In an interview Toni Morison remarked, "I don't want to give my readers something to swallow. I want to give them something to feel and think about."
Describe a moment in the text you had difficulty swallowing yet engaged you in thinking.
1. Quote that part of the text, and tell how it made you think differently.
2. Comment on another person's quote.
3. Raise a question in the text you would like an answer to.
I found the end of 1923 to be very disturbing when Hannah caught on fire. "The water did put out the flames, but it also made steam. which seared to sealing all that was left of the beautiful Hannah Peace. She lay there on the wooden sidewalk planks, twitching lightly among the smashed tomatoes, her face a mask of agony so intense that for years people who gathered 'round would shake their heads at the recollection of it" (76). The few pages about this incident were really scary to me because I couldn't imagine being there and seeing that happen. Another disturbing part was what Eva did to get to her daughter. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes and seeing my child burning on fire. By jumping out of the window, she represented a true parent who would do anything for the safety of their child.
ReplyDeleteWhy was Sula just standing there showing no emotion?
Kelly L. P5
One part I found disturbing was in 1923 when Eva was talking about her son, Plum, and why she killed him. She stated "There wasn't no space for him in my womb. And he was crawlin back...I had room enough in my heart, but not in my womb, not no more. I birthed him once. I couldn't do it again...I done everything I could to make him leave me and go on and live and be a man but he wouldn't and I had to keep him out so I just thought of a way he could die like a man not all scrunched up inside my womb, but like a man...But I held him close first. Real close. Sweet Plum. My baby boy" (71). This quote made me think that Eva maybe wasn't a good mother, but then when I kept reading I saw how she jumped out a window to try and save Hannah's life...so it's like she has both ends of the spectrum. I couldn't imagine what she must have felt during that time, or even how she was feeling telling her daughter that story. Kelly, like you, I found the part where Hannah caught on fire to be unsettling. So far this book has been so depressing!
ReplyDeleteWhen Chicken Little was flung into the river, why didn't Sula or Nel jump in to try and save him?
Julianne M. P6
In 1922, I found a conversation between Hannah and her two friends, Patsy and Valentine, very interesting. "Well, Hester grown now and I can't say love is exactly what I feel."..."Sure you do. You love her, like I love Sula. I just don't like her. That's the difference."..."Nel's call floated up and into the window, pulling her away from the dark thoughts back into the bright, hot daylight." It made me think of the dark thoughts she had. Would she want to hurt or even kill her kid, to end the pain of not having to like her?
ReplyDeleteReema C.
period 5
If she did, would she have the same reaction as Eva when she burned her son?
"...exposed his buttocks and shoved the last bit of food she had in the world...up his ass...she probed with her middle finger to loosen his bowels. Her fingernail snagged what felt like a pebble; she pulled it out and others followed" (34). While reading this part of the book, I was disgusted but it also made me think of motherhood. A mother would sacrifice almost anything in the world for her children. In this passage, Eva gives up her last bit of food to comfort her child. This quote depicts Eva as a loving and caring mother. As Julianne mentioned above, Eva had moments when she was a bad mother but also had moments when she was a good mother.
ReplyDeleteMadison B
Per 5
Happy Mother’s Day!
ReplyDeleteQuote: “Nel was the color of wet sandpaper – just dark enough to escape the blows of the pitch-black true bloods and the contempt of old women who worried about such things as bad blood mixtures and knew that the origins of a mule and a mulatto were one and the same…” (9)
This quote stood out greatly to me. The classifications and description listed here set the mood for the rest of the book and the language that the author would be telling the story in. Looking at black people, you may think them as all the same and treat them all equally. But when they look at each other, especially in this time period, the slightest hint of a different “shade” sets off wonders of discrimination and discourages happy lives and families. I knew there was discrimination against whites and blacks, but never blacks and blacks.
Question: What’s going to happen next?
Ryan H. Period 5
"The water darkened and closed quickly over the place where Chicken Little sank. The pressure of his hard and tight little fingers was still in Sula's palms as she stood looking at the closed place in the water. They expected him to come back up, laughing. Both girls stared at the water. (61) This, the accidental death of Chicken Little really opened my eyes as much as I think it opened Sula and Nel's. The whole situation showed how delicate life truly is. Neither Nel or Sula expected that in a matter of a few minutes their lives and someone else would completely change. Julianne your question was something I was exactly thinking, but the more thought I put into it the more I saw how innocent Nel and Sula truly are. I don't think Chicken Little dying was ever a thought in their minds and that's why they didn't even bother to jump in.
ReplyDeleteI wonder...Why was it Nel felt more guilt than Sula?
Jenna L. Period 5
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI think you brought up a really intetesting point. Sula not reacting to the drowning incident reminded me of her not reacting to Hannah burning. I still don't understand why Sula doesn't show emotion to horrific incidents.
Kelly L. P5
As I read Eva's conversation with Hannah about Plum, I felt very uncomfortable. The first couple sentences of the paragraph were very strange to me. Eva says, "He give me such a time. Such a time. Look like he didn't even want to be born. But he come on out. Boys is hard to bear. You wouldn't know that but they is." (71) Just by reading these few sentences, I knew this wasn't going to be pleasent. All I could think about is how awful a person would be in order to kill their child. I am unsure how I feel about Eva.
ReplyDeleteJulianne, I never thought about Eva in that way, although you bring up a really good point. But, I'm still not convinced that Eva is a good person. After this chapter I guess she freaks me out...
Amanda M period 5
"Eva stepped back from the bed and let the crutches rest under her arms. She rolled a bit of newspaper into a tight stick about six inches long, lit it and threw it onto the bed where the kerosene-soaked Plum lay in snug delight. Quickly, as the whoosh of flames engulfed him, she shut the door and made her slow and painful journey back to the top of the house." (48). This is kind of confusing because Eva undoubted loves Plum. She just can not see him with an addiction so she took it into her hands. The reason she killed him was in love. This move could be selfish but she had to do it. This furthers the theory of how complex love is.
ReplyDeleteWhy does she kill him?
Austin Connell
Period 6
The part I found that was hard to swallow was when Eva set Plum on fire. " she rolled a bit of newspaper into a tight stick about six inches long, lit it and threw it onto the bed where the kerosene-soaked Plum lay in snug delight"(47) When I first read this section, I was astonished. I had no idea that this was coming. I couldn't believe that Eva would set her own son on fire. It made me think of why a mother would kill her own son after she spent years trying to raise him. All that hard work and love just evaporated and seemed like nothing.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What would drive a mother to kill her own?
Jessica C period 6
I felt the same as Jess when Eva set Plum on fire. "..she rolled a bit of newspaper into a tight stick about six inches long, lit it and threw it onto the bed where the kerosene-soaked Plum lay in snug delight." (47) I thought it was very hard to swallow and I could not believe it happened. I think it is morally reprehensible that a mother would do that to any person, let alone her own child.
ReplyDeleteJess: I think that she did it because she knew that she couldnt stand to see her son in a position like that, and thought he would be better off dead than on the drugs the way he was. Although I understand this may be the reason, I still don't think it was right.
Question: What does the whole scene with Shadrack mean/foreshadow? :: "Always..Always."
I think that it is Eva and boyboy are kind of disturbing in genoral. Eva left her kids with her neighbor promising to be back in a few hours, but instead she returns in 18 months with one leg and a new profound wealth. Boyboy left Eva and their children, and when he returned breifly, he showed up with his city girlfriend, wealth, and not once did he mention his kids. The parents messed with their kids lives. Plum comes back from the war with a drug addiction. Selfeshly, Eva can't handle that fact and she kills her own son. Its even more desturbing how "as the whoosh of flames engulfed him, she shut the door and made her slow painful journey back to the top of the house" (48.) It is horifying that a mother could would do that to her son, and then just walk away from it calmly. It was painful for her to live with her sons drug addiction, why would she inflict her sons death apon herself? Wouldn't that be, by far, more painful?
ReplyDeleteJackie Giordano P5
Jessica C,
ReplyDeleteI think that Eva's love for plum made her kill him. I don't think that she could handle seeing his as an addict. She clearly loves Plum the most so I think thatshe couldn't see him degraded like that in her eyes.
Jackie G6
The part that I found most difficult to swallow was the same part that Madison found: "...exposed his buttocks and shoved the last bit of food she had in the world...up his ass...she probed with her middle finger to loosen his bowels. Her fingernail snagged what felt like a pebble; she pulled it out and others followed" (34). At first, I think, "Why would Morrison make me read that!" But then I think a little more about it. I've heard of people doing this for dogs and children before, and it really shows what people will do for loved ones. This really spoke in Eva's favor for me, but as Jess pointed out, she also burned her own child.
ReplyDeleteCarley-I agree with how you explained Eva's killing of her child. She would rather have him dead than as messed up as he was.
Katrice K
period 5
Juliane,
ReplyDeleteI thought you brought up a great question. I didn't understand why Nel or Sula didnt go and try to save chicken little when he was thrown in the river. They basically just waited to see what would happen and if he would come out of the water. If I were them I would try to save chicken little in any way I could.
Jessica C Period 6
I was taken back by the part of text where it says ,"She rolled a bit of newspaper into a tight stick about six inches long, lit it and threw it onto the bed where the kerosene-soaked Plum lay in snug delight. Quickly, as the whoosh of flames engulfed him, she shut the door and made her slow and painful journey back to the top of the house (48)." It was hard to read because i didn't understand why anyone would kill their own son. She loved him and I can't really come to terms with why she would have done that.
ReplyDeleteHow can a mother who would do anything for her child also kill her own child?
I agree with Jackie in that killing plum would be much more painful than him being allive with an addiction. Plum could have gotten help and overcome his addicitons, but instead she selfishly killed him because she couldn't see him in that state of mind. Great point!
Leah S.
Period 5
"He opened his eyes and saw what he imagined was the great wing of an eagle pouring a wet lightness over him. Some kind of baptism, some kind of blessing, he thought. Everything was going to be all right, it said. Knowing that it was so he closed his eyes and sank back into the bright hole of sleep. Eva... rolled a bit of newspaper into a tight stick about sick inches long, lit it and threw it onto the bed where the kerosene-soaked Plum lay in snug delight" p.47.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this I seriously couldn't get over what had just happened. I had to read the passage over again just to verify that the mother really did set her son on fire. All I could ask myself was "Why, oh, why would she do that?". After reading more into the book, Eva says that Plum wanted to go back to being in her womb as in not alive anymore. Eva says that it felt like she had to take him out of his misery.
I feel like it wasn't her duty to kill her own son. I feel like she could have waited for Plum to decide for himself whether to get better on his own or just stay that way. This makes me completely question the mother. Who kills their own child? Her actions aren't justified.
Is is right to kill someone to "put them out of their misery" or should they just die on their own?
Jenna, I like the section of the book you brought up. I also felt the same way reading about how Chicken Little drowned. It really does show how quick and easy it is to die.
-Olivia N. period 6
"She resolved to end his misery once and for all...Two days later she left all of her children with Mrs. Suggs, saying she would be back the next day." This is not the whole passage but the first sentence and the last. This part was definitely hard, because it makes you realize how hard it was to take care of children back then when you're poor. She truly did whatever she could for those kids, it's not a pretty business but it had to be done. As Julianne and Madison said, she wasn't always the best mom, but she wasn't the worst by any means.
ReplyDeleteSarah T. p6
Why did they ever degrade women like this?
I thought the section about the bargeman and Chicken was difficult to read. At first, it was kind of nice to see that the bargeman cared enough to pick up the body and that he was "disgusted at the kind of parents who would drown their own children" (63). I suppose it was nice to see that it made him feel something. However, I was very sad to read that he was more concerned about the odor of the rotting body in his sack than he was about the fact that he had found a dead body. It was even worse to read that "he never shoulda taken it out in the first place" (64). I was upset to read how he didn't even get to the enbalmer's until the fourth day he was missing. why does no one seem to care!? this was very disturbing to me.
ReplyDeleteChelsea per. 6
I was bothered by the conversation that Hannah was having with her two friends especially when she stated "'Sure you do. You love her, like I love Sula. I just don't like her. That's the difference.'" (57) Love and liking are very different. Liking someone means that you appreciate the different aspects that make an individual who they are and you enjoy being around them. I think that love is an automatic emotion that most mothers under normal circumstances feel for their children but the fact that Hannah and her two friends question if they like their children, makes me question what kind of mothers they are to not even value the kind of people their children are. This feeling I think is also shared by Eva. She loved Plum for the fact that he was her son and she birthed him but I don't think that she really liked the person that he was which is sad.
ReplyDeleteHey Chelsea, I agreed with your thoughts regarding the bargeman and Chicken's death. This lack of care is a common feeling that I'm noticing not only in the bargeman but in other characters in this book such as Shadrack, Tar Baby, Hannah, Eva, and others.
Treasure p6
Even though it was probabaly the most commonly shared part of the story, I felt that the part when Eva lights Plum on fire is the most difficult part to swallow, although it was the part that got me thinking the most. "He opened his eyes and saw what he imagined was the great wing of an eagle pouring a wet lightness over him. Some kind of baptism, some kind of blessing he thought. Everything is going to be allright, it said. Knowing that it was so he closed his eyes and sank back into the bright whole of sleep." (47). At first when I read this passage you immediately think, how could she possibly kill her own son? There is no way she could love him. There is no justification for killing your own child, but after thinking about this passage I realize that while she may have had some psycological prolems, she truly did love her son and wanted the best for him. In her mind, she was an excellent mother for what she was doing and to her she was really helping him. In a way she was symbolically setting him free from his problems and was ensuring that he would not have to go through life miserable. The quote above, while I am sure that Plum did not want to be burned alive, almot made it seem like he was at peace at that moment and was ready to go spiritually. Maybe if he could go back he would thank her because maybe his life would have been awful, or maybe he would have been able to overcome his problems. So legally and morally she is a horrible mother, but spiritually she was an excellent mother and clearly thought that burning Plum was a way of setting him free and she obviously had an immense amount of love for him. I find Eva to be weak though, because anyone who has that much love for their child should be able to help them through their struggles, however painful a journey that may be instead of just settig them on fire.
ReplyDeleteJackie I share your feelins about Eva and I do not think that she should have killed her own child at all, but after reading this it was thought provoking to think that in her own head Eva was a excellent mother and killing Plum was the best course of action for him.
Is the putting someone out of their misery ever justified?
Jake Period 6
"Mother and daughter were placed on stretchers and carried to the ambulance. Eva was wide awake. The blood from her face cuts filled her eyes so she could not see, could only smell the familiar odor of cooked flesh." pg. 77
ReplyDeleteThis part of 1923 was extremely alarming because I can't imagine how helpless Eva felt when she saw Hannah burning. It was her instinct to help her first born child and to try to save her from death. It's upsetting that Hannah had to suffer while the flames engulfed her body and I had trouble reading this passage without feeling sorry for her. I wanted to help her. Also, the fact that Eva was brave enough to jump out the window to attempt to save her daughter, it was too late, unfortunately because Hannah died shortly after.
Olivia, I think you bring up a good point when you question whether it's okay to kill someone to "put them out of their misery." My opinion on the matter is that no, it's NEVER okay to kill someone. Everyone deserves life and if they choose to end it themselves, then that's their decision.
Was it harder for Eva to watch her daughter burn or to hear the news that she died?
Allie B Period 6
“She rolled a bit of newspaper into a tight stick about six inches long, lit it and threw it onto the bed where the kerosene-soaked Plum lay in snug delight. Quickly, as the whoosh of flames engulfed him, she shut the door and made her slow and painful journey back to the top of the house." (48).
ReplyDeleteI really don’t understand why Eva would ever set her son on fire. I thought that she loved Plum. It doesn’t make sense to me and she shouldn’t have killed him no matter how bad his addiction was. Maybe she just couldn’t stand the way her son was living, but I think that it was an exaggerated emotion for her to kill her dear son. If she loved him enough she should have tried harder to cure him of his illness.
What is wrong with Eva? What drives her to kill Plum?
Julianne,
You bring up some really good points. I agree with you that this book has been depressing so far and I also think that it is pretty disturbing
-Bob T period 6
"The water darkened and closed quickly over the place where Chicken Little sank. The pressure of his hard and tight little fingers was still in Sula's palms as she stood looking at the closed place in the water. They expected him to come back up, laughing. Both girls stared at the water." page 61. This quote made me think that one, life can change at a moments notice without warning, and also that Sula is a little oblivious maybe when it comes to noticing her surroundings since this happened as well as hannah burning.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that confused me is why Eva set her son on fire? it didn't make much sense to me.
Olivia, no it isn't right to simply put someone out of their misery. It isn't our choice whether someone lives or dies. No one should be allowed to make that decision.
Stacy Period 6
Quote: ''Sula was probably numb struck, as anybody would be who saw her own mamma burned up. Eva said yes, but inside she disagreed and remained convinced that sula had watched Hannah burn not because she was paralyzed, but because she was interested.'' (78)
ReplyDeleteI find this quote to be very uncomfortable. Like i think it is really messed up to just sit there and watch anybosy burn but to watch you mother burn and not do anything about it is really messed up. I get that this is an opion of Eva and that this is what she thinks but i feel like the author must have thought someting really significant about it thats why he included it! i also think that this quote adds a little to Sula personality. And i think it funny how all the other books we have read in class seemed to be really polite and in this one no one really cares alot about everything and that they just live life as one big experiment which is fine but i wish they took it a little more serious. and going back to the qupte i just dont see why Sula didnt help her mother which kind of addds to my theory that these character just live life as an exoeriment.
Why does Eva feel the way she does at the end of the quote on page 78?
Kelly- i totally agree with you like i thought that the whole burning scene was really disrtubing to read and kind of wish it didnt play out the way it did.
Lauren 5
“…fire were licking the blue cotton dress, making her dance… she clawed the air trying to aim her body toward the flaming, dancing figure… but Hannah, her senses lost went flying out of the yard gesturing the bobbing like a sprung jack-in-the-box” p77-78.
ReplyDeleteThe moment that I had difficulty swallowing was when Hannah was on fire. Even though it was a horrible scene, I thought the words “dancing figure” made her death sound graceful. (if Hannah set herself on fire) I thought maybe after hearing why Eva had killed Plum, Hannah thought she didn’t live up to her mother’s expectations. Maybe Hannah thought she was like Plum and was trying to crawl back to her mother’s womb.
Stacy, I thought Eva set Plum on fire to put him out of misery. I think Eva saw that Plum was wasting his life and wasn’t going to change. Also, I think it was painful for the mother to watch her son fall apart.
What question did Shadrack answer when he said “Always”?
Ashley Y
Period 6
"After five years of a sad and disgruntled marriage BoyBoy took off. During the time they were together he was very much preoccupied with other women and not home much. He did whatever he could that he liked, and he liked womanizing best, drinking second, and abusing Eva third" (32)
ReplyDeleteThis quote really bothered me when I read it because I realized the lack of respect men had for women during the 1920's. Boyboy represents the behavior of many men during this time period, who used and abused their spouses. If it wasn't for women like Susan B. Anthony, life as women know it today may not be the same. While there are unfortunately many men who still abuse their wives today, women are becoming increasingly stronger and more independent. Also, I feel that this passage shows how far women have come in 90 years. We went from not having any rights to strong, successful, and independent people.
Leah, I also disliked that passage because I don't know why a mother would do that, even if her child had an addiction. Instead of killing him, she should have supported him and helped him. I don't think that death should have been an option.
Why is this book so violent? Will there ever be happiness for these characters?
Alexis M P5
The part of the text that I had the most difficulty swallowing was the part where Eva set her son Plum on fire. An important quote from this section was, "He opened his eyes and saw what he imagined was the great wing of an eagle pouring a wet lightness over him. Some kind of baptism, some kind of blessing he thought. Everything is going to be alright, it said. Knowing that it was so he closed his eyes and sank back into the bright whole of sleep." (pg 48) This quote really made me think differently because it uses a lot of symbolism to show why Eva killed Plum. Eagles symbolize freedom so it was like Plum was being set free from his addictions. He thought it was a "blessing" so it was almost as though he wanted to be set free from his life. However, even though i found it extremely horrible that Eva would kill her own son, I believe Eva was trying to help set him free.
ReplyDeleteAshley, I agree that it is really interesting how Morrison makes her death seem graceful. The way she described the scene with the fire and the dancing really sets a certain tone.
-Alexis A. Period 6
"...for it was is dreams that the two girls had first met... Long before... they had already made each other's acquaintance in the delirium of their noon dreams." Pf 51
ReplyDeleteI think this quote was really interesting; it was about how Sula and Nel had imagined meeting a friend like each other long before they actually met. As an only child, I can imagine how they felt, being lonely and wanting a friend.
Julianne,
I agree, I found it very disturbing how Eva killed her son. I understand how she felt, wanting him to become a man and live on his own, but I don't understand why she found it necessary to kill him.
Jenny L. Period 6
The part that really disturbed me the most was in the 1923 chapter when hannah was on fire. "The water did put out the flames, but it also made steam. which seared to sealing all that was left of the beautiful Hannah Peace. She lay there on the wooden sidewalk planks, twitching lightly among the smashed tomatoes, her face a mask of agony so intense that for years people who gathered 'round would shake their heads at the recollection of it" (76). i didn't even know what to think about this part. It was pretty scary even reading it let alone being there. i do not think i could ever handle seeing that in person it would change me for life..
ReplyDeletei was also disturbed by the quote that jenna stated on page 61 when chicken little dies. This quote also really struck me and kept me thinking. it was very sad and disturbing especially since it was all an accident and the friends watched it all happen.
- Jarrett p5
A part of the story that left me thinking in this section was when Hannah was asking Eva if she loved her. She keeps asking, did you play with us, did you love us. Meanwhile Eva's answers are not exactly what Hannah wants to hear. Hannah asks, “Mamma did you ever love us?...I didn't mean that, Mamma. I know you fed us and all. I was talkin' 'bout something else. Like. Like. Playin' with us. Did you ever, you know, play with us?”(68). Mammas response's were not exactly the loving answer that Hannah wanted to hear. Mamma says, “What would I look like leapin' 'round that little old room playin' with youngins with three beats to my name?”(69). This conversation left me thinking about Mamma and the type of person she is.
ReplyDeleteLeading me to agree with what Julianne said about her later jumping out of a window to save Hannah. Meaning that she must really love her, but just has her own way of showing it.
Grace Nardella
Period 6
I don't understand this quote "but I held him close first. Real close. Sweet Plum. My baby boy." pg 72. I don't understand why it's acceptable for her to have killed Plum. Hannah knew and never said anything to anyone. I don't understand this part at all.
ReplyDeleteA question I have is why it was acceptable for Eva to kill Plum?
Gretchen per 5
Stacy,
ReplyDeleteI agree, that quote shows that life truly can change at a moments notice, for better or worse. I was surprised though, that they didn't go in after him, I mean if someone didn't come up after a minute one would assume that something bad happened.
Gretchen
As others have already said, I don't understand the part where Eva set Plum on fire.
ReplyDeleteGretchen, I agree with you completely. Why was it acceptable for her to do that? What makes that so right?
Taylor S, P5
I think what i fould most horrifying was what other people in my class found horrifying as well "...exposed his buttocks and shoved the last bit of food she had in the world...up his ass...she probed with her middle finger to loosen his bowels. Her fingernail snagged what felt like a pebble; she pulled it out and others followed" (34). At first i had no idea why morrison put that in her book, if it was only to make us feel uncomfortable and confused. So i asked my mom why someone would ever do that and she said that people do it for their children and animals that are depleted and can not eat. I then thought that this showed a caring side to eva and made me appreciate her more for caring. However, i thought it was a bit too dramatic for her to kill her own son...what do you think?
ReplyDeleteby roz^
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter 1922,
ReplyDeleteI thought Hannah's conversation between her and her two friends, Valentine and Patsy, one of the most interesting so far.
"Well, Hester grown now and I can't say love is exactly what I feel."..."Sure you do. You love her, like I love Sula. I just don't like her. That's the difference."..."
Nel's call floated up and into the window, pulling her away from the dark thoughts back into the bright, hot daylight."
It made me wonder if Nel is suffering from any mental disorders, and if she REALLY considers murdering.
I agree with you Gretchen, she has NO reason to act the way she acts.
Why does she think she can do that?
Noah Perito period 5
alexis,
ReplyDeleteto answer your question i think that in order for morrison to prove her point she needed to incorperate violence. Not because she believes its the right thing to do, but because its the only way to show the severity of the situation.
roz t period 5
"He did whatever he could that he liked, and he liked womanizing best, drinking second, and abusing Eva third. When he left in November, Eva had $1.65, five eggs, three beets and no idea of what or how to feel" (32).
ReplyDeleteI was disgusted by the way that BoyBoy took advantage of Eva and had the audacity to disrespect and mistreat her in that way. Not only he was a poor husband when they were together, he completely abandoned her with his children without as much as a second thought. I felt proud of Eva for going on with her life and being strong for her children. She could have easily given up and neglected them, but she tried her best to keep the fed and was eventually able to get her life back on track.
Carley, I think the way you explained why Eva killed Plum helped me understand the situation better. Before, I was confused how she could take her son's life like that, especially after she had put in so much effort to keep him alive.
I was curious about the fact that Hannah didn't seem to be shocked at first when she and Eva shared that "knowing" look with each other (48). She seemed disapointed, of course, but not at all angry or surprised.
Sreedevi 6
" she rolled a bit of newspaper into a tight stick about six inches long, lit it and threw it onto the bed where the kerosene-soaked Plum lay in snug delight"(47). To put this as gently as possible, this section of the book was outrageous! I've read many shocking things in books before but this was something that was both hard to swallow and thought provoking. I had to read the passage a number of times just to make sure that what I was reading was actually happening, and when I had confirmed it, I came to the realization that this was the act of a seriously sick person. In my opinion, there is no one in the right state of mind who would willingly take the life of their own with such ease. I give Morrison credit though for not holding back on anything she felt needed to be said.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How desperate does one need to be to commit such a horrific act?
Sam B. Per. 5
"I had room enough in my heart, but not in my womb, not no more." - Eva, 71
ReplyDeleteI thought this whole passage was a very interesting justification for the killing of her own son. It digs into what Hannah and her friends were talking about with the difference between loving and liking your children. Eva explains that his son was hopeless and, although he was physically a grown man, he was a child at heart. He was helpless because of the drugs he took, because he didn't want to be on his own after living through the war. To me, Toni's saying that parents WANT to see their kids grow up, that when kids stay kids forever, parents can't handle it. Eva wanted Plum to die a man, not a baby.
Roz and Sam, I hope this maybe explains a little further why Eva would kill her son. She didn't want a child who needed her fingers up his ass all the time so he could have waste removed from his body. She wanted a son that she could love in her heart, a son that became a self-sufficient man. Men in the book are described as very powerful, and seeing her boy as helpless as a women probably displeased her.
On page 50, that whole "pig meat" thing confused me.
- Therese (Tmas) period 6
^ wow, oops, i meant i'm in period 5.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katrice and Madison about the part in the novel when Eva was helping Plum with the bowel issues in the paragraph that is on pgs. 33-34, "Sometime before the middle of December, the baby, Plum stopped having bowel movements...As the grateful Plum slept, the silence allowed her to sleep." I thought it was such a strange part in the story, but I thought about how she was just trying to help her child. Both Julianne and Jess C. pointed out how there were times when she was a bad mother, and this quote is one of the times that shows that Eva was a good mother too.
ReplyDelete-Jess B. p.5
"At first she couldn't believe it. She seemed so small, sitting at that table in a black-vinyl chair. All the heaviness gone and the height. Her once beautiful leg had no stocking and the foot was in a slipper. Nel wanted to cry - not for Eva's milk-dull eyes or her floppy lips, but for the once pround foot accustomed for over a half century to a fine swell-laced shoe, now stuffed gracelessly into a pink terrycloth slipper." Page 167
ReplyDeleteThis quote made me think more into people growing old. Normally when I see an older person I don't think too much into what they were when they were younger. Sometimes old people make me sad, but for the most part it's part of everyday life. After reading this passage, however, I started to think about how it must feel to know someone in their youth and then see them many years later, shriveled and shrunken. The shock of the site must be heart wrenching. It's different than watching a parent or friend grow old, staying with them and watching them go through life, barely noticing the subtle changes that come with age. You don't really notice them until you look back at old pictures or videos. But the way this is written, this is clearly not the case. It is interesting being able to see the juxtaposition presented on this page of Eva's youth and of her old age. The sadness it brought swelled my throat a little, I could feel what Nel was seeing and thinking and feeling. She could tell that Eva was old and would die son, yet she remembered her before this when Eva was young and strong.
Jenna! I didn't look at that part that way but I really like that idea of life being fragile and that it could change so quickly.
I don't really have a question at this point.
Steph P5
At first, I wasn't able to buy the part when Shadrack's "fingers began to grow in higgledy-piggledy fashion like Jack's beanstalk all over the tray and the bed." even as a hallucination, the scene seemed a little too over-the-top to be dramatic. Then I realized that that was the point of the scene. Shadrack's dementia is supposed to be over-the-top, since such experiences would be alien and unrelatable to others. It was Shadrack's alienation that sold the scene.
ReplyDeleteSteph, that was a great analysis of that scene. It's hard to imagine elderly people as their younger selves.
I don't really have a question at this point.
Luke
Period 6
Like Luke I too thought the quote "[Shadrack's] fingers began to grow in higgledy-piggledy fashion like Jack's beanstalk all over the tray and the bed." to be very deatailed. I also found that quote as an example of how bad his state of mind really is. At the same time, I didn't ever think that it was too detailed for it to not be his imagination.
ReplyDeleteSteph I completely agree with what you said about seeing someone AFTER they have aged. It is a lot different than aging WITH someone.
I don't have any questions
Caitlyn L. Period 5
“...Sula had watched Hannah burn not because she was paralyzed, but because she was interested.” (78). This made me think mad at Sula and then again at Hannah. These women in the book keep wondering why their mother's don't love them when in all actuality they do. Hannah had said she didn't like Sula, but Sula didn't acknowledge the fact that Hannah loved her no matter what. And Hannah, only a little while before her death, asked Eva if she ever loved them. I found it ridiculous that they can feel that way, especially Hannah, when Eva came back with only one leg. I agree with Jenna and her interpretation of the Chicken Little quote. Life is delicate and unpredictable. One question I had about this scene was why didn't they tell anybody or at least try to help Chicken Little. They just kept it a secret and even went into Shadrack's shack to get him to keep the secret as well. If it was an honest accident, they should have done something.
ReplyDeleteShama P6.
"Her glance moved beyond the white man's face to the passengers seated behind him. Four or five black faces were watching, two belonging to soldiers still in their shit-colored uniforms and peaked caps. She saw their closed faces, their locked eyes, and turned for compassion to the gray eyes of the conductor." (1920.19)
ReplyDeleteInitially, when I read this part, I was very confused because I expected the black guys to stand up for Helene just because she's also black. I expected Helene to say something to them, but she just looks at them and turns to the white conductor for compassion. The word compassion didn't sound right to me in the context, but when I read it again this part changed the way I thought. I should not lump people into a race category and expect one person of a race to help out another person of the same race. People are all different. When Helene looked at the black soldiers, she was searching for help form them because she felt she was losing a battle against the white conductor. When she searched for compassion from him, i knew that she already gave up fighting ans she lost.
Shama,
I completely agree with what you said. It was very evil of Sula to let her mother die like that.
The only question I have is what's up with Shadrack's vision of window and a river?
Anjita p.6