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... e bridged that Morrison sees between sexes, classes, and races (Angelo 1). Morrison states her remorse about the black and white relations a lot of times because black people have always served as a buffer in America to prevent class war and other kinds of conflagrations (Angelo 1). Such interpersonal and intercultural relationships are an explicit focus in Morrisons work... (Moreland 7). Morrison addresses the differences between people and how those differences have been exploited.
She states that discrepancies among people have been exaggerated for both political and economic purposes. One of the main focuses of Morrisons work is the importance of the African Americans upbringing. Morrison puts a great emphasis on ancestry, background, and the African American roots. Morrisons stories take place in a long time before her own because she is interested in the way in which the past affects the present. She believes that if the reader understands a lot about history then they will automatically understand a lot more about contemporary life. She also adds that there is more room for imagination than there is of the future (Morrison 1).
Morrison helps African American readers to regress back to their past. A reason why Morrison uses the unbelievable is probably to help African American readers go back to their roots. (Olson 1). Morrison writes on the traditions and culture of African Americans. Her style of writing shows her deep concern for the traditions of the African American culture.
Her novels seem more like myths. Morrisons work comes from many cultures and genres (Demetrakopoulos, Holloway 159). In Susan Bowers, Beloved and the New Apocalypse Morrisons work is placed with in a tradition of African American apocalyptic writing. Bowers argues that Morrison is working from a West African philosophical perspective (communion with ones ancestors) (Mates 152).
Another topic that Morrison focuses on is the importance of the ancestor. She writes about the ancestor as a sort of timeless people whose relationships to the other characters are compassionate and protective. The presence of the ancestor is critical to its tradition and because of that it blends the traditions of Africa with the contemporary realities of America (Demetrakopoulos, Holloway 160). One topic that is typically seen in Morrisons novels is her view towards the experience of slavery and oppressed blacks. Morrison tries to give the reader a greater comprehension of what the slaves in the past went through. She helps the reader understand how African American life works.
A quote from the Nobel Prize dedication pointed out that Morrisons status as an African American gives her the desire to voice to black experience in America. A question about Morrisons new insight into the daily struggle of slaves came up in an interview. Morrison answered saying, I was tying to make it a personal experience. The book (Beloved) was not about the institution -- Slavery with a capital S. It was about these anonymous people called slaves. What they do to keep on, how they make a life, what theyre willing to risk, however long it takes, in order to relate to one another... (Angelo 3).
Morrison harshly depicts slavery in Beloved. She describes what awful extremes slaves would go to in order to prevent other from becoming slaves. In Beloved, a mother slits her babys throat to prevent her from becoming a slave. Morrison also writes about the oppression of African Americans even after slavery was over. Even though the slaves were free after the Civil War, they were still persecuted (Olson 2). After the Civil War society didnt accept Blacks as being on their level.
They thought of Blacks as below them. Morrison wants her reader to understand that even though blacks were oppressed, they still tried to make the most out of everything they had (Olson 2). One of the last things that Morrison writes about is the significance of love and the supernatural. Morrison uses her ability to combine reality with the supernatural in a way where the reader doesnt even doubt the idea of the unbelievable should be commended (Olson 1).
She destroys the boundaries between earthly and spiritual realms and it becomes an invasion of the living world by the world beyond the veil (Mates 152). The writer of Essence magazine, Audrey Edwards, notes on Morrisons skillful use of magic and mysticism in her novels. Edwards says, She taps into the spirit work and into the very real spirituality of black people. (Donahue 2). Morrison states that it is impossible to live in a world without love. Showing a specific kind of love in ones life is an important aspect for Morrisons novels (Olson 1).
In Beloved the characters Site and Paul D fall in love, but the ghost of Beloved pushes them apart. Even though there is a force that separates them, they eventually get together. This shows that true love conquers all, even the supernatural (Olson 1). All of Morrisons works can be summed up by saying that they all are tied to Morrisons own life. Morrisons writings are deeply rooted in the black experience.
Her novel express her personal feelings in terms of racism, slavery, love, and individuality. Although her topics are profoundly painful, she writes with the luster of poetry (Donahue 2). She can easily change her topic, going from the gruesome to the most attractive. Novelist Toni Morrison has a wondrous voice, rich with textures. At moments, it is as soft as a kitten fur.
Then, suddenly, it is as nubby as a piece of homespun. Or as seamless as the robes of a gospel singer. (Donahue 1). Bibliography: Works Cited 1. Angelo, Bonnie.
Interview. Time (22 May 1989) 31 Jan. 2000... 2. Demetrakopoulos, Stephanie A. and Holloway, Karla F. C. New Dimensions of Spirituality: A Biracial and Bicultural Reading of the Novels of Toni Morrison.
Westport: Greenwood Press, 1987. 3. Donahue, Deirdre. Morrison taps spirituality of black people. USA Today (8 Oct. 1993) 31 Jan. 2000... 4.
Donahue, Deirdre. The Lyrical World of Toni Morrison. USA Today (28 Sept. 1987) 23 Jan. 2000. 5. Mates, Jill.
Toni Morrison: Contemporary World Writers. New York: Manchester University Press, 1998. 6. Moreland, Richard C. Learning from Difference: Teaching Morrison, Twain, Ellison, and Eliot. Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1999. 7. Morrison, Toni.
Interview. Time (21 Jan. 1998) 31 Jan. 2000. 8. Olson, Kevin T. Toni Morrison Analysis. 31 Jan. 2000.
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Research essay sample on Toni Morrison African Americans
