Friday, February 14, 2014

We're AP Lit Nerds and Loving It: February 14, 2014

Focus: What light does Part 3 shed on the rest of Beloved?

1. Warming up: Consider these words...

Memory
Rememory
Disremember
Unaccounted

re-

a prefix...used with the meaning “again” or “again and again” to indicate repetition, or with the   meaning “back” or “backward” to indicate withdrawal or  backward motion


dis-

1
a Latin prefix meaning “apart,” “asunder,” “away,” “utterly,” or having a     negative, or  reversing force 


un-

1
a prefix meaning “not,” freely used as an English formative, giving negative or opposite force 

(thank you, dictionary.com, for the above definitions)

What do these words have in common?
What is the difference between these words?
How do they fit Sethe's journey? Paul D's? Denver's? Beloved's?

2. The final Beloved Socratic seminar: Part 3

HW:
1. Critical review essay due Tuesday. Please see last Wednesday's slides before printing your final draft.

2. If you have a laptop, Tuesday is a good day to bring it.

3 comments:

  1. -motherly failure, always want to hold on to children forever, drove boys away and Denver is weird
    -Sethe is projecting her feelings and losses into Denver, unaware they are inside of her and has to find them
    What did Beloved did at the end? Disappeared, exploded..
    -just disappeared in the way she disappeared with Denver, dissolved into water, based on true story?? tells this story in foreward
    -Beloved still being a ghost, ghosts disappear when issues are resolved, Beloved’s presence helped Paul D know Sethe and left when she was no longer needed
    -Sethe sees what she did wrong, what she should have done
    -community didn’t support Sethe at first, but does now
    Difference of community during slavery vs post slavery time period?
    -people hated baby suggs because she had excess at party, makes sense that there’s nicer feelings in post slavery
    Last couple of pages is full of paradox
    - “it was not a story to pass on”
    -not a story to pass on, but also not a story to die

    Wrap up:
    How Beloved always thought she was going to fall apart, did fall apart at end.
    Not story to pass on said three times, 124
    Morrison described her as bad dream
    double meaning of passing on
    townspeople all came together and exorcised Beloved, no positive influence?
    page 303, women walking up to house, placement of three on community
    symbolism of slavery in last two pages, slave ship
    last chapter, a loneliness that roams, Beloved in different realms
    positive influence and rem
    embering
    loneliness that can be rocked about overall ending
    second paragraph of last chapter, separate parts is fear of breaking
    magical realism in the novel, voodoo ghost stories
    beloved was force that broke to rebuild
    Paul D talking to Sethe about today and tomorrow
    three different meanings of word Beloved at end
    theory of Beloved being a vampire
    quote about being forgotten by everybody
    beloved vs Paul d, who would have been a better influence?

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  2. -things will change and alter but it will still always be there, metaphorically because its a memory
    “Remembering seemed unwise”
    -obsessed with beloved when she was there, but forget about her when she leaves
    -said memorable shocking things that make it hard to forget
    Idea of Beloved took over things she said, they were just weird
    -remember feeling of Beloved and that was enough
    Do you think Beloved had a positive or negative impact on people?
    -first negative, then positive with the community
    -Paul D already saving Sethe and Denver, so no positive impact
    -Denver would’ve never left the house if not for Beloved
    -she went to fair with Paul D
    -Paul D, Sethe and Denver already had a good thing going before Beloved showed up
    -beloved came in and messed it up
    Paul D and Sethe’s relationship based on lies?
    -bad, but Sethe’s past is her business
    -wasn’t really knowledge that drove him out, but it was the final reason for leaving
    -Beloved was self absorbed with Sethe and Denver
    Beloved brought closure with negativity
    -causes Sethe to forgive herself
    Sethe is filled with grief and feels worse when Beloved leaves
    Passage where Denver is looking at Sethe and Beloved and Sethe tries to apologize and explain but Sethe wasn’t looking for forgiveness and Beloved wasn’t giving it to her
    -Sethe couldn’t forgive herself in the end
    -some pains you can’t get over, unforgettable and can’t heal from
    -you’re the only one that can face your own past, Sethe had to face it herself, only way to get past
    -Beloved at beginning was present, and Sethe and Denver’s inner demons
    -at end, Beloved leaving was Sethe getting rid of her inner demons, everyone was free (denver and paul d)

    Passage where Paul D was freed and purpose of those pages (316-end of chapter)
    -318 Invisible Man point- feels happy to be invisible and independent because no one can see him
    Paul D putting himself back together before he puts Sethe back together
    -different pieces and perspectives of himself
    -finding a home in 124
    Why does Sethe think Beloved was her best thing?
    -Sethe overwhelmed with guilt that she can’t think of anything else, most tragic event in her life, always want what you can’t have
    -Sethe has pride that she got three other kids out of Sweet Home, one thing she took ownership of, intense guilt over killing Beloved but also feels she protected her the best

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  3. What did you think of Beloved now that book is finished?
    Beloved is a symbol of trying to get rid of the past, she took life out of Sethe.
    Embodyment of slavery, disremembering, taboo topic, Sethe embarrassed by her decisions
    Beloved is condition were we forget bad memories, repression, forget about Sweet Home for the sake of Denver.

    “rememory” is Sethe reliving her memories
    cyclical nature to book, Sethe kills her daughter when she sees school teacher and the book ends that way
    Beloved is trying to bring up memories for Sethe, doesn’t want her to forget

    Beloved is manifestation of Sethe’s loneliness
    memory of her past, lonely and guilty, beloved is everything coming together
    Beloved is the last word in novel-
    -name reminds us of what happened
    -command, do enough to matter and be loved
    Beloved represented slavery all throughout the book
    -entire town is trying to get rid of her, “disremember her and slavery”
    also shows African American community getting past slavery
    Ella saw Beloved the most and had deepest memories of slavery
    How do you view Sethe?
    -person attempting to get over slavery through getting over Beloved, still has memories

    Passage on last page, second to last paragraph
    -symbol of Beloved’s journey, everybody can fit their foot print in hers, relatable
    -”everyone knew what she was called but nobody knew her name”
    manifestation of how society needs to deal with slavery
    -some people can’t look her in her eyes (paul d)
    -mixed feelings
    book also about the importance of refusing to isolate yourself with your memories and connect with community
    -passage where women walk up to house
    -3 in the afternoon, right after 124
    -community is filling the gap of 3 by coming into the house, healing process begins through community
    Beloved naked and pregnant at end of book
    -full cycle of story?
    -reminds of Sethe when she was pregnant and ran away, disappeared like she showed up
    -Beloved manifestation of deadly sins
    -banishment cleansing of pain caused to other people
    Beloved pregnant with real baby? metaphoric baby?
    What happens when she leaves?
    -see footsteps in forest, metaphor for slavery everyone was looked at the same way, is she dead or starting somewhere else?

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