Final Project Reflection

    I seemed to have learned a lot from the experience of reading both books and I was happy that I got to choose the lens that I chosed because of the perspective that I saw it from. I already had an idea of what I believed before these two books but I definitely felt that it helped my knowledge grow. The way these two novels were similar because we got to see the racism towards black people and what the white people felt about black people. The way I think was different was that in the novel of “ Song of Solomon” I felt gave us a better understanding of how black people felt. Some things I think I wouldn’t have gotten if I didn’t chose the lens I was focusing on was the idea that on Huckleberry Finn, possibly a lot of people felt the same way Mark Twain felt. I think the benefits of using a critical lens is that you get a new perspective on the story and could make you view things differently and could lead to a different bias compared to if you didn’t focus on a lens. The downsides could be that the new bias that was created could not be so positive. Another downside could be that you possibly may not get all the sides of the novel and just one because of the focus I had in one Lens. But in overall, my beliefs stayed the same just with some few additional ideas to keep in mind.

Huckleberry Finn Critical Lens Close Reading

"Oh, yes, this is a wonderful govment, wonderful.  Why, looky here. There was a free n----- there from Ohio—a mulatter, most as white as a white man.  He had the whitest shirt on you ever see, too, and the shiniest hat; and there ain't a man in that town that's got as fine clothes as what he had; and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane—the awfulest old gray-headed nabob in the State.  And what do you think?  They said he was a p'fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything.  And that ain't the wust. They said he could vote when he was at home.  Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to?  It was 'lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warn't too drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a State in this country where they'd let that n----- vote, I drawed out.  I says I'll never vote agin.  Them's the very words I said; they all heard me; and the country may rot for all me—I'll never vote agin as long as I live.  And to see the cool way of that n-----—why, he wouldn't a give me the road if I hadn't shoved him out o' the way.  I says to the people, why ain't this n---- put up at auction and sold?—that's what I want to know.  And what do you reckon they said? Why, they said he couldn't be sold till he'd been in the State six months, and he hadn't been there that long yet.  There, now—that's a specimen.  They call that a govment that can't sell a free n----- till he's been in the State six months.  Here's a govment that calls itself a govment, and lets on to be a govment, and thinks it is a govment, and yet's got to set stock-still for six whole months before it can take a hold of a prowling, thieving, infernal, white-shirted free n-----, and—"

   There happens to be a specific race in which Mark Twain focuses to in which discriminate and that is African Americans. The author seems to be comfortable enough to say the “n” word in the book and just this word itself is discriminatory. Besides this, there seems to have been quite some opinions on what people believed about black people and they didn’t support the direction the State was heading towards. What I mean by direction is that the Country was making a move into letting black people vote and a lot of folks were not happy with this action being performed. One example of someone who was not happy by this in the book was Pap. He was angry at the government and one black men from Ohio that was able to vote. In chapter 6, page 24 Pap pours out his anger at a black male because there was a state that will allow this men to vote and Pap stated that due to this, “I’ll never vote again.” This shows what a huge impact black males having the right to vote cause Pap to take into action. He asks himself also, “What is the country a-coming to?” He seems to be also quite disappointed with the country while at the same time being furious about the decisions that are being made. I feel like a lot of other people of Paps generation may feel the same way towards black men voting back in the day. One reason why I say this it’s because if one person has an opinion or an idea, guaranteed that someone else has the same opinion. Another reason why other people may agree with Paps is that black people were not treated equally before so therefore were treated bad and did not support any kind of positive moment that will help black people. It also seems that Pap is pretty angry at the fact that the black men may be better than his ownself and has a type of jealousy. “There ain't a man in that town that's got as fine clothes as what he had; and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane,” said Pap. This black men seems to have better gear than that of Pap’s and seems furious to know this fact. In addition, there’s another statement that Pap said in which other people again may think similar. “I says to the people, why ain't this n---- put up at auction and sold?” he said , this may be what a lot of other people may also say by knowing what’s going on about this black men. In conclusion it just seems that Pap is racist that’s for sure and gets you thinking on the society that use to be like and what people’s reaction were being taken towards certain actions.

Song of Solomon Responding and Reflecting

 I felt that I have learned a little more knowledge from Song of Solomon compared to the knowledge I had before. Song of Solomon I feel came more of a perspective of a black men and got to see the side of life of those black people. My lens was race and culture so a lot of passages I got to see how my lens connected to how it was all connected. I got to understand better how for example black people felt towards white people and I got to see similar opinions today. Not every black person of course has the same bias towards white people but I got to see how much these ideas have still not changed. It seems that generations of race do continue to carry on their beliefs towards certain things to their younger generations and still becomes hurtful because it occurred to their older generations. In this case I’m talking mostly about how black people felt towards white. My belief is that of course the past can be ignored and can be apologized but it will not be forgotten. But it seems that with this in mind, instead of things getting better, they tend to get worse but actions that hurt people seem to come more often now a days.  

Song of Solomon Critical Lens Experts

   The article I read was “An Excursion into the Black World: The “Seven Days” in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon.”  In this Article we got to see how life was from a perspective by an Afro-American. In page 87 of this article, Guitar gave a reasoning in which he stated “Do we have a court?” By he means from this is that there was still at that point no justice towards black people defending themselves. For example, Guitar again stated “There are places right now where a Negro still can’t testify against a white man.” The whole quote that he stated pretty much symbolizes how less America cared for blacks and they did not count often times and were irrelevant. The only time a black person was relevant was a victim of a crime. This connects to my lens of race because again we get to see how far racism towards black more specifically here has came from and where it’s going.  

Song of Solomon Critical Lens Close Reading

My lens that I am focusing on is race and in this book there seems to be a few quotes in which I think could be racist. In the following quote that I decided to chose we could see the racism that there is to different race of people and not just to African American people. Guitar states that, “No. White people are unnatural. As a race they are unnatural.” It’s interesting to see how far this idea and stereotype has come along. In this quote though, Guitar can’t find an explanation of the ability of white people committing such hate crimes. Milkman tries to argue against what Guitar has said by saying that good white people do exist. Today we see the similar bias on people having this perspective towards white people. We could see how much racism and perspectives has been the same and is true that the only way to stop racism is that it should not be talked about. Because the more it is talked about to each generation, it will continue to carry on and be harder to stop racism.

Final Project Reflection - Marxist Lens

Through the blogging through critical lens project we analysed both The Song of Solomon and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through a specific lens. The lens I did was on the Marxist critique of the books or the analysis of the societal class structures. The books seemed to differ in many different areas in theme and location but had very interesting conclusion on class systems. To start off, what the two book seemed to share was a themes of racial discrimination. Huckleberry Finn’s racism is much more pronounced compared to Song of Solomon. After that, the difference ends where Huckleberry Finn takes place in pre civil war south. While the Solomon takes place in the north many years after the civil war. Also the protagonist are different. Huckleberry is the naif, white protagonist of his own book. While Macon “Milkman” Dead is a soulless, awful black protagonist of the Song of Solomon. Although extremely different, both books showed an interesting ways to show Marxist critique through different ways which made a very interesting experience.

The Marxist critique in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn seemed to be on the racism on the society shown in the book. Huckleberry Finn takes in the south before the civil war. This was where slave trade was an everyday practice and the racism towards blacks was rampant. The system in place was obviously flawed and favored white class. In order to critique this system, Mark Twain makes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where the main character, Huckleberry Finn is try to escape his abusive father and civil life with the Widow Douglas. On the way he meets up with Jim, a slave that escaped. Mark Twain uses to critique the systems in place by showing how south treated blacks with the relationship with Huckleberry and Jim. Huckleberry is known to make fun Jim and almost makes him go back into slavery. Yet through all the horrible things that Huck did to Jim, Huck did not feel sorry or entitled to apologize. Which shows how that south could not comprehend that they were racist and would stick to the system even given a way out. While with the Song of Solomon , Macon “Milkman” Dead’s story is on escaping the his society through his class consciousness and eventual class suicide. Taking place in various northern american states, Milkman goes through a journey to discover who he is and how has family been affected from their past experiences. Many of the characters in the Song of Solomon show to have gained an understanding of their class. Through Milkman’s experience with the characters like Pilates and learning his family’s past, He understand how he is part of the oppressing class. When he finally breaks all ties of being apart of the oppressing class, which is signified by the burying the original Malcolm Dead, he is stands up and assumed to be killed by Guitar. Toni Morrison used to show that Malcolm “class suicide” was completed has he truly became what he need to be a “dead”.

Both books theme varies in message, the Song of Solomon was on the Milkman escape from oppressive class by understanding his own roots. While Huckleberry Finn’s was on the failed escape of Huckleberry from the oppressing class with the understanding the roots of blacks. Through the two books seemed to give the same message that understanding was the key to leaving a flawed system. Also it seemed that they both gave themes of capital was one of the problems of the system. Milkman came from a privileged background and Huckleberry was in a system that rewarded people with the most capital or slaves. Without the critical lens I would have not of notice this trend as much. Also I would have not realized how the structures affect people. Jim in Huckleberry Finn was treated horribly because of the systems in place. Not only he was discriminated against but his only friend Huckleberry was a jerk to him. Although this is great what I missed throughout this analysis was exposure to other lens. For example, the Song of Solomon had some great examples of the feminist lens like Hagar and Milkman’s relationship. By focusing on one lens I was unable to focus on other lens and did not see other great perspectives. By using the Marxist lens I was able to see a perspective on class systems which was different to the way I normally read. The project shows how books don’t have a single, definite interpretation and the way we look at literature can be expanded by the perspectives we use.

SOS Close Reading - Marxist Lens

“[Guitar] We poor people, Milkman. I work at an auto plant. The rest of us barely eke out a living. Where’s the money, the state, the country to finance our justice? You say Jews try their catches in a court. Do we have a court? Is there one courthouse in one city in the country where a jury would convict them? There are places right now where a Negro still can’t testify against a white man. Where the judge, the jury, the court, are legally bound to ignore anything a Negro has to say. What that means is that a black man is a victim of a crime only when a white man says he is. Only then. If there was anything like or near justice or courts when a cracker kills a Negro, there wouldn’t have to be no Seven Days. But there ain’t; so we are. And we do it without money, without support, without costumes, without newspapers, without senators, without lobbyists, and without illusions!”

“[Milkman] You sound like that red-headed Negro named X. Why don’t you join him and call yourself Guitar X?”

“[Guitar] X, Bains—what difference does it make? I don’t give a damn about names.”

“[Milkman] You miss his point. His point is to let white people know you don’t accept your slave name.”

“[Guitar]I don’t give a shit what white people know or even think. Besides, I do accept it. It’s part of who I am. Guitar is my name. Bains is the slave master’s name. And I’m all of that. Slave names don’t bother me; but slave status does.” (Morrison 267 - 268)

In the Song of Solomon, Milkman and Guitar are arguing over the ethics of an organization called to Seven Days. The purpose of the organization called the Seven days is to launch reactionary attacks against whites to help balance out the racist attacks on blacks. At this moment in the story, Guitar told Milkman that he joined the Seven Days.

In the passage Guitar argue his justifications for joining an organization that kill innocent whites to retaliation against attacks against black to Milkman. The first thing that Guitar talks about how he works in an auto factory. Often factory workers are a representation of the working class. Toni Morrison must of make it Guitar’s job to shows that he is in the working class. The reason that this is relevant is because that it sets the stage for what is Guitar’s life is like. Back in the early 1900’s, factory work is hard and it did not pay very well. Some people may say that is where people best discover class consciousness. During Guitar’s long factory hours, he may have found the system unfair and did not like how it favored some groups over others. He furthers this behavior with Guitar’s description of the court systems. When he mentions “jews try their catches in court”. A stereotype of jewish people is that they are generally rich. Also “catches” is slang for beating up someone. Guitar may have said this to show that the rich are taking their fights in courts because the rich know they can win in courts rather than in an actual fight. After this statement Guitar talks about how the blacks can’t fight for themselves in court. Throughout this description he calls the fellow blacks, “negros”. The word “negro” is a word in history that has been used to dehumanizing blacks. He may have been using this word to show that blacks have no say in the same way as they have no say in the name given. All these little hints suggest that Guitar has gone through class consciousness and has realized that he is the oppressed class. Guitar learns this from the factory job he works, the unfair power given to the rich and unfair courts. All these actions are reasons that Guitar may have joined the seven days.

In the second part of passage, Milkman retorts by saying “...why don’t join a red-headed Negro named X. Why don’t you join him and call yourself Guitar X?”  This is obvious reference to Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a African american Muslim minister who advocated for rejection of the idea of integration and nonviolence for blacks. He has been known to some as a hero and to others a perpetrator of violence and racism.  It seems that Milkman is making an obvious comparison of Malcolm to Guitar. Milkman is probably saying that the path Guitar is going down get him killed. The reason that Toni Morrison may have put this analogy is to show how Milkman can’t except Guitar’s escape from societal norms. Just like the ambiguity of Malcolm X, Milkman can not seem to justify that whether or not Guitar actions are justified even if he breaking societal barriers. Then Guitar finishes the passage by saying, “... Guitar is my name. Bains is the slave master’s name. And I’m all of that. Slave names don’t bother me; but slave status does.” This quote shows that Guitar has reached class consciousness. He literal says that “slave status” bothers him. Guitar has shown to reached to class consciousness and reached to the point where he realizes his position in society. Although violent, Guitar may have used the Seven Days as way to get away from his society oppression. This shows that the passage is not on Milkman and Guitar arguing about the Seven Days but rather them arguing whether or not escaping the societal norms is justified.