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Greetings, Students.
Choose an instance of ‘love/affection’ or
pick an instance of ‘bullying’ from the novel (please include a
page number) using 2 or 3 sentences.
Then describe how the ‘love’ or ‘bullying’
example from the novel translated into a mirror or window for you to reflect on a
personal experience or a similar situation in the larger culture.
Dr. Hill
ReplyDeleteReading about the boy in Denver’s class, Nelson, harassing her about Sethe was definitely a mirror experience for me. I know I, and I’m assuming most everyone, has had a time where someone’s words had a bigger effect on us than we would want. Even though Nelson was just a little kid who didn’t know what he was talking about, his words deeply hurt Denver. She didn’t want to think about her mother in that way. I think it is especially interesting for us to look at this instance considering where we live. On Thursday in class we talked about how loyal the South is. I think this shows in Denver’s case. Though she didn’t agree with Sethe’s way of handling Beloved, she still stood by her. I think this is true of many people in the South. Even if we don’t agree with our friends or families we will still stick up for them in hard times.
In most cases, Beloved bullies Sethe constantly. She always wants and asks for more and Sethe provides it all for her because she wants to please Beloved. The constant asking of Sethe is taking advantage of her time, effort and emotions. Beloved knows that Sethe wants to do everything she can to make her happy, so this is a form of bullying. I see this in the form of mirrors because I have been in situations of bullying (on Sethe's side of things), but I had to find ways to not let it affect me which is the difference between Sethe and I. Sethe seems to not even notice it because she is so enticed by Beloved's presence but I recognized it from the beginning and wanted to put a stop to it.
ReplyDeleteThere is an instance of bullying on pages 36 and 37 when Beloved (the ghost) fighting with Paul D. There is no case when I have been bullied but I have witnessed bullying. I did step in and stop it because I don't want anyone to feel like they have to run away or be afraid of anybody.
ReplyDeleteI see the instance of bullying most in the relationship between Sethe and beloved because beloved comes back both as a ghost and a person and she won't let Sethe go on with her life.
ReplyDeleteSethe has definitely been bullied, almost harassed by the school teacher and the two boys on the farm. This is a window experience for me. Sethe has had things being forcefully taken from her without consent. Not only has Sethe been bullied, but her daughter Denver is being bullied emotionally since no one dares to come lose to the house. Denver is being deprived of the companionship that she had since she left.
ReplyDeleteAn instance of bullying in the novel that I found significant took place on page 163. In the scene Beloved attempts to seduce Paul D. To me it seemed like her actions where driven by spite or jealousy and that she was only saying what she was saying to draw a reaction out of him. I believe this reflects in American culture that although we may say something nice that doesn't necessarily mean we are doing so with no ulterior motive.
ReplyDelete