Week 16 Analysis: Recitatif

Close Reading on Morrison's "Recitatif" (1172-1187)
This short story, "Recitatif," by Morrison was intriguing as a wholesome because this story doesn't mention the specifics. For example, the readers aren't exactly sure if they are prejudiced toward white people or black people. Morrison wrote this story in such a way that it forces the readers to confront their own assumptions and prejudices about race. A passage that stood out to me was on page 1174, when Twyla's mother, Mary, would "every now and then she would stop dancing long enough to tell [Twyla] something important and one of the things she said was that they never washed their hair and they smelled funny." Mary was talking about Roberta's race. I think this passage just shows you that no one is born prejudiced, but they can simply be taught prejudice ways towards another race. The relationship between Twyla and Roberta didn't start off too well because Twyla admits that when "Big Bozo introduced [them], [she] got sick to [her] stomach" (1174). But Big Bozo told them both that if they fought, they would not be allowed to watch The Wizard of Oz later on. Like all of Morrison's work, this story focuses on racial identity and prejudice. But in this particular story, the races of the main characters are kept hidden from the reader, therefore the readers have to assume the assumption of which character is black and which one is white, or another race. I believe Morrison's main purpose of this is to show that even now in today's society, racial concepts and prejudice s originate in people's minds and Morrison is trying to get her readers to see that.

Comments

  1. Ceasar de la OMay 20, 2018 at 12:30 PM

    Howdy Alissa!
    I enjoyed reading your close reading of Toni Morrison's "Recitalif". Your interpretation regarding prejudice and the readers confrontation with such is both interesting and spot on in my opinion. Especially with the passages you chose and how they tie into this idea. I also agree with your main take of Morrison's central theme of having the reader confront how these prejudices are created. With that said, great work throughout the semester and good luck on all of your future endeavors.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 20, 2018 at 4:41 PM

    Hello Alissa,
    I agree that this is very much along the lines of other works by Toni Morrison. It definitely is based on the bigger issues for her such as racsim and prejudice. It is a very deep and difficult read but it's meant to be really thoguth provoking and I think she does a good job of that! Very good work on this last one Alissa!

    ReplyDelete
  3. KitkatMay 20, 2018 at 9:20 PM

    HI Alissa! You did a really amazing job on you analysis and all the work you have done for this semester. You made really great points throughout your analysis that I found to be rather agreeable. I completely agree that in general, today's society has a mindset where people have a set racial concept and prejudice in their mind and that the author is trying to get people to realize this. Overall, you did an amazing job on your work this past semester and I wish you luck on your finals and future endeavors!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMay 20, 2018 at 11:52 PM

    Hi Alissa
    i like your analysis of Morrison and I also agree with you that the author is talking about racial issue of that time. You seem to understand what the author was trying to portray in her story. I think it would be nice if you went in a little more detail about his poem I would like to know what you kind of think about them.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 2 Analysis: Philosophical Satire Literary Analysis

1. Literary Elements - Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz's poem, "Philosophical Satire," sets a strong tone in her writing and her tone will be the literary device I will discuss for this analysis. Sor Juana's tone had such a liberated and inspiring tonality that it almost seemed like she was trying to get her point across and make women feel outraged with the way men inferior women. In my understanding, it is as if Sor Juana wanted to make it alarming that the role assigned to women are difficult and showed her own perspective and view on society. She questions and exclaims the foolishness that goes on and I, for one, truly appreciate this poem and the tone she set because she wants to let women know that it is not okay to be inferior upon men and that something should be done about it.  2. Themes -   The theme in "Philosophical Satire" is symbolized by women needing to be better and stronger and not to be knocked down by a man's judgment call. The underlyin...
Read more

Week 14 Analysis: Lispector

Close Reading on Clarice Lispector's, "The Daydreams of a Drunk Woman" (808-814) The thing that intrigues me about this reading is the use of simile's and imagery. Lispector creates these vivid images in your head when speaking because she describes the situation so clear. For example, when the husband and the kids leave the woman home alone, she says, ""Oh what a succulent room! Here she was, fanning herself in Brazil. The sun, trapped in the blinds, shimmered on the wall like the strings of a guitar" (810). I like this quote because at least for me, I can perfectly image this scenery in my head and it give me a snip of what this story is like in reality. This story, "The Daydreams of a Drunk Woman," reveals deeper possibilities in this woman. She is unhappy and full of rage. The reasons for her misery all reflect on the choices that she has made while seeking security and protection and the social conditions that foster such poor circumstan...
Read more

Reading Notes W17: Devi, Part B

Mahasweta Devi (1147-1165) Mahasweta Devi is the most important fiction and prose weiter in the Bangali language since India's decolonization (1147) she is also the premier social activist in Asia of the past fifty years dedicated to the cause of aboriginal peoples, having worked tirelessly for the little-known Lodhas and Shabars on West Bengal her unflinching novels, stories, plays, and essays about these and other disenfranchised people provided the literary foundations for what would later be called "subaltern studies" Devi was born in 1926 into a Hindu brahmana family in Dhaka, then in East Bengal in British India, and now the capital of Bangladesh her proper name is is Mahasweta, as devi is simply an honorific term attached to many Indian female names she was educated in schools in East Bengal and at Viswa Bharati, the experimental institution established by Rabomdranath Tagore her graduate studies in English literature at Calcutta University, in the mid-194...
Read more