*Try to comment under what someone else has posted whenever possible!
1)
To what extent do you see Milkman developing
as an individual, finding himself, discovering his moral center? (Are there places where he still
doesn’t “get it”?) Where and why?
Do you sympathize more with him as a character now? Why or why not? How does Morrison suggest that one
finds oneself? What are the
critical components of this journey?
2)
Keep track of Milkman’s discoveries and
realizations about his family’s past.
What are the significant people, moments, myths, stories, songs, that
are associated with his family?
Why, according to Morrison, is it important to recover one’s family
roots? How can your past teach you
about who you are? What do you
think is Morrison’s point or points by including all this stuff about family
history/mythology? Why is a
critical part of this history told through a children’s song?
3)
Milkman’s relationships with others—Continue
to track his developing relationship with Guitar, Hagar, and Pilate. Mark any significant moments in the
story lines of Guitar, Hagar, and Pilate and explain why they are important,
strange, or confusing.
4)
Continue to take note of developments of the
major themes, including Naming—especially the new names we meet, Byrd, Solomon,
Ryna, and Sing—and Flying.
5)
Why did Morrison title the book Song of
Solomon? Try to think of this
literally and metaphorically.
6)
How can we read ideas like “hunger” and the
quest for “gold” metaphorically?
Think back to the Hansel and Gretel story—how is Milkman’s journey (what
he wants, what he finds, what he comes to value) different than the fairytale.
7)
There are some really “weird” events and
ideas in these chapters. Pay
attention to them! The most
interesting and important thing you can do with this book is to write about
what you think seems odd or confusing or intriguing. Write this down and explain why. If possible, ask questions of your classmates!
3/1. I'm not sure whether this really falls under number three or number one, because while Milkman thinks back to his relationships with those back home a lot during this chapter, its really more about Milkman reassessing himself and his own morals. When he is standing watching the children playing and singing the "Solomon don't leave me here" song, he thinks about Pilate, Ruth, Macon, his sisters, and Hagar. He has long been disgusted with both his mother and his father, but actually puts himself in their shoes and begins to understand them. When thinking about his mother, he says that "now it seemed to him that such sexual deprivation would affect her, hurt her in precisely the way it would affect and hurt him" (300). He realizes that his father's greed was all "a measure of his loss at his father's death" (300). He considers how easily he had stollen from Pilate, a woman he loves and "the skim of shame that he had rinsed away in the bathwater"(300) returns. A huge turning point for him comes when he actually realizes that "he had used her [Hagar]- her love, her craziness- and most of all he had used her sulking, bitter vengeance" (301). Milkman recognizes that, not only was he a complete jerk for breaking up with Hagar in the way that he did, but also that he has taken advantage of her pain and suffering. I think this moment is huge for Milkman. He is considering the feelings of others and feels remorse for mistreating them. This journey he is taking away from home has helped him discover more about himself and allowed him to self reflect. I surely sympathize more with Milkman as a person after this moment.
ReplyDelete2.The discoveries Milkman is making about him family are a bit confusing in this chapter, as many new relatives and family connections are introduced. We discover that the Solomon song is "a story about his [Milkman's] own people" (304), and that he is related to Solomon, Jake Ryna, Heddy, Byrd, and Susan. What I think is important is Milkman's development as he learns more about his history. Milkman admits that "ever since Danville, his interest in his own people, not just the ones he met, had been growing" (293). Discovering more about his family history has excited Milkman and helped him feel more connected. He is beginning to feel as though he belongs and feeling more and more connected to people he meets. Milkman also gets extremely excited once he figures out his connection to the children's song, and "he was grinning. His eyes were shining. He was as eager and as happy as he had ever been in his life" (304). I think through this, Morrison is suggesting that one's history and roots are important in one's identity, and that leaning more about your people and past can help you find yourself.
1) Hey guys how was that essay? During Chapter 12, Milkman undergoes dramatic change and we really see a change in his attitude especially in his maturity towards women. Milkman begins to reconcile his past and rehash the happenings of his adolescence and adulthood. Page 300 and 301 are just peppered with good quotes, but the most important to me were, <"The best years of her life, from age twenty to forty, had been celibate... now it seemed to him that such sexual deprivation would affect her, hurt her in precisely the way it would affect and hurt him," (300)>. In this quote Milkman realizes his mother's loneliness and puts himself in her shoes to imagine how she felt and is still feeling. Next quote is, <"His mind turned to Hagar and how he treated her at the end. Why did he never sit her down and talk to her? Honestly. And what ugly thing was it he said to her the last time she tried to kill him?"(301)>. This is also a major turning point for Milkman in that he now realizes how terrible he was to Hagar, and maybe understands WHY she wants to kill him.
ReplyDelete2) Something that really intrigued me during Chapter 11+12 is that Milkman really starts to take pride in his family. Beforehand he wanted to fly away from hi family and beat a path away from them, feeling like they were controlling his future too much. However, in Danville, Milkman hears all these stories of how his grandfather cleared the land himself for the farm and all the kids looked up to what he had done with the farm. Milkman's grandfather gave other ex-slaves hope of truly being something. Macon is also described as a hard worker, and at the Reverend's house, people talk on and on about his family. Milkman likes this sense of connection ad therefore prides himself in his heritage more than he had before.
Mike JAbour
Mike, we are n the same wavelength. (see my chapter 11 post).
DeleteOk so sorry if I have a lot of Laura's quotes, I guess we were typing at the same time.
ReplyDelete1.) Milkman has grown tremendously in this chapter. His sense of belonging has increased as "he fee[s] connected" to the people he has meet in the chapter "as though there was some cord or pulse or information they shared" (293). It suggests whatever these strangers are giving him, is causing Milkman to feel closer to his family for "he was homesick"(299). Milkman realizes here that it takes being away from everything to find yourself and to appreciate the love you had.
ReplyDelete5.) The Song of Solomon has a hidden message in the song that correlates with the message of the story, hence why it was brought up in the title. The last couplet especially: "Solomon done fly, Solomon done gone Solomon cut across the sky, Solomon gone home" seems to hit a chord with the story. Milkman has always wanted to fly and feel complete, so this flying of his could be to know exactly where he came from. As the narrations says, that though excited him like "a child confronted with boxes and boxes of presents under the skirt of a Christmas tree. Somewhere in the pile was a gift for him." (304). Maybe that's what Milkman needed this whole time: that gift that would help him become a better person
1. He's really grown in this chapter. His thoughts about flight have expanded in a new sense to in campass an interest in others in more ways than one. After all, he thinks, "It wasn't true what he'd said to Susan Byrd: that is wasn't important to find his people" (293). And in a sense, he's killing two birds with one stone because the world is becoming interesting to him for once. His eyes practically sparkle by the end of the chapter. It really evokes the image of someone who has found their reason for living. He's also grown in that he's finally found something that satisfies his "hunger". "He was as eager and happy as he had ever been in his life" (304).
ReplyDelete7. Going back to the hunger idea, Morrison puts the Hansel and Gretel image again in the book. Morrison writes, "A child's swing dangled from a cedar tree; four little steps painted blue led up to the porch, and from the window, between fluttering curtains, came the smell of gingerbread baking" (287). He is led there by a craving to find out something he finds worth looking for, maybe a bit because he was still interested about the gold, but by the time he left it was a bit different. I mean, he wasn't even all too hung up about forgetting his watch. When he meets Guitar in the woods again, Morrison writes, "It looked foolish and he started to throw it away, but changed his mind" (297). Here Milkman shows that he has changed in the sense that he isn't being wasteful and throwing things away so easily anymore. He might not be that generous still but it is improvement in that he is seeing his faults regarding want and greed and necessity.
Great connection to Hansel and Gretel. Love Daniella's idea that Milkman was hungry and satisfies his "hunger" through his discovery of his family past. Though he doesn't have the literal gold that he thought he would find, is it too much of a strech to say that he has found a metaphorical "gold"?
Delete1. I think that up until this point, Milkman's morals have definitely improved! Like others, Milkman starts to care a little bit more about people other than himself. However, he still has some ticks that he cannot seem to leave. "Milkman was getting confused, but he was as excited as a child confronted with boxes and boxes of presents under the skirt of a Christmas tree. Somewhere in the pile was a gift for him"(304). The gift can be interpreted in many different ways. It can be a goal, or how I read it , still a little glimpse of the selfishness that Milkman had that he is trying to leave behind. The trip that he is taking is more like a liberation rather than a pursuit of wealth.
ReplyDelete5. I think Morrison called the book "Song of Solomon" because as Laura previously said, the moment when he listened to the song, it was his turning point in his maturity and in his character development which, if I do say so myself, came a little bit late for me! "If the 'Solomon don't leave me' line was right, solomon was the one who left, who 'flew away' -- meaning died or ran off - not Jake"(304). To me, it seems like Milkman in Solomon and the rest of the people were Jake. Milkman's pursuit of riches and the gold now seem to me like a way for him to run away from all of his burdens and troubles that he had at home. Not that he had to do physical things, but the mental strain that he had. He was insecure, he was fearful, dependent, and not the brightest bulb in the closet. However his trip which was first about the gold to me is now more like a way to find out more about his history. When he starts to wonder "was Ryna the black lady still crying in the gulch?(304)", it starts to show that he begins to care a little more about his family, whether they are worse off without him.
5/1 I agree with Ian, the book was named for the children's song. Throughout these last chapters, milkman struggles to draw the connections between the song and his family's past. In the song, Milkman picks out lyrics like "heddy took him to a red man's house" (303), and ties them to his own history. That whole scene is an "aha moment" in the conflict of the plot. Milkman really begins to question what he thought he knew. "Did jake whirl about... Was Ryna Solomon's daughter?" (304). Milkman is for the first time proud of his family. Rather than denounce his race as he had done previously, he is excited that "these children were singing a story about his own people!" (304). This realization of his identity made him "as eager and happy as he ever had been in his life" (304). I find this to be conclusive proof that Milkman's real motivation for his quest was in fact not for gold at all. He felt fulfilled having found the links to his past.
Delete1) Milkman has definitely grown up and realized that putting an effort into doing something will take you somewhere. By Milkman being more generous and giving back also brings out the truth, like when he lifts the crate to help a man at the train station, and Guitar thinks that Milkman is instead being selfish and hoarding all of the gold when in fact he is just helping out a stranger, "He also knew that in all his life, Guitar had never seen Milkman give anybody a hand" (296). This one single act leads Guitar to thinking that Milkman is skipping out on their deal, making him want to kill Milkman, his best friend. A major quote showing Milkmans transformation is when he thinks he has figured out the mysteries of him family's names, and he looks at his reflection in a mirrored window and sees, "He was grinning. His eyes were shining. He was as eager and haooy as he had ever been in his life" (304). I really like this quote because it shows how much he has been uplifted by being exposed to his ancestory, and that for the first time he sees someone happy and someone that he likes in his reflection.
ReplyDelete7) One really weird thing about this chapter that I dont really understand is why does everyone in the town call themselves Solomon, and why do all of the children sing the song about names and Solomon? For example, Milkman remarks, "Everybody in this town is named Solomon, he thought wearily..Even the name of the town sounded like Solomon:Shalimar.." (302). It seems like a really strange and closely related town.
Perhaps a suggestion that the "Song of Solomon" history applies to others, beyond just Milkman? Remember, Solomon had 21 children, according to the song. How many people in this town might actually be descended from this one man? Even if they aren't literally descended, perhaps Morrison wants us to read the message(s) of Solomon/Milkman's stories as more broadly applicable to the whole African American community.
Delete1) Milkman definitely matures in this chapter. He begins to see how he's never really taken into consideration any of their struggles. For example, he tries to place himself in his mother's shoes in order to realize why she acted the way she did. "What would he do? Would he continue as he was? And suppose he were married and his wife refused him for fifteen years" (300) He finally realizes that his mother has had difficulties in her life, and understands that he probably would have acted the same way if he was in her position. This is a big step for him as he takes into consideration the emotions of others. Similarly, he realizes how he's mistreated his loved ones. Thinking about Hagar, he wonders, "Why did he never sit her down and talk to her? Honestly" (301). Here, Milkman realizes how foolish and childish he was to argue and talk back with Hagar, without having a civilized talk with her about their problems. He sees how he is in the wrong for not doing this.
ReplyDelete2) I think a main purpose for why most of the family's history is told through the children's song is because it shows how most of Milkman's childhood was empty because he never really knew who his family was, and subsequently, who he was. "Again their sweet voices reminded him of the gap in his own childhood" (299). By watching the children and listening to them, Milkman's childhood void is somewhat filled as he lives vicariously through them. I also think that it could represent Milkman starting his life all over again, like a child. Like the children, who are "inexhaustible in their willingness to repeat a rhythmic, rhyming action game", Milkman now has this new energy in him to find out more about his past and to discover who he is.
5.) I think that the book is titled Song of Solomon for many reasons. Firstly, the song enlightens Milkman, it teaches him about his ancestry and about the people he knows, but doesn't really know. In this way it imparts wisdom to him, just like the wise Solomon. Another reason is that it makes him remember Pilate and home, "Hundreds of miles away, he was homesick for...the very people he had been hell-bent to leave" (300). The circle game mirrors the circle that Milkman's adventure has taken, now bringing him back home. Emma, maybe the reason that "Everybody in this town is named Solomon," (302) is because the town imparts wisdom to him, just like Solomon the wise.
ReplyDeleteI really like your points, Theo, and the question of the title really intrigues me. I think it's titled Song of Solomon because the whole story really is about Solomon's line, family relationships, and naming. The "song" of Milkman's journey and life is continuing Solomon's song bc they are related. I also saw Milkman as similar to Solomon- they both want to fly off and leave their families. Solomon actually does, which gives him freedom (yet in a somewhat negative way). Milk however, flies to the South, which gives him a new sense of self and actually brings him closer to his family history. I think this connection is what makes Milk look different when he looks in the mirror at the end of Chap 12. Morrison writes, "he ran back to Solomon's store and caught a glimpse of himself in the plate-glass window. He was grinning. His eyes were shining. He was as eager and happy as he had ever been in his life" (304). Solomon's mirror (!) shows a Milkman without the defects of previous chapters. He is happy for the first time in the novel, bc he has found the song of his family, his roots. He also grows wiser, bc "as Milkman watched the children, he began to feel uncomfortable. Hating his parents, his sisters seemed silly now" (300). Maybe the song about losing family members and Ryna crying for her husband makes Milkman value his family more.
DeleteTwo excellent takes on the title of this novel. There is also a "Psalm of Solomon" in the Bible that we could look at. It is a very intimate psalm about a love relationship, traditionally read as between God and humans, but you could interpret it more broadly. It's a great title because you really can interpret it in a variety of ways.
Delete3.) Milkman's relationship with others takes a huge leap because he actually thinks about someone besides himself. A relationship actually requires two people, so I would hesitate to say that he has known a real relationship, except maybe with Gutiar, but that, ironically, breaks down in this chapter. But, very importantly, he now understands others like his mother when he finally says, "His mother had been able to live through that by a long nursing of her son, some occasional visits to a graveyard. Whyat might she have been like had her husband loved her? (300). The fact the he puts himself in someone elses shoes is a momentous break in his relationships, and the fact that he finally defines his new relationship with Hagar, that, "It made him a star, a celebrity in the Blood Bank" (301). Now that he recognizes his selfishness I have high hopes that he can overcome it
ReplyDelete1/2. I agree with what people said about how Milkman has matured significantly in this chapter. He seems almost like a different person. He is not only mature in the sense that he begins to respect people around him more but also in the sense that he lets go of his desire for material good. when he realizes he has left his watch at Susan Byrd's house, Milkman "didn't know what to do, but decided finally that a watch was not worth worrying about. All it could do was tell him the time of day and he really wasn't interested" (295). If this had happened a few chapters back, Milkman would have definitely gone back to get his watch; his wealth and him showcasing his wealth was important to him. Now, he does not seem so obsessed at having the material good. Perhaps being rich and showing his wealth was reassuring to him before; maybe it was a way to tell himself that he was worth something. Now, after he searches for his family ancestry and roots, he realizes his worth through connections with his family members. He no longer is solely dependent on money. Before, he had not really been developing his own thoughts; now by piecing together evidences himself, he feels a greater satisfaction (he's becoming more of an individual). This journey to finding himself through family roots is the happiest he has been so far. He also feels proud to be a part of the family for once: "These children were singing a story about his own people!" (304). Now, I sympathize with him more because he has significantly improved his character.
ReplyDelete4. What is interesting about the new names (especially Sing and Byrd) is that they mixed their Indian names with American-sounding names (304). Sing's actual name was Singing Bird, but changed it to Sing Byrd. Also her brother's name is actually Crow Bird and not Crowell Byrd. Macon Dead's name is also Jake, but he sticks with the name that a drunk Yankee gave him. Their names have to do with flying and moving. On page 290, when Milkman is visiting Susan Byrd, Grace mentions that "[Sing] probably started passing like the rest of 'em" after Susan says that Sing left the private school she was attending. We get a sense that Sing was probably free-spirited like Pilate; she was constantly moving to do what she liked. When she did not like the private school, she just left. Also the fact that everything and everyone is named Solomon is significant. The townspeople of Shalimar pronounce it as "Shalleemone" (302). I agree with Theo's connection to Solomon the wise. I also think that by naming lots of people and places Solomon, Morrison is suggesting that we are all interconnected in some way. Milkman had said that people of Shalimar all looked similar and maybe they are all somehow related.
Excellent points--Sing and Crow both connect to flying, and they tie African American history with Native American history. Why would Morrison want to do that? What are her messages about how both of these minority communities might be connected?
DeleteLove the idea of "interconnectedness"--we can read everyone being named Solomon as both literal and metaphorical.
1) Milkman continues to take steps towards becoming a more mature and morally right individual in this chapter. He realizes that he has treated everyone in his life badly, and is able to take a step back and look at his life and the lives of his family from a more objective point of view. He realizes that "hating his parents, his sisters, seemed silly now." (300) More specifically, he thinks about Hagar and how he "had used her- her love, her craziness..." (301) By being able to accept his wrongdoings and mistakes in his life, Milkman makes progress in his journey to become a better individual.
ReplyDelete2) The Song of Solomon is a song about the heritage and history of Milkman's family. Before the trip to find out about his ancestor's Milkman had never really had a path or goal in life, but now the challenge of finding his family gives him something that he has never had before and the song "reminded him of the gap in his own childhood" (299). Milkman had lived a life without purpose and now that he had something to work towards and live for he "was as eager and happy as he had ever been in his life." (303)
1) I find that Milkman has grown a lot in Chapter 12. In the beginning he is just on this quest to find the gold and see where Pilate had come from. After he went to Susan Byrd's house and his encounter with Guitar he realizes where has come from and that he now wants to find out who he is. Milkman says "he did feel connected, as though there was some cord or pulse or information they shared. Back home he had never felt that way, as though he belonged to anyplace or anybody" (293). Milkman has realized that he feels more at home in a place that he has never been than his real home. He has grown so much. He has broken away from his father and begun his own life. I can sympathize with him because he now has truly found something that makes him happy. He is finally interested in his family. He has broken away from his younger self. At the end of chapter 12 Milkman says, "He ran back to Solomon's store and caught a glimpse of himself in the plate-glass window. He was grinning. His eyes were shining. He was as eager and happy as he had ever been in his life" (304). He is finally excited about something, finding out who is. He has never felt like he belongs and he has finally found out he does have a place that he fits in.
ReplyDelete5) I think that Morrison named the book Song of Solomon for many reasons but the one that really sticks out is hat it kind of narrates Milkman's life. At the beginning of the book it says," The fathers may soar / And the children may know their names". This refers to Milkman not knowing where he came from and how distant he feels from his father. It can also relate to Macon's grandfather, the one who supposedly left "twenty-one children, the last one Jake" (303). Solomon has said to run up a hill, jump into the air and fly back to Africa. This has left many people believe that they are descendants of Solomon, but nobody really knows because "Solomon gone home". The title fits the book because it is truly the recent history of Solomon's family.
Nice connection to the epigraph at the beginning!
Delete1) Milkman we see really develop during his interpreting of the Song of Solomon in that he finally identifies himself with his family and finds his identity in relation to his roots. We see Milkman being affected during the song as the narrator notes "Milkman's scalp began to tingle. Jay the only son of Solomon?"(302) and after as he leaves "eager and happy as he had ever been in his life" (304). These quotes show the reader that Milkman is invested in his past and finally wants answers to the question of who he is
ReplyDelete7) I thought the scene where Guitar jumps Milkman on the path was weird mainly because they have been friends their whole lives. Guitar chose wealth over his frienship even though neither seems to be interested in getting rich but moreover each wants to accomplish his goal, Guitar to kill people and Milkman to finds his past. Guitar was selfish to jump his friend and his line "your day has come but on my schedule" (297) shows how he wants power even over friendship...
What did happen to Guitar?! Guitar's decline (morally) seems to line up with Milkman's upswing. Why do you think Morrison does this?
Delete2. I think it is important to recovers ones roots because then a person can understand their family history. They can see where they have come from. Our family provides us with a look into the past. Milkman is becoming more and more interested in his family. Milkman's family has led him from the selfishness he used to have to a more interested and free person. I like Morrison's connection to christmas gifts under a tree (302). It shows how eager Milkman is too learn about his family. Milkman's is embracing his past.
ReplyDelete1. Milkman's growth as a human being is in part of his desire to learn more about his family. He is putting others before himself and no caring for the things he used to care about. Milkman is learning from the life of his parents and realizing the troubles that they had to go through. He is sympathetic towards his family.This realization that Milkman is having can be shown on page 301. Morrison writes "But peace was there, energy, singing and now his own remembrances.". Milkman is showing his appreciation for his life.