Overall Review on the Novel, "Song of Solomon

Overall I really enjoyed reading this novel! Although, I will say that the beginning of the novel was slow and I did not dive into the novel until part way through. This was when secrets were being revealed and the characters began to be more developed. I love how Morrison weaves her books together so that everything links back to one another. It just makes reading all the more interesting. Her characters are interesting because they have more than one dimension to them. She allows for the readers to relate to them because they have qualities that are on the readers level for example, Hagar. Hagar does not have all the same experiences that regular women or girls have, but they can understand her obsession or love for Milkman. She wants him for herself and when he just pushes her to the side, she goes kind of crazy, but for any girl who has just got her heartbroken she can understand this. It's thinks like this that make Morrison's novel that much more enticing to read. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others.

Has Guitar Gone Mad?

I personally believe that Guitar has gone so crazy over the Seven Days and obsessed with getting the gold, that he has lost his sense of self. It has gotten to the point where Guitar tried to kill Milkman in order for him to receive all the gold and carry out his Seven Days mission. Guitar has lost his conscience because he obviously felt as though killing his best friend is the best solution to his problems, despite the entire message of the Seven Days is to kill a white in order to take a stand against black killings, but that time Guitar tried to kill an innocent man, Milkman. I am just astonished at Guitar's change in persona from the beginning when he was first induced into the Seven Days to his money crazed self. The point that put me over the edge was not the first time that Guitar tried to kill Milkman, but rather the second time. When Guitar accidentally killed Pilate, my entire perception of Guitar changed because he then had not tried to take one innocent life, but took one and was plotting another. Looking back at the novel, I cannot find hints that would point to this happening, I guess thats what Ms. Maxey meant when she said there was going to be a twist to the end of the novel!

Seven Days; Could you be a member?

      Guitar is one of the members of the Seven Days, a organization that is trying to fight back against the killings of blacks and is doing this by taking the lives of whites on the same day and in the same fashion that a black was killed. So, when Guitar is told that he has to kill little girls on a Sunday from the Bombings in Birmingham, he does not seem worried. What I am concerned about is how Guitar can not be nervous or scared to kill little girls? Heck if that were me, I would have been out of that town as fast as I could. The guilt would build in me and kill me slowly. Guitar sees this as an eye for an eye almost, but taking the lives of innocent white girls is just crossing a line in my opinion. I understand his reasoning behind all of it, but when it comes to taking a child's life, I feel strongly as though that should not be touched. Guitar, on the other hand, does not see on my level. He even begins to go stir crazy because he has not gotten the money to get his killing in set up, and almost kills Milkman over this. The idea of Seven Days envelopes Guitar so much that he becomes obsessed with it and is willing to take the lives of innocent civilians, a task that I would never be able to accomplish. So, if you were elected to be a member of the Seven Days, would you accept the nomination and be able to kill innocent people without letting it affect you?

Stories and Why They Are So Interesting

Storytelling derives from gossiping, because in the olden times stories where not written down, rather they were told from memory, often mixing up details and fabricating others. Even today, gossiping is a form of storytelling; someone is doing something of interest that others feel they need to let everyone know about, but the reason the gossip spreads so quickly is due to either the person performing the action, or the action itself, which interests people immensely. Storytelling is proportional to gossiping because even a true story, is not entirely true, rather some parts may be factual, while others are fabricated to intrigue the readers. The article states that a writer can be seen under three different spotlights: a storyteller, a teacher and an enchanter, all of which tell interesting stories to readers, but with different intentions of the stories. The storyteller is a writer that is going for pure entertainment, like a gossiper, but the gossip is completely made up. The teacher is like a fabulist, a story that teachers a moral to the readers, he or she is trying to teach the readers some overarching moral or lesson by the use of an interesting story. For example, "The Boy who Cried Wolf" that is a fable that teaches kids not to lie or else when something bad does happen, others around them will not believe them. Finally, the enchanter is a writer that tries to demonstrate to the readers the power of oneself and the magic of his writing style. All writer fall under one of these categories despite the varying subjects of their works. Stories are interesting to the readers because they tell a story about something that could either never happen, or is fascinating and thus touch on our imagination, or they tell a relatable story that allows for the readers to relate to them. This article breaks down the elements of a great story and allowed for me to think about why I find stories interesting and what types of stories fufill my interest the most.

Privilege; Who has it and How Can One Get It

While reading this article, I began to think about my own privilege and how that has shaped my person. I am privileged to come from a good family, attend a great school and have food on my table every night, while others are not so privileged. This privilege that I hold has allowed me to become the scholar I am, with the drive I have in school, since my mind is not preoccupied elsewhere. This article speaks about W.E.B. Du Bois, who had the privilege to get his doctorate from Harvard, despite his race, and his daughter, who by mere luck got to study at a prestigious school in England. Du Bois writes a letter to his daughter speaking about her privilege to be able to study there, even though she did nothing to earn it, and that she should take a hold of her opportunity and make the most of it.

So, like Du Bois says to his daughter about making the most from every opportunity, what I take away from the article is this: privilege is not only the opportunity to study at some prestigious school, but having privilege can stem from somewhere as simple as having respect for oneself and the others around them. Being confident in all that one does and taking chances to see where it will lead him or her; that is having privilege. One must understand his or her privilege, no matter how much or how little he or she has, and take advantage of all the opportunities it brings in order to better oneself, but most of all, the privilege that one holds should not overcome his or her being, in other words, do not lose oneself in his or her privilege. 

In conclusion, who can have privilege? Anyone can have privilege because although it can come from material belongings, it can also come from respect for oneself and the people around him or her. How can one get privilege? Respect those around oneself and take advantage of all the opportunities that are thrown ones way.

The Two-Sided Man: Eugene

Eugene, the father of Kambili and Jaja, is a man with two different personalities. One personality is avusive and horrible, while the other is generous and optimistic, however, the family never sees the generous Eugene. The Eugene that the kids and Mama see is a man who wants everything done correctly and timely, if a chore is not completed on time the consequence is beating. This rule goes for everyone in the family, including pregnant Mama, however, it does not just apply to chores. Its a lifestyle rule. For example, Mama felt too ill due to her pregnancy to go into Father Benedict's home, but Eugene does not care and forces her in. Upon returning home though, Eugene beats Mama, which Kambili notes is not irregular, and causes her to lose the baby; instead of taking the blame, Eugene blames Mama for the loss and makes her go pray for repentance. The kids feel this abusive behavior as well, if Kambili does not run to the car after school, Eugene will be enraged with her. Likewise, when Jaja refused to take Eucharist at mass for personal reasons, Papa threw a missile at him. This Eugene is not the one that the general public see on a daily basis, rather this side of Eugene is only seen by the family.

On the other hand, Eugene is a generous man to everyone else in the community. He runs a newspaper that discusses the wrong doings of the government because he wants to tell the truth and make a change in his community. This side of Eugene is completely opposite to what he is like in his family life, rather he helps out his neighbors and is an overall great person, despite minor flaws, when he is out in town. In a way Eugene is a character foil of himself because one side of him is the total opposite of the other, thus enhancing both sides of his personality. Eugene is a man of many sides; he has sides of good and evil.

Why We Are Drawn to Memoirs

Upon reading this article, I began to realize the truth in it. I realized that I, myself, am more drawn to memoirs because it gives me a lens into the life of a real person; a lens into the life of the author, for that matter. It tells me his or her story and allows me to have more respect for the person due to the own struggles and obstacles that I have learned that they had to overcome. The memoirs tell a story of person that I can relate to, due to their real problems and real life situations, rather than made up scenarios and figurative characters.

 The reason for writing them though, is different. For the authors, it is not an act of catharsis, or cleansing; it is to make his or her story known to everyone, and root that story further in their character. It makes the story permanent, rather than being forgotten in the upcoming years. As Dan Shapiro said, "It’s a misapprehension that readers have that by writing memoir you’re purging yourself of your demons. Writing memoir has the opposite effect. It embeds your story deep inside you. It mediates the relationship between the present and the past by freezing a moment in time."

Although the reason for reading memoirs and writing memoirs is different, it still has the same effect. It makes a story permanent and that single story can resonate with a person for the rest of their lives, either by freezing a moment of a persons life, or giving common ground between people who live on opposite sides of the globe. 

Okonkwo's Exile

Upon reading Part two of the book, something that really struck me was that Okonkwo was exile for an accident. I know that he was a warrior and revered highly in his tribe, but to me the beatings of his wives and his children just does not seem right, which is of course due to the fact that I am not accustomed to that culture. The fact that Okonkwo was not exiled for the beatings of his family, just surprises me because although it is not outlawed in his tribe, it is looked down upon, especially because Okonkwo broke a sacred week in the tribe. This was not the only instance that Okonkwo's behavior was unfavored, however, it was a mere accident that put him into exile. It just amazes me that that was what did it. Since Okonkwo's exile, he has lost his drive in his crops, due to the fact that before he was working towards being a lord of the clansman, and now that privilege has been taken away all together. Okonkwo feels lost, especially because he no longer has his son, and his wife's only daughter, Ezinma, has just recently passed.  Upon reading part two, the description of Okonkwo's exile really stands out to me because every time something happens to Okonkwo, I am simply reminded that he is there because of an accident; that just really lingers in my mind.

Okonkwo: Anger Issues

In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the first part clearly demonstrates that Okonkwo was serious anger issues with beating his wives, shooting at Ekwefi, and in the end killing his "son". From the beginning it is clear that Okonkwo believes in violence and has incorporated that ideal into his lifestyle. To start this part of the novel, Okonkwo is angered by his wife, Oijugo, because she went to go get her hair braided before making a meal for him, so he beat her, despite the peace of the sacred week. After repenting for his sin, he did not change his way, rather another incident occurred. He finds that another one of his wives, Ekwefi, angers him (it should be noted that she did nothing to anger him, so this time it was unprovoked) and he decided to beat her. After this incident, things went back to normal for a little, but when Okonkwo went hunting with her, things went south again. This time she muttered something under her breath that angered him, thus he decided to shoot at her. Thankfully he missed her, but still this type of anger needs to be controlled. Finally, just to prove that Okonkwo has anger issues that need to be controlled, Okonkwo kills his "son" that he actually really loved, due to the fear that he does not want to look weak. When he is walking home with a group of men from Umuofia, a man attacks the group with a machete. Rather than saving his son and showing his compassion, he cuts the boy down and leaves him behind, thus aiding to his foster son's death. Although it does upset him that the boy is dead, he did have the chance to save him, but he could not risk his image of violence and power. In recap of what I have learned about Okonkwo in this part of the book is that: Okonkwo has major anger issues, which explain the beatings of his wives, and problems with power, which is why he did not aid his "son" when he was being killed. 

Character Foils: Okonkwo and Unoka

In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the characters of Okonkwo and Unoka are introduced immediately as father and son. Upon reading these descriptions, I recognized that the characters are foils of each other. While Okonkwo, the son of Unoka, was brave and had defeated the cat, Unoka hated the sight of blood and never was financially stable due to his inability to harvest a crop, unlike Okonkwo who made a fortune in sharecropping. Also, Unoka was musically talented, playing the flute as well as many other instruments, this could be interpreted that he is a softer man; a man who is not a warrior, but a man of love. While his father is a man of music and love, Okonkwo was chosen by his clan to represent them, since he is the fiercest warrior of his tribe. These are among many of the features that prove that Okonkwo and his father are complete opposites, thus making them character foils.