Hey Scholars!
This is the place to put your first reflection on Sula. Post your entries as comments to this post. I look forward to reading your thoughts!
Always,
Mrs. Idica
Here are 3 samples from last year, so you have an idea of what to do.
SAMPLE 1
In the first few pages of Sula, Toni Morrison describes the town of Medallion. I liked the creative point of view. Morrison starts from the future and dives into the past first describing how the town is being demolished and then describing how the town was in the past. I enjoyed the insightful point of view Morrison provides.
The concept with the top of the hills being called the Bottom because when God looks down at Medallion, the top is on the bottom was one of those things that make you think and wonder why you haven’t though of that. It made me compare Medallion to society because no matter what status a Negro is in, he is always looked down upon as being on the “bottom.”
Overall the first few pages of Morisson’s Sula gave me an enjoyable beginning for a novel that seems to be quite witty and insightful. It provided me with a sense of excitement that told me to get ready for another “Native Son/No No Boy” type of read that deals with struggle and triumph and all that junk.
SAMPLE 2
I have to admit that I didn’t really understand the first page. But I did understand that later on there was a flashback. So, the beginning starts off later in the story.
I understood the part about how the black slave was tricked into getting the “bottom” land. I thought that the white slave owner was really cruel by deceiving the slave. However, I wondered why the black slave didn’t know about how hilly land is not ideal for growing crops. I guess I just assumed that he would have known, but he didn’t.
I liked the statement about how the black people of the town could look down on the white people. I think they were grateful at least for that small benefit. I think this could suggest that the blacks are better people (kinder, etc.). However, I don’t want to speculate that Morrison is stereotyping. I’m not so sure about this, but maybe after reading the story I will understand what it actually means.
I thought the last paragraph of the prologue was interesting. In a way, it sums up what will happen in the story. It stated that the town was preoccupied thinking about Shadrack and Sula. It grabbed my attention and made me want to keep reading. It felt a bit like gossip. Honestly, I think people like to hear about what’s happening in other people’s lives. That’s why some people are obsessed with celebrities, etc.
If anything, please add on to what I wrote in the third paragraph. I want to know what everyone else thinks about that statement.
I hope I posted in the right place!
SAMPLE 3
Racial discrimination is not an unknown topic to the average high school student that has been exposed to some sort of history course. But, when it is put into the context of literature and elaborated with various literary elements, the whole experience is redefined. The irony of the story causes discomfort. It depicts the cruelty of the white man right from the start because of their little "joke" that they played on the black people. They were very clever in relating the town as "the bottom of heaven---best land there is", but also really knowing that it was truly just "the Bottom", representing the inferiority of the blacks.
I enjoyed how descriptive just this prologue was as it described the hidden pain of the blacks living in this town. It also showed their strength as they had to tend to the agriculture with triple the intensity of the white men in the valley, yet they were still able to dance around and relieve some of their stress. They were able to keep up a happy front in order to deceive any visiting white man into thinking "maybe it was the bottom of heaven."
I didn't really like that last paragraph of the prologue for some reason. I did sound like a form of gossip. Actually, it sounded more like this sketch from the Canadian comedy troop Kids in the Hall. Since they made a parody of some sort of scene that sounded just like that last paragraph, I think I am scarred for life and will never be able to take something like that seriously. But other than that, the whole prologue was greatly put together with the effects of starting from the end, and the use of irony. And honestly, I'm writing this after I've read most of the required chapters, and those chapters are highly descriptive and I found it really hard to put the book down so I could get some sleep.
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32 comments:
All right! First to comment!
Anywho, on to the topic. As embarrassing as it is to admit this, i didnt understand the opening part of the novel. I had a hard time following what was going on, maybe its becasue i spead read a little to finish before class. But either way, after our little discussion, it started to fall into place. i do enjoy a bit of irony, and the whole bottom in the hills thing really sparks an interest in my mind (After i got it that is). And it just goes to show how racist and deceitful the white folk were back in the day, pretty sad and disgusting really. I mean a name is one thing, but to completely lie for such an important thing as land is another.
The point of view tense changes hasnt really struck me as appealing yet, but who knows, maybe it will later on. I did however enjoy reading about Shadrack. He is definately a character i plan to follow closely. I think a paranoid war veteran always makes for a very interesting character, hoping that doesnt sound aweful. But i cant help but feel sympathy for their paranoia and displacement into society. Stories like i had seen castles and soldiers home seem to just make you want to pat the guy on the back. The intro to Shadrack was also catchy, i was all like whats up with his hands and whats up with suicide day?! Hopefully Sula will be an interesting character too.
Without a doubt Morrison so far had painted a vivid picture from the bottom to the dripping brains, which really seems to help place me into the period where racism and hatred consumed many. I think it will prove to be an interesting story.
I must admit that I'm not the type to read things slowly, but this is the type of book to do so. It seems as though the whole feel for the town of Medallion was found in the meticulous details which could very easily slip by an unalert mind. It's very easy to get frustrated with the book as I find that I must backtrack several paragraphs and re-read often. Sometimes Morrison's poetic writing style will slip past comprehension, alert or not. Quite honestly, I do not look forward to struggling with the rest of the book but I'm sure the Nobel Prize winning story will keep my attention.
Anyhow, the purpose of the first chapter - as a typical first chapter would - was to set the scene and the mood, introducing a town with a prominent history. Because the setting is introduced first and is graced with an entire chapter dedicated to it, it can be inferred that Medallion will greatly influence the characters later on in the story. However, that is already blatantly obvious due to the time period and theme of the book. Racism has always meant segregation, especially physical segregation. Bottom is recognized as a black town and so therefore full of black culture and whatever whatnot. After propping up such an elaborate setting, I would very much like to see how Morrison utilizes the characters with the setting.
While reading the first chapter I struggled to pay attention. The book hasn't really captured my attention yet, but who knows, maybe I'll turn out to love it.
Although i did have to re-read paragraphs here and there, I was able to comprehend the segregation between black and white that was presented through the explanation of "the Bottom." I really liked the irony in it, and I wonder what kind of role the bottom will play through out the novel. So far I'm not sure what to think of the town Medallion. It seems like a town where everyone has a place and purpose, and where everyone is accepted despite flaws. Medallion seems like a unique kind of place, and I'm curious to see what will happen with the town.
One thing that I find really interesting is Morrison's use of irony; the irony in "the bottom" as well as the happy yet sad town. The discussion we had really helped me to better understand the irony and it's importance. Morrison's use of irony, is quite witty, but at the same time I don't like having to pay meticulous attention to her descriptive writing style.
I’m not very fond of Toni Morrison’s writing style. I’ve never read a book quite like it, but I know that in awhile it’ll start to sink in and, who knows, I might come to love it. The descriptions are indeed vivid and thorough on all counts; however, so much of her description put in one spot (like in the first pages of “Part One”) is overwhelming and on the borderline of becoming boring.
As for the actual storyline, so far I’m pretty interested because the plot is so unique. I know the concept of a soldier getting injured and coming home alienated isn’t uncommon, but the specifics, such as blood and brains running down his back (eewww!) and the growing hand, are in themselves ideas that I’ve never read any author introduce. Also, National Suicide Day was a funny and totally practical invention that completely makes sense even though it’s disturbing.
Maybe the whole setting of the Bottom will become more significant, but right now it seems a little pointless to dedicate the introduction to its history. Overall, I’m definitely interested in what the story will reveal next.
In response to Eric's comment, I will also admit that I didn't understand Part One - neither its content nor its significance. Unlike Eric, I took awhile at home to read and reread the passage until I at least understood what it ws trying to convey to its readers. And after that, like Eric, I only fully understood it after our class deciphered it.
As far as the narration point of view goes, I don't mind it being in third person, because I like to know what all the characters are doing. I'm actually hoping the narration will become omniscient third person, that way I'll know what all the characters are thinking too.
I'm already convinced that with how captivating Shadrack's character is, Sula will be just as much, if not more interesting.
I thought the whole concept of "the bottom" in terms of the slaveholder's definition was a little confusing because if the hills are the "bottom of heaven" doesn't that mean that all the white people are living below heaven (i.e. hell?)? And I guess the slave had never worked any land before because who doesn't know that rocky land is more difficult to farm on?
Shadrack was a humorous character to me (even if he wasn't supposed to be). He was the harmless eccentric war veteran, just another character of the town. I thought that he was hallucinating his hands getting better because someone put him on drugs and he was tweaking a little, but I still managed to find the scene where it first happened both sad and funny. As for National Suicide Day, I'm waiting for the first person to take Shadrack up on his offer. It is unfortunate that he had to go crazy so young in life, but tragedies happen.
And if the holiday is National SUICIDE Day then why are people allowed to kill each other? Or are they just killing one another as a favor - because personally I could not kill myself either. To borrow a line from Schwarzenegger, "I cannot self-terminate." ;3
In response to the others...
I don't think it's very surprising for a white man to lie to a black slave, it's just really horrible. Hopefully ethical standards have progressed for everyone, even if it is just because the law has made it more difficult for people to fall back on their promises if a contract is made.
I agree that I don't really like to read things slowly, but also that you can get a lot more from a reading if you take it slow. In class I realized that I had already missed a lot of little intricacies that would have made the reading more interesting and worthwhile.
I also had trouble getting started with the first part because it was confusing, but as soon as the story started to take off as well it became a much easier read.
What's funny is that the brains comment is something we all remember. I would think that it is a kind of tool to make sure that the reader is paying attention. Tongue-in-cheek novels are clever, but sometimes throwing in some blatant descriptions can wake a reader up.
The beginning of the book wasn't too interesting, so I don't really have much to say about it. The one thing I didn't really understand was the concept of the hill being the "bottom." If it is the bottom then the valley is the...? I just don't understand Morrison's intent unless it was just to reveal that the (to be politically correct) African American man was not very intelligent as he believed the elevated piece of land to be God's "bottom of heaven." Then again, slaves generally were uneducated so maybe he was quick to believe the farmer because he was a(n) (educated?) white man.
Everyone's already gone on about the whole race issue, so I'll just proceed from there. The first thing that caught my attention was the concept of National Suicide Day. Shadrack is an unusual character, scarred by war and unable to face that death may find him at any time, though he has accepted its inevitability. Morrison's introduction of such a "holiday" is interesting as it addresses the fear that many people have concerning death. Even I sometimes worry about the stealth of death, though I have, like Shadrack, embraced that it is inevitable. I guess you could say that I am like Shadrack in that respect. That's probably why the idea of a National Suicide Day sounded so appealing (though quite morbid). Not that I would ever take him up on the offer to kill myself (or have someone else kill me) but...what a novel idea.
Though I did not really enjoy the beginning (I thought the book was going to be kind of boring), Morrison's witty institution of National Suicide Day made me change my mind; I am now mentally ready to continue on with the story and I am actually looking forward to it.
I like what Janelle pointed out when she deduced that the valley would be "hell" if the white people believed what they were telling the black man. It is something I didn't catch myself, and it does make one wonder if that concept will come in play later on in the book.
Additionally, I agree with her when she says the story about Shadrack is both funny and sad. The description of his behaior when he got out was hilarious (the avoidance of sidewalk and the swagger in his weak legs) but at the same time it was depressing to think how lost and alsone he must feel, and that the people mistook him for a crazy or a drunk.
Sadly, the novel has yet to catch my real attention. I find myself rereading the paragraphs again because I didn't understand it (and no I don't blame that American Idol was on TV)or the story was too shocking to comprehend the first time. Tell me you guys didn't re read the part when Eva "relieved" Plum from his illness. That's something you don't read about everyday.
As of now, I'm still confused why the novel is called Sula. The start of 1921 talks about Sula briefly but then it starts talking about Eva and her life story. By the end of our required reading we meet Boyboy, the Suggs, Plum, the woman in the gren dress, and the three Deweys. Morrison pretty much talked about everyone in the world, except Sula. We pretty much have her family history but nothing significant about herself except that she likes Nel's red-velvet sofa. We're still in the beginning part of the novel but it would be interesting to read more about Sula other than in the beginning and ends of chapters.
Don't underestimate the power this name holds...
You misspelled First in the title of this blog entry btw, but w/e everyone knows what you meant haha.
Okay well it got off to a slow start but was still pretty witty with that whole play on words with "The Bottom" being the top and whatnot.
I don't however particularly get how the story is being told. It seems to randomly introduce characters without much relation to each other, but I'm hoping the author eventually brings them all together like some sort of puzzle or I'll really dislike it. I don't like short stories because you never really get to know the character, especially if they have some potentially interesting ones.
Which brings me to Shadrack, mmmm yes he does look fun. Personally I'm hoping he cracks and goes on a mad killing spree because nobody else is joining in on his Suicide Days, but yea i doubt that'll ever happen, and if it does i swear i didn't read ahead, as if I would want to anyways...
This whole thing about how black people have been oppressed and there is racism, quite frankly i have little patience for it. The whole concept has become very trite, and YES they suffered, and YES it should be remembered, and YES i feel sorry for them, but it's become so repetitive its worse than boring, its irritating. GET OVER IT, if you want the world to get over it, stop bringing it the F*** UP. Okay my rant is over, I'm using this weird name for this sole purpose of being able to rant and all you can do is GUESS at who I could be, hmmmmm who COULD it be. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA.... I think I'm giving too many clues already.
Anyway, I also kind of wonder if the Medallion has some sort of meaning. All these people living here, so far the author does seem to give some thought into names (The Bottom and Shadrack), so perhaps the name they chose for their little town will come into play later.
Here's to hoping it gets better, and that it won't be another story about black people bitching about racism... seriously. I really do enjoy the ones that don't have very much.
In response to darwin's post, i agree that there's not much information about Sula so far. But considering the title of the novel, i'm sure she'll become a very important character a bit later in the story line. Right now i don't really understand why so many characters are being introduced. I suppose that they'll all play a larger role later??
I quite agree with Janelle and Marcie. I do not particularly understand the concept of Bottom because the white folk live further down than what is supposedly the "bottom."
Furthermore, I would like to pose an interesting thought: what if the slave knew that it was not good farming ground? I mean, they are the ones doing manual labor everyday in the fields, so they ought to have almost as much knowledge about farming as the actual slave owner. Suppose he wanted the land for more than agricultural purposes. I think that it said in the book that they were both happy with the deal, so I suppose there could be more to it. Perhaps he was just so really smug about living above the white folk that the poor nonarable land doesn't bother him as much.
Anyway, that's just a thought.
To leave my third and final post, I suppose I will comment on Darwin's post about the abundance of characters.
There are certainly a whole lot of characters, most of which are secondary characters. However, they don't seem so because Morrison describes them in such detail and gives them history and background. I wonder if that is because they are very significant characters who later play a pivotal role in the story, or they are simply there as a highly decorated piece of the supporting background to make Medallion seem real.
I would very much like for Morrison to continue with the characters and develop more story for them to be a part of. It would just be very disappointing to find out that Shadrack had only that one chapter or if Eva and BoyBoy don't have another scene in the spotlight. It would only mean that they were tedious details and information superfluous to the plotline.
Sorry this is kind of late! My internet has been acting up =/
The beginning of the novel was really boring for me. It was really confusing at first because I didn’t quite know what the purpose of the beginning was but after reading more of the book, it started to make sense. I also had to re-read the first few pages to fully absorb all of the descriptions that Morrison used. However, as confusing as the first part might have been, I really enjoyed the picture that Morrison painted for the reader. The purpose of the first part was to set the scene and mood of the story. It allowed the reader to see the culture of the town and the type of people that lived there. The name of this area was also ironic because one typically wouldn’t call an area up in the hills the “Bottom”.
The next chapter introduced a character named Shadrack. Once again, Morrison’s descriptiveness painted a very detailed picture in my head. I feel sorry Shadrack because his mental state causes him to hallucinate. However, I think if I saw someone acting like him on the street I would think he was crazy or drunk too. Shadrack’s National Suicide Day is also a very interesting concept. National Suicide Day gives people one day to worry about suicide so that they don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the year. I am very eager to find out what role Shadrack will play later in the novel.
In response to Trinh's first post, I agree with her when she says that we have to read slowly to actually comprehend everything ans catch all of the details. It's easy to miss a lot of the important details that Morrison puts in. For example, the first time I read about the town I didnt find the irony in it. I just thought it was a nice, happy town. However, after I re-read this part I realized that they weren't actually happy. Important details like this cannot be missed because it changes the entiremeaning of the story.
And for my final post i will respond to SugarCherryPartyPrincessMuffinManPattyCake's post. I kind of agree with what he was saying about the whole racism thing but not quite on that level. I think it's really important that we study this but I hope that the theme has more to it than the average African American novel. From what i've read so far, I think it'll be different. And, because this is about a woman instead of a man it should have a different effect.
I somewhat agree with Ross and Katrina's posts. Most Africa-American novels are relatively the same, and we always know what to expect. But i strongly feel that it's important to study. its important not only to people that are African-American, but to people of other races as well. I think racism is a sensitive matter, and it shouldn't be taken so lightly, or thats how i feel. But i do agree with katrina, the book is from a woman's point of view, something that isn't seen frequently. I'm hoping that this novel will provide a lot of insight, from a different perspective.
This is my response to the first reading.
The first couple of pages were a little hard to get through and took some time to soak in, but I enjoyed the setting Morrison placed us in. The colorful diction made me wonder what kind of wonderful memories would this place hold and whether or not any of those were dark. In contrast, I did not like the town name "Bottom" and its justification. ALL people live beneath heaven.
I do not like how veterans who have become victims of PTSD (Post=traumatic stress disorder) are always subject to such buffoonery in novels. Yes, it is true that whenever people act abnormal others, whom are so accustomed to a different scene, often find the odd acts humorous. Though, I don't see why authors have to play on this perspective and make matters seem worse. Morrison is trying to catch the attention of readers, but I think that there could have been many other approaches.
The whole Bottom concept got me thinking. Because of that disruption, one could call it, I was mislead. Shadrack's plate caught my attention with its "whiteness of rice, the quivering blood tomatoes, [and] the grayish-brown meat." I thought "Oh look, its equally distributed between whites, blacks, and reds." If all races one day were that way, I think most would react like Shadrack; "a balance that soothed him, transferred some of its equilibrium to him."
I think this book will end up making me think.
In response to SugarCherryPartyPrincessMuffinManPattyCake :
I'm hoping that Toni Morrison will not spend too much time on her wide array of characters, but there will be sufficient descriptions to allow each character to be somewhat fully developed. I think pulling all of these lives together will bring an unpredictable result and I hope that it won't be an elaborate wardrobe malfunction full of random knick-knacks.
I agree, there has been a lot of literature on racism and it is a little repetitive. Though, I think that it is particularly a bit of a nuisance to us because we live so far away from it all. Even though we live on a mixed plate, there is still the rest of the world to consider and even other places, such as the South, in our country. I feel that it is still an important issue for many, but yes, I think that its themes are a little too common for us.
On a side note, I am looking for meaning in Medallion too.
I also agree about the predictable patterns that appear in many African American novels. We always see their hard labor, putdowns, beatings, ect. I think it would be nice to have a story written by a back person who went through the oppression themselves; an autobiography would be even better. I understand that Toni Morrison most likely experienced the segregation and hatred of the later 20th century, but she can't know exactly what the hearts and souls of her peoople back when her story is set were experiencing. My point is, if you're going to write another blacks-were-mistreated-we-want-you-to-see-how-bad-the-whites-treated-us story, readers want a new dynamic than their typical faimily life of that time period.
Another thought altogether, I just want to comment on Sam's observation about the food Shadrack was eating. I totally didn't make that connection before(!) with the blacks, whites, and reds(?). (Did we go over it in class though, because it sounded kinda familiar - just curious).
In response to Marcie:
You would think that a slave, who has worked on land for, most likely, many years of his life would know better. Though, even though many slaves held their "owners" in disgust, a lot of them must have believes every word they heard. Knowledge plays a big role in life and because slaves were uneducated, their futures always looked dim.
I find the power of persuasion extremely hard to match. When people believe ideas for so long, evidence of opposing acts always seem less believable. If a juicy rumor is spread, the truth can be hard to accept because of its bland nature. Influence has long been one of the unrivaled powers of the world's conquerors.
Shadrack's National Suicide Day was quite ingenious. Doomed to befall upon all of us, I think the topic of death is almost a sure-hitter for readers of every classification. Maybe this is because of its inevitability or because it has been such a taboo subject for the "civilized" for so many centuries. I hope that this topic doesn't disappear in the story and that it is taken a step further.
Quick reply to Ross:
Your new "blacks-were-mistreated..." addition to the dictionary is too long to be seen.
Also, yes I was excited to see the concept tie in with the circle concept. Since we first found that kind of connection in this class, I have continued to look for it in all of my readings.
To comment on trinh's first posting i must agree that we must read slowly in order to catch all the little details that are required to understand what is going on (ei my confusion on the first chapter). I do find it boring as well and i hope it will pick up, it seems to have started uprising toward more interesting turn of events.
As to adress darwins comment i must agree with what he is trtying to say about Sula. Imean her name is the title, surely she should have more importance. However, what i am realizing is that this portrayal of her history might be used as to describe and explain why she is the way she is (which we'll find out later actually is).
And my name is spelt with a k...Erik, ms Shashee. its okay though, typical mistake and im used to it :)
Okay, I know this is super late, but I though I wouldn't get credit if I posted late (and I may not get credit anyway because this is about 2 weeks late) but I figured I should post anyway, to make the 6 supplementary posts.
In response to sugarcherry...'s comment:
I also wondered if Morrison used names to convey certain things. After thinking about some of the more important characters, I couldn't really come up with anything (though I realize we went over some of the biblical allusions, I wouldn't have known any but Jude because I do not really know the bible). The one name I did make some connections with was the town name, Medallion. The thing that struck me was when Mrs. Idica brought up the circle (yin-yang) concept. Medallions are round (generally circular), which could be an indication of the effect of the circle concept on the entire town (not only the few characters who we have placed in the circle concept). This may or may not have been her intent, but I feel that it reinforces the importances of the circle concept, so I will believe that that is what the name references.
So this is my second supplementary comment (to Sam's comment):
I felt bad for Shadrack about the whole hospital thing. He was a young man who had seen and experienced terrible things and I understand that coping comes in many different shapes and forms. Unlike Sam (though she has a different background, being involved in military), I thought that Morrison effectively used Shadrack's vulnerabilities due to his experiences. As I already explained, I like the concept of National Suicide Day and can relate to Shadrack's insecurities when it comes to the unexpected stealth of death. By setting Shadrack up as a man who had gone to war, Morrison was able to create the weird, crazy Shadrack that everyone in Medallion knew and feared.
Very late but w/e I have to do this.
In response to Sarah
I was also disinterested in the book, as you guys saw in my post haha. But your views on the bottom being hell are something to think about.
Later on many bad things happen, and although we know it isn't hell, it was a good guess.
In response to Eric
I liked shadrack as well. He is an interesting character and I enjoy that he was later used for even more fun things.
Yes paranoid war veterans... ahhh they do make wonderful literature.
The pace of the story is particularly slow. The amount of character development indicates that the book's actual plot is not important but rather the interaction between the characters is important. I was really confused in the beginning because none of the details were related to Sula at all. The background information about the Bottom help set up the historical context and time period so it was easier to understand the underlying social issues, and I actually found some parts quite comical.
The part about Shadrack I found very funny. National Suicide Day is actually not a bad idea because it helps clear one's head of the idea of death for the rest of the year. The process that led to it, however, him being an insane war veteran, is reminiscent of the people coming back from WWI. In my opinion, after surviving a war and seeing all those atrocities you would want to live life more rather than end it because you've seen how bad it could get, you should enjoy it as much as possible.
In response to Trinh's:
I don't think Morrison's style is very poetic, philosophical perhaps, but the descriptions are more thought provoking than they were whimsical. Going off that her style of writing is actually very vague. It's voice isn't that of the characters she's portraying but rather the voice of all people that have felt this social backlash. Her views on life and death are portrayed with such normalcy because of this fact.
Ironically setting didn't have much importance with the book itself. It just served as a divider or a known place of isolation.
In response to Darwin:
I have to agree that in the beginning the book did not catch my attention. In fact I focused more on eating dinner than I did the book itself, however I did have to stop eating while reading the part about relieving Plum of the stones in his rear end.
To be honest I still don't understand why all of these extra characters were necessary because they rarely interacted with Sula at all, or for that matter they weren't really affected by her. While they are a part of the town, they didn't react to her actions or her presence, but remained a constant. Those extra characters, however, were a manesfestation of death, so perhaps Morrison is implying that death reacts to no one.
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