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Butter

     Toni Morison’s Beloved utilizes a nonlinear method of storytelling in order for the reader to develop opinions based on what certain characters do and do not know. One example of this that stuck out to me was the “Butter scene”. While we all agree that it was horrific and repulsive, it is interesting to consider the many aspects that made this moment so climactic.      Originally when explaining how the assault went down (“After I left you, those boys came in there and took my milk. That’s what they came in there for. Held me down and took it”), you can understand how terrible it was and how she felt very vulnerable and alone. Sethe had previously explained that her main goal was to “get my milk to my baby girl”, and then vocalizes to Paul D the extent in which it mattered to her (“‘They used cowhide on you?’ ‘And they took my milk.’ ‘They beat you and you was pregnant?’ ‘And they took my milk!’”, essentially saying that even being whipped was less monumental than the viola
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Janie Progresses, One Marriage at a Time

                Over the course of Their Eyes Were Watching God , Janie got married to three notable men: Logan Killocks, Joe Starks (Jody), and Vergible Woods (Teacake). Each of these men represents different values (and flaws) in a partner. Janie's character development occurs as she learns more about what she wants in life from each of her marriages. To start, Janie gets married to Logan when she is still a teenager because it is arranged by Nanny. Nanny believed that this was the best way for Janie to stay safe physically and financially, as Logan was a land-owning man (with a farm). Nanny believes that any additional desirable qualities beyond “can keep you alive” were not nearly as important in a mate, if at all (this is potentially due to Nanny's being raised in slavery and wanting her grandchild to be safe even when Nanny can no longer protect her). Janie saw Logan as repulsive, because he was unattractive, smelly, tried to get her to do farm labor, and threatened to hu
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Looking back with Invisible Man

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  In chapter 24 of Invisible Man, our narrator is posed with a conflicting situation when he is trapped underground during the riot. Instead of sulking in his misfortune, he chooses to make metaphorical lemonade out of the sour lemons he is given by the universe; he uses this threatening occasion to reflect upon his life and his choices thus far. When he is stuck underground, IM decides that the best way to see through the dark is to start burning the possessions he held in his briefcase. All of the things stored in his briefcase were memorials of pernicious events that happened to him throughout his whole life, and burning those items is a metaphor for letting go of the past and removing the impurities from his life. Essentially he is born again through this event. Ralph Ellison wrote Invisible Man in a way that makes the novel seem open to interpretation by the reader, rather than supporting one focused message. Ellison wrote this novel’s ending with a generic main idea that can appl
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Seeing Cults in Invisible Man

In chapter 14 of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the narrator (whom I will be calling IM, short for Invisible Man) joins an organization called The Brotherhood with the purpose of making social and political change as a speaker for them. During his time in The Brotherhood, IM learned that the organization might not have been what it seemed, and was using/manipulating him. The organization appears fairly cultish (i.e., I believe it is a cult). To support this contention, I will be using an article from Oprah Daily written by Samantha Vincenty about the major warning signs of a cult, and will analyze The Brotherhood through the lens of these criteria ( https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/relationships-love/a33648485/signs-of-a-cult/ ). Vincenty states that there are 4 main types of manipulation used by cults to brainwash individuals: Behavior control, Information control, Thought control, and Emotional control (the acronym is BITE). I will focus this post on informational control and though
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University President vs. Lunatic: Who Would You Be?

          Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison draws important distinctions between two types of people. The first type of person is represented by Dr. A. Herbert Bledsoe, the President of Tuskegee University. Bledsoe represents black people who are willing to conform to the desires of the white people in charge in order to get ahead and gain social status. The second type of person is represented by the unnamed veteran (I will be calling him The Vet). He is essentially the opposite of Bledsoe in the way that he does not value white validation/success over being true to himself and his race. Throughout the book, The Narrator (the invisible man) is seeking to determine what he does and does not value, and is attempting to identify his values relative to the aforementioned two groups. He does so by learning from the people around him. Bledsoe’s way of thinking can be described as cold and calculated. One of the best quotes demonstrating how Bledsoe thinks can be found in chapter 6, page 143: 
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Desperate Situations

by Sam Newman                  Richard Wright’s (1940) Native Son was written to demonstrate how systemic racism can (and does) affect specifically Black men. Poor living conditions, gang culture, and discrimination in employment and law enforcement all play a huge role in Bigger’s life, causing him to become who he is (a deplorable character) and keeping him that way. The very first instance of Bigger’s circumstances’ affecting him is seen in the first few pages, when Bigger must kill a rat. “‘I got ‘im,’ he muttered, his clenched teeth bared in a smile,” and “Bigger took a shoe and pounded the rat’s head, crushing it” (pg 6). This is a very normal day for Bigger. Most upper middle-class White families (the target demographic for this book) probably had never seen a rat in their homes, because their homes were in better condition and in nicer locations. It is never said but it is implied that this kind of daily instance had conditioned Bigger to be desensitized to violence, which is
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