Spencer Jordan
Kody Partdrige, Period 3
AP Lang/Comp
26 March 2013
A Forgotten Memory
In the novel Beloved, Toni Morrison uses ambiguous
and contrasting language to show Sethe’s new understanding of a memory. In one
scene, Beloved continues to ask Sethe questions of her past, particularly concerning
Sethe’s mother. Sethe recounts a memory of Nan telling her about her own
mother’s journey from Africa. Sethe remembers Nan telling her that “[Nan and
Sethe’s mother] were taken up many times.” Morrison employs this euphemism
“taken up” in order to give new meaning to Sethe’s memory- she now understands
that her mother endured continuous rape on the ship to America. As a result of
many rapes, Sethe’s mother conceived many interracial babies that “without
names, she threw them” away. The dysphemism “threw away”, in contrast the
previous euphemism, exemplifies the obvious distaste and regret Sethe’s mother
had as a result of her unwanted babies, which stood as a constant reminder of
rape. The fact that Sethe’s mother didn’t name the babies, reinforces the way
in which she simply discarded these infants. Sethe lastly remembers that her
mother “put her arms around” Sethe’s father. This ambiguous language suggests
that the relationship between Sethe’s mother and father was voluntary. To put
one’s “arms around” another, reflects a sense of embracing a situation or
individual. In this case, Sethe’s mother embraced the pregnancy that resulted
in Sethe’s birth because the father was black. Sethe’s memory of this event is
likely in such ambiguous language due to the fact that she remembers it in her
long-forgotten, African language. Sethe develops a new, haunting understanding
of her mother’s past in recalling a long lost memory.
It's interesting because in that passage it says Sethe's mother is rapred gives birth to multiple children, which obviously takes 9 months; however, the middle passage only took 2-3 months in reality :O
ReplyDeletehave you considered twins.
ReplyDeleteI think the connection made here is interesting, but also somewhat obscure. At first glance, it seems as if you say that Sethe's mother kept Sethe because the father was black, but I think there is much more at play here. The dehumanization that the travel imposed on Sethe's mother caused her to shy away from any other human contact in the fear of being taken advantage of. Once she meets Sethe's father, she finally feels safe, away from the rape that has plagued her life in past events. I think you should further analyze WHY Sethe's mother kept Sethe, and not the other babies. Just a thought, good work.
ReplyDelete