adolescence

adolescence-I

tells the story of a group of girls on grandma's porch. They sit around and talk, and are amazed with the simplest things. They find the beauty of the world. Like fireflies whirring nearby and the pinging of street-lamps. The main theme of adolescence though is love, and Linda describes their innocence. "a boys lips are soft as soft as baby's skin" she is idolized for her knowledge, she is above the other girls for she has done what none of them have, she has kissed a boy.

Adolescence II
This is probably the first really negative experience she has with men, she is either pregnant at this point (baby-breasts) or so just becoming a woman. She describes being in the bathroom as they come "seal men" with eyes as round as dinner plates and eylashes like sharpened tines. They are described as hungry tines are forks. With the sent of licorice. I believe they are drunk, for one says can you feel it yet? When they leave patting their bodies they are possibly showing their drunkeness, as they need to touch things. Or perhaps they have raped her. That was my first impresssion. They leave.

Adolescence III here she is undoubtedly pregnant, she swells out llike atomato.The men in her life have gone and left her alone with her mother to work in the fields.
Adolescence could be the men in a girls life, her life before men, her life during it, and her life after they have left her. Or it could be scene as her maturing from child to teen to adult. Either way the poem is about the loss of adolescence and the dissillusionment with the world which comes with it.

from the dream song

From the dream song.
The tone is boring
the speaker is bored
there is no distinct imagery
Instead of making a connection with humans, he tries to connect to literature, but even that bores him. The tranquil hills and gin look like a dog, as in man's best friend. Unfortunately even the pleasure from this has left him. He's left with only one sarcastic wag of his tail. Even the description of everything leaving him is non-caring. he does'nt care where the dog has left to, the mountains or sea or sky.

At the beginning of the poem he attempts to make an argument for why he is not bored, the sky yearns, just as he does. However he breaks down with the comment from his mother, almost as if he blames her for his boredom.
the second poem is his transition, from how he should be interested in things, to how much he is not interested in things, and how he is not interested in the things he tries to be interested in.
Finally he describes how his interests run away from him.
The poem is ironic because the man takes such a long time describing each and every thing that bores him. Its almost as if the only thing he is interested in is his own boredom.

beloved section 2

- A man aint an ax pg 81- shows the difference between slaves and freedmen, slaves are expected to be used as tools, and to generate a profit.
- “but her brain was not interested in the future” Sethe’s brain is so full of the evil deeds that have happened in her pas that her brain can not look forward to the future, Halle was broken by the sight of her rape, but she was broken down over time. Until she has nothing to look forward to but to take care of her child.
- “pauls story about mister”- paul describes the rooster and how it grew up to whoop anything in the yard, yet was allowed to maintain its own existence, yet he was forced to wear the iron bit in his mouth. Shows how slaves were mistreated even to the extent of being treated worse than animals.
-“why you call yourself beloved?” “in the dark my names beloved”
her name beloved symbolizes all the evil of the world, she was named beloved by seethe but the name was bought at a price. Sethe had to sell her soul in order to chisel the name beloved on the headstone
-“It’s a tree lu, a chokecherry tree”
trees symbolize life usually, perhaps a form of new life. The cherry tree might symbolize sethes new life outside of slavery since this helped to drive her to freedom. The tree also is a form of protection, which sehte definetly provides in her role as mother.
-“river water was spreading over seethes hips”- shows the connection between water and birth, similar to beloved’s rebirth. Water also symbolizes freedom or transformation- the slaves had to cross water from Africa and Sethe had to cross water to be free.
-“those white things had taken all I had or dreamed”
baby suggs describing how she quit life because of the white people, seethe could fall into the same spell.
-“Lay em down, seth...Dont study war no more"
seethe has been battling her past for so long she must move on and embrace the present.
-"He saw them boys do that to me and let them keep on breathing air?"
seethe is disappointed because she believed that Halle would protect her from such evils, but halle could do nothing to stop the white-men.
-"the quality of the green changed"
the view of green had changed, it had become less valuable, her willingness to live life was not as strong.
-"on all fours"
Sethe is still an animal, shows that she is not yet a freed man, but only a freed slave. She is still a slave to her children
-“The circle of iron choked it”
Beloved claims tahat it was not her who choked seethe it was the circle of iron, the symbol of slavery.
-“the raunchy turtle sex scene”
this has to mean something, the loss of beloved’s innocence? Perhaps the realization on denvers part that beloved was up to no good.
-“his hands quit taking his instructions”
Paul D’s body was unable to function after he was imprisoned. Shows he is finally broken for they not only have taken his body, they take his minds ability.
-“in the boxes the men heard the water rising”
water again symbolizing rebirth or tranforamtion, in this case it represents the transformation from animal back to freed slave, as the imprisoned men were treated like animals.
-“the disease they faced now was an inconvenience compared to the devastation they faced before”
the cherokees were an oppressed people, just like the blacks, shows how each dealt with a form of slavery.
-“follow the tree flowers”
the tree flowers are a symbol of life and happyness, Paul D must follow happiness in life ,b tu the tree flowers are always shifting
-“he did not stop to touch them”
but paul D was never able to stop and enjoy the flowers
“paul D’s chest rose and fell under the hand”
shows how much control Sethe has over paul, she seems to make him dance like a puppet.

beloved section 1

df

1. “The responsibilities of her breasts , at last, was in someone else’s hands now.” pg 21

This shows how seriously Sethe has been taking the responsibilities of a mother. She feels the need to protect and provide for her family, yet is relieved to have someone to share the load. Paul symbolically doe this by supporting her breasts with his hands.

2. “maybe she could feel the hurt her back ought to” pg 21- again shows the oppressive nature of motherhood and the toll it has retracted from Sethe. She is so focused on caring for others she has no time or ability to feel her own pain, even the physical pain of her scars.

3. “Now her mother was upstairs with the man who had gotten rid of the only other company she had.” Page 23 This is the first look into Denvers character. Her mysterious birth leads to an even more mysterious mannerism in which she craves attention. Everyone is leaving her and so she clings to Sethe for stability and even the presence of the baby ghost for security.

4. “ How loose the silk. How fine and loose and free” Pg 33 Although Sethe is describing the corn which she has picked. She is actually making metaphors into her love life with Halle. She uses words like “loose”, “fine” and “free” to show that in the cornfield they were free from their duties. Sex is a form of freedom for Sethe.

5. “excitement that Denver could have all for herself in the boxwood” pg 34 This is an insight into Denver’s character as an attention craving and selfish child. The story will see the growth of Denver while virtually every other character is destroyed.

6. “a white dress kneeled beside her mother and had its sleeve wrapped around her waste.” Pg 35 the white dress is Sethe’s wedding dress which is possessed by spirits, perhaps the baby’s spirit perhaps Baby Suggs spirit. The dress comforts seethe as she prays showing that it doesn’t necessarily mean her harm. Furthermore her wedding was one of the freedoms which she was permitted to have on Sweet Home, this freedom she clings to and protects her.

7. “Down in the grass like the snake she thought she was.” Pg 39 Sethe is feeling guilty because she believes she has ruined her family by running from sweet home. Halle is nowhere to be found, her children are ahead of her, and she has no strength to care for her baby. Snakes represent trickery and evil which is ironic because seethe is said to spit the truth instead of fangs.

8. “Velvet is like the world just born clean and new” Pg 41 Velvet is being compared to the baby inside of Sethe. While Amy travels to Boston for exquisite velvet, so Sethe travels to free soil to give birth to her child. This could be why the baby feels so safe around the white girl and stops kicking.

9. “I was talking about time. Its so hard to believe in it” this is reflected in the way the book is written, with little notion chronological order. The book jumps forwards and back and looks at the same situation from many vantage points.

10. “well I think the baby got plans” the baby had just appeared in the apparition of a wedding dress, holding onto and protecting Sethe. This is a foreshadow for how the baby will protect the sanctity of the house against the invading presence of Paul D.

11. “It was clear why baby suggs was so starved for color”

This is one of the first times color is used which becomes a major theme throughout the novel. Color represents lifes and its many different emotions. From happy exuberant orange to dark brooding black combined with textures. Baby suggs was looking for colors because the real world had tired her so much, she was so shaken from life that she needed interaction without a chance of loss, the rainbow gave her such a relief.

12. “Bare feet and chamomile sap./took off my shoe; took off my hat.” Pg 49 This is the line which Paul D settle s to recite as he fixes the cabin. It is a long way from his gypsy-like nature and shows how he is tied down to the family.

13. “As for Denver, the job Sethe had of keeping her from the past that was still waiting for her was all that mattered.” Pg 51 Shows Denvers sheltered/childish nature. All Denver cares about is that she is cared for. Exposeses her greedy nature which is only disturbed once beloved comes and steals seethes attention.

14. “risky very risky for a used to be slave woman to love anything that much was dangerous” page 54. Shows major insight into both Paul D and Sethe’s history. Both of them have lost virtually everything they love and contrasts them. Where Paul has resigned to never love anything again because it is too painful to have It ripped away seethe loves things so strongly that no-one would dare to take them away.

15. “all were in high spirits… the smell of dying roses”57

Foreshadows the coming of the evil beloved. The fact that everyone was enjoying themselves which was extremely rare for this family yet this smell of doom hangs over them is quite picturesque. Roses may symbolize life or romance and at this time which is the peak of the relationship between seethe and Paul D there s this smell. Could symbolize that the relationship has no real passion, or that they are both too dead to have any passion left.

16. “two pennies and an insult were well spent if it meant seeing the spectacle of white folks making a spectacle of themselves” 58

The contempt which blacks have for whites was all the advertising this fair needed. Also ties into the role of colors. White here is meant to seam foolish, not mean, but still shown in a negative light.

17. “the shadows of the three people still held hands” 59

Described as their shadows holding hands, this is important because they themselves might not hold hands, but perhaps they all wish to be united. The bond is not there yet. Shadows may represent the past or the future, as they all have ties to sweethome and seem to be forming a family. They may also represent hopes or dreams, yet Denver does not necessarily wish to be united with Paul.

18. “ no more like flooding the boat when Denver was born” 61

Ties the rebirth of Beloved to the birth of Denver.

19. “heavy this place is heavy” heavy is often used in places where other words seem to fit better, your love is heavy is another example. Heavy must take on a different meaning similar to important.

20. fielding I promise to enter 45 by the end of the book im coming so you can sign my yellow sheet