Biblical References/Allusions to Greek Mythology

Many of the Biblical allusions in the Song of Solomon are seen in the names of the female characters.  First Corinthians, Pilate, Lena, Hagar, and Reba all have names that stem from the Bible.  Their namesakes are not exactly the same, but there are several parallels between these characters from Morrison’s novel and their namesakes from the Bible.  For example, Hagar in the Bible has a child with Abraham who later expels her and their son into the desert, sending her far away from him and his wife Sarah.  In Song of Solomon, Hagar is completely thrown away by Milkman once he becomes bored and tired of their sexual relationship.  

In chapter 10, we meet a new character that does not have a Biblical reference but rather an allusion to Greek mythology.  The role of Morrison’s character Circe, the old woman that Milkman meets on his quest to find the gold, serves the same purpose as that of Circe from the Odyssey.  The latter Circe gives Odysseus advice and assistance on his journey to Hades.  Similarly, Circe from Song of Solomon advises and guides Milkman on his spiritual journey to help him grow as a person.  It seems as if Milkman even represents Odysseus himself, as they both partake on a journey to prove themselves and encounter similar obstacles along the way.  We shall see what unfolds as the novel comes to an end.  Will Milkman experience the same growth as Odysseus and find success in his own personal journey?

Singing

In the Song of Solomon, we frequently encounter singing.  Morrison introduces the motif of singing in the very first chapter with the “O Sugarman” song and continues to use it to recall memories of Pilate’s father telling her to “Sing.”   The presence of song helps the characters in the novel connect to their roots and to each other.  Later in the novel, songs will serve the purpose of helping Milkman grow and find himself.

Songs are commonly used to share stories and history of the previous Dead generations. Singing, however, takes on a slightly different meaning when Circe reveals to Milkman that “Sing Dead” was the name of Pilate’s mother.  Pilate used to recall her father saying “Sing. Sing,” in which she always interpreted as singing aloud to “relieve her gloom” (147).  This helps Milkman begin to discover his ancestry, which in turn will propel Milkman on his spiritual journey of self discovery and “coming of age.”  With the knowledge and understanding of his past that he gained through song, Milkman will be able to move forward and grow to find himself.

Songs not only connect different generations by telling stories, but they also help characters of the same generation create a spiritual bond.  For example, after Hagar dies, Pilate and Reba console each other through singing.  By singing as a means of comforting, they become closer.

Milkman has not quite finished his journey to self discovery yet, and I’m curious to see how singing and songs influence his choices throughout the rest of the novel.  

What is Poetry?

Poetry is a type of literature with meter.  It is typically a condensed form of literature that portrays a certain message.  Some poems rhyme and some have a rhythmic beat, but all should make you feel.  All poems should bring out a certain emotion from inside of you.  Every word in a poem matters, as poets carefully select each insightful word to help convey the meaning behind the poem.  Oftentimes, poetry is not black and white, meaning that it can be interpreted many different ways by different people. This could be bothersome to certain people who enjoy concrete meanings behind works.  In my opinion, the meaning of a poem and what it is saying is really left to the interpretation of each reader.  Some people, however, prefer to be told what it is they are reading about and what they should be feeling while reading a work of literature.

One cannot just passively read poetry.  Poems are active and require one to pay attention to each word on the page.  This could turn some people away from poetry, especially if they are on a beach reading for leisure. People might also dislike poetry because of the confusing, complex nature of some poems.  For example, Emily Dickinson’s poems are not the easiest to understand and requires a lot of thought to find the meaning behind each of her poems.  This could definitely turn a person away from poetry because they do not want to spend so much time trying to figure out what in the world the poet in trying to say or mean with their poem.

I personally love poetry, but I would have to say that I do not enjoy the AP poem multiple choice.  They suck the fun out of reading poetry, and oftentimes try to make the poems come across as black or white with their tricky questions.  I like reading poetry and doing written analyses on poems, but answering multiple choice questions about Emily Dickinson’s poetry is definitely not my favorite part about poetry.

Morrison on Writing Universally

I found this quote to be so fascinating.  For me, mentioning Emily Dickinson as an example of someone who wrote unapologetically and not for a specific audience makes what Morrison is saying understandable because Dickinson’s collection of work was never intended for an audience and was not even found until after her death.  Morrison definitely does a great job of trying to write universally, allowing a reader of any race to have sympathy for the characters in her novels.  However, some parts about racial struggle are very hard to make universal, and because of the topic, might never be fully understood or relatable to a white man.  In my opinion, it’s okay if not all readers can empathize with every single character in a novel or can relate to a character’s struggle.  So long as the author portrays a character’s plight in a way that allows one of an opposite race or gender to be able to sympathize with that character, I think that the novel is universal.  

Issues of race and gender and being universal are two things that I wouldn’t necessarily pair together.  We discussed the idea of having a person of a different race/gender write about someone else from a different race/gender in class this past week. It’s a good topic of discussion that left many of us unsure, as we could not come up with concrete answers in the moment.  After having some time to think about this, I think as long as the writer does not use the “I” perspective when writing about a character of a different race or gender, it is okay and could be universal.  However, it needs to be known that the author is of a different race or gender, and that the experiences or struggles he/she writes about are not drawn from personal experience.
Writing universally is tricky to do, but I think that Morrison does a great job of it.  She writes clearly and concisely, avoiding the lofty explanations and apologies that she mentions of some authors in her quote.

Hagar

Hagar, granddaughter of Pilate, is in LOVE with Milkman, who is only five years her junior.  She has an obsession with him and has been since she was younger.  Milkman, to Hagar, is “the man for whom she believed she had been born into the world” (127). Saddest part of all, Milkman views Hagar just as her Biblical name suggests.  In the Bible, Hagar gave birth to the Abraham’s first son, Ishmael.  Once Sarah, Abraham’s wife, finally is able to have a child, Hagar and Ishmael are sent away to the desert and abandoned by Abraham.  Similarly,  Hagar from the Song of Solomon is only cherished for sex, as Milkman never really sees her as a girlfriend.  By the time Milkman is thirty one, he becomes bored of Hagar and ends his sexual relationship with her. While she was never truly loved by Milkman, being “dumped” by the only man she ever loved becomes her freaky obsession, causing her to be hyper focused and depressed on her separation from Milkman and want to kill him.  

Hagar is a fascinating character.  On one hand, I can’t help but to feel bad for her because of her pointless obsession and complete weakness for Milkman.  On the other, though, I think she is crazy for wanting to kill Milkman and needs some help.

Rupi Kaur and her Micropoetry

A poet that has always fascinated me is Rupi Kaur.  She is only 24 and has become very well known for her collection of poetry titled “Milk and Honey.”  I watched an interview of Rupi Kaur (link below) where she discussed her style of poetry called Micropoetry and how she gained fame from her intriguing poems.  Kaur actually began her career by posting her micropoems on social media in aims to start a conversation and open dialogue on topics that are normally kept within ourselves, like loneliness and heartbreak.  For Kaur, the look of the poem is everything, including the small sketched picture she always includes on the page of a poem.  The way she formats her text and designs her poem’s page matters and adds to the meaning of the poem itself.  She avoids capitalization and uses little punctuation to minimize distractions and keep the reader focused on the content of the poem.  

When I flip through my copy of “Milk and Honey,” I cannot help but to feel a different emotion on each page.  One poem will have me crying, and the next one will make me giggle.  Her topics are often relatable (for me, at least) and really pull at my heartstrings. I’m glad I found this interview.  It just made me love Rupi Kaur and her work ever more.

Rupi Kaur Brings “Milk and Honey”to Studio Q: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThJGwrN_oEY

Telling is Listening

Out of all of the Brain Pickings articles I’ve read this year, this one is is my favorite.  I was fascinated to hear Ursula K. Le Guin’s interpretation and theory on conversations and loved her use of the models/illustrations of the amoebas and the transmitting of information.  Before reading this article, I, like many others, assumed that the speaker in the conversation is more active than the listener, as the speaker holds the information that he/she wants to share.  However, after reading this article, I agree with Le Guin that listening is not just a reaction, but rather a needed part of the conversation connection.  The analogy of the amoebas having sex surprisingly convinced me of the mutual power of both the speaker and listener.  There is no dominant role between the two, as both the speaker and listener, like the amoebas, hold the same amount of power.  

I enjoyed the explanation of the transfer of information in the beginning of the article, illustrated by the model of Box A transmitting information to Box B, because it allowed to fully understand something that my mom always tells me.  When Le Guin describes conversation as something that cannot be reduced to solely to information shared by the speaker, she writes, “The medium in which the message is embedded is immensely complex, infinitely more than a code: it is a language, a function of a society, a culture, in which the language, the speaker, and the hearer are all embedded.”  The information or message one shares can be hidden in what one says , and it may be interpreted in a different way than initially intended.  Like Le Guin says, mediums in conversations are extremely complex, which can result in misinterpretation or a confused, bumpy conversation. My mother always says, “It is not what you say, but how you say it,” and after reading this section about mediums in the transmission of information, I totally agree with my mom.  These complex mediums in conversation can definitely alter the true message of what one means to say.  Human conversation is such a fascinating thing, and I feel enlightened after learning of Le Guin’s interpretation of conversation.

Really enjoyed this article!!!

Cormac McCarthy on Punctuation

When I saw that there was an article about punctuation, I immediately selected it; I love punctuation!  The first thing that surprised me in this article was McCarthy’s stylistic choice to not use quotation marks, but because he is dubbed as a “disciple of William Faulkner,” I understand why and how he is able to get away with no quotation marks.  His choice to not use quotation marks goes back to his minimalist approach to punctuation inspired by James Joyce.  I appreciate that McCarthy chooses to avoid semicolons in his fiction because I personally don’t love them or try to use them often (despite using one at the beginning of this commentary).  Semicolons should be quite sparse in writing and not overused as they sometimes are.

After reading and reflecting on this article, I am inspired to use fewer unnecessary punctuation marks.  I sometimes find myself trying to insert unnecessary commas in my writing, but after being exposed to McCarthy’s minimalist style, I feel like I will be less inclined to mark up all of my essays with extreme amounts of punctuation.   I also don’t feel as obligated to try to make use of semicolons in my essays because McCarthy avoids them entirely. Thank you, McCarthy!

Margaret's Inability to Love

When Roy presents the love between Margaret Kochamma and Chacko, it is obvious that Chacko is the one head over heels in love with Margaret and that she is hesitant to love him the same way back.  She is always unsure of committing herself to Chacko, but eventually marries him.  When I was reading this section, I always just thought that Margaret was putting up a front because she did not want to show her full emotions or ever become heart-broken if something were to happen with Chacko, or that she even maybe did not love Chacko nearly as much as he worshipped her.  Then, a bit later on in the book, we get to see Margaret’s perspective of the relationship as Roy writes, “She thought of Chacko fondly, but without regret.  It simply did not occur to her that she had hurt him as deeply as she had, because she still thought of herself as an ordinary woman, and him as an extraordinary man” (Roy 237).  Hearing Margaret’s perspective, it seems as if she just assumes that everyone, including her husband, views her as she views herself: ordinary and mediocre.  Her lack of self love and appreciation hinders her ability to see just how much Chacko loves her and adores her.  If Margaret was more in tuned and aware of what was actually occurring, who knows what would have happened between Chacko and Margaret in the long term.  This instance in the novel makes me wonder if something like this has ever happened to me or someone in my life, where we could hurt someone unknowingly and be completely unaware of the effects of our actions.  Has my fixation on my own thoughts or feelings towards something blinded me from what was really happening?  

Millstones Around Ammu's Neck

“If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here! None of this would have happened!…I would have been free! I should have dumped you in an orphanage the day you were born! You’re the millstones around my neck!” (Roy 240).

Ammu’s abusive language is the base of her children’s future problems.  If my mom were to tell me I was the millstone around her neck, I would too be emotionally scarred and completely withdrawn like Estha and Rahel and would definitely try to run away.  Ammu takes no responsibility for her actions, but rather deflects her anger and blame on her innocent children.  Ammu’s selfishness and lack of maturity are shown in the quote above, as she is more willing to hurt her children than to own up to her own actions.  Estha and Rahel are not only scarred from these harsh words, but will probably always wonder what they could have done to prevent their mother from thinking of them as millstones.  Like their mother says, certain actions are careless words can make a person love you less, so I’m sure her children are wondering what they have done to make Ammu love them less.  After calling children  millstones around one’s neck, there is no going back.  Nothing she could say or do would ever make her children forget about what she had said and erase the effects that those words will have on them in the future.  Think before you speak, immature Ammu.

Love Laws

“They had all broke the rules…They all tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved and how. And how much…” (Roy 31).

The love laws and their role in society have a large impact on the plot of this story.  Throughout the novel, Roy refers back to the love laws as she repeats the line “the laws that lay down who should be loved and how. And how much,” showing the reader that these laws are intended to dictate one’s life and to keep love between two people of the same social class. But, like most archaic laws, this law is meant to be broken.  Love should be something natural and open to all, not controlled by a government law. Who one ends up truly loving (not the spouse in an arranged marriage) is most times out of that person’s control, like Ammu falling in love with an untouchable and Baby Kochamma falling in love with a priest.  In the quote above, Roy describes the moment when Rahel realizes that she is not the only one who has broken these laws to pursue forbidden love--- everyone has.  Rahel’s realization on page 31 and Roy's repetition of the role of these laws the throughout the novel show the great effect these love laws have on society, her family, and the story as a whole, making sense of the description on the back cover page of the novel: a “forbidden love story.”  

Baby Kochamma

Baby Kochamma, the great aunt of Estha and Rahel, is the very selfish, spiteful antagonist in The God of Small Things.  In the novel, thus far, she is seen manipulating others and insulting Ammu and her children, especially because their father is no longer in their lives.   While we mostly see the hateful Baby Kochamma that Arundhati Roy presents, we learn in chapter one that Baby Kochamma was once in love with Father Mulligan.  She would relentlessly pursue him and try to catch his attention in ways not imaginable, by washing a peasant boy in public for hours to show her caring side and vowing to become a nun to please him.  However, she is forbidden to be with him because of the love laws.  After going to university and losing her love, she completely lacks drive in life and becomes super bitter and flat out rude.  I am not a fan of Baby Kochamma, but after Roy reveals her love for Father Mulligan, I have a tiny bit of sympathy for the lonely, broken hearted (or heartless, really) Baby Kochamma.  

I’m curious to see how Baby Kochamma’s maliciousness and manipulation skills shape the rest of the story...

Relating to Bakha?

In class this week, we discussed the relatability of Bakha as a main character.  Because Mulk Raj Anand describes him as superior in ability and looks to the other untouchable males, some found him a bit more relatable.  I, however, could never put myself in his shoes not only because of the manual labor he has to do, but also because of his lack of voice and power he has in his community.  In a community like Severn, kids are able to speak up and stand up for what they believe.  In the community in which Bakha lives, he is at fault for everyone’s problems and basically serves others as a slave.  I could not even imagine sweeping a public latrine, let alone being paid nothing for it!  I almost think it is selfish to try to compare oneself to Bakha.  Being treated as less than human is something I have never and will never experience.  On the contrary, I do think that maybe someone could compare one’s feelings of suppression or lack of representation and voice to that of Bakha.  But, for someone in our community to compare his/her life to Bakha’s life would be foolish because of the extent of Bakha’s plight as an Untouchable and the daily recurrence of alienation and torture he faces in his society.

AP Essay Prompt

Authors often use a character who is ostracized from a society or community because of his/her gender, race, or social class to highlight the ideals and principles of that society/community.  Choose a novel in which this type of character exists and show how that character’s isolation exposes his/her society’s beliefs and values.  Avoid plot summary.

Mulk Raj Anand

Mulk Raj Anand may not have experienced life as an Untouchable in his past, but growing up  in the lower class in India, he was very familiar with the pains of the caste system. Much like a journalist, Mulk Raj Anand wrote about untouchables in India to draw worldwide attention to a system that has been practiced since 1500 BC, treating individuals unlike human beings and far worse than animals. Even though this novel was written over 80 years ago, the book is still relevant today as the system has not stopped.

Despite not ending an ancient religious tradition, Raj Anand uses his novel to criticize the social injustice in India and condemns the hypocrisy of the high caste who rules over the untouchables. Moreover, the author reminds us of the lack of strength and unawareness of the immoral system enforced on the lower caste/untouchables, and he even suggests  a need for a social revolution and stand against the system.

The message of Mulk Raj Anand's Untouchable is still, and more so than ever, valid and viable in today's world!

Lakha

Lakha is the abusive father of Bakha and Sohini who is presented in the book as passively submissive to the orders and ideas of the caste system. Rather than blaming people of the high caste for his exploitations, he believes that the treatment he received as an Untouchable is ultimately his own fault. With his traditional and conservative views, he believes that becoming an Untouchable at birth is a result of his sins and wrongdoings in his previous life. It's ironic how Bakha wants to rebel against the system while his father does not see the social injustice and problems with being an Untouchable.

When Lakha was first introduced, and his views of the caste system became apparent, I was a bit annoyed and wish he was not as compliant and accepting of his role in society and wouldn't try to force Bakha to have the same views. I was especially mad when he seemed to have no reaction when he hears of Sohini's molestation.

After thinking about Lakha role in the book, I feel like he portrays the older, conservative man who is unwilling to change his views and only wants tradition of hundreds of years to continue.  On the contrary, Bakha is a young, hopeful millennial seeking change in his world of unfair  treatment of low caste people. Despite Lakha's pushing of his personal views, Bakha is able to recognize the wrongness of the system and wants to find an escape, either by following Christianity or the teachings of Gandhi. It's amazing that even while Lakha has been brainwashing his children to think that being an Untouchable is their destiny and that the caste system is completely just, Bakha can still overlook his views and recognize the harsh reality of his life on the bottom of society's totem pole that he feels must change.