FINAL REFLECTION

Final Project Reflection

From this experience I learned that authors can place characters in a various amounts of moods based on one situation. Even though most of this was left for interpretation, I could think of different ways the story seems if you think of it a different way. Such as if you thought that Huck was going from a place of sadness from his mother and that is why he escaped or that he was just a young boy that wanted to explore; it completely changes the novel. My representation of my lens was similar when it came to that both boys were very self centered and naive in the beginning and slowly grew up a bit. They were different, because in most novels you could see the book come out in multiple ways, such as Huck could have been considered very mature for his age and actually made all of those decisions with a lot of previous thought or vice versus for the boys. I think I saw the novels in a different way, because the other novels just scratch the surface of what is going on, but the psychoanalytical lens allowed me to actually view what the characters could have been thinking. I think I missed the bigger picture in some parts, because I was so focused on the in depth thinking. The benefits of using a critical lens is that you get to see a completely different side of the novel. A downside is that you usually miss a lot of other things going on, because you are not focused on catching it. My beliefs didn't really change about this topic. 

SOS Reflecting

Text: Song of Solomon
Lens: Psychoanalytical

Throughout the novel we get to watch Milkman grow up to become a somewhat acceptable adult. Even though that is all he really aspires to be, he is still out of place. One of his biggest "secrets" is his undersized leg. He constantly tries to hide it and therefore actually ends up hiding his feeling coming from a sense of insecurity. In the beginning he is very immature, acting only in ways that would benefit himself and no one else. He generally fits in with the wealthy class, but even then he is seemingly out of place due to his leg and just the insecurity that ends up showing through. Even the kids at his school notice this and decide to pick on him, which doesn't help, because he then goes home and does not act very nice to his sisters or mother. Later on when he is an adult, his personality is still a bit off and you can notice this due to him walking the wrong way in crowds and just not being able to fit in. Even though he learns to be compassionate in the end, it doesn't seem like he knows that until it is too late and his friend actually dies. This development happened late, because he came from a place of immaturity that was actually passed down through his ancestors.

SOS Critical Lens

Text: Song of Solomon
Lens: Psychoanalytical

"A deep reverence for black females and black female network pervades Morrison's novel. She avoids romanticizing or idealizing women's hard circumstances, but every woman, except possibly Hagar, has small moments of triumph. And Morrison loves them and their moments of feistiness and overcoming odds. Granny who looked 'as though she might move the earth if she wanted to' ultimately bests the white nurse. Certainly Granny had to show deference to the white authority figure but she emerges as more aware: she knows what's going on she knows the people."

Since during this time women were not really idolized, they did not have that large of a part in the novel. This is because the novel was focusing on Milkman's problems where in the real days back then the women's problems would be put off to the side or just forgotten about. This type of mindset the author is showing in Milkman is a very self centered one, because he is meant to still be somewhat young and naive. Also since this is his ego and it is showing his hidden desires, the women were not a really large part in that since his main desire at that time was not women. Also there is a lot of emotional conflict going on between the sisters, which Milkman does not like to be a part of so he avoids it.

SOS Close reading

Text: Song of Solomon

Lens: Psychoanalytical

“He didn’t mean it. It happened before he was through. She’d stepped away from him to pick flowers, returned, and at the sound of her footsteps behind him, he’d turned around before he was through. It was becoming a habit—this concentration on things behind him. Almost as though there were no future to be had." 

This quote is showing the anxiety and nervousness Milkman has and the alienation. This sudden jerk shows how he feels a bit out of place in his society and how he always feels like he needs to watch his back. Unlike many children who usually come at the world with open arms, he is very closed off, which could be passed down from his father. He acts as if he is being hunted (which is actually foreshadowing a future event) where most children just act with a false sense of security. This is odd for a child his age, because children are not supposed to feel that type of stress and are not supposed to be scared to go out into the open world and discover something. On another note this is actually showing how he truly feels about his sisters, mom, and women in the book. His conscious could have done that on purpose and shows that he does not really care about the other women, which was not uncommon during that time period. This is showing his ego, because he is at an age where he has not yet fully developed compassion and sympathy where he is very self centered and feels as if that his problems are way greater than anyone elses.

Huck Finn Responding and Reflecting

Text : Huckleberry Finn by William Faulkner.

Critical Lens : Psychoanalytical

In the novel "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" a young boy, who had a lot of money was taken away by his drunken father, because of his greed. He tries many ways to get the money from him, but Huck planned in advance and actually "gave away" his money before hand. Then later on he becomes used to living with his father where he actually starts to question whether or not he wants to return to home, where there were rules and school. He then fakes his own death and decides to go on his own adventure so he does not have to go back to the Widow or his father. Along the way he finds the widow's old slave Jim and they bond and decide to continue the adventure together. Throughout Huck shows many different sides of himself, some that are actually surprising to watch. In certain parts he has to find a way to stir up some courage, such as using Tom Sawyer as an excuse while in others like helping a "runaway" slave he feels completely fine and even goes as far as dressing like a girl to find out what is going on in town. Throughout the novel Huck keeps finding different people to play the role of, some where he is helping the local con artists and some where he actually pretends to be Tom Sawyer so he can try to help Jim escape. I think this look for many different people shows that he is still trying to develop his own character and cannot decide which path he wants to go on. This is because Huck is still in the developing mindset where he likes to "try on" different personalities until he finds the one that fits best. I think through this Twain is trying to send the message that it is ok to not be sure of who you are as long as you are still helping others along the way. Also it is showing that even if you're not sure of something you should just go out and try it, because you'll most likely get an adventure out of it in the end.

Huck Finn Critical Lense Expert

Text: Huckleberry Finn by William Faulkner
Critical Lens: Psychoanalytical

"A Sound Heart and Deformed Conscience" by Henry Nash Smith was an interpretation of what Mark Twain was writing in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. On pages 370-371 Smith states that Huckleberry Finn is realizing how he would find ways to justify slavery. "Thus although Huck is obviously remembering the bits of theological jargon from sermons justifying slavery, they have become a part of his vocabulary." Smith also mentions then that Twain was paraphrasing this part when originally it was in direct quotes. This was so Huck could be in more intimate contact with the King and to show them connect on a different level. This allowed Twain to compare the two societies between vernacular values and the dominant culture. This allowed us to see the difference between the world of slavery and the world of freedom through this, because he showed more than one side of it, where throughout the novel it seemed more one sided. Also Jim is actually not in this part of the book, so there could be a different view on slavery. Also Smith mentions that Pa would usually consider himself the more civilized one, but that would only be because he was a white male at the time, but really he is depicted as one of the sloppiest characters within the novel.

Final Blog Entry Matt Khoury

Matt Khoury

AP Literature

Final Project Reflection

1. I learned a lot about the different perspectives authors can create within literature. Although an author might have one opinion, they can create a character that has a near opposite idea on something.
2. There were more differences than similarities between the two books. There is a very strong sense of racism in both books, but I believe Huck Finn had a stronger sense of it than Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon gave a perspective not offered in Huck Finn, which was the perspective of African-Americans after slavery.
3. I found a lot of different undertones throughout both books. You could tell how different characters felt about different situations in the book.
4. I missed a lot of the enjoyment you get from reading. Instead of being taken out of the real world and being immersed in the book, I was just reading it like I had to. It wasn’t all that fun.
5. There are many positives to reading through a critical lens, but there are also a lot of drawbacks. You can read the book multiple times, each time trying to read it from a different perspective, You can understand different perspectives, and you can understand what the author is trying to say. There is one major drawback, however. Reading it objectively takes out the subjectiveness of literature. Literature is supposed to be enjoyed as art, but it is very difficult to do so when you are reading it with a purpose other than enjoying the book.
6. My beliefs didn’t change, but reading through the lenses increased my belief in what I believe, especially after reading Song of Solomon.

Song of Solomon Responding and Reflecting Matt Khoury

Matthew Khoury

AP Literature

Song of Solomon Responding and Reflecting

Over the course of this book, I have noticed a stark difference between two of the main characters, Milkman and Guitar. Throughout the book, you can see how much being African-American means to each character. Milkman has a disconnect from his culture, while Guitar is fully immersed in it. Milkman has this mentality that if it’s not affecting him directly, he shouldn’t care about it. This is due to how Milkman was raised and his privilege plays a key factor into that. Guitar is the opposite and cares about what is happening around him. For example, when news broke out about Emmett Till’s death, Guitar and Milkman had two very different reactions to it. Guitar acted how I would expect him to act and was outraged by the injustice. Milkman, however, did not care at all about Till’s death, and even went as far as to saying fuck Till. Milkman is almost selfish in that aspect and it makes Guitar angry. If I were in his position, I would be too. It is very important that you are proud and conscious of who you are and what you come from.

Song of Solomon Critical Lens Expert Matthew Khoury

Matt Khoury

AP Literature

Song of Solomon Critical Lens Expert

After reading Song of Solomon: The Struggle for Race and Class Consciousness by Dorothea Drummond Mbalia, I discovered a more eloquently crafted article about how I felt about the book. My thoughts were simply calling Milkman sheltered and a jerk, but Mbalia put what I had thought about the main character into a very well written article. Milkman has this sort of disconnect from being African-American due to his privilege. He doesn’t seem to care about anything around him unless it directly affects him. This is exemplified when he is told about the death of Emmett Till. He stumbles in on a radio broadcast of the news, but simply does not care about it. The loss did not affect him personally, so he shows little concern about the whole situation. In fact, when referencing Emmett Till’s death, he is quoted saying, “Yeah, well, fuck Till. I’m the one in trouble.” Mbalia makes an example out of this saying that this statement reflects Milkman’s need to develop a strong racial consciousness. I believe what she is saying to be true and agree completely. Milkman does not care about his people, just about himself. His lack of association with other African-Americans is non-existent and that is toxic. He does not associate with the struggle, so he does not think there is one. His non-existent care for his people makes him look like a jerk.

Matt Khoury Song of Solomon Close Reading

Matt Khoury

AP Literature

Song Of Solomon Close Reading

“ A young Negro boy had been found stomped to death in Sunflower County, Mississippi. There were no questions about who stomped him—his murderers had boasted freely—and there were no questions about the motive. The boy had whistled at some white woman, refused to deny he had slept with others, and was a Northerner visiting the South. His name was Till.” In this passage, Milkman walks in on Guitar and Railroad Tommy listening in to a radio report. The report is that an African-American boy in Sunflower County was killed and his murderers got off free, no questions asked. This event occurred in real life and started national uproar and call for justice. The most striking part of this situation is that the murderers received no jail time for their crime. If this injustice were to occur now, there would certainly be national outcry. During the time this book takes place, however, there is not even any mention of possible charges. It is as if it is excusable to just kill innocent African-Americans. The way Toni Morrison incorporated the real event of Emmett Till fit well in the book and even highlighted the racial climate and power structure during the book’s time period. Tensions between white Americans and African-Americans were high, especially after the death of Till. The power structure is also very apparent in the fact that Emmett Till’s killers weren’t indicted for the crime they committed. This is a clear example of how it was like back then. There was an extreme bias against African-Americans, so white people would generally not be as heavily penalized for the same acts that people of color would get arrested for. A power structure in America was very  apparent back then and it still lingers now. This injustice is dangerous, which is made apparent by Emmett Till’s death.

Final Project Reflection - Bondonno

This project was definitely different than previous projects in many ways. We had to read two different novels, we got to write individual blog entries instead of one or two essays, and we had the responsibility to schedule our own plans for this project. It was different, but was a learning experience and I really think it helped me prepare for college where I would have to read multiple novels and have to plan out the project on my own. I learned a lot about how to best schedule a project, but also how I strongly I hold myself to that schedule. There were definitely ups and downs to this project, but you can't learn if you don't make mistakes. I also learned how to write individual blog entries instead of a concise essay for booth novels; which was harder than I thought. I also learned how to read two novels within a very short time in order to receive all the information I need for my blog entries which was hard because I am a slow reader. However, considering the situation, I think I did fairly well and I am eager as to see how this has prepared me for college. For this project, I analyzed the two novels through the racial/cultural lens and focused on how African Americans were treated, how they reacted to how they were treated either with actions or emotionally, and also how they thought they should have been treated instead. This was interesting to me because I wanted to get more insight into how African Americans and their culture was viewed and treated in the past and how different authors, one White and one African American, would show how they were treated differently and what that meant. Looking into Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, it was interesting to get a view of how slavery and African Americans were viewed and treated and how a child would have felt about it. Although Huckleberry Finn is not an average child, he still has strong opinions about how African Americans should be treated and mostly due to how he was raised to think about the situation. It was equally interesting to see how African Americans were treated and how the reacted or how they thought they should be treated while looking deeper into Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. This novel in contrast to Huck Finn shares the odd story of Macon (Milkman) Dead and his twisted family. Instead of being only from a child's point of view, throughout the novel, we watch Milkman grow up and try to understand his role in society while dealing with political and cultural torment. This was a unique point of view as well because we get to see how Milkman matures and starts thinking about things more seriously than before. For the most part of the book however, he is a middle-aged adult and is trying to understand why African Americans were being treated they way they were and how they should be treated. This gave me insight into how someone's thought process on this subject could have been during this time and helps me realize how much discussions and arguments broke out from one event or situation in the time and howmuch it meant to everyone of all races. The benefits of reading novels with the point of view based on a specific critical lens is that you can really dig deep into what that meant in the story, how they reacted, and what that means today. Reading through both these novels through the racial/cultural lens really helped be obtain a greater picture into how different races and cultures were viewed in the past, how they reacted physically, emotionally, or mentally, and how that effects us today. In the future, I will definitely use critical lenses to analyze novels or passages to gain a deeper meaning into what the novel is trying to portray and this project as a whole has helped me become more prepared for college style projects.

Expert's Opinion on Song of Solomon - Bondonno

The excerpt from Ralph Story, “An Excursion into the Black World: The ‘Seven Days’ in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon” was intriguing. Story explained the writing styles of Morrison and how well she placed each scene to fit historical facts. Story shows how much he admires Morrison for writing with such historical accuracy and reason rather than from a standpoint of revenge. Story writes, “Toni Morrison’s masterwork Song of Solomon (1977), perhaps the greatest novel ever written by an Afro-American… “ in the first sentence to start off the excerpt with a clear admiration for Morrison and the way she writes. Story then goes on to explain some specific examples of what he really liked about her writing in Song of Solomon. “Morrison reaches into the Black historical community and it’s contemporary equivalent to reveal a dissonance which has always characterized the Afro-American world.” Here Story explains how she can allow the book to relate to many African Americans about their past and how she uses that knowledge and understanding to reach out to that community through her book by using historically correct situations or characterizations. I agree with Story about this because I did realize how many of the events in the novel seemed realistic or relevant to how African Americans back then thought about Whites, and how they were treated by Whites. Story also points out that, “The barbershop is the one place in both of Morrison’s novel and actual Black communities where black males speak openly and candidly. In the late 1960’s, black barbershops were also noteworthy for the political discussions which frequently took place in them.” Here Story makes a connection between Morrison’s writing and what happened historically to point out how well she did her research and tried to make her book very historically accurate. She did this to relate to many African Americans and their past, and to connect with them on a deeper level. When the news argument had taken place in a barbershop, I thought that it was an appropriate place to have a casual and heated discussion without fear of a riot. It sounded like a realistic place too that was historically accurate, and now that I know it is, it makes sense and really helped the reader connect to the conversation. Overall, I agreed with Story about how Morrison’s writing style sounded informing, historically accurate, and it allowed the reader to have a deeper understanding and connection to the story.

Reflecting on Song of Solomon from the racial/cultural lens - Bondonno

Song of Solomon was written by Toni Morrison and takes place around the 1930’s - 1960’s. The story starts off by introducing the characters and background of the Dead family. You get to see the perspectives of being an African American during this time but also see what role they play in society and how they feel about their roles. Milkman Dead, considered the main character, grows up throughout the story but for a good chunk of it, he is a middle-aged adult. Milkman gives us insight into how he is treated in society and what he and others think about it. We learn near the middle of the novel that an African American boy was killed by White men for whistling at a White woman. The conversation that happens in a barbershop between Milkman, Guitar, and older African American men gives insight into how people would have taken the news about the killing back then as well. Some men were loud and wanted revenge right away, some were insulted but not surprised of the killing, and some were speechless. This conversation helped the reader know what they would have thought and what they would have done back then in response to the killing of the boy. It is also interesting to see the difference between what would have happened back then and now with the event of the killing. Back then, we understand from the conversation between the men in the barbershop, that the police would do nothing, find them and not convict them of anything, or not even write the event of the story in the newspaper. Compared to now, this event would be all over the newspapers and media outlets, the police would search for the White men who killed the African American boy and definitely convict them of the crime they committed. To see the difference between how the problem would have been dealt with from back then to now is drastic and surprising. This difference gives insight to the reader that times were definitely different back then and allows them to see just how wrong, unfair, and real the problems were between African Americans and Whites.

Historical Lens Responding and reflecting

      The ending of the book can teach us a life lesson. The ending Of the song of solomon can teach us that you can break a bad circle. Milkman's father was not the best person and he was on the road to become just like him. It did take a life shaping event to change his mind about what he was becoming into. This teach us that you do  not have to stick to what is expected of you. If you desire to be someone there is nothing out there that can make you not be that person. Life can shape and reshape you as many times as you let it. You can either become someone that is a positive member of society or someone who is a negative member of society. Milkman in the Song of solomon decided to be a the opposite to what his father was. History is what shapes us and reshapes us. We all have different perspective because of our own history. Our good and bad past is what ultimately makes us who we are. Us as an individual can decide to let our bad past determine who we are. We always have the power to put an end to what don not want to be and draw a starting line to what you would like to become.
      History is full of good and bad intentions. Uncovering the past will leave you will leave you with a bitter task in your mouth or a mouthful of joy. Ambition was the doom of milkman father and guitarman. uncovering the past was what reshaped the life of many family members of milkman. For milkman change was the only thing that  saved him a lifetime of misery. Uncovering the past might not always be the wisest decision. For milkman it was the push that allowed him to make a life changing decision. Ultimately uncovering his family’s past made become a better person. In the case of guitar man the uncovering of the past made him do some bad thing in the name of ambition. I think that ultimately the ambition of guitarman rewrote milkman’s father's story. It was not milkman who became engrossed with the idea of money and power but it was guitarman. I liked how history rewrote itself but still keeping it ultimate goal of ambition.

Reflection Historical lens

    Reading both lenses through the historical lens was an interesting experience. Both books were written at  a time of racial tension. Huckleberry Finn was written at a time when the bridge between blacks and whites was much bigger than in Song of solomon. Both authors were influenced by their time period to make the writing decisions they did. In both books the idea of racism was touch in one way or another. My lens was helpful in both books. Huckleberry Finn in my opinion changed meaning if you take in account the history associated with twain. Twain was changed by abolitionist and slavery supporters. Toni Morrison was influenced by Black nationalism. During the 1970s affirmative action was taking place plus the feminist movement was on its way. I found it fun researching about about how history shaped both books. In mark twains place his early history had a lot to do with his writing. In the case of toni might have been shaped by the big movements that were going around him of equality for females and blacks. Learning more about how the past shaped and reshaped the meaning of many characters and language was what made the historical lens so interesting for me.

      Many people who read Huckleberry Finn might just look at as a racist book. By reading it through the historical hence  we can learn more about the life of the Author and how this might have shaped his writing. If you did not that twain was an abolitionist and his earlier relationship with African slaves his message would perhaps be lost. Because I did not focus on anything else, Many other good messages could have been lost as I read the book. The benefits of reading both books through a lens is that you get to look at the book in a different way. Character, places and dialogue that you might have overlooked, with a lens all those make a difference in the telling of a story. My beliefs were not really changes but the level of knowledge was altered quite a bit. I made it a necessity to know both authors from head to toe. In conclusion reading both books through the historical lens made it a unique reading experience.

Final Reflection

   

      Seen through a Marxist Lens of critical analysis the ideas and themes presented in Song of Solomon and Huck Finn are strikingly different. Using a thematic lens allows readers to truly contrast the author’s differing perspectives on class and race.  

     Huck Finn is primarily a novel about a character oppressed because of his class. Huck escapes the paradigm of poverty by abandoning society for the lawless idyl of a raft drifting down the Mississippi. On his raft there are no haves or have nots creating a (small ) society of perfect equality.
In Song  of Solomon the character of Milkman Dead chooses to escape his sheltered privileged wealthy upper class existence for a search for his own origins. However even then he cant escape the deeds of his past.
This is one of the main differences between the two books Solomon tells the tale of a privileged man in an oppressed community while The Adventures is about an oppressed class in a privileged community. While both manage to escape only Huck is able to truly be free from his past while Milkman is hunted down by Guitar.
The class based analysis of the Marxist lens is very effective at revealing these disparities and thus the differences in the authors and their backgrounds. It therefore ties together to an extent aspects of historical, feminist and racial lens.