SoS Critical Lens Experts

 This artical talks about the Seven Days the revange from the black people fighting back to the white people some type of revolution "microcosm of the two primary ideological streams which have characrized Afro-American polical thought in the twentieth century." it means that the artical really relate to reality of what was really going on at the time. The artical talks about how Guitar Bains is like Malcolm X because they had the same belief to fight back to get there respect, freedom and revolution

The Seven Day is a group commited to avenging the murder of black people in other words they were the violent revolutionaries fighting back with death, this shows the way it was in the book back in the time. Compare with the times of slavery this times were the worse they got tired with the time and decited to fight back with violence too.

"As Ralph Ellion said thirty years ago, "There is np place like a Negro barbershop for hearing what Negros really think" this articule talks about how black people males openly and candidly comunicate as a community they are, this shows how times where like in the book because they Negro males expressed their ideas in a place were they're were no white people around. Maybe they didn't part of the society and share ideas with the rest of the society specially white foes. 

Lauren Song of Solomon close reading

The historical accuracy of Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is rather good. "Ain't but two toilets downtown they let colored in: Mayflower Restaurant and Sears." This takes place right before the Civil Rights Movement in a time when segregation was still legal and widely practiced. Looking at this quote and knowing that most Restaurants did not allow those of color in and that the Mayflower was the name of the ship on which the Pilgrims first came to New England, it would seem that the use of Mayflower could be symbolic for change and new beginnings and forward thinking.  Or perhaps it simply refers to the hopeful image of a flower in May. "A young Negro boy had been found stomped to death in Sunflower County, Mississippi. There were no questions about who stomped him - his murderers had boasted freely - and there were no questions about the motive. The boy had whistled at some white woman, refused to deny he had slept with others ad was a Northerner visiting the South. His name was Till." This is referring to the murder of Emmett Till a young man of color visiting Mississippi. He was murdered for allegedly flirting with a white woman, and for this he was made to carry a 75 pound cotton gin fan to the river, then stripped and beaten nearly to death by the woman's husband and brother before they gouged out his eye, shot him in the head and tied his body to the fan with barbed wire and threw it in the river. Emmett was from the North where people rarely mutilated and murdered others for flirting with someone of another race, he was unprepared for the violence and hate he met with in the South. The mention of this event in the book not only helps to get a better sense of the time period but helps us to understand the viewpoints and concerns of those living there at the time.

Lauren Song of Solomon Experts

The article I read was "Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon and Black Cultural Nationalism." by Harry Reed. Mr. Reed shares many of my views regarding Morrison and her novel, for instance he points out how Morrison portrays very strong female characters. "A deep reverence for black females and black female networks pervades Morrison's novel. She avoids romanticizing or idealizing woman's hard circumstances, but every woman, except possibly Hagar, has small moments of triumph." (Page 75) Morrison portrayed very strong female characters for not only the time the book is set in, but also for the time in which it was written. And as Reed puts it "Moreover one can view three of Morrison's women-Pilate, Circe, and Ruth-as nationalist archetypes." (Page 75).  I personally enjoy books with strong female characters and the characters in this book are all very well portrayed.

Maura Entry #8: Final Project Reflection First Draft

After reading two novels through the feminist lens, I feel that using a lens is important when reading and analyzing a piece of literature. By using a feminist lens, I was able to notice a lot more about the importance of gender and gender roles in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Song of Solomon. I was exposed to the realities of women and the roles they were expected to fill, and the pressure they faced to fill the tiny spaces in society they were allowed and nothing more, as mothers and daughters and wives, as reformers and the innocent. By using this lens I was able to notice more than the surface meaning of the novel, enabling me to make comparisons between novels. For example, while both Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Song of Solomon make it clear that in "proper" society, women are expected to fill certain roles, past that, female characters in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn exist only to further the plot or alter Huck in some way. However, in Song of Solomon, while the female characters' stories do affect the main character, Milkman, they are actual three-dimensional characters with histories and motivations that may not necessarily affect Milkman. Using a lens allows me to see the full scope of an issue, rather than just the surface understanding you get by reading the text without the lens.
However, using a lens means that by focusing in so deeply on the issue, I miss a lot of the intricacies of other issues discussed in these novels. For example, when discussing Hagar's obsession with her hair in Song of Solomon, I focused on Hagar's motivation and the pressure she felt to meet society's standards of beauty in order to attract Milkman's attention; completely ignoring the pressures of society in appeasing white standards of beauty, especially, silky smooth hair instead of her natural curls. By focusing so deeply in on gender and gender roles, I completely ignored and forgot about how race played a lot into the story-lines of these novels.

Song Of Solomon Close Reading

When she closed the door behind her afternoon guests, and let the quiet smile die from her lips, she began the preparation of food her husband found impossible to eat. She did not try to make her meals nauseating; she simply didn’t know how not to. She would notice that the sunshine cake was too haggled to put before him and decide on a rennet dessert. But the grinding of the veal and beef for a meat loaf took so long she not only forgot the pork, settling for bacon drippings poured over the meat, she had no time to make a dessert at all. Hurriedly, then, she began to set the table. As she unfolded the white linen and let it billow over the fine mahogany table, she would look once more at the large water mark. She never set the table or passed through the dining room without looking at it. Like a lighthouse keeper drawn to his window to gaze once again at the sea, or a prisoner automatically searching out the sun as he steps into the yard for his hour of exercise, Ruth looked for the water mark several times during the day. knew it was there, would always be there, but she needed to confirm its presence. Like the keeper of the lighthouse and the prisoner, she regarded it as a mooring, a checkpoint, some stable visual object that assured her that the world was still there; that this was life and not a dream. That she was alive somewhere, inside, which she acknowledged to be true only because a thing she knew intimately was out there, outside herself.

    In this passage Ruth seems to be trapped, she seemed to be internally delusional. At the beginning of the passage her smile fades away “let the quiet smile die from her lips”, this demonstrates that she is not happy, as the word “die”, shows that she clearly has a problem and therefore, her smile quickly fades away. Ruth seems to keep her husband unsatisfied “she began the preparation of food her husband found impossible to eat”, in this short line from the passage, the author reveals, Ruth can't cook,and she uses the word “impossible” to show that her cooking is pretty bad.As she was setting the table one thing that was metioned in the midle of the passage was a white line apperently it was a water mark though it represented something “ As she unfolded the white linen and let it billow over the fine mahogany table, she would look once more at the large water mark. She never set the table or passed through the dining room without looking at it”, Ruth seemed to be attracted to the white line for some reason, though it must of been something that held importance because “ she never set the table or passed through the dinning room without looking at it”. In the passage it was compared to “prisoner automatically searching out the sun” or “lighthouse keeper drawn to his window to gaze once again at the sea” and this has some significance because a prisoner has a limited time to be outside and a lightkeeper will be driven to look at out onto the sea. Though ruth saw it as a “checkpoint”, that would “ assured her that the world was still there”, which meant she might of not been living the way she wanted because she was used the mark to show that “the world was still there” and it seemed as though she was lost emotionally and mentally as in the text describes “she was alive somewhere,inside”, which means she was not her usual self, and it was a mental and emotional inter conflict that was represented in the text.

Lauren Huck Finn Experts

The article "The Life of Samuel Clemens and the Reception of Huckleberry Finn" shares many of my own views and points out many of the similarities between the life of Mark Twain (AKA Samuel Clemens) and the world in Huckleberry Finn. For example "Although Clemens rarely visited Hannibal after he left in 1853, his experiences there played a large role in his writing and, indeed, strongly shaped his best known works, Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The St. Petersburg of these novels is a largely faithful rendition of Hannibal in the 1840's." (Page 20-21) As I have pointed out before the boyhood adventures of Mark Twain are reflected in much of Huckleberry Finn both in the characters and events, as well as the town of St. Petersburg. The article also mentions the origins of Samuel Clemens' pen name of Mark Twain, "In a comic travel piece he filed from Carson City in February 1863, Clemens first signed his name as "Mark Twain." Clemens later said that he took the name, which on the Mississippi meant "two fathoms," from an old writer-pilot named Isaiah Sellers; in Nevada, however, the term meant two drinks bought on credit, so Clemens may have wanted his readers to think of this meaning as well."(Page 22) The author brings up some good ideas in what Twain may have wanted his readers to think of when they read his name. I was unaware that Clemens had taken the name from a writer-pilot, and had assumed that it was his love of the Mississippi and his time on a steamboat that had inspired him to take the pen name Mark Twain. One of the most interesting things the article mentioned that I had not previously known was about Clemens as a father. "Though Clemens loved his daughters, he was a difficult father, one who did not find it easy to grant them anything like the independence he valued in Huck." (Page 24) I found it odd that for all the freedom and adventures he gave his characters he could not bring himself to grant his children the same.

Lauren: Song of Solomon Responding and Reflecting

Song of Solomon is set beginning in 1931 and ending around 1963. It was written by Toni Morrison in the 1970's.  This book was written just after the start of the Civil Rights Movement Act became a law in 1964. The Civil Rights Movement started in 1955 during the events of the novel. 1931 was the pinnacle of the Harlem Renaissance , it also marked the rise of a new sophisticated class of intellectual African-Americans immersed in culture and aesthetic pursuits. In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person and was arrested sparking protests. This is reflected in the way the book handles race and focuses mostly on the issue of race and racism in America at the time. The time the book takes place in as well as the time it was written in were both changing times in the way people looked at race and civil rights and liberties mainly regarding people of color. The change in class in the late 1920's to the early 1930's is shown in the book in the classes of the different characters. Milkman and Guitar are two different classes and have different experiences because of it. Milkman is privileged while Guitar grew up in poverty after his fathers murder and hates white people because of it. Guitar is a murderer who kills innocent white people, contributing to negative stereotypes and racism. Race is still a major issue in today's world. Being white I don't experience a lot of racism myself, but people still make assumptions about me because of my race. I've gotten plenty of remarks that I can't complain about things because I am white and clearly well off and that means I am perfectly happy. I've been told I can't talk about certain issues because I am white, because I am white I am expected to do better in school, I am expected to meet the social norms of being "a typical white person".

SoS Responding and Reflecting #6 Tony H

How is race portrayed in this book? by how rich or poor you are if your poor and black they would discriminate you and if your rich people are nice to you and don't judge your color. Characters experience racism yes they Guitar those Milkman doesn't because his pretty rich and Guitar is poor and his treated bad.

What is Milkman's feelings about his race? Its alienate it from the African American race his more like into the white people his white wash, doesn't really show that much pride of his culture and race in compares to Guitar. What is Guitar's feelings about his race? Guitar has a bigger stronger feeling of his race his really proud of it and he seems white people responsible for all evil in the world, you can tell he hates white people. They're different in many ways even thought they are best friends. They have different ideas because they are influenced my they're past Milkman is pretty wealthy and hasn't experienced the racist experiences Guitar has been thought in the pass compare to Guitar. Guitar has been thought a lot compare to Milkman his poor and his father was killed in a factory accident and he has this big hatred to white people. I think that racism in this book was based in what you have been though in the pass if you were poor and had bad experiences just because your not rich, because if you were rich and black you were't that effected by racist white people or just people would treat you better. Compare to Huckleberry Finn on portrayal of racism different in this book is that they don't use the work n----- they still use the word negro but is not that effected as the work n----- is you can they are less racist in Song of Solomon. This connects to the real life now people aren't so racist now but if your poor they see you as less than other people who are rich.

Wendy- Critical Experts lens

Toni Morrison in “Song of Solomon” has slightly similar ideas to Doreatha Drummond Mbalia  based on the relationship and the connection black society had between each other depending on their economical status. Drummond, an African professor with interest on African studies, reads this book with a historical context and historical ideas. Drummond uses quotes to get her point across and to explain her believes.

Doreatha mentions “she is more aware of the role capitalism plays in the African’s exploitation,” while she is adding information about the author. She is talking about how Morrison incorporates these two families with the same ethnicity just different economical background. Adding these two different families builds on the idea of how Morrison views what happened based from her point of view as an African American. They are both talking on how capitalism is creating a bigger gap between these two families and how it’s affecting the relationship among this community. Drummond appreciates how Morrison’s protagonist grows throughout the whole book and becomes more mature to notices what is happening even though at times he might not seem affected due to the wealth his family has. We can also see that people get discriminated in different forms based on the economical status even if they are from the same color skin. People with money are at different levels than the poor even if they are black because that’s the expectations society has put out for them.

While Doreatha also mentions how “Milkman must learn to respect his African self and to realize that money does not ensure happiness.” She contradicts her ideas because before she had said that capitalist plays a role in exploitation and oppression and now she says that that money doesn’t ensure happiness. But in reality how can money not ensure happiness when Mrs. Bains has to be worried of how to sustain her grandchildren while on the other hand Macon has everything he needs and slightly more. It doesn’t give all your full happiness but it does relief from stress.  Milkman has grown with his father’s ideas of only wanting more money for himself without valuing the work people have to do in order to pay him. The greed Dead has is passing on to his child but the point is not coming across since Milkman doesn’t see real difference among him and his friend. Milkman is different from his father and doesn’t follow the capitalist ideas because even though he is from a higher economical class he still has a friendship with poor kids and doesn’t view the difference. His innocent self doesn’t allow him to see difference between people even if he lives around a society that doesn’t allow equality due to the different economical status and power.

Doreatha is in support of how Morrison wrote the book she is just explaining more how it connects to the history around this time period and how it affected many people. It was interesting to view to black women’s point of view of what was happening during this time period.

Maura Entry #7 Song of Solomon Responding and Reflecting First Draft

I was surprised and a bit disappointed by Toni Morrison's portrayal of women in Song of Solomon. I expected Morrison to write female characters that were well-developed and flawed, without condemning them for their flaws like many writers seem to do. I was frustrated by her placing of Pilate, the "strong" woman, on a pedestal. In Song of Solomon, Ruth and Hagar are both seen as selfish in their possessive love of Milkman, and are implied to be rather stupid for following along with society's expectations of them, rather than directly defying them like Pilate does. While Pilate is admirable for her actions, she fills the stereotypical strong female role and doesn't seem to have any major character flaws like Ruth or Hagar- she is a role model, but not human. At the same time, neither are Ruth or Hagar; they are overly flawed, written as a reflection of society, without any redeeming or "good" qualities to create the balance that makes up a good, well-written character.

However, I think Morrison did an incredible job of discussing the relationships between males and females in Song of Solomon.

Responding & reflecting SOS- Wendy Sumano

Growing up I always heard of this idea that everyone is equal in this country and that we all deserve “equal rights.” When I think of equal rights I picture equal education, health insurance and life conditions but little did I know the suffrage color people had to live through in order to achieve something slightly higher than they had before; not even at this point in life  are people equal in this country. As I was growing up the history teachers only gave me a quick view of what Americans had done to this minority group, segregation, but never went to depth of what this group of people did to each other to feel more empowered. But as I started to read “Song of Solomon” Morrison gave a different perspective that is not taught in school. He showed how among the black community they suppressed each other when they could be at a higher level.

Morrison gives an empowering view because she allows us to see what segregation caused among themselves. Morrison uses Mrs. Bains and Malcon to portray one of the many similar cases that happened during this time period. Malcon having property and owning where Mrs. Bains lives allows him to feel superior than this old later even though they are from the same color. Before reading this book I though only whites feel superior than color people and that color people tried to help each other out but I can see a difference in this case. Not everyone was willing to help each other out but they will looking how to step at a higher level and become accepted among other people. Money was an important factor during this time period that brought inequality. It was surprising to learn that before the civil war people were willing to go back to free capture slave but later people weren’t even willing to give up some of their money to help out the ones in need.

After all, this perspective build on the idea that I have that as we try to become equal with people of different cultures without knowing we suppress our kind and don’t take in consideration into what extent we have to change in order to fit in and feel power. However, the way I view American education has evolved; I feel like the government “protects” its citizens from knowing the real situation therefore  teachers omit so much of what happened in reality. The way Morrison incorporated the different ways people interacted among each other was an interesting way to see how depending on the money you had that was how much power society gave you. Money was an important role at this time period because people of color who had property was view at a higher level from the blacks perspective but for the whites they will always be inferior no matter how much property they owned or how much money they had. Student should be able to analyze these events from different perspectives and understand why people acted in different forms.

Lauren Huck Finn Responding and Reflecting

While reading Huck Finn through the historical/biographical lens I have noticed that many people and places in the book are a close resemblance to people and places in Mark Twain's childhood. Huck lives in a little town on the Mississippi River called St. Petersburg that closely resembles Mark Twain's own childhood hometown of Hannibal Missouri which was a small port town on the Mississippi River.  Mark Twain's father was a judge, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn we see the most predominant father figure to Huck is not his own abusive father, but Judge Thatcher. In the novel Huck is about 13-14 years old and is a very independent and successful boy. When Mark Twain was 13 he left school to become a printers apprentice and quickly became an editorial writer, the reflection of success at an early age is shown in Huck's having quickly gotten rich in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and being able to return to school where he does very well. Mark Twain like Huck was fascinated by the river in fact Mark Twain is just a pseudonym, his real name is Samuel Clemens, Mark Twain is a river term which means two fathoms, it means it is safe to navigate. With such a passion for the river it is no surprise that some of his most famous works take place on or near the Mississippi River. We are often influenced by our own histories and passions, I myself am an avid roleplayer and I find my stories are often influenced by my own inner desires and emotions.  One of my characters, a vampire named A`leveara lives in the middle ages where not only are women second class but vampires and hunted down and killed. She spends much of her time in the forest and breaking traditional gender roles while running for her life from hunters. This character embodies many of my feelings and views on society. She is a reflection of my feelings of being oppressed by my elders and being an outcast in society.

Song of Solomon close reading- Wendy

Yes, Mrs. Bains. You got something for me?”

“Well, that’s what I come to talk to you about. You know Cency left all them babies with me. And my relief check ain’t no more’n it take to keep a well-grown yard dog alive —half alive, I should say.”

“Your rent is four dollars a month, Mrs. Bains. You two months behind already.”

“I do know that, Mr. Dead, sir, but babies can’t make it with nothing to put in they stomach.”

Their voices were low, polite, without any hint of conflict. “Can they make it in the street, Mrs. Bains? That’s where they gonna be if you don’t figure out some way to get me my money.”

“No, sir. They can’t make it in the street. We need both, I reckon. Same as yours does.”

“Then you better rustle it up, Mrs. Bains. You got till”—he swiveled around to consult the calendar on the wall—“till Saturday coming. Saturday, Mrs. Bains. Not Sunday. Not Monday. Saturday. (Morris 46-47)

In this part of the passage, Mrs. Bains goes looking for compassion in Macon after she has two months of rent overdue and can barely make ends meet to feed her grandchildren. Thought she went in looking for a solution to avoid eviction, Macon gave her no support but a deadline that she needs to meet in order to continue to live in her home with her grandchildren. Throughout this scene Morris builds on this idea of Marxism and the different rights citizens are given based on their ethnicity and economic status.  

Mrs. Bains begging Macon depicts that capitalism has taken over the country. During this time period when both Macon and Mrs. Bains are being segregated due to their skin color, Macon turns his back towards his people and only cares about his money as we can see from his dialogue when he continues to use the repetition of the phrase “my money.” Macon’s constant use of “my” shows how he feels great ownership and possession towards the money Mrs. Bains owes him. He isn’t being humane and understanding when he gives her a quick deadline and states that the consequences of her failing to make the payment will be eviction. Adding on he constantly repeats the word  “not” which shows that he will make no exception and is not willing to negotiate with Mrs. Bains about the money. Similarly, in their conversation Macon puts Mrs. Bains on the spot when he asks if her grandchildren would be able to live on the streets without a roof if she doesn’t make the payment. Macon is only looking at sleep in part of Maslow’s hierarchy because he is the owner of their shelter and is wanting more money. He is trying to get put food underneath shelter.  Macon is showing his capitalist ideas by overusing the small power he is given by owning property amongst other blacks. During this time period it didn’t matter whether you have property or not if you were black  but the only way to feel powerful in this powerless time period was to suppress your own kind. The only way Macon could feel powerful in his society was to take advantage of his people and push them into an extreme situations.

The tone of the conversation was “low, polite” which shows how he was emotionless about the situations. For Macon the money in his hand was what mattered the most instead of helping Mrs. Bains who was helpless and was struggling to live. Macon was pushing Mrs. Bain down in the social class due to her only getting “relief check” that was just enough to feed the children and didn’t pay her rent. Macon wants to feel superior in his society amongst the people he lives since he cannot go higher in the social pyramid amongst whites. Also in part of their conversation

Close Reading

”Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom.  Well, I can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free—and who was to blame for it?  Why, me.  I couldn't get that out of my conscience, no how nor no way. It got to troubling me so I couldn't rest; I couldn't stay still in one place.  It hadn't ever come home to me before, what this thing was that I was doing.  But now it did; and it stayed with me, and scorched me more and more.  I tried to make out to myself that I warn't to blame, because I didn't run Jim off from his rightful owner; but it warn't no use, conscience up and says, every time, "But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody."  That was so—I couldn't get around that noway.  That was where it pinched.  Conscience says to me, "What had poor Miss Watson done to you that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word?  What did that poor old woman do to you that you could treat her so mean?  Why, she tried to learn you your book, she tried to learn you your manners, she tried to be good to you every way she knowed how.  That'swhat she done."I got to feeling so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead.”

In this passage from pg(#74) Huck seems to be struggling with his friends release and it seems as though he is having an internal conflict .Throughout the passage  Huck doesn't seem to be very happy with his friend release. At the beginning he said he felt “trembly and feverish”, which meant he didn’t feel so great about his friends release. Huck seemed to be over thinking a lot, the use of word choice “conscience”, came up which means his problem was having to do,with society and he would be going against it because someone had rights to his friend, which was his guardian Miss Watson. Miss Watson had provided Huck with A home and that was another internal conflict he was having because he knew how much help she had given him, and he states at the end of the passage “she tried to be good to you every way she knowed how.  That's what she done." Although Huck didn't like Miss Watson very much he feels and obligation to her because she did a favor for him, now he has to do something for her. Huck has to battle between his friends freedom and Miss Watson, though he seems to be indecisive, as to the end he states that he feels “mean and miserable” and  “I most wished I was dead”. This suggests that he has an obligation to do right for society, but deep down he also know his friend is property, which he knows isn’t right.

SoS Critical Lens Close Reading entry#5

"Town maps registered the street as Mains Avenue, but the only colored doctor in the city had lived and died on that street, and when he moved there in 1896 this patients took to calling the street, which none of them lived in or near, Doctor Street. Later when other negroes moved there and when the postal service became a popular means of transferring messages among them, envelopes from Louisiana, Virginia, Alabama, and Georgia began to arrive addressed to people at house numbers on Doctor Street. The post office workers returned these envelopes or passed them on to the Dead letter Office then in 1918 when colored men were being drafted, a few gave their address at the recruitment office as Doctor Street In that way, the name acquired a quasi official status. But not for long. Some of the city legislators, whose concert for appropriate names and the maintenance of the city’s landmarks was the principal part of their political life, saw to it that “Doctor Street” was never used in any official capacity. And since they knew that only Southside residents kept it up, they had notice posted in the stores, barbershops, and restaurants in that part of the city saying that the avenue running northerly and southerly from Shore Road fronting the lake to the junction of routes 6 and 2 leading to Pennsylvania, and also running parallel to and between Rutherford Avenue and Broadway, had always be known a Mains Avenues and not Doctor Street".

Though this quote might seem like an unimportant description of the name of a street in the town where the book takes place, it is actually deeper than that. This passage demonstrates that while racism looked different in the North and Michigan, it was still a reality for African-Americans who lived there. Black people move to Doctor street and they started sending and receiving letters to their relative in other places but some of their letter were sent back or never got to their destination because they still wasn’t named Doctor Street according to the white people that street didn’t exist for them.   

The passage begins by explaining how the white people gives the street where the Doctor lives Mains Avenue, but the African American people know it and name it as “Doctor street.” They name it Doctor street because that’s where the doctor lives and because he's the only doctor that attends to black people in the city. Later on a lot of black people decide to move and live in Doctor street because they need a doctor close where they live this is demonstrating the times are changing African American people are living in better places they becoming more wealthy.

However this doesn’t mean that the people are giving them the respect they deserve because even though this people are living in better places they are still treated as less than white people because the street in not named “Doctor Street” even when everyone calls it and knows it as “Doctor street” they also sent out letters from to the street telling the black people to stop calling it Doctor Street. This proves the lack of support to black people they don’t care about their opinions is like they don’t have the right to express themselves in the society. The street was name Mains Avenue and it stays like that just because white people say so, is like the black people’s voice is not valid.

How do I feel towards this language

As I read along the lines of Mark Twain’s caricature novel, I can see how much controversy it can bring just by the repetitive use of N*****. In the times of the author’s life, Huck Finn brought up much dispute, but where the book took era in, extreme derogatory language and having inferiority towards African-Americans was casual. The depiction of the relationship between the two races were segregated to the maximum in any status(social, economic,etc.); African-Americans were slaves and the Whites were the ones who owned them. The infrastructure meant that the only interactions that Blacks and Whites had were based on “work” -- they didn’t have friendly relationships.

Growing up, my peers and I picked up on the colloquial speech of the area. This included the word N*****. Although I knew it was a harsh derogatory word, the consistent hearing of the use of it around me created a sense of desensitization. Something that meant something so oppressive is now synonymous to ‘dude’. Because of this, viewing the word n****** in a text doesn’t generate much of a strong reaction as others would. Yet, I can’t ignore the fact that the way that it’s used in the book is so much different; the spelling/pronunciation that I’m used to hearing is drastically different compared to the context Mark Twain used. The word placed on African-Americans was originated to dehumanize them for Whites thought they were less than them. It’s ironic to think that a word that was particularly used against a group of people, is now applied to calling themselves that--recognized as historical trauma.

As for Huck, he lived in a period where n***** was said casually . It was only said to those of whom were classified as African-Americans. In spite the fact that it was said in their everyday vocabulary, the primary use of it was to create segregation of who’s better than a n******.

Critical Lens Experts

The Article mainly concentrates on Huck and the authors choice of the way he ends the book. The author makes a claim in which Huck has a psychological dilemma  in the story when he fails to help his friend Jim. Hucks finds choosing sides to be very difficult especially since his close friend is a slave, and he has to either stay away from trouble or he has to side with his friend and help him escape slavery. On page(#74) Huck is having trouble deciding if he is doing right or wrong when he states “I tried to make out myself that I warn’t to blame, because I didn't run Jim off from his rightful owner; but it warn’t no use,...What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word”. From this small passage, Huck seems to be having an internal conflict as he doesn't know if he would be helping out jim or if he is hurting his guardian Miss Watson when he states if “Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word”. Huck tries to reason the possibilities within him, he tries not to blame himself if Jim does escape, though he does have the second thought of how he would feel guilty, if  deep under he saw Jim run away without doing anything to stop him “I tried to make out myself that I warn’t to blame, because I didn't run Jim off from his rightful owner;...you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes”. Huck does seem to want to help his friend out though because of his race he did find himself in a tough situation.

Maura Entry #6 Song of Solomon Critical Lens Experts First Draft

"'Why Don't He Like My Hair?' Constructing African-American Standards of Beauty" was written by Bertram D. Ashe, an English professor at University of Richmond that writes about contemporary black American culture in literature. In this article, he discusses the importance of hair and appearance of female characters in Song of Solomon.

Ashe proposes that in Song of Solomon, Morrison set up Pilate and Hagar Dead as opposite sides of a coin regarding their stance on changing their hair to meet the white female standard of beauty. He claims that Pilate is dismissive of the expectations, choosing not to "attempt to emulate the 'cultural ideal of femininity'. Instead, after cutting her hair, Pilate looks within for answers". Hagar, on the other hand, "is trapped between her own African physical features and the white-female ideal of beauty. She is perfectly aware of the priority men...place on female hair, and Hagar is well aware that she doesn't quite measure up." These claims appear to be reasonable, as Pilate is noted throughout the novel to defy the expectations set of her: making and selling liquor, her closely shorn locks, her clothing not meeting her brother's standards. Hagar does immediately try to 'improve' her appearance when she spots Milkman with a girl with "silky copper-colored hair". 

Reading Race in Huck Finn

Tom said he slipped Jim’s Hat off his head and hung it on a limb right over him, and Jim stirred a little, but he didn’t wake. Afterwards Jim said the witches bewitched him and put him in a trance, and rode him all over the State, and then set him under the trees again and hung his hat on a limb to show who done it. And next time Jim told it he said they rode him down to New Orleans: and after that, every time he told it he spread it more and more, till by- and-by he said they rode him all over the world, and tired him most to death, and his back was all over saddle-boils. Jim was monstrous proud about it, and he got so he wouldn’t hardly notice the other n******. N****** would come miles to hear Jim tell about it, and he was more looked up to than any n***** in that country. Strange n****** would stand with their mouths open and look him all over, same as if he was a wonder, N****** is always talking about witches in the dark by the kitchen fire; but whenever one was talking and letting on to know all about such things, Jim would happen in and say, “Hm! What do you know ‘bout witches?” and that n***** was corked up and had to take a back seat. Jim always kept that five-centerpiece around his neck with string and said it was a charm the devil give to him with his own hands and told him he could cure anybody with it and fetch witches whenever he wanted to, just by saying something to it; but he never told what it was he said to it. N****** would come from all around there and give Jim anything they had, just for a sight of that five center piece; but they wouldn’t touch it, because the devil has had his hands on it. JIm was most ruined, for a servant, because he got so struck up on account of having seen the devil and been rode by witches.(p.7)

In this text piece, Huck tells the story of Jim, the widow’s servant, who had a prank pulled on by Tom, which later caused him to believe it had to do with the supernatural. Jim then created a false story to go with what supposedly happened to him, telling the rest of the servants all over were convinced that the tale happened. This depiction of Jim, as a gullible and superstitious slave, makes him seem like a racist caricature of African Americans.  Due to Twain’s satirical writing style, Jim is representative of a negative black stereotype that American society created during the time period.  

Western society values education above all else -- education that largely was not available to African-Americans in this time period. By having this aspect, one is reasonable and concludes to logical inferences. The author depicts Jim and the rest of the African Americans as merely the opposite of having rationality and being gullible and superstitious people. Making a sense of inferiority, Twain shows Jim’s dimwitted when Tom “slipped [his] Hat off his head and hung it on a limb right over him.” This rendition points out the view of that Jim naive to be taken advantage of a child. However, rather than go with the most obvious explanation, Jim instead decides that he was “bewitched” and “put… in a trance” demonstrating his illusory beliefs.

This explicit stereotype implified on Jim isn’t only given to him, but a generalization to the rest of the African-Americans. There’s more that are classified as too trusting for, “N****** would come miles to hear Jim tell about it [with their].. mouth open” in awe. People from all over were convinced enough that the story is legitimate. Based on the introduction given to us, Twain shows us the depiction of not only how one African-American is, but of all.

Entry #4 Tony

In his article Morality and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Julius Lester argues that the book is racist it that shouldn't be read by the future students. He believes the book downplays the negative parts of slavery and uses too many stereotypes.

Lester claims that the things that Huck thinks are “evidence of an inability to relinquish whiteness as a badge of superiority.” He quotes the part where Huck thinks, “I knowed he was white inside” to make his point. Huck believes that all N------ are bad people and all white people were good but he believed that Jim was white in the inside there for that’s why he helped him get away and was nicer to him. It’s hard not to think of Huck as a racist person after reading that quote because that’s just a stereotype all people can be bad and good don’t matter what race they’re this believe that black people are bad is irrelevant.

Lester also claims that Twain does not “take slavery, and therefore, black people seriously.” he thinks that because twain is trying to compare the situation with his father when Huck got kidnapped by his father keeping him locked in a cabin and Jim as an actual slave own by someone else legal enslavement. A boy been helped by a drunken father is not the same as a slave being kept and lock beaten and own by another person. Twain did not take slavery seriously there for he didn’t take black people serious there for the book is racist.

Something I learn from this article was how the characters or Twain try so hard to not being  seen as racist but they just made it worse and I agree with Julius Lester that Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be read by the future children at school is way too racist.`

Close Reading by Tony

"That's so, my boy—good-bye, good-bye.  If you see any runaway n-----s you get help and nab them, and you can make some money by it."

"Good-bye, sir," says I; "I won't let no runaway n-----s get by me if I can help it."

They went off and I got aboard the raft, feeling bad and low, because I knowed very well I had done wrong, and I see it warn't no use for me to try to learn to do right; a body that don't get started right when he's little ain't got no show—when the pinch comes there ain't nothing to back him up and keep him to his work, and so he gets beat.  Then I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on; s'pose you'd a done right and give Jim up, would you felt better than what you do now?  No, says I, I'd feel bad—I'd feel just the same way I do now.  Well, then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?  I was stuck.  I couldn't answer that.  So I reckoned I wouldn't bother no more about it, but after this always do whichever come handiest at the time.

(Twain 77-78).

In this quote Huck is talking to some man that he found on his way from the river. He talks to him about his runaway slaves and he asks him if he founds the mens runaway slaves to kidnap them and make some money for it. It is like they are hunting animals. Huck feels like he has done something wrong to society for helping a slave run away, in this case Jim, but in the other side he knows he’s is doing a good thing by helping this slave because the make him work had and they also beat him.

This quote and Huck’s actions show his beliefs and feelings towards race and slavery: Huck is not a racist and deep down, he thinks that slavery should not be happening. However, he is confused because on his society helping a runaway slave escape is a crime but he knows if he doesn’t get caught helping him is like he never did anything that his society might judge him for. Huck describes his feelings in this moment as “bad and low” for being with an runaway while he tells everyone he won’t let any slave go away. He is lying to them, which makes him feel “bad.” Then he says, “I had done wrong, and see it warn’t no use for me to try to learn to do right.” These words from Huck shows his beliefs of how he knows he has done something wrong in society by helping slaves get away or just not agreeing to slavery, but he knows it’s a good thing what he did by helping Jim get away. When he says it “warn’t no use” shows that deep down, he does not think he has another option.

In this quote, Huck also seems to realize that doing the “right” thing by society’s standards wouldn’t make him feel any better. He says, “I, I'd feel bad—I'd feel just the same way I do now.” He would be feeling bad because he knows by giving up Jim it would be a bad thing. He would feel guilty because he did do something bad but he kept it a secret because heis trying to learn to do the right thing, even though it is trouble to do the right thing in his society. So there is no trouble to do something wrong or any consequences if you don’t get caught.

Blog 1

Jorge Perez

             

                                          Blog Entry

         In Huckleberry Finn I have seen dual nature, finn seems to want to hang out with his friends, rob and smoke, though at the same time he also wants to have a  normal family like his other friends. At the beginning of the story, Finn is setting up a crew to steal from people and one promise they make is if someone snitches they would pay with one of their family members and everyone agrees except they don't include finn because he doesn't have any family members that he really cares about. Though at the end they do include him and, they would decide if he snitched then they would kill the lady, that was taking care of him. Finn seemed to be bothered by the fact that he didn't have any family members that meant something to him and much less, was when all his friends had some.Though I see that Finn makes his decisions and actions based on his friends, like stealing and he will keep on doing it if theres no one to put him into the right place, as I seen usually kids who misbehave in school don't have much attention from their parents, so they go somewhere else where they will attract attention. Though finn does seem to want a family at the same time you can  tell he also wants to be independent, when he is trapped with his dad at the woods he informs us that he will escape from his dad, but at the same time he will not go back with the widow. I could tell that Huck decides that at he maybe wants to be alone , due to the lack of attention he is getting. From viewing my friends who don't really get attention, they tend to drop out of school and start to live on their own, so I can see a similar trend in Finn where he wants to be alone, and start to live by himself.

Wendy- Experts

“The form of freedom in Huckleberry Finn (1970)” by Alan Trachtenberg critiques the change of the characters and event of the before to the after in Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and makes connections to the history that is happening during that time period. He is more focused on the history and interaction between the character than the Literature that it's written in. Both the book and the article are focusing on the history and the treatment of the different people based on their economical stability or the color of their skin. Trachtenberg targets the growth of Hulk during his journey with Jim but also critiques Twain’s idea of the future.

Trachtenberg starts out by mentioning “Huck once more wins our approval, but more important, he wins a self-conception which issues into an action- his apology “to a n*****.” This helps on building the idea that Hulk has grown as a person and it trying to live into the expectations Jim has towards him. Jim relies too much on Hulk like any color person relies on a white male but Hulk sees far from color or what society expects him to do. Hulk is looking the other way and is helping a slave escape not take into consideration what rules society have set for his race. Not only is Jim in a lower structure that Hulk who had nothing but with the apology we can see that for Hulk there is no social class or difference between races. He has turned into a well mannered and opened minded gentlemen hoping to help this slave be free and have its family with him. Twain does not state that Hulk has grown as a person but we can see it from the events and all the obstacles he has been facing to arrive to the Northern free states. Trachtenberg has an identical perspective on how view Hulk because earlier in the article Alan starts out by mentioning how Hulk was before all this occurred a boy without manners that always was looking for trouble while now he is a well manner boy who has in his hands the future of a figurative who has to figure out how to provide for both and be safe.  “He wins a self-conception” are very important words that Alan uses in the article because that’s the moment in which we can say Hulk realizes what he has gotten into and how much Jim values and admires him for all the things he has done. Hulk through the story gains our support with all the different types of things he puts himself to do in order to achieve Jim’s dream.

While I see how Alan critiques Hulks growth I don’t manage to agree with his criticism towards the future Twain predicts. “Mark Twain’s work as a whole suggest that he seriously doubted the possibilities of personal freedom within a social setting. He seems to have taken freedom as true only when absolute and abstract outside time.” I understand that Alan thinks what Twain is trying to say is that Jim won’t be able to be free in the society that they live during this time period which is very true since even the color man that was incorporated in the book was treated as a slave even though he had an education. They could be free from all the hard work and being owned; they were allowed to take the actions they wanted without having to deal with a master. They were not completely free but they were free and could take their own decisions and as of now we are not necessarily free but our future is in our hands. Just like Alan said before Hulk is being trapped from his freedom by the standards society have of him while Jim is trapped from being free. They are two stuck in different forms of enslavement but in the future as we can see we get to be freed from everything.