Through Sky-Colored Glasses

In class this week, we had a short discussion on how certain words should belong to certain groups of individuals. In Song of Solomon , even Guitar, the character who is most protective of the African American race, used the n-word when saying how “every [white person] is a potential nigger-killer”(Morrison 155). It had always been something I knew subconsciously, how the n-word is only used when African Americans tease one another, or how the b-word is only used among good friends. However, I had never liked the idea of any derogatory words being used at all. I considered the n-word one of the greatest taboo words in our culture, and yet its frequent uses by the black community make the word impossible to ignore even in present days. The same goes for the b-word, even though some women do not get offended being called with the b-word or c-word. After doing some research, however, my perspectives began changing. While the n-word originated from slave owners, the ones who looke

In Song of Solomon , it is apparent that the main character Milkman longs for freedom, and he asked his father Macon for money, as he believed it would lead him to freedom. However, readers are led to believe otherwise, as while Milkman and Guitar planned to steal Pilate’s gold, they encountered a white peacock with a beautiful tail but couldn’t fly. Guitar said the bird’s inability was due to it having “Too much tail [and how all] that jewelry weighs it down [like] vanity” (Morrison 179). It can easily be seen that this white peacock’s tail serves as a symbol for wealth, which does not always bring one happiness, but rather confinement. This common theme of wealth has been explored in other stories we have read so far, probably most obvious in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” where characters were led towards corruption or even death by their ambition for materialistic wealth. In present times, “money does not bring happiness” seems to be a

While reading Song of Solomon , it was apparent that the significance behind the names of people and things was an important theme the novel focuses on. One aspect we discussed during class was that naming someone gives the namer power over those he or she named. This perspective would fit Macon Dead in the story, as he carelessly named his children while overpowering his family as well. It is ironic how Macon’s father was a slave and was named by his slaveholder, and now Macon himself as an African American is casting fear on his own children whom he named. One of the allusions in the story was to the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, who had power over those who did not know his name. I found it interesting that this is the case with Voldemort, the villain of the Harry Potter series, as well. Characters in the story were afraid to call him by his name, fearing this dark wizard. It was a coincidence since before starting Song of Solomon , we read one of Nikki Giovanni’s pieces which u

In class, we read many critical lenses on The Great Gatsby that can be used to analyze literature. After reading, I realized that really, text can be viewed with any type of lens, and each makes the same passages contain completely different meanings. I’ve realized that religion is a motif in the story in many ways, so I thought it would be interesting to try to view the novel through a somewhat religious lens. I say somewhat because I am not completely familiar with any religion myself, so I focused on the general term religion rather than using specific biblical references for Christianity. Through this somewhat religious lens, I would argue that the lack of religious beliefs among the characters caused their morality to be corrupt. Each motivated by their own goals, many of a materialistic nature, the characters performed many unethical acts, including extra-marital affairs, excessive drinking, illegal exchange of liquor, and even murder. Most of the characters do not