In Sethe’s description of what happened to the
freed slaves after the Civil War ended, Toni Morrison uses distinct language
that emphasizes the trauma that the ex-slaves had experienced. Morrison writes
that no slave “seemed to know it” (63), it being the end of the war. This lack
of knowledge could suggest that even after the war ended, life for
African-Americans was still full of hardship. Morrison continues by saying that
the freed slaves traveled in “odd clusters” (63). The word “odd” reinforces the
fact that they are disorganized and still not yet used to freedom. Continuing
the pattern of confused language, the slaves are then described as
“wander[ing]” and “dazed” (63). These two words emphasize the shock that the
slaves have had at freedom and also the fact that they still might be
negatively affected by their traumatic experiences while enslaved. This
carrying over of these hardships from slavery to freedom is shown in characters
like Sethe as well as the anonymous slaves.
Nice analysis. When you talk about "odd clusters," (and this is largely just the impression it gives me), you could mention "odd" as a reference to the makeshift, unusual relationships and families slaves created for each other.
ReplyDeleteTrevor, I like your analysis but I feel that it is grounded in internal effects on the former slaves. As the discussion of former slaves continues just down the page there is a list of all of the concrete things that are happening to them (forbade from transit, KKK, etc.) I think, your analysis could benefit from the inclusion of these larger, concrete, long-term consequences of slavery.
ReplyDeleteGood work Trevor. Something I may have also looked at with the word "clusters" is their struggle to integrate into the normal life of an American. The novel mentions how after they were freed, slaves tended to cluster back into their own African communities. I would also quote longer pieces of evidence.
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