Extra Credit Blog: Response to Cat in the Rain

            In “Cat in the Rain”, a short story written by Ernest Hemingway, an American couple-stuck in a lifeless marriage- are vacationing in Italy. The American wife, in particular, is unhappy and restless, in both her marriage and the vacation. In order to ease her desolation and restlessness, she devotes time into saving a cat from in the rain. By rescuing the cat from the rain, the American wife is reflects her desire to be saved from her own marriage.

           The circumstances between the wife and the cat are like those of a parent and a child. Many parents put their own youthful hopes and dreams on their children. The American wife does just that by placing her desire to get out of her marriage and her current life onto the cat in the rain. While the wife can't change her own story, she'd like to save the cat from a less than happy life in the rain. By saving the cat from the rain, the American wife presents herself like a parent hoping for a better future for their child than their own. 

            The American wife’s determination to save the cat symbolizes her longing for freedom. While setting the scene for the American wife and the cat, Hemingway makes many references to water surrounding both of them. For instance, while the American wife stands in front of the window looking out “rain dripped from the palm trees” and the “sea broke in a long line in the rain.” By referencing numerous sources of water around her, her lack of freedom is represented. Because while she is confined in the hotel, the world is going on around her.  Similar to the cat, the American wife is stuck under a table of her own in the rain, “trying to make herself so compact that she would not be dripped on.”  The cat in the rain alludes to her position in an isolated marriage; she wants to move away and leave her current situation, but stays there in fear of getting hurt in the process. As a result, since she can’t find the courage to save herself she wants to instead save the cat in the rain from a miserable existence instead. The American wife sees herself reflected in the cat in the rain.

            Initially, the American wife is presented as an altruistic cat rescuer, however, her cover story has little to do with her actions. It isn’t until later on that her true reasoning is revealed. While she is stuck in a hapless marriage, she wants to at least save the cat in the rain from its own hapless situation. Ultimately, her decision reflects her own desire to be saved as well. 

Short Fiction: A Response to Hillbilly Elegy

          In Dorothy Allison's memoir Two or Three Things, she expresses the complexities of her family.  Allison describes a school assignment she had as a young girl to make a family tree. She summarizes this segment of her life earlier on as "two or three things, I know for sure, and one of them is the way you can both hate and love something you are not sure you understand" (7). Her claim appears to stem from the fact as much as she loves her family she hates them too. Their un-traditional makeup and origins are beyond her understanding so she finds herself hating her family. As her mother states, "Around her parentage is even more dangerous than politics" (10). In other words, the discussion on family makeups is like stepping into uncharted waters. On the other hand, she loves them for reasons she can't fathom. All she sees is the good in her family, which is seen when she asks her mother, "Why is it to dangerous" (10). Through her memory of making a family tree, Allison reveals the feelings that make up her family. 

         In my own experience, I can say the making (or the attempt to make) a family tree has revealed to me how I perceive my family. When making a family tree often times you find yourself learning truths that skew the view of your family, as was the case of Allison. Unlike Allison, whose family truths had to do with lineage, I found mine more in learning the about the types of people I actually come from. However, like Allison, I still find myself loving family members of the past and those of the present even if I don't understand it myself. And sometimes I have some loathing for reasons unknown to myself. Learning about your background can skew one's understanding of their family, and allow them to love and hate at the same time. 

         Overall, I believe my analyzing Allison's perception of her family and my own the importance of a family institution is seen. Allison summarizes the dynamic of family strongly with her quote. Family can be both loved and hated even if you don't fully understand the origins of your feelings. 

         

Beloved: Literary Analysis

Undoubtedly, slavery is one of the most immoral practices known to man. In Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Toni Morrison’s Beloved, slavery is one of the main themes of their stories. However, because slavery had many associations throughout each novel, I decided to focus on the evil of slavery. While Stowe and Morrison don’t directly state that slavery creates an outcome of evilness, they do provide many situations where it can be subtly acknowledged.

            Throughout both novels, many relationships between slaves and their owners are portrayed. Some of them better than others, as is the case between Eliza Harris and Mrs. Shelby, St. Clare and Tom, Miss Ophelia and Topsy, etc. Relationships between Sethe and Mrs. Garner, and Paul D and Mr. Garner can be among those generally better as well. On the other hand, there are even more cases where relationships are much worse, as is the case with many of Stowe’s characters including: Marie St. Clare and all the slaves on the property, Mr. Shelby and Tom, Legree and Tom, etc., along with the majority of Morrisons characters such as Sethe and Schoolteacher, Mr. Garner and the Sweet Home boys, and Sixo and Schoolteacher. Through the latter listed character relationships, the evil slavery creates can be seen through stages in each novel.

            The evil of slavery is introduced early on in both of novels through their respective characters. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, readers are drawn into the theme through Mr. Shelby, Mr. Haley, Eliza, and Harry. Upon seeing young Harry, Mr. Haley, the slave trader, tells Mr. Shelby, “Fling in that chap and I’ll settle the business- I will” (4). This interact displays the evilness of slavery by so easily talking about buying and selling a child. In this scene, the boy isn’t even seen as a boy, but a thing- an object. On top of all this, there is no regard given towards his family- their feelings, thoughts, or reactions. None whatsoever. Altogether, Mr. Haley and Mr. Shelby’s discussion comes across as because it casually takes about removing a child from his home and family without any thought given towards Harry’s well-being. A similar situation occurs in Beloved between Sethe and Schoolteacher’s boys while Sethe recalls a time during her pregnancy at Sweet Home. She goes on to reveal that “[Schoolteacher’s] boys came in. . . And took my milk. That’s what they came in there for. Held me down and took it” (19). Here it becomes evident that the evil of slavery is illustrated by denying a mother from her biological and social right to care for her child. Even though she was beat while pregnant, the fact that they took her breast milk was the bigger of the two evils committed against her− she too was seen as an object rather than a person just like young Harry. Between both novels, the authors illustrate the wickedness of slavery through showing their characters as simple objects amongst slave owners.

            The evil of slavery continues to progress to more dramatic levels as the story goes on. It reaches news levels when Marie St. Clare is introduced. The first few words Marie says are “it’s we mistresses that are the slaves, down here” (153) and “[the slaves are] selfish-dreadfully selfish; it’s the fault of the whole race” (153). Her words come across as ignorant and blinded from reality. Marie, herself, is the exact opposite of a slave. She lives to be doted upon every minute of her life. For her to compare herself to a slave shows how slavery has evolved people (slave owners) morals and ethics so horribly. Likewise, a group of farmers tell Mr. Garner, “Ain’t no nigger men” (12). Their statement, like Marie’s, comes across as very ignorant and blinded from reality. Clearly, people who were slaves at the time where human beings. However, their denial shows how slavery dehumanized the entire being of slaves. As their stories continue, Stowe and Morrison manage to present the evil of slavery in more shocking ways.

            Death can be seen as the most heinous connection to slavery. Towards the end novel, Tom is brought by Mr. Legree, a vicious slave owner, who has no hesitancy in violently disciplining his slaves. Tom, in particular, becomes the target of this anger when “. . . the spirit of evil came back, with seven-fold vehemence; and Legree, foaming with rage, smote his victim to the ground” (374). This moment leads to Tom’s inevitable death. However, the evil of slavery can be seen through the death of Tom and other slave because they’re good people. Tom didn’t deserve to die; he died protecting his friends and values. In comparison, Sethe’s history reveals that she as “a pretty little slavegirl had recognized a hat, and split to the woodshed to kill her children” (186). Ultimately, she only managed to kill her youngest child, Beloved. Yet her actions go to show that even the most innocent of people are not protected against slavery. An innocent slave’s demise, like Tom’s and Beloved’s, represents the utmost evil of slavery.

            Throughout Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Beloved, Stowe and Morrison use the theme of slavery to illustrate how it creates evilness. When the relationships between the slave owners and the slaves themselves are looked at both at the surface and underneath, the evil that lingers from the practice of slavery can be found. With each interaction, from small to large, the evil of slavery can be seen increasingly. Overall, its significance rests in the fact that slavery manages to manipulate and sway people away from true morals and ethics. 

Works Cited

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. London: Vintage, 2010. Print.

Stowe, Harriet Beecher., and Elizabeth Ammons. Uncle Tom's cabin: Authoritative Text Backgrounds and Contexts Criticism. New York: Norton, 2010. Print.

Beloved: Reader Response

         Based on customer reviews alone, it is safe to say Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved is very well received. Through a 5 star system, readers of the novel have expressed their like or dislike of the novel publicly for many years. By comparing the results between sites such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Good Reads, a 4 star rating is very common and expected for Beloved. While the majority of readers view the book highly, they deducted stars due to the author, her writing style, and the content of the story.

            For certain readers of Beloved, they allowed their own personal expectations and grievances of the author and the content of the novel to sway their overall judgment of novel. For example, Jessica, a Good Reads reviewer who rated the novel at 4 stars said, “I feel like people who haven't read her believe that Morrison writes these lovely, lyrical, ladylike books that will soften the heart and elevate the soul.... and I mean, I guess in a way she does, but these lovely books will give you seriously deranged nightmares.” Her statement goes to show that some readers are reacting to Morrison’s novels by what they expect from her and not the true content of the story. Jessica further goes on to say, “A lot of people just loathe her [Morrison] . . . Some girl on here was like ‘Ugh! Beastiality, rape, torture, and infanticide. . . Toni Morrsion is DISGUSTING!’ Her account of another reviewers feelings sheds light on the fact that many some readers aren’t open-minded to the story at all. And that in itself can affect how Beloved is rated by reviewers.

            On the other hand, many readers who enjoyed the story lowered their ratings due to trouble understanding the novel. For instance, a reviewer named Anonymous on Barnes and Noble said, “Haunting and vivid. It is an incredible story, though it’s occasionally slow. But completely worth it.” Anonymous went on to rate the novel with 4 stars. The review goes to show that while Anonymous enjoyed the book the moment the wiring style became slow their rating of the novel went down. This trend is again seen through Kasey, a reviewer from Amazon who gave the novel 4 stars stated, “It is written like a stream of consciousness. I enjoyed the writing style but found it difficult to follow at times.” Kasey’s statement, along with Anonymous’ further supports the fact that despite liking the novel, trouble with the writing style prompted readers to demote the novel of higher star ratings.

Works Cited

Kasey. "It Is Written Like a Stream of Conscientiousness." Amazon. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2017.

Morrison, Toni, and Anonymous. "Beloved." Barnes & Noble. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2017.

Morrison, Toni, and Jesscia. "Beloved." Goodreads. N.p., 26 Jan. 2009. Web. 04 May 2017.

Beloved:Contemporary Connections

          In contemporary times, racial issues and tension are just as evident now as they were in the past. Throughout America today, despite much progress, racism not only continues but young adults are becoming color-blind towards the issue itself. By looking at Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Toni Morrison’s Beloved, a connection can be made from both novels in regards to these ever present issues and how the public today perceives them.

            From both novels, readers become aware that racism is always present despite everyone’s best efforts to forget. Characters, like Eva from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, blatantly treats all slaves like human beings. She acts ahead of her time, and dismisses the ideologies she is supposed to follow. For instance, Eva tells Topsy, “People can love you, if you are black” (Stowe 245), and even reveals that she herself loves Topsy. However, even though characters and people like Eva exist it doesn’t rid the world of racism. According to Laura D. Blackburne, the Chair of The Crisis Board of Directors in her article “American Racism Continues” she states, “For more than 500 years, racism and second-class status have formed the reality for Americans of African ancestry.” This is today’s truth. Through Stowe’s novel we see that the love and acceptance of one person does not immediately evoke the change we hope for. Even more so, in Beloved, we see characters like Sethe who wish to forget the world of racism that exists in the world. She does this by not informing Denver of her past life as a slave. Sethe’s strategy to move forward isn’t the best one, because “Thinking of yourself as color-blind can make it harder to see that America is a country riddled with systematic inequalities,” says writer Victor Luckerson in his article “Millennials Can’t Afford to Be Color-Blind about Race.” In this case, Seth’s actions can make it harder for Denver to understand that there is more to life than what her mother exposes her to. This situation from Beloved informs people that even today in 2017, people blind themselves to racism in hopes of protecting themselves and others, however, it only prevents someone from being met with the inevitable. Together, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Beloved illustrate the unwavering view of racism that has yet to change to this day.

Works Citied

Blackburne, Laura D. "American Racism Continues." Crisis (15591573), vol. 121, no. 3, Summer2014, p. 5. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.uwc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,cpid&custid=s5805083&db=a9h&AN=97471587&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Luckerson, Victor. "Millennials Can't Afford to Be Color-Blind about Race." Time, vol. 186, no. 3, 20 July 2015, pp. 25-26. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.uwc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,cpid&custid=s5805083&db=a9h&AN=103735561&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. London: Vintage, 2010. Print.

Beloved: Critical Commentary

           In Peter J. Capuano’s article “Truth in Timbre: Morrison’s Extension of Slave Narrative Song in Beloved,” he claims Morrison uses songs in order to show readers the humanity of her characters. I believe Capuano’s interpretation is clearly seen in the novel. Capuano stated, “Beloved’s victims use song to reclaim and affirm their personhood in an aggressively inhumane world” (98). This goes to show that the only way for the slaves in Beloved to truly express themselves is through song. Their actions and spoken words couldn’t be their own but that of their slave owners and oppressors. However, the combination of song and singing belonged to the slave and those oppressed, and became their own form of acceptance, communication and identity to express themselves as group of people in a world of hate. For example, Capuano brings up the neighborhood women singing for Sethe. He goes on to say that, “the ‘singing women’ in this section confirm Sethe’s re-instatement into the neighborhood, into motherhood, and most importantly, into humanity” (102). Furthermore, goes to show that through the act of singing those who were slaves and those currently oppressed used it to ground themselves and others.

            Capuano’s interpretation of the text adds to the understanding of the novel by establishing the importance of a custom that many readers may have overlooked in Beloved. While the general public usually associates slaves with narrative songs, the significance between the two is often lost. However, Morrison manages to subtly bring to light the connection song has on the humanity of her characters. 

Works Cited

Dobbs, Cynthia. “Toni Morrison's Beloved: Bodies Returned, Modernism Revisited.” African American Review, vol. 32, no. 4, 1998, pp. 563–578., www.jstor.org/stable/2901237.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. London: Vintage, 2010. Print.

Uncle Tom's Cabin: Works Cited

Baym, Nina, gen. ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 2.
New York: Norton, 2012. Print.

Stowe, Harriet Beecher. “Uncle Tom's Cabin (Barnes & Noble Classics Series).” Barnes & Noble, 22 Aug. 2007, www.barnesandnoble.com/w/uncle-toms-cabin-harriet-beecher-stowe/1116705392. Accessed 7 Mar. 2017.

Stowe, Harriet Beecher. “Uncle Tom's Cabin.” Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/book/show/46787.Uncle_Tom_s_Cabin. Accessed 7 Mar. 2017.

“Uncle Tom's Cabin (Dover Thrift Editions) › Customer Reviews.” Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Uncle Tom's Cabin (Dover Thrift Editions), www.amazon.com/Uncle-Cabin-Dover-Thrift-Editions/product-reviews/0486440281. Accessed Mar. 2017.