D'Amore AP Lit

In Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon racism does not play a major through the first half of the novel for the main character. Race comes up throughout the novel, but never really effects how Milkman views the world. Milkman pays no attention to the racism around him because he lives a much different life compared to the other southside residents. Milkman teeters on the edge between black and white because of the wealth his father has accumulated which allows them to have more and be taken more seriously by white folk. The only time Milkman even hears of racism is from Guitar and the guys down at the barbershop. They all constantly talk about the killings and the way things are and how no politician will ever change any of it. All this political stuff bores Milkman so he pays it little attention. It also rarely has any sort of effect on Milkman he never has any moment where he is faced with racism. The South is often brought up around him in an effort to get Milkman t...

The character Macon Dead comes off as very aggressive and unsympathetic. He hates his wife he hates his sister he kicks people out of their homes when they don’t pay the rent really not a standup guy.  Deep down though his character feels guilt. Macon is not this evil spirited man deep down he is just missing what brought him joy in life. He no longer has intimate moments with his wife or feels love from his children as he drove them all away with this mean spirit he brought to the surface. Prior to his children being born, he used to have a sense of purpose he had a strong sense of success about himself. He talks about his keys and how he was able to walk up to the most successful black man in the city and have the courage to ask the Doctor if he may court his daughter. Back then Macon Dead saw the world with totally different eyes it was before the world became his prison. I say prison because it is a reoccurring idea in the novel Song of Solomon. Macon simply can’t escape his pr...

The short story Recitatif takes the topic of race and sort of flips it on itself. Toni Morrison creates this story where the race of both the main characters is never explicitly said. Morrison places the characters in situations that test the ethics of the reader into which race they assume each character is. These situations really make the reader step back and realize how stereotypes play a role in how you view the story. For example, the story opens with the two girls meeting in the orphanage. Morrison supplies the reader with only two pieces of information the girl’s names and what their mothers do that placed them in the orphanage. Taking only these two facts with you as you read the story Morrison asks the reader to make some key decisions as they read through the story. It can be read from two different views depending on which race you assign each girl. On the first read-through of the story, the mind selects the race for each girl that it feels is best suit...

One of the questions that Kingsolver poses is who is at fault for what happened to the Congo? This novel, The Poisonwood Bible , takes place during the time in which the Congo was becoming independent. Kingsolver uses the Price family as a way to convey what is happening in the Congo itself during one of the most controversial times for that nation. Kingsolver writes this novel after finding out about the assassination of Patrice Lumumba was under orders by President Eisenhower at the time. Many find that after reading this novel it is America who is at fault for ruining the Congo after Belgium granted the region its independence in 1960. The  Congo being able to run as an independent country was not ruined by the United States when President Eisenhower had Lumumba killed rather it occurred much earlier. I think this is where Kingsolver seems to forget that by killing Lumumba and placing someone pro-United States in power did not ruin the country it gave it a stable gover...

Sins  The way each of the characters portrays one of the Seven Deadly Sins was played a prominent role in holding my interest in this novel. This portrayal enhanced each character by giving them a stronger base of emotion. For example, Nathan Price exemplified Lust quite strongly throughout the novel.  Lust is a physiological force producing intense wanting for an object or circumstance fulfilling the emotion. His overwhelming desire to convert the people of the Congo consumed him, causing him to forget all those around him. Kingsglover made an interesting choice to have the one character who appears on the outside to be righteous and devout represent a mortal sin. This choice appears to more completely reveal Nathan's character and communicate the notion that even those who stand for good are not always right. In fact, they can be something far from it. By attaching a sin to the characters, Kingsolver is able to impart more about them to the r...