Matthew 1 Matthew 1 Beloved Beloved The story Beloved by Toni Morrison

Matthew 1

Matthew 1

Beloved

Beloved

      The story Beloved by Toni Morrison revolves around the life of Sethe and her survival after her traumatic escape from slavery (Morrison). Sethe escapes with her three children. When she is almost caught, she tries to kill all of them but only manages to kill her eldest (Morrison 77). The story is told in form of flashbacks and their current situation. At present, we find Sethe and her family settled but unable to escape the psychological effects of her slavery period (Morrison). The family has experienced a sense of loss and in the process are haunted by the spirit of the beloved who is said to be the ghost of the daughter she killed (Morrison 33). The story evokes emotion of empathy for Sethe for doing what she did because she thought it was right at the time to save her child and pity and sympathy for her daughter Denver for the life she is forced to live in the house that has left her with a loss of identity and unable to leave the house.

Some of the questions that the story has raised are;

How has Beloved helped Denver gain her own independence in the end? Is beloved really a ghost?

2-Comfort Women

This book was a hard read on the discrimination and sexual slavery of women that existed within the Japanese community during the world war (Hicks). This book covers how Japanese women were raped, mistreated, and forced into the life of providing sexual favors for men in the Japanese military. It exposed the value placed on women during the period and also showed how the culture diminished and left women valueless (Hicks).  The women were raped on a daily basis and the culture continued from the period until today. The concept of comfort women still exists in the society to date. It has left women exposed to the career of sexual gratification when other means are not available unaware of the history that led to the result of this title and line of work (Hicks). Ultimately, this book is an insightful read on the culture that existed that discriminated against the right of women.

 The questions raised in this story

Why has there been more done to expose the history of Comfort Women in Japanese Culture?

3- Solar Storm

In the Solar Storm, we are introduced to the story of Angela Wing, a disfigured young girl who escapes different foster homes and has finally made her way back to her ancestral home in a bid to discover her own heritage (Hogan). The story provides an idea of the power of one’s own identity through the growth of Angela once she finds her own roots (Hogan). She is able to confront her past and mother, and gain answers as to why her face is burned, her abandonment, and the attachment to her land. The story left me with a sense of sacredness from Angela’s fight, to stop the government from colluding to take away the lands of the natives (Hogan). It allows me to see the importance of heritage and the need for environmental protection through her role in fighting to stop the loss of environmental protection as she grows into her own power

The questions raised in this story

How powerful is our heritage in determining our own identity?

4- Everyday Used

The idea that came to me when reading the Everyday Use was the heritage and its importance (Walker). The story evokes emotions of sadness through the insight it provides as to how education can make people disconnect from their backgrounds. The author used Dee, one of the two daughters of a poor single mother, as an example (Walker 2377). She is beautiful and was able to get a good education as opposed to her mother and her disfigured sister. Initially, the character Dee represented a knowledgeable woman who was brave and able to confront the ideas represented by her family. However, the attitude she portrayed and her lack of understanding as to why her family lacks this information on their heritage shows her own ignorance as well (Walker, Everyday Use). She does not seem to see how the culture of her own family came as a result and exposes her disdain for the life she lived growing up in the process.

The question that came to mind:

What the message the author was trying to send in portraying an educated progressive black woman in a negative light? Does her attitude completely divert from the message she is trying to pass across?

5- In Search of our Mother’s Gardens

            This story is a narration of a poet who talks of the unknown power that black women have. It touches the view of black women being used as sexual objects despite the rich spirit they possess (Walker 401). The story is a moving account of how the black women are abused and allow their bodies to be used without knowing how much of saints they are and the power they hold due to their spirit. It talks about how they are dismissed and not acknowledged in the society but still remain patient until the day they will be noticed. The poet talks about how she sees them enter loveless marriages and live their lives without fulfillment (Walker 402). She chastises the ignorance of the people found in the community and the lack of fighting for their plight among the community. The story touches on how the society hinders on the growth of the black women because of slavery and their beliefs, which made it difficult for them to express their gift and live out their dreams (Walker).

The question that came to mind:

What did it mean for a black woman to be an artist in our grandmothers’ time?

What then are we to make of Phillis Wheatley, a slave, who owned not even herself?

6-Excerpts from Killing the Black Body

To me, the killing of the black nobody is an emotional read provides insight in all the ways the United States government has tried to control the reproductive lives and bodies of the black women (Roberts 13). It provides a powerful legal argument that covers all the way the government systematically abused the bodies of black women over the centuries from rape to the forceful use of birth control and the forced sterilization that has occurred to them. The frightening account given by the authors shows the degradation of the black woman and the idea of preservation of the white lineage that was being promoted by the United States over the years to preserve their own genetic line at the expense of the individuals (Roberts 15). It also shows how the community was also excluded from the feminist agenda that was being fought for by women as well. This book is an insightful read that allows us to view the importance of creating a vision that respects every American and provide liberty for the black African American Women (Roberts).

The question that came to mind:

 How has the culture changed since then?

Are the effects of racism in the American System towards black women still exists to date?

7- Blues Legacies and Black Feminism

The chapter “I Used to Be Your Sweet Mama” looks at women through their sexuality, and domestic violence issues (Davis). The story provides a powerful message from women and evokes the emotion of happiness from their actions. The blue women in the chapter touch on their freedom of expression that they did not have before due to slavery. They talk about their own individual desires and needs (Davis 2). They address and send A Message to the men who abused them through their singing, in public to show how they are ready to address their private grievances in the public light (Davis 4). The chapter advocates for women to fight for their rights especially their independence from the men who abused them. It also asks them to change their attitude to become more independent and gain more control of their own lives. It makes us understand the newly found attitude that as developed among women in regards to the own sexuality, independence through their music (Davis).

The question that came to mind:

Why does domestic abuse still continue despite the fight of the women in the historical period to eliminate it?

8- Salt of the Earth (Film)

            The story of the salt of the earth is a powerful message on the importance and value of women in the society. The story revolves around the strike that occurred in New Mexico on the dangerous mining conditions found in one of their largest mines (Biberman). The story is of the rights of Mexican Americans who worked in a dangerous condition in the mines and are pushed to fight and go in a strike to force the improvement and sanitation issues in the mine (Biberman). The owners disregard their pleas and use different means to force them to end the strike. The story gets interesting when the women in the community decide to join the strike and are resilient in their purpose (Biberman). The main character Esperanza fights despite the doubt of her own husband defying anyone that goes against her (Biberman). She is taken to jail but still manages to hold strong. Her determination eventually gives spirit to the men and the women the town. The end of the movie sees the company buckle down to the demand s of the workers. This story evokes pride on the dignity and determination found in Esperanza as she manages to help the town achieve as a sense of victory over their rights and a fight for their own needs despite the low value placed on her gender and culture.

The question that came to mind:

 Why is there still discrimination and bias when it comes to the power of women in the society?

Works Cited

Davis, Angela. Blues Legacies and Black Feminism. 1998.

Hicks, George L. The Comfort Women: Japan’s Brutal Regime of Enforced Prostitution in the Second World War. W. W. Norton Company , 1997.

Hogan, Linda. Solar Storms. 1994.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. n.d.

Roberts, Dorothy. Killing the Black Body: Rcae, Reproductive and the Meaning of Liberty. Pantheon Books,, 1997.

Salt of the Earth. Dir. Herbert Biberman. 1954.

Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. 1973.

—. In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens. Harcourt, 1983.