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.

Final Reflection - Biographical/Historical Lens

I think that from reading both The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Song of Solomon in the biographical/historical lens, I've really learned a lot. In reading the novels alone, it's very different to be focused on the historical aspects of the novel and the events taking place in the novels rather than just focusing on the plot and events unfolding themselves. It's one thing to read a novel for the storyline and information gained by what is told in the story, but it is a completely different sort of experience to be reading between the lines with a historical kind of focus.

In both of the novels, there was a lot of history and background about how African Americans have lived and how they have been treated in past and present years in relation to the time settings of the two novels. There was discussion of civil rights, liberties, and freedoms, and lots of talk about slavery and the direct and indirect segregation of white and black people. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, though, there was more of a focus on the relationships between black and white people I thought. Here Huck is in this generation of slavery and segregation, and he's best friends with a slave. In Song of Solomon, I believed there wasn't as big as a focus on the relationships as much as the events and issues surrounding the events within the novel.

I think that had I not read the two novels through the biographical/historical lens, I would not have made nearly as many, if any at all, parallels between the events of the novels and the events of today. It was a clear advantage of using a critical lens to me that I could gain this deeper insight on this one aspect of the novel, although I also definitely think there are multiple downsides to reading through a critical lens. I really enjoy reading for the stories and for the leisure, and reading through a critical lens takes a little bit away from that, just because it is so much hard work and effort to constantly and consistently be reading through a biographical/historical lens.

In conclusion, I really don't think my beliefs changed much if at all as a result of this project. I definitely though think that my ideas and beliefs have been reinforced and backed up. I think it's possible though that through the comparison between the events of the novels and the events of today that my beliefs were strengthened in many different ways.

SoS Responding and Reflecting - Biographical/Historical Lens

Racism and the issues associated with racism are and have been very present in the United States history for a very long time. Racism dates way back to both the colonial era and the slave era, and has continued on throughout the history of our country. While there have been many advances in the abolishment of racism, it is still one of the most highly talked about topics today.

From the end of slavery to gaining the right to vote, African Americans as well as many other minorities have come along way in taking a stance and demanding the civil rights, liberties, and freedoms that they deserve. Events such as the abolishment of slavery, the end of segregation, and being given the right to vote have all really helped the equal movement among all citizens and humans in the United States. I do still believe however, as do many many others, that there is a lot of progress to be made in this topic and issue. Events are still taking place today that are unjust and parallel our country's past of unequal treatment.

While reading the Song of Solomon, certain events and scenes that would take place in the novel would remind me of recent stories I've seen in the news or even just in my government class in school. For instance, in the death of a boy in the novel, Till, an African-American boy was killed by a group of white men. In the novel, it's explained by another character how white people would always be able to make the minority the perpetrator of the crime, by saying (for example) that a pack of bubblegum could be a hand grenade. While I talked about this slightly in a past blog entry, this crime within the novel really reminded me of a real-life crime in the United States from just a few years ago now. An African American boy was shot by a white patrol man, and the details of the case were very unclear for a very long time. One point was that the boy, Trayvon Martin, was thought to be holding some sort of weapon, when what he really had was a small packet of candy.

My point here is that even though the book was written in the late 1970's and the real life crime was committed in late 2012, the parallels of the crimes are so similar. On one hand, I think about the advancements our society has made towards the equal treatment movement in special regards to race and ethnicity, and I feel proud that the country has made so much progress in its law systems. But then on the other hand I think about all the events of today such as Ferguson and Baltimore, and I think of it as a one step forward and two steps back kind of situation.

The main differences between today and the time in which Song of Solomon was set, however, is that back then, there were not many laws advocating for equal treatment of all people. Today we do have the laws and we do have the rules and protocols to aim us towards equal success, but perhaps the mindset and the morals and beliefs of individuals in our society has yet to change.

Final Reflection- Psychoanalytical Lens

Looking back on my use of the psychoanalytic lens, I notice that my main use of it was to analyze why characters acted the way they did, and why the authors would write them with that type of personality. I enjoyed reading the books using this method because neither one was a book I would have read by choice, so the lens gave me something to focus on.

From this experience, I learned about ways of analyzing characters through a small piece of the text, which I enjoyed doing. Finding nuances in every word and phrase reminds me of analyzing poetry, and that, like poetry, everyone can find their own meaning. That freedom of interpretation is a beautiful thing.

While I was focused on my critical lens, I may have missed some parts of the text that were more involved with socio-political implications, or racial and historical aspects that I did not have the context for. However, I do not regret picking my lens, as it allowed me to discover more hidden aspects of the main and side characters that were not apparent on the surface.

When I was reading the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the various accents were difficult to read, and made it hard to submerse myself fully in the story. However, this actually became a benefit as I paid less attention to the story and more attention to the way the characters spoke and behaved over the entire book. Likewise, in Song of Solomon, the extended metaphors and omniscient third person narration made the character interactions the focal point of my experience with the novel.

SoS Responding and Reflecting- Psychoanlaytical Lens

When I began reading Song of Solomon, I expected it to be a coming of age story similar to Huckleberry Finn. This impression was wrong on many levels. First of all, the symbolism of the beginning of the story, which involved a man flying, and the ending of the story, which was about how Milkman found spiritual freedom and learned about his family’s past. The symbolism embedded in the story made Song of Solomon have an entirely different quality than the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, due to Huck and Jim’s characterization being based around their straightforward and helpless qualities.

The second reason my impression of Song of Solomon was wrong was the genre of the overall story. Initially presenting itself as a look into the difference between the black and white cultures of the era, towards the hundred page mark the story became a coming of age story for a Milkman, who was already in his thirties. Then, the story had a final genre shift to one of mystery, as Milkman pursues his roots and finds himself. Morrison, the author of Song of Solomon does an admirable job of making all of these genre shifts form a cohesive and understandable whole, with characters making mistakes and assumptions based on their perspective on the world and their internal beliefs.

The characterization of the entire Dead family, as well as the other prominent characters such as Guitar, are what makes Song of Solomon into a classic. Throughout the book, Characters make mistakes based on their flaws and the way they see the world. Perhaps this shines through most of all in the antagonists, Guitar and Hagar, as they fail to understand what Milkman is doing, seeing only the betrayal of his actions. This is what the book is truly about- if you do not know yourself, you cannot change.

SoS Critical Lens Experts - Biographical/Historical Lens

Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon and Black Cultural Nationalism, written by Harry Reed, serves to view Toni Morrison's novel through the prism of black cultural nationalism, as has supposedly never been done before. In his writings, Harry Reed gives a very accurate account of black cultural nationalism as well includes his beliefs of black cultural nationalism, specifically in relation to Toni Morrison's novel.

Reed describe's not just Song of Solomon but all of Morrison's novels and writings as "ripe with a cultural national thrust." While I have not read all of Morrison's writings, I can agree with Reed in that Song of Solomon does include a lot of the aspects of this nationalism. To give a brief idea and summarization of what Reed is talking about, black cultural nationalism served to centralize discussions of black religious freedom, organize black self-help efforts, and provided the first organized political defense of the black community.

In his work and in talking about Milkman, Reed states that "He was initiated into a sometimes brutal but often exhilarating and deeply satisfying cultural milieu. These new black people are different yet familiar. They accept their cultural distinctiveness, generally without apology. Milkman learns by experiencing the land, the people, and their ways." I completely agree with Reed's analysis of Milkman and his experiences. Throughout the novel, Milkman encounters countless numbers of characters, all with very different opinions, beliefs, and perspectives. Because Milkman was more privileged than some of his other friends in the novel, for example, he gains new insights through his conversations with others.