Motherhood

Reading "Motherhood in Toni Morrison's Beloved: A Psychological Reading" by Sandra Mayfield, she makes a claim that I agree with. Mayfield realizes that this theorist whose name is Jacques Lacan has a theory of that all unborn babies will go through something called a "mirror" stage. Lacan states that a baby while still in their mothers womb, they soak up the environment where the mother is. So Sethe had a troubled childhood because her mother first of all passed away and how Sethe had to escape through her freedom, and her memories at sweet home, she was pregnant while she was going through all of these things. So because of her trauma and hardships her children have what it seems to be a negative aspect of things, it is kind of weird how they ran away just like their mother. But because of going through the hardships in Sethe's life they did not want to experience  what their mother experienced even though I think that they are going to follow similar foot steps of their mother. Mayfield then goes on to say that Sethe damaged the baby in the womb which I agree with, then she goes on to say that it could be something darker which I actually disagree with. Sethe and her children were born into such different time periods that why I do not think anything dark will come to them at least not as bad as what Sethe experienced. This is kind of reminded me of the circularity in Beloved which was a different article but this whole idea that you just keep on going reminds me of motherhood because it is a circle of motherhood, they all follow their mothers footsteps. 

Mayfield brings up her main point which was that slavery for women they were still looked down upon. Mayfield goes on to bring up different points on how it is hard being a mother and how much a mother has to do for her children. I agree with what Mayfield says, mothers have to make a lot of sacrifice for their children and they try their best to make the life easier than it was for them. I overall agree with what Sandra Mayfield has to say about the mirror stage, but I respectfully disagree with Sandra's comment on how they have a dark future ahead of them. I like how Mayfield brings up her main point which was a touch of more of a feminist lens, so it appealed to both psychoanalytical and the feminist lens which was very interesting to see both lenses

Circularity In Beloved

In the short reading about "Circularity in Beloved" by Philip Page. Philip Page is scholar of English literature at Indiana State University, he describes Toni Morrison's books to be never ending circles. Page describes "Beloved" as a never ending circle, through different aspects of the book, and uses different quotes and other books to support his reasoning.
When talking about this idea of circles in the text, Page goes on to say "circles and circle metaphors dominate the novel", and he also goes on to say "this one is repetition which is a form of circularity". I agree with what Page has to say, I agree with is how everything is a circle in Beloved. The first reason why I agree is because of the fact that in the book everything does happen to come up again. Page uses family, and the past to convey to us that everything is a circle. By using family, Page goes on to say that Sethe and Baby Suggs are very relative in the fact that they both lost their family and both are yearning for them back. Both lost their family, but first it was Baby Suggs that lost her family and then as time went on the same thing happened for Sethe. Same for the past Page states that "Sethe and Paul D are prisoners of their past especially Sethe", I have written a lot about how the past may affect through Sethe and Paul D, and through writing about them I never noticed how their life is a circle but because of their past. Their past has a huge impact on this idea of circularity because the past for them always seems to come up, whether it is a tree, Beloved or a memory that may pass by. 
Page goes on to say that circularity in Beloved is not always positive or negative but it is a blend of both positive and negative. Circularity is also looked at as a metaphor for life. One is birthed then they grow up and live their life and then they die. At the end of the book we see this because when we see Beloved actually die. At first Beloved was a dead baby, who came back to be a spirit, but as time went on in the book she grew to be a better women than Sethe was. But then it all comes around in the circle and she dies.

Entry Type #5: Critical Lens Experts Blog Entry

Text: Beloved Toni Morrison

Critical Lens: Psychoanalytic Lens

“Circularity in Toni Morrison’s Beloved” by Phillip Page is written by a scholar of English literature at Indiana State University. As such, this provides a very useful treatment of the accuracy of Morrison’s work, including Beloved. Page is very honest about the areas in which novels like Beloved are useful in providing context about circularity and foreshadowing.

Page describes Morrison at his best as “this image of circling controls the crucial scene, for circles and circle metaphors dominate the novel.” This seems highly applicable to Beloved, which particularly explores issues of flashbacks and such. This is, of course, most clearly seen through all of the characters, who appear in the novel in flashbacks. The portrayal of circles in the novel is not always picked up considering the complexity of Morrison’s writing style. However, if a reader were to pick up on circularity in Beloved, it would be shown that such an idea is prevalent in most aspects of Sethe’s life, i.e. her family, her relationship with Paul D, the truth about Beloved’s passing.

Page claims that circularity in Beloved is not always either positive or negative but, rather, it is a mix of both. It is also widely accepted that circularity is a metaphor for life, from rebirth to growth to death. Beloved depicts that in all aspects of Sethe’s life, there was rebirth, growth, and death. For instance, when the character of Beloved appeared in front of Sethe’s house, it was as if her dead baby had been reborn as a spiritual entity. Eventually, she grew into a what seemed like a young woman who was willing to take over Sethe’s life. Finally, she finished the circle, and “died” by disappearing.

Entry Type #6: Responding and Reflecting Blog Entry

As I read Beloved, it gave me a perspective of the long-term effects of slavery on African Americans. I really think Beloved is how Morrison feels -- she is trying to show just how demeaning slavery was, even shortly after. The setting we see in the book is chaotic -- it is explicit and weird and saddening, and the character of Sethe helps us connect that to the effects of slavery. The mindset of some former slaves (like Sethe) is still stuck in slavery, and as a result, this makes things harder for them to immerse themselves into the post-Civil War setting. Usually, the way we learned about the Civil War (in California anyway) is always framed as a poorly made decision.

This changed my mind about slavery in general. Similar to Morrison, I still think that slavery was unnecessary and scarred many more than just those who were former slaves. However, it is making me think a lot of how America could have made up for these wrongdoings a little better (besides affirmative action), and if opportunities for African-Americans have truly gotten any better. For instance, police brutality and their treatment towards those not of their color is an issue that has been increasing in the past years. As a result, movements such as Black Lives Matter continue to take over social media platforms. Personally, I believe discrimination has not completely disappeared from American society. I believe other forms of discrimination are emerging from the shadows. Whether it be police brutality, or insufficient funds going towards inner city schools, it is questionable if African-Americans are actually receiving equal opportunities and treatment. It is ironic that this nation has been built upon the principle of wanting equal opportunity for all. However, when it comes down to it, so few actions have been made to bridge the gap between the rich and poor. The relationship between slavery and modern discrimination might not be an argument some people are willing to face, but when certain behaviors are accepted as norms in society, that is when we should start questioning if whether or not our nation is continuing to uphold the principles that our Founding Fathers have set forth.

Entry Type #7: Responding and Reflecting Blog Entry

As I read Beloved, it gave me a perspective on how slaves in general turned to the supernatural or religion as a means of escape from their reality. It is pretty clear to me that slaves continued their practices after they were free from slavery.

Morrison makes it seem like there is a good side to slavery, and it is that more people were able to turn to their beliefs in order to survive and get through their lives. I think that is how Morrison feels -- she is trying to show that a person’s faith can be strong enough to bring him/her out of his/her misery, no matter what the situation. Through the character of Beloved, the supernatural we see in the book is malicious and shows no mercy towards its familial members. The mindset of former slaves are filled with hope despite constantly being haunted by their brutal pasts, and as a result, they are all able to move on from Beloved’s disappearance. Usually, I did not learn about how religion helped these slaves since religion is a touchy topic at public schools.

This does not change my mind about the hope that religion can garner in individuals -- faith can do wonders for those who believe in it. I went to a Catholic elementary school from grades Kindergarten to third, so I might be a little biased. Being educated at an institution with a religious affiliation is completely different from being educated at a nonsecular institution. Of course it is expected that one is required to attend mass every Wednesday or participate in an extracurricular activity, such as being an altar server if need be. Even though I do not attend Catholic school anymore, this does not mean that I have been wholly stripped from my religious roots. I still attend mass on holidays, and pray whenever I feel as if I am trouble with myself or anyone else/anything. I still keep a rosary in my bedside table, and ask the Heavens to protect those who mean so much to me and/or are deceased. I may not have walked the exact same paths as those of former slaves, but I can empathize with the reliance on our beliefs to help us through the night and/or our personal hardships.

Responding and Reflecting #2

Something that I have learned from Beloved so far is the fact that slavery took away African Americans humane rights and just degraded them as human. Through the psychoanalytical lens, I can see that both Sethe and Paul D both have troubles of slavery. Both of them saw things in their life that scarred them for life. Both of them were looked inferior and they did not get any respect from their white owners. Due to slavery they lost who they were as people, instead of doing things for themselves as their own individual they had to live under someone who beat them to do things that they wanted. African Americans had to struggle through getting taken away from their family, dealing with getting whipped, seeing people die, walking through forests to get to their freedom.

Toni Morrison contrasts that, when looking at Sethe and Paul D, even thought they have gone through a lot of slavery and a lot of hardships, that they can still find a life afterwards. Kind of like a second chance, and that is what Sethe and Paul D have to do, they get a chance to find themselves because they never got to. Even though slavery was so bad and it took away people's lives/identity, that the African Americans have found a way despite their past to move on and go through life and find their true identity.

This goes with my beliefs of giving people a second chance, slavery held them down and made them lose their identity, but the African Americans got back up and are on a path to find themselves and identity. It is really interesting to see how a negative past can affect a positive future. 

Entry Type #4: Critical Lens Experts Blog Entry

Text: Beloved Toni Morrison

Critical Lens: Psychoanalytic Lens

“Motherhood in Toni Morrison’s Beloved: A Psychological Reading” by Sandra Mayfield is written by an English professor from the University of Central Oklahoma. As such, this provides a very useful treatment of accuracy of Morrison’s work, including Beloved. Mayfield is very honest about the areas in which Beloved are useful in providing context about about motherhood.

Mayfield describes Morrison at her best as “defin[ing] an Africanist presence in the most unusual way.” This seems highly applicable to Beloved, which particularly explores issues of motherhood. This is, of course, mostly clearly seen through the character of Sethe, who is a black slave. The portrayal of Beloved as the supernatural in the novel is, indeed, very creepy and weird, exploring the ways in which she could have had the life she wanted. It seems almost to present the idea that Beloved is an entity who has come back to life in order to reclaim the life Sethe took away from her.

Mayfield claims that Sethe’s experiences with slavery has altered her viewpoints on motherhood, especially with her treatment towards Beloved. Beloved certainly presents the view that “blood is thicker than water,” and a mother’s unconditional love is stronger than most, if not all, bonds. At times, the story is critical of Sethe’s inability to let go of her children as a mother.

Entry Type #3: Critical Lens Close Reading Entry

Text: Beloved by Toni Morrison

Critical Lens: Psychoanalytic Lens

“It was not a story to pass on.

So they forgot her. Like an unpleasant dream during a troubling sleep. Occasionally, however, the rustle of a skirt hushes when they wake, and the knuckles brushing a cheek in sleep seem to belong to the sleeper. Sometimes the photograph of a close friend or relative -- looked at too long -- shifts, and something more familiar than the dear face itself moves there. They can touch it if they like, but don’t, because they know things will never be the same if they do.

This is not a story to pass on.” (Morrison 324).

In this quote, the narrator is at the end of telling Beloved’s story and her downfall. Throughout his/her narration, though the narrator considers many different situations in which Beloved was forgotten, it continually returns to this is “not a story to pass on,” culminating in this passage that appears at the very end of the last chapter of the novel.

The depiction of these situations and lingering presence of Beloved communicate Morrison’s belief that history should not repeat itself. Morrison emphasizes the causes and effects of forgetting history, describing the “unpleasant dream during a troubling sleep,” “the rustle of a skirt [when it] hushes” and shifting photographs’ faces. This vivid imagery is a reflection of the effects of forgetting history faced by the United States of America as the result of slavery. Not correcting the wrongdoings made in history, rather than correcting said wrongdoings in history, only served to bring about the United States’ modern discrimination. Morrison also describes the ability to touch the shifting photographs’ faces “if they like,” symbolizing Americans’ abilities to change history by doing more than Affirmative Action.

In addition, Morrison frequently uses language and imagery that adds a ghost-like quality to the disappearance of Beloved, such as when she describes the “the rustle of a skirt [when it] hushes” and shifting photographs’ faces, adding a supernatural quality to the final scene. Ghosts linger on in this world after their physical forms have gone; they cannot move on to the next life until it is their time to leave. Beloved is dead and gone, but unlike in the first chapter, her presence does not live on in the minds of Sethe, Denver, Paul D, and so on. The characters in Beloved are not haunted by Beloved’s physical (or supernatural) presence and can move on from it. In the same way, even after Beloved’s ghost is gone, they can still feel “the knuckles brushing a cheek in sleep.” This description demonstrates that Beloved’s presence lingers, but the power and violence of it ceases. The narrator and his/her repetition of not letting history repeat itself reflects how the modern United States of America in general is still facing discrimination that relates to slavery.

Entry Type #2: Critical Lens Close Reading Entry

Text: Beloved by Toni Morrison

Critical Lens: Psychoanalytic Lens

“What tree on your back? Is something growing on your back? I don’t see nothing growing on your back.”

“It’s there all the same.”

“Who told you that?”

“Whitegirl. That’s what she called it. I’ve never seen it and never will. But that’s what she said it looked like. A chokecherry tree. Trunk, branches, and even leaves. Tiny little chokecherry leaves. But that was eighteen years ago. Could have cherries too now for all I know.” (Morrison 18).

In this quote, the character of Sethe is at the beginning of a tirade of why she will never leave the haunted house of 124 and how her milk was stolen at Sweet Home. Throughout Paul D’s inquiry, though Sethe attempts to unravel her flashback, Paul D continues to bring back their conversation to her chokecherry tree.

The depiction of this chokecherry tree on Sethe’s back communicates Morrison’s belief that the past is part of life; it is etched and intertwined with the present and future. Morrison emphasizes the decision to either grow from the past or to be stuck living in it, describing the “trunk, branches,” “tiny little chokecherry leaves” and “cherries.” This explicit imagery is a reflection of the dehumanization of African Americans as the result of slavery. Sethe, rather than choosing the decision to grow from her past, only served to bring about new hardships. Morrison also describes Sethe’s inability to see the chokecherry tree on her back, not only for immobile purposes but also for symbolizing how even though one cannot physically see his/her past, the past can leave scars that almost seem real.

Beloved is dead and gone, but her presence lives on in the mind of Sethe, who is still haunted by her captivity at Sweet Home and cannot move on from it. Sethe and her unwillingness to move on from her experience at Sweet Home, which negatively affects every aspect of her life including her relationship with Paul D and Denver, reflects how people of African-American descent in general are still currently facing the consequences of the slavery system.

Entry Type #1: Why I Chose This Lens

I decided to pick the psychoanalytic lens for this project because it interested me more than the other critical lenses. When I was a junior at Independence High School, I wanted to take Advanced Placement Psychology, but the administration could not fit it into my schedule. I do not have much experience with the topics covered by this lens since I have never taken an official class. However, I recently worked for a job that required working with patients in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences sector. Personally, I believe that the topics covered by this lens apply to all humans; the experiences of said humans are what shapes their state of mind. Another lens I considered was the feminist/gender lens because I am much more familiar with feminist issues, such as violence against women and social inequality. I am hoping to uncover a deeper understanding of Beloved in this project, since I had already read it during my junior year.

Responding and Reflecting #1

Reading through a Psychoanalytical Lens, it has taught me a lot about growing up and becoming who I am supposed to be. Paul D has gone through a lot of sadness and sorrow but he still keeps his head held high. Analyzing Paul D it seems that he is very unsure of who/what he stands for. Throughout the book it seems that his journey is him becoming a man. Due to slavery, he did not have a guide of how to become a man, slavery took that away from him. Since slavery took becoming a man away from him he now is looking to become a man through being a father figure to Denver and for being a male support for Sethe. This all began in Sweet Home because "of Sixo, and even Halle; it was always clear to Paul D that those two were men whether Garner said so or not" (220). Paul D really doubts himself and always compares himself to Halle and Sixo because Paul D really never got to start a family and have sexual relations with a women. His closest sexual relations was "fucking cows"(13). Having sexual relations with a women for a man is something that might start up "manhood", typically for men when they lose their virginity, they start becoming a man. After Sweet Home Paul D had to deal with a lot of hardships before starting his manhood journey in Sethes infamous 124 house. Paul D was part of the chain gang, and being in that he experienced a lot of sorrow and depression from being forced to preform oral sex, to escaping freedom to the north. When he goes to Sethe's house, I think that is where he starts to develop into a man. First thing he does when he gets to Sethe's house is he has sex with her which I said before is a huge thing for most males. Paul D also warms up to Denver and is looked at as a father figure. 

Due to the Psychoanalytical Lens, it has showed me Paul D's journey even through having no father as a father figure in his life, comparing himself to Sixo and Halle, and surviving through slavery, he is still pursuing his one goal in life which is becoming a man. He has put all of his past behind him so he can allow himself to achieve his one goal in life. He does this through becoming a father figure in Denver's life and becoming a male support for Sethe. Even through everything he has been through he is still striving for what his one goal is, that is one thing I will take away from analyzing Paul D. Nothing is going to stop him from achieving his goal of becoming a true man. 

Close Reading #2

"Saying more might push them both to a place they couldn't get back from. He would keep the rest where it belonged: in that tobacco tin buried in his chest where a red heart used to be. Its lid rusted shut." (86).

When analyzing Paul D, he has overcome a lot throughout his years, and that is what pushes himself to forget the past. When Paul D says "Saying more might push them both to a place they couldn't get back from", this conveys that Sethe and Paul D both have a horrible past from being in slavery and seeing the things they saw. They both look at the past and are extremely haunted by it. Paul D has the ability to put away the past by "He would keep the rest where it belonged: in that tobacco tin". Through the Psychoanalytical Lens, the biggest thing Paul D wants is change. He decides that facing and putting away your past will help you change into someone who is loving and caring. He thinks that putting the past behind him and never remembering it will help him learn how to love Sethe and start a life with her, Sethe is having a little trouble realizing that she needs to face her past and then put it away, whether it is in a tobacco tin or a container. The past for Paul D also did not teach him how to be a man, this could also be a part of him that he wants buried away. He wants to learn about himself, a clean slate kind of. He is now just looking toward the future, he can change the future but not the past. He is looking to be more of a man figure in Sethe and Denver's life. His past to him is like a chain that he can never get rid of, always just hanging on to him, never letting go. Paul D has been running against the chain, trying to escape it, but he can't and never will. But by accepting the chain for what it is, he has learned that he should not run against it, but run with it.