Malik Adams

Period 5

4/3/2013

Lay Em Down

When Sethe is reminiscing over her short time spent with Baby Suggs, she remembers how Baby Suggs would comfort her in a time of stress. Baby Suggs would rub Sethe’s neck, telling her “Lay em down, Sethe. Sword and shield. Down. Down. Both of em down. Down by the riverside. Sword and Shield” (101). In this passage, Toni Morrison uses comforting diction, ambiguous word choice, and symbolism to show Baby Suggs as a motherly figure to Sethe. The repetition of “down”, and “Sword and shield” through the use of anadiplosis, and epanalepsis give the passage a soothing, melodic tone, similar to what you would feel during a massage. The use of this relaxing tone in relation to Baby Suggs shows her calming influence on Sethe. The use of polite, softer commands such as “lay em down” show Baby Suggs as an authority figure, but the soothing tone of the passage suggests that she is not an authority figure like Schoolteacher, but rather a gentle, caring one. Sethe’s troubles are symbolized by the “Sword and shield”. This symbolism is significant because the stress Baby Suggs is telling Sethe to let go of is her defense from rememory. The sword is used to fight back against the memories, while the shield is used to protect herself from the pain in her past. The “riverside” is also significant as water is seen as a symbol of tranquility and purity. In this passage, Toni Morrison shows Baby Suggs as a mother figure for Sethe during some of her darkest days.