include a response to using this method: what does it offer you that you didn’t already have in your writing tool-kit? What might it restrict you from doing?

Using Prof. Rebecca Devers’s IQIAA Method, with minor revisions, we’ll call this the five-step method for incorporating quotations:

Introduce: Use transitional phrases to inform your readers that you’re about to use someone else’s words.

Quote: When you quote someone, you are obligated to represent their words accurately. This means avoiding typos and mistakes, and it means providing accurate citations that tell your reader what source provided the words or images.

Interpret: If a quotation can stand on its own without interpretation, then your readers don’t need to read your project or essay. After including a quotation, explain it to your readers. Put that quotation into your own words, or into a language or discourse that your audience can better understand. To get comfortable doing this, consider starting sentences after quotations with phrases like, “In other words, . . . .”

Analyze: Interpretation translates the original author’s words into a language your audience will understand. Analysis tells your readers why that quotation is so important. It highlights the significance of an author’s word choice, argument, example, or logic. Analysis goes beyond the obvious, telling the reader what they may have missed if they didn’t read as carefully as you are.

Apply: Each time you use a quotation, make it clear to your reader how it supports your argument. You can do that by applying your analysis to your thesis statement. Remind your readers of your purpose for writing, and tell them how this quotation, and your analysis of it, helps you support your argument.

As you follow this method to construct a paragraph (or to write your broken-apart paragraph here), you may want to “quote the quote,” pointing to specific words or phrases within the quoted passage that carry meaning or deserve attention.

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Homework, Week 9

Beloved, Week 9

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“Paul D smiled then, remembering the bedding dress. Sethe was thirteen when she came to Sweet Home and already iron-eyed. She was a timely present for Mrs. Garner who had lost Baby Suggs to her husband’s high principles. The five Sweet Home men looked at the new girl and decided to let her be. They were young and so sick with the absence of women they had taken to calves. Yet they let the iron-eyed girl be, so she could choose in spite of the fact that each one would have beaten the others to mush to have her. It took her a year to choose–a long, tough year of thrashing on pallets eaten up with dreams of her. A year of yearning, when rape seemed the solitary gift of life. The restraint they had exercised possible only because they were Sweet Home men–the ones Mr. Garner bragged about while other farmers shook their heads in warning at the phrase.”

The passage that i picked is in chapter one where Paul D is remembering when Sethe first came to live with Mr. and Mrs. Garner after Baby Suggs has passed away.

The passage talks about how Sethe first came to live in the farm with the Garner family after Baby Suggs has passed away. The passage also talks about how the five men that also lived with the Garner which included Paul D first though of Sethe when they saw her for the first time. Since those five lived without the presence of any other female beside Mrs.Garner they did not know how to act towards Sethe, so they just let her do what she wanted. The five men also did not want to fight over who would fight over Sethe but instead waited till Sethe picked one of them on her own.

The passage is important in that it lets us know what Sethe went through after Baby Suggs passed away and how she lived in her early teen years. It also introduces some important characters like Mr. and Mrs. Garner, Paul D and the other 4 men who lived with her which one becomes her husband later on.

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Discussion

Finishing Beloved

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As you finish reading Beloved for Wednesday’s class, share your questions, concerns, and ideas here: I had asked everyone to follow certain recurring ideas in the novel–motifs–so that we could talk about how they shape the story and our understanding of it. Add a comment here about one or more of those motifs, looking at different examples from the novel. For example, in our first discussion on Beloved, we looked at two passages that dealt with memory, and then added another in our last class when we thought about Paul D’s rusted tobacco tin in his heart. Is there a consistent point your motif raises, or does it leave more questions or concerns?

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Homework, Week 10

Claimed.

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I believe that the pivotal passage in Beloved occurred on pages 192-193 when Paul D finds out what exactly happened in 124 and what Sethe has done in the house.

Some quotes that were pivotal:
“I stopped him,” she said, staring at the place where the fence used to be. “I took and put my babies where they’d be safe.”
“It occurred to him that what she wanted for her children was exactly what was missing in 124: safety”
“This here new Sethe talked about safety with a handsaw”

This is where the story actually begins, with the killing of her own daughter in order to protect her from going back to the Sweet Home under the watch of the schoolteacher. Without this killing, there wouldn’t be a haunted house that confined both Sethe and Denver. Sethe may not have lost her daughter, her two sons, and Baby Suggs.

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 confined with the past even though she is no longer a slave. She is still confined by the haunted house.

Sethe knows this now and that is why she refuses to run anymore because she knows that no matter how far she runs to, she will always be confined to her past and to her love for her children.

Another pivotal quote:
“Your love is too thick”
“Suddenly he saw what Stamp Paid wanted him to see: more important than what Sethe had done was what she claimed.”

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.

Sethe went to ultimate measures to claim 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’s.

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.

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Glossary, Week 10

Hillock

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Hillock is a noun

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary hillock is a small hill or mound.

The word is used in chapter 10 of my reading, the narrator in reference to Paul D and his journeys stated, “when he was lost, and found himself without a petal to guide him, he paused, climbed a tree on a hillock and scanned the horizon…”

Paul D in his quest for freedom was trying to travel north during spring time.  He was told to follow the trees and flowers.  When he got lost he climbed to higher ground to see which direction had trees and flowers.

 

 

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Homework, Week 10

The Arrival of Beloved

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Beloved as we know is a very mysterious character in this novel. She leaves us with many questions but one main thought to think about is her contribution in the growth of each character. In other words, the arrival of Beloved is probably the most pivotal moment of this story. This is due to the fact that this mysterious character known as Beloved is the center of this story and pretty much is the heart of what goes on in this story.
124 Bluestone Road. A house located in Cincinnati and a main setting of this story.  This one address is where it all begins. It went through many phases of being loud and quiet however it’s a peaceful house that turned into a haunted house. Why has it become haunted? Reason is the arrival of our mysterious character by the name of Beloved. Beloved is what stirs the household with our characters around.
Moving through our characters, let’s start with our center. Sethe, a former slave who was sold at the age of 14 to the Garners of Sweet Home was a character who went through several children as a result from interactions with Halle. Later on in her life, she moves into 124 and meets Paul D which eventually leads to a sexual relationship. Soon, Beloved enters and without question, Sethe takes her in. An argument soon erupts regarding the truth behind Sethe leading Paul D to move. Beloved becomes someone Sethe cares for. She becomes the reason for Sethe’s existence. She spends almost all her time with and thinking about Beloved. That was until Beloved disappears for good. Without Beloved, Sethe has no where to go that is until Paul D finally returns. So pretty much without Beloved’s arrival, this whole argument and fracas would have never happened and life would’ve been much different and 124 would remain peaceful. Sethe wouldn’t have had any worries or regrets in her life.
Paul D was a major character in this story and had several interactions with Beloved. When Beloved showed up, Paul D showed some confusion. Paul D was known as the frail man with the “Tin Box Heart.” This was due to the many experiences he had as slave and as an escapee from Brandywine. He had no one to be with due to his brothers being dead. That was until he moved to 124 with Sethe. At this point, Paul D still had his “Tin Box Heart”. Beloved was the one who changed that into somewhat of a renewed Steel Beam Heart. After having sexual intercourse with Beloved, Paul D changed and evolved. Later on the story after Paul D moves out, Paul D returns after hearing what happened to Sethe as a result from Beloved’s disappearance. The Tin Can Heart is what Paul D was known for and it was an important symbol in the story. If Beloved didn’t arrive, he would’ve still remained frail and he wouldn’t have had to move out which would really change the story significantly.
To conclude this post, there’s more things to talk about when it comes to the reasons why Beloved’s arrival was very pivotal however the changes in Sethe and Paul D I believe sums this up. Our mysterious character that we call Beloved was the key to each character involved with 124 and without her, this story wouldn’t even be Beloved. It would probably be just a story about a family living in a utopia after slavery.

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Homework, Week 10

Sethe Kills Beloved

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The scene that is so pivotal in Beloved is when the sheriff comes to the shed after Sethe kills Beloved. Starting from page 177, paragraph 3, to page 179, paragraph 1, it states: “They unhitched from schoolteacher’s horse the borrowed mule that was to carry the fugitive woman back to where she belonged, and tied it to the fence. Then, with the sun straight up over their heads, they trotted off, leaving the sheriff behind among the damnedest bunch of coons they’d ever seen. All testimony to the results of a little so-called freedom imposed on people who needed every care and guidance in the world to keep them from the cannibal life they preferred. The sheriff wanted to back out too. To stand in the sunlight outside of that place meant for housing wood, coal, kerosene—fuel for cold Ohio winters, which he thought of now, while resisting the urge to run into the August sunlight. Not because he was afraid. Not at all. He was just cold. And he didn’t want to touch anything. The baby in the baby in the old man’s arms was crying, and the woman’s eyes with no whites were gazing straight ahead. They all might have remained that way, frozen till Thursday, except one of the boys on the floor sighed. As if he were sunk in the pleasure of deep sweet sleep, he sighed the sigh that flung the sheriff into action. “I’ll have to take you in. No trouble now. You’ve done enough to last you. Come on now.” She did not move. “You come quiet, hear, and I won’t have to tie you up.” She stayed still and he had made up his mind to go near her and some kind of way bind her wet red hands when a shadow behind him in the doorway made him turn. The nigger with the flower in her hat entered.

Baby Suggs noticed who breathed and who did not and went straight to the boys lying in the dirt. The old man moved to the woman gazing and said, “Sethe. You take my armload and gimme yours.” She turned to him, and glancing at the baby he was holding, made a low sound in her throat as though she’d made a mistake, left the salt out of the bread or something. “I’m going out here and send for a wagon,” the sheriff said and got into the sunlight at last. But neither Stamp Paid nor Baby Suggs could make her put her crawling-already? girl down. Out of the shed, back in the house, she held on. Baby Suggs had got the boys (Howard and Buglar) inside and was bathing their heads, rubbing their hands, lifting their lids, whispering, “Beg your pardon, I beg your pardon,” the whole time. She bound their wounds and made them breath camphor before turning her attention to Sethe. She took the crying baby (Denver) from Stamp Paid and carried it on her shoulder for a full two minutes, then stood in front of its mother. “It’s time to nurse your youngest,” she said. Sethe reached up for the baby without letting the dead one go. Baby Suggs shook her head. “One at a time,” she said and traded the living for the dead, which she carried into the keeping room. When she came back, Sethe was aiming a bloody nipple into the baby’s mouth. Baby Suggs slammed her fist on the table and shouted, “Clean up! Clean yourself up!”

I believe if Sethe did not kill Beloved than Howard and Buglar would not have been afraid of her. In the text, it states that Howard and Buglar did not want to be near Sethe during the day of Beloved’s funeral. Also, Howard and Buglar were afraid if they were going to be the next child that Sethe was going to kill, so, they ran away from. Likewise, Denver would not have been afraid of Sethe if she did not kill Beloved. Although, she did not run away like her brothers, she was constantly living in fear of what Sethe was going to do. Denver was always watching her mother’s every move, being careful with her, less she be killed as well. Also, Denver believed she had to take care of her mother because she did not want the same episode that happened to Beloved to happen again to herself or anyone else. If Sethe did not kill Beloved with a handsaw, then Beloved’s ghost would not have come in the house to torment her. In the text, Beloved comes to 124 as thin frail girl that has no family. At first, Sethe takes her in and helps her to get better without knowing that it was her daughter. Sethe believed that Beloved was a harmless child and that she was a good friend to Denver. However, Paul D realized something was not right with Beloved. He saw that she came to 124 with a nice dress and nice shoes and he became suspicious of her being homeless because the slaves Paul D encountered were either hungry, robbed, or deprived of something (Page 78). Although, Denver and Sethe ignored Paul D’s assumptions, Denver later realizes that Beloved was her sister and that she came back to take revenge on Sethe for killing her. Sethe, also, realized that Beloved was her child when Beloved would ask Sethe of things that only Sethe would know such as her earrings and other stories that she could not have know if she was a stranger to the family. Furthermore, the scar that was on Beloved’s neck was a clue to Sethe showing that Beloved was her deceased daughter that came back to her.

As Beloved got well, any chance she got she would ask Sethe to retell stories of her life and make sweet desserts for her. Sethe did not oblige and she would do them even if she did not have the resources for it. I believe Sethe was trying to mend her relationship that she broke when she killed Beloved. However, Beloved fed into her remorse and started to suck the life out of her like a parasite. As Beloved got fatter from the constant desserts that Sethe was feeding her, the fighting between them got worse (Page 296). Denver believed “she kept them alive” but she became more afraid for the safety of her mother than the safety of Beloved (Page 296). At the end of the text, Beloved has an ice pick in her hand and Denver and Sethe were running away from Beloved (Page 309). Although, Denver and Sethe does not die, Sethe gets a mental breakdown from the trauma that she went through with Beloved, causing Denver to now take care of her and be the head of the household (Page 319-321). Another point I want to make is that, Paul D could have continued his intimate relationship with Sethe. I believe Paul D wanted to be with Sethe and establish a family ( such as a wife, husband, and child), however, the news of Sethe putting a handsaw to her own child was too traumatic for him, so he left (Page 221).

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Glossary, Week 10

Deft

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deft

: skillful and clever

: able to do something quickly and accurately

:  characterized by facility and skill
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deft
 In Beloved page 185 paragraph 1
 “Young and deft with four children , one of which she delivered herself the day before she got there and who now had the full benefit of Baby Suggs’ bounty and her big old heart.”

This is describing Sethe saying that although she was young, she was very skilled at her age. She was even able to deliver her own children by herself.

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Glossary, Week 9

Gaiety

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gaiety

: a happy and lively quality

plural gai·eties
1
:  merrymaking; also :  festive activity —often used in plural
2
:  high spirits :  merriment
3
:  elegance, finery
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaietyIn Beloved page 87 Paragraph 3

“She had felt warm satisfaction radiating from Beloved’s skin when she listened to her mother talk about the old days. But gaiety she had never seen.”
In this case I believe gaiety is the high spirits and merriment and lively quality of Beloved. This is a kind of happiness that Denver has never seen and this means a lot in a story talking about a time of slavery.
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