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Overview : Toni Morrison has created a duality in Beloved, as at once the daughter Sethe murdered out of love, and as a former slave who lo...
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Directions : 1) Please read the following "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison. 2) Take notes . Read slowly, and try to visualize ... -
Part I: Freewriting Either in a series of bullet points or freewriting, explore the following as they pertain to you: “Nature” – Ethnici...
This ending felt very melancholy to me. On one hand it seems for Paul D, Sethe, and Denver, they are beginning to rebuild themselves and look to a future. Still, Beloved's end felt very sad considering that she never made peace with being left by her mother and is constantly wandering, whether woman or ghost, slowly being forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI was also wondering why all the women had come at 124 to sing?
I agree, I found the parasitic relationship between Beloved and Sethe significant because Sethe took Beloved's life away from her, so Beloved in turn takes Sethe's life from her. For the story to reach a resolution, only one of them can be fully living.
ReplyDeleteMy question is why Paul D only first ponders his worth when seeking to escape Sweet Home?
I found the ending of the story to be somewhat unsatisfying because we as readers never find out the truth about Beloved, whether she was a ghost or a human, but this is what I had been expecting. However, I find it hopeful that Paul D and Sethe make amends at the end of the book and it appears that they along with Denver are beginning to heal.
ReplyDeleteFor my question, I wonder why Paul D ultimately chooses to forgive Sethe and have a life with her when he was initially disgusted by her actions? Is he finally able to fully understand why she did what she did?
One part that I enjoyed and think is very important is the ability for Denver to grow and be able to ask for help. For so long she spent her life alone with Sethe cooped up in 124, not knowing the people in her town and not having any friends. She's able to grow and throw away her pride in order to save her mother and in turn people can appreciate her dedication and end up helping her as well.
ReplyDeleteI have a similar question to Sarah, though it cannot be answered I do very much want to how Paul D forgave Sethe so easily once he sees her. Is their past, which includes her being married to another man and them spending time mainly just as friends, enough for him to blindly forgive her? Understandably he regrets how he ended things between them but him being able to forgive her murdering her child, even with her good intentions, doesn't seem very realistic based off of his initial reaction and what he said to Sethe.
I appreciated the ending because although we didn't find out the truth about Beloved, I felt like the whole book was revealing different decisions that people made, and in the end we finally got to see how these actions affected each of the character differently. Specifically, it was interesting to see how Denver being stuck in 124 for so long made it extremely difficult for her to reach out to her community for help.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why everyone chose to forget Beloved? I feel as though it would be impossible to forget someone that had such a massive impact on your life, regardless if the effects of that person were positive or negative.
I really liked the ending and the reflection of the community before the feast hosted by Baby Suggs. After Sethe fell ill not knowing her worth anymore, it reminded me of Baby Suggs before she passed, sorrowful for having the feast. Fortunate for Sethe, Paul D and Denver are both taking time to care for Sethe for the sake of love so I would presume she would make a recovery.
ReplyDeleteIt also reflects and redefines the sense of "pride" that was so restricted in the community. 124 hosted a feast for all of the community only to be hated for the sense of pride and confidence they had. However, the community responds back to Denver's need for help by leaving food for her.
My question is why was Mr. Bodwin so distracted with staring at Beloved, to a point where he didn't even realize Sethe was running at him trying to kill him?
I was not particularly fond of the ending. I found it odd and frustrating that Denver, Paul. D, and Sethe were just going to chose to ignore the time they spent with Beloved. It seems to me that just swiping it under the rug will not be good for anyone.
ReplyDeleteMy question is super open-ended but, where did Beloved go? If she is an escaped slave girl, would she even know how to survive out on her own? If she was a ghost, is she gone for good?
I think the end of the novel was controversial, but at the same time I think that is how Toni Morrison needed to end it. Forgetting about Beloved is something that must have been really hard for the town, but specifically Denver, Paul D, and Sethe. I thought that it was really interesting how Denver said that when Beloved was there that she represented more than just a person. She was there as a representation of the struggles Sethe has endured her whole life, and now has to come face to face with them.
ReplyDeleteMy question is, did Beloved feel like she achieved what she came to do? Did she get the answers from Sethe that we assumed she came to ask?
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ReplyDeleteI did not really like the ending because I really wanted Toni Morrison to tell the truth about Beloved. Although I was wishing for this, I understand that she wanted to keep the emphasis of her duality and instead shift the focus to bringing the community together after her appearance. I agree with Grace that she represented Sethe's struggles that she had finally come to face, so in a way it was a good ending although it wasn't as satisfying as a direct answer might have been.
My question is was the town better off not remembering Beloved? Although she may have caused pain I wonder if her impact was positive or negative. For Sethe, for example if she represents her struggles and facing them, isn't the pain worth the outcome? Or is it just painful to relive and better to forget the past?
How will the 124 move on from the leaving of Beloved?
ReplyDeleteI feel like a lot of times its the main character who has the biggest personal growth but in Beloved I thought it was interesting that it was Denver. In the beginning Denver was someone who was super isolated and her only friend was the ghost but towards the end of the book she opens up and helps with the community. I liked the ending though.
I found the ending to be somewhat disappointing. While we all assumed fairly early on that there would not be a satisfying conclusion, I would have appreciated a little bit more closure in the novel. Like Kathleen said, however, I do understand the reasoning behind Morrison leaving the duality of the work open ended and allowing the reader to decide for themselves what really happened and who Beloved really is.
ReplyDeleteMy question is how could Denver, Paul D, and Sethe completely forget Beloved? She made such an impression on all of them that I find it hard to believe that they all forgot everything about her completely.
I found it interesting and very profound how Sethe and Beloved became indistinguishable. This emphasized how Sethe's past has grown increasingly more powerful, tearing away at her identity. Now, she feels that the only aspect that defines her is her past, and she lets it take over. One question that I had remaining is if Sethe will be destined to the same fate as Baby Suggs. Of course, there is really no way of determining this, though Sethe was fearful of it happening to her.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I wanted more closure concerning the ending of the book. I felt slightly unsatisfied by it and would have liked to know more about what happened to Beloved, especially concerning her past. However, I feel as though it was probably the intention of the author to leave the ending more open and allow the readers to decide for themselves what they believe happened. This also adds to the complexity of Beloved’s character.
ReplyDeleteOne question I have regarding the last section of the book is: did Beloved feel satisfied by her time spent with Sethe at 124? Whether or not she was Sethe’s daughter, did she get any closure concerning her mother who she felt abandoned her?
I had mixed opinions about the ending as it didn't answer all the questions about Beloved I had, but at the same time I understand how Toni Morrison intended that to be unresolved as an aspect of the plot. As others mentioned, the lack of specifics helped to make the reader think more about what was going on instead of reciting the facts of an event to them.
ReplyDeleteLike nearly everyone else mentioned, I was a bit confused on the resolution of forgetting about Beloved. Is it ultimately the right way to resolve things or will it be detrimental in the long run? Personally, I wouldn't feel okay brushing away something so pertinent like Beloved.
The last two pages of the novel I found oddly satisfying. Morrison explains that all though Beloved's presence was quite prevalent at the time, the memory of her will fade because she never said anything worth remembering. If anything, her presence was a bigger reflection of the other character's behaviors and identities rather than her own. She changed the lives of the residents of 124, somewhat for the better. Denver finally found the strength to be independent and face the world she had been so afraid of all of her life. Paul D realized he has a responsibility to care for Sethe, and Sethe will have to grow from her experience with Beloved.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Was Beloved pregnant with Paul D's baby?
At the end of Morrison’s iconic book, Beloved, there is a repeated warning: “It was not a story to pass on … This is not a story to pass on.” Ironically, this admonition comes at the end of the story that was so eloquently “pass(ed) on.” Morrison has done exactly what the narrator has told the reader not to do, and in that audacious act, the world has learned so much about the horrific institution that enslaved humans and cost society so much.
ReplyDeleteIf we do “pass on” the stories of our past and learn from them, how as individuals, and collectively as a society, do we evolve and elevate the human condition?
Question: Similar to Jill, I too was left wondering what Sethe's fate would be. Would she overcome the obstacles and find herself able to start a new life, or would she fall into the same trap of depression and eventually death?
ReplyDeleteComment: Honestly, this whole novel was so powerful and eye-opening. The ending in particular was really well done I think. I think the ending leaves a lot of hope and closure. But when things started to settle, Morrison in the last section writes "This story is not one to pass on" or something along the lines of that. I really wish I could have known what she meant by that.
Question: I was confused while reading exactly what Beloved's fate was- did she just disappear or did she leave by her own will?
ReplyDeleteComment: I really enjoyed this book and would say it is the best book I've read in the AHS curriculum- it was difficult to follow at times but that made it more satisfying when I figured out what was being said!
Comment: I found this novel as a whole to be a fun read though it was rather depressing throughout. I found the way Morrison made the reader question the identity of Beloved and examine the bigger picture to be fascinating, and it truly made me analyze every little detail while reading.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What is the next step for Sethe's life? Will she overcome her past experience as a slave or continue to be enslaved by her past?
I'm left slightly unsatisfied by the ending of Beloved. I was expecting more closure, but I greatly enjoyed the plot and themes in Beloved as a whole.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the fate of Sethe? Will she recover from these horrific experiences?
I found it ironic how in the end of the book, everything comes togeather for Denver. It was her perious mission to watch the yard and protect others from Sethe and in the end it is her vigalent watch of the yard that allowed her to save somone else from Sethe, only it was Mr. Bodwin who she helped save, not Beloved. This actually lines up nicly, as her focus in life shifts to work outside the house and not the company she could find in 124.
ReplyDeleteWhile the ending was fairly comprehensive, the glass bottles in the yard with the flowers seemed to indicate that Beloved was still hanging around 124. If that is the case, in the end of the book, is Beloved and Sethe's distructive dynamic still continuing, has Sethe stopped responding like Baby Suggs, or is Beloved just lurking on the perifary, almost like a ghost?