Morrison creates a story that sends a message to people around the world. With this novel, she is demonstrating the effects of slavery. The abuse and torture that occurs during slavery is not something that just goes away. These memories haunt them for the rest of their lives, affecting every decision they make. The scars that slavery left, physically and mentally, stuck with Sethe forever. Sethe’s decision to kill her daughter was all rooted from her background in slavery.
I totally agree with Steph when explaining the effect the topic of slavery has on people.Beloved not only describes a story about a mother killing her child, out of protection and motherly instincts, but it also shows the after effects slavery has on one's life, after escaping. Every action Sethe takes is due to the mental scarring she has from being enslaved. Morrison passes this story on to show the readers that even when a slave escapes their plantation, they are and never will truly be free. This message is not something readers are exposed to when learning about slavery, giving the audience a new way to portray this topic.
Although I am not completely clear on the “this is not a story to pass on”, I can somewhat interpret it in my own way. I believe the meaning behind “this is not a story to pass on” reforms to the idea of rememory and How it overtakes the live stream of others. The story should not be passed on in terms of the idea of letting the past overtake your life which should not happen again. Also, it should not be passed on because no one wants a repetition of the Civil War or slavery in general. The torture and detrimental effects of slavery should not be passed on. However, Morrison creates a story to pass on in terms of awareness. She wants to describe to readers the hardships faced by former slaves and the true detriments and life changing events it had on their lives. Because the story is being read to the present day, it allows people like myself to view the historical aspect of slavery and Civil War in a whole new manner.
I agree with what you think "this is not a story to pass on" could possibly mean. In addition to these ideas, I think that it could relate to the rawness and emotion behind the story. How dark, twisted, and jaw-dropping every detail is. These are really personal, disturbing events described and maybe out of respect for Sethe and her family, Morrison makes mention of this. Also, it could be forewarning the reading and hint towards how it will make them feel after reading the story. I think this story needs to be passed on to shed light to how much of an impact slavery has had on only one family's life. I can only imagine how many other similar gruesome stories there are that are untold. Maybe Morrison is actually tricking the reader and by saying this it makes the reader realize that no! it actually does have to be passed on so history does not repeat itself!
This is considered a story that should not be passed on because after slavery and other awful world events like wars, we do not want top be giving people other ideas on how they can degrade and treat people they view different. We do not want to teach people how to humiliate each other, and we do not want to make it seem like murder is okay under any circumstance. The reason Morrison chose to publish this novel however, is simple. Historical precedent. The world is built upon the mistakes of the past, and no matter how hard we try, we should never forget, nor should we ever try, to forget the past. We must learn from it, and we must understand the harsh choices that the people in those times were sometimes forced to make. But most importantly, we must understand the conditions in which these choices were made, and the effects these choices had on history. That is why Morrison chose to put this novel out. To make people understand.
Morrison choses to relay this story to millions of people even though she said this was not a story to pass on because she is educating the general public on what slavery entails. She is demonstrating through her words what slaves experienced and she is showing her readers that slavery is not a topic to just "pass on," but rather, it is a topic to be educated on. Those who are enslavement are forever left with a rememory of what happened to them and are forever negatively effected. Morrison is spreading awareness. She is teaching our public a vital part of our history in her own way.
Morrison continuously explains that "It was not a story to pass on" (Morrison, 290). She repeats this phrase a couple of times in the last chapter of the novel and by doing this, she draws attention to the impact Beloved has on the town. I believe that Morrison does this to explain that the characters in the novel must face the past rather than pass it on because the novel really emphasizes how humans tend to store memories, whether they be good or bad ones. But by constantly saying "It was not a story to pass on" (Morrison, 290), Morrison creates this ambiguity that defines the novel in multiple ways. It is seen that Beloved symbolizes the African American slave heritage through her character, and because of this, the townspeople see it as unwise to remember all the past suffering of being a slave. One must remember that the history of slavery belongs to the African Americans as a whole because it is what ties them all together. It is all of their pasts and because Beloved embodies this "past", it is bothersome to the citizens of Cincinnati, which is why it shouldn't be a story to pass on but it is also a story that will never be forgotten. Overall I think this is the ambiguity Morrison gets at and it leaves the reader somewhat conflicted, but I think that it is what makes the novel so powerful.
I believe Morrison wrote this story and shared it with millions of people in effort to teach us about slavery and how it affected people's entire life even if they were able to escape. By saying “this is not a story to pass on”, Morrison is telling us that, while slavery is no longer present in society, the lack of equality it created still is. We do not want to carry on the process of oppression and hate and we need to know why. The message in particular of how the horrific acts of slavery haunted the lives of many people even after slavery was ended is to show that what is done to you in the past is never lost. Morrison hopes to educate people against cruelty and oppression so that is not passed into the future, and that is the goal of her novel.
I agree with Marina in which this story should be passed on as awareness. Slavery is such an important aspect in history that should never be forgotten. It deeply affected everyone who had to endure the pain, both physically and psychologically, and that is represented through Sethe. The past was really rooted into Sethe and affected all of the decisions she made for the rest of her life. The aspects of slavery should never be passed on to relive in the future, but the awareness should be understood.
Morrison wrote this story in order to inform millions of readers about the gruesome and horrific time of slavery. She wanted to show how slavery haunted people throughout their entire life, even if they escaped it. When she says "this is not a story to pass on," she means that slavery should never be passed on to modern times. The story of racism should not be carried on into modern times, as that will always have a negative effect on people too. Oppression should be left in the past and we should work on total equality within our society.
Morrison chooses to write a novel that relays the story to millions of readers because even though “this is not a story to pass on,” because she wants to spread awareness about the horrors of slavery. Morrison wants the reader to understand that history cannot be repeated as the thoughts of slavery plague Sethe throughout her entire life. Morrison does not want to pass on her story, but she doesn't want history to repeat itself either. The brutal acts of slavery cause Sethe to kill her own child, and Morrison wants to show why racial discrimination should never arise again.
History repeats itself, and by sharing this story Morrison is trying to educate people and prevent history from repeating itself. By writing a novel about slavery and the mental effects it had on the slaves, she is teaching the world how terrible slavery was, and even tho it is gone, there are still racists that effect the African American population today.
The reason why this story is one that should not be passed on is because of the horrific scenes of violence and suffering that make it so unpleasant. Morrison chooses to write this story despite stating that it is not a story to pass on because the message the novel conveys is one that readers can learn from. The message of this novel is that the effects of slavery will never be forgotten. The emotions, the pain, and the memories cannot be forced into a “tin can” and sealed shut, never to be opened. Morrison tells this story to emphasize to readers that the effects of slavery must be grieved.
I think that Morrison chooses to pass the novel and its message on to millions of readers because it is so important. Slavery is a topic that Americans do not talk about often, nor do they like to talk about it. Because of this, many stories do not truly show the effects of slavery on former slaves and how terrible those effects are. This novel that Morrison wrote depicts the terrors of slavery and the scars it can leave behind. The message of the novel is so strong that no matter how many people may not want to pass it on, it needs to be passed on.
Morrison chooses to pass this story on so that the pain and hardships of slavery will never be forgotten. She emphasizes that the effects of slavery will always live on, and that slavery might not even go away completely. Every day, previous slaves live with the memory of torture and pain and they will never forget it. It was traumatizing for them to live with such deep scars, physically and mentally. Morrison spreads awareness to those who have not experienced slavery, showing that it will never be forgotten or go away.
My interpretation of “this is not a story to pass on” is that the story of the lasting effects of the horrors of slavery is not a good story. It is not story that is pleasant to pass on and it is not one that people necessarily like to pass on. However, it is a story that NEEDS to be passed on. People need to pass this story on so that people understand the events that occurred at a crucial point in our country's history. Additionally this story could serve as a warning so that nothing like slavery ever occurs again.
Although Morrison relates his novel to the lives of the millions of African Americans who were enslaved, he says it's "not a story to pass on." When he says this, it may initially be confusing, why would he write such a piece without wanting it to be passed on? However, it is his deeper meaning that needs to reach the ears of readers, so they gain understanding of his message. If readers can absorb the harsh treatment slaves endured, Morrison has succeeded. Beloved is symbolic of the memory of slavery that never goes away, and instead of the story being passed on, the message must be heard.
The meaning that this is a story “never to be passed on” is simple. Slavery was one of the darkest times in American history, where many African American’s lives were ruined. They were raped, abused, and neglected. This story should spread awareness about the wrongfulness of persecuting a group of people. Morrison does not want history to repeat itself so that people do not have to experience what the protagonist, Sethe, did.
By that phrase, my interpretation is that Morrison is writing the novel to show the horrors of slavery. Many African American were treated unfairly and brutally. The story should make readers be aware of the situation, but when Morrison says " This is a story not to pass on", I believe she means that slavery should not be passed on and the horrors should stay within the Civil War time period and only then.
I agree how Jeff worded it in the way that History repeats itself, and by sharing this story Morrison is trying to educate people. The topic of slavery is something that should not be skimmed over. It is something that people had to go through and will forever be scarred from it. Morrison wants the readers to understand the truth about what a horrific past such as slavery can do to a person.
I feel that “this is not a story to pass on” is talking about Sethe’s story and not the novel itself. Morrison is showing that the horrors of slavery have extreme affects that can never be erased. This goes with the concept of rememory and how the actions of this time will forever be imprinted in slaves and their future generations. Morrison relays Sethe’s horrible story to bring awareness to the millions of readers that this is something that can never happen again. She wants to give them insight of how much harmful psychological effects that slavery causes and how much is affects one’s whole life even if they become free. My passing on a novel about a story that should not ever occur again, Morrison is making sure that people will never repeat this devastating time in history.
Morrison creates a novel that relays the story to millions of readers however, it “is not a story to pass on”. This quote primarily means that the act of slavery should never be tolerated. There should be no more stories like Sethe’s and Morrison is trying to educate her readers so history will never repeat itself. Morrison vividly describes the hardships and cruelty Sethe faced as a slave including rape and abuse. She teaches us the negative impacts slavery had on people and the remainder of their life. The past is in the past and there is nothing we can do to change it. However, the past will forever live on, and we should learn from it. Morrison strives to relay the message that cruel acts against other people should not be tolerated or passed onto future generations.
Morrison ends her novel like this due to the fact that although this is a story that shows how slavery has destroyed a person and their morals, it should not be told again. The actions that Sethe took and the trials she faced in her life should never be faced by anyone ever again. The slavery from her past will never leave her as she will always have the physical and emotional scars to remind her of what she lived through. Within American literature, there are many novels that describe the lives of slaves and what they lived through, but there are very little stories which discuss how slavery has effected their lives after they were freed. By not telling this story, Morrison means that people may not want to pass it on as they can see the destruction it has had on Sethe’s life, but it is a story that has to be passed on, even if people don’t want it to be.
Morrison chose to write this novel about slavery, and this prompt is directed at this. By using a topic as powerful as slavery, Morrison is showing in multiple ways, like through Beloved, thar even though it isn't something you necessarily want to tell or pass on, it is always there. Slavery is not by any means a good part of history, but it is an important one, and the story, although awful, needs to be passed on for people to learn from it.
When Morrison says “this is not a story to pass on”, it seems like she means that this story is one that should not have to be passed on. Slavery was a terrible but true part of our nation’s history and should not be ignored. Morrison uses her novel to carry an important message almost remorsefully. She means that events such as those written in her book are too awful to ever have to occur, but it is the unfortunate truth. Even though slavery has become more since the time at which Morrison wrote the book, her message about its traumatizing effects are still important for us to read in order to properly comprehend it.
I believe that Morrison chooses to do this to shed light on the this tragic story. Morrison’s work shows the harshness that slaves had to endure during the time period. I feel as though this could be interpreted by the contents of the actual story and racial injustice should not pass on, not the telling of the story. We, like the characters in Beloved, should never forget the horrible past of this time period. By continuing to remember theses awful events, it pushes us away from racial injustice in the present. Through telling the truly heart wrenching story of Beloved, Morrison presents a reminder of the past and a warning to keep it from reoccuring in the future.
I'm not totally sure what "this is not a story to be passed on" means but I think it might be that slavery was such a horrible event, that she does not encourage holding onto horrible events. It also could refer to not wanting another event similar to this happening again which is exactly why she wrote it to millions of readers. She wanted them to see the effects of slavery and did not want people forget that yes, this event actually happened. It allowed us to feel what Sethe felt, to be able to imagine something kinda close to what a slave felt.
"This story is not a story to pass on" because no one should have to go through this. For anyone to live this life would be tragic and unfortunate. But, Morrison does pass the story on through her novel because individuals need to know about slavery and what it did to these innocent human beings. Sethe's story was real and relatable for many slaves in the past. They can understand where she's coming from. The story, though gruesome, was for individuals to try to imagine the pain that African Americans were put through.
Morrison uses Beloved to expose the cruelties of slavery to her millions of readers. Despite the ties between this story and post Civil War America, this story could relate to people all over the world - slavery didn’t just occur in America. “This is not a story to pass on” is Morrison’s way of telling the reader to never let the story die. Everyone should hear about the ruthless treatment of slaves, and even though this story is fictional, the abuse it mentions is not very farfetched. Also, “pass on” could be interpreted as “hand down,” like an heirloom. This way, Morrison is saying no one should ever endure the cruelties Sethe did and this story should never happen to anyone else in future years.
Morrison creates a story that sends a message to people around the world. With this novel, she is demonstrating the effects of slavery. The abuse and torture that occurs during slavery is not something that just goes away. These memories haunt them for the rest of their lives, affecting every decision they make. The scars that slavery left, physically and mentally, stuck with Sethe forever. Sethe’s decision to kill her daughter was all rooted from her background in slavery.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Steph when explaining the effect the topic of slavery has on people.Beloved not only describes a story about a mother killing her child, out of protection and motherly instincts, but it also shows the after effects slavery has on one's life, after escaping. Every action Sethe takes is due to the mental scarring she has from being enslaved. Morrison passes this story on to show the readers that even when a slave escapes their plantation, they are and never will truly be free. This message is not something readers are exposed to when learning about slavery, giving the audience a new way to portray this topic.
DeleteAlthough I am not completely clear on the “this is not a story to pass on”, I can somewhat interpret it in my own way. I believe the meaning behind “this is not a story to pass on” reforms to the idea of rememory and How it overtakes the live stream of others. The story should not be passed on in terms of the idea of letting the past overtake your life which should not happen again. Also, it should not be passed on because no one wants a repetition of the Civil War or slavery in general. The torture and detrimental effects of slavery should not be passed on. However, Morrison creates a story to pass on in terms of awareness. She wants to describe to readers the hardships faced by former slaves and the true detriments and life changing events it had on their lives. Because the story is being read to the present day, it allows people like myself to view the historical aspect of slavery and Civil War in a whole new manner.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you think "this is not a story to pass on" could possibly mean. In addition to these ideas, I think that it could relate to the rawness and emotion behind the story. How dark, twisted, and jaw-dropping every detail is. These are really personal, disturbing events described and maybe out of respect for Sethe and her family, Morrison makes mention of this. Also, it could be forewarning the reading and hint towards how it will make them feel after reading the story. I think this story needs to be passed on to shed light to how much of an impact slavery has had on only one family's life. I can only imagine how many other similar gruesome stories there are that are untold. Maybe Morrison is actually tricking the reader and by saying this it makes the reader realize that no! it actually does have to be passed on so history does not repeat itself!
DeleteThis is considered a story that should not be passed on because after slavery and other awful world events like wars, we do not want top be giving people other ideas on how they can degrade and treat people they view different. We do not want to teach people how to humiliate each other, and we do not want to make it seem like murder is okay under any circumstance. The reason Morrison chose to publish this novel however, is simple. Historical precedent. The world is built upon the mistakes of the past, and no matter how hard we try, we should never forget, nor should we ever try, to forget the past. We must learn from it, and we must understand the harsh choices that the people in those times were sometimes forced to make. But most importantly, we must understand the conditions in which these choices were made, and the effects these choices had on history. That is why Morrison chose to put this novel out. To make people understand.
ReplyDeleteMorrison choses to relay this story to millions of people even though she said this was not a story to pass on because she is educating the general public on what slavery entails. She is demonstrating through her words what slaves experienced and she is showing her readers that slavery is not a topic to just "pass on," but rather, it is a topic to be educated on. Those who are enslavement are forever left with a rememory of what happened to them and are forever negatively effected. Morrison is spreading awareness. She is teaching our public a vital part of our history in her own way.
ReplyDeleteMorrison continuously explains that "It was not a story to pass on" (Morrison, 290). She repeats this phrase a couple of times in the last chapter of the novel and by doing this, she draws attention to the impact Beloved has on the town. I believe that Morrison does this to explain that the characters in the novel must face the past rather than pass it on because the novel really emphasizes how humans tend to store memories, whether they be good or bad ones. But by constantly saying "It was not a story to pass on" (Morrison, 290), Morrison creates this ambiguity that defines the novel in multiple ways. It is seen that Beloved symbolizes the African American slave heritage through her character, and because of this, the townspeople see it as unwise to remember all the past suffering of being a slave. One must remember that the history of slavery belongs to the African Americans as a whole because it is what ties them all together. It is all of their pasts and because Beloved embodies this "past", it is bothersome to the citizens of Cincinnati, which is why it shouldn't be a story to pass on but it is also a story that will never be forgotten. Overall I think this is the ambiguity Morrison gets at and it leaves the reader somewhat conflicted, but I think that it is what makes the novel so powerful.
ReplyDeleteI believe Morrison wrote this story and shared it with millions of people in effort to teach us about slavery and how it affected people's entire life even if they were able to escape. By saying “this is not a story to pass on”, Morrison is telling us that, while slavery is no longer present in society, the lack of equality it created still is. We do not want to carry on the process of oppression and hate and we need to know why. The message in particular of how the horrific acts of slavery haunted the lives of many people even after slavery was ended is to show that what is done to you in the past is never lost. Morrison hopes to educate people against cruelty and oppression so that is not passed into the future, and that is the goal of her novel.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marina in which this story should be passed on as awareness. Slavery is such an important aspect in history that should never be forgotten. It deeply affected everyone who had to endure the pain, both physically and psychologically, and that is represented through Sethe. The past was really rooted into Sethe and affected all of the decisions she made for the rest of her life. The aspects of slavery should never be passed on to relive in the future, but the awareness should be understood.
ReplyDeleteMorrison wrote this story in order to inform millions of readers about the gruesome and horrific time of slavery. She wanted to show how slavery haunted people throughout their entire life, even if they escaped it. When she says "this is not a story to pass on," she means that slavery should never be passed on to modern times. The story of racism should not be carried on into modern times, as that will always have a negative effect on people too. Oppression should be left in the past and we should work on total equality within our society.
ReplyDeleteMorrison chooses to write a novel that relays the story to millions of readers because even though “this is not a story to pass on,” because she wants to spread awareness about the horrors of slavery. Morrison wants the reader to understand that history cannot be repeated as the thoughts of slavery plague Sethe throughout her entire life. Morrison does not want to pass on her story, but she doesn't want history to repeat itself either. The brutal acts of slavery cause Sethe to kill her own child, and Morrison wants to show why racial discrimination should never arise again.
ReplyDeleteHistory repeats itself, and by sharing this story Morrison is trying to educate people and prevent history from repeating itself. By writing a novel about slavery and the mental effects it had on the slaves, she is teaching the world how terrible slavery was, and even tho it is gone, there are still racists that effect the African American population today.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why this story is one that should not be passed on is because of the horrific scenes of violence and suffering that make it so unpleasant. Morrison chooses to write this story despite stating that it is not a story to pass on because the message the novel conveys is one that readers can learn from. The message of this novel is that the effects of slavery will never be forgotten. The emotions, the pain, and the memories cannot be forced into a “tin can” and sealed shut, never to be opened. Morrison tells this story to emphasize to readers that the effects of slavery must be grieved.
ReplyDeleteI think that Morrison chooses to pass the novel and its message on to millions of readers because it is so important. Slavery is a topic that Americans do not talk about often, nor do they like to talk about it. Because of this, many stories do not truly show the effects of slavery on former slaves and how terrible those effects are. This novel that Morrison wrote depicts the terrors of slavery and the scars it can leave behind. The message of the novel is so strong that no matter how many people may not want to pass it on, it needs to be passed on.
ReplyDeleteMorrison chooses to pass this story on so that the pain and hardships of slavery will never be forgotten. She emphasizes that the effects of slavery will always live on, and that slavery might not even go away completely. Every day, previous slaves live with the memory of torture and pain and they will never forget it. It was traumatizing for them to live with such deep scars, physically and mentally. Morrison spreads awareness to those who have not experienced slavery, showing that it will never be forgotten or go away.
ReplyDeleteMy interpretation of “this is not a story to pass on” is that the story of the lasting effects of the horrors of slavery is not a good story. It is not story that is pleasant to pass on and it is not one that people necessarily like to pass on. However, it is a story that NEEDS to be passed on. People need to pass this story on so that people understand the events that occurred at a crucial point in our country's history. Additionally this story could serve as a warning so that nothing like slavery ever occurs again.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Morrison relates his novel to the lives of the millions of African Americans who were enslaved, he says it's "not a story to pass on." When he says this, it may initially be confusing, why would he write such a piece without wanting it to be passed on? However, it is his deeper meaning that needs to reach the ears of readers, so they gain understanding of his message. If readers can absorb the harsh treatment slaves endured, Morrison has succeeded. Beloved is symbolic of the memory of slavery that never goes away, and instead of the story being passed on, the message must be heard.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning that this is a story “never to be passed on” is simple. Slavery was one of the darkest times in American history, where many African American’s lives were ruined. They were raped, abused, and neglected. This story should spread awareness about the wrongfulness of persecuting a group of people. Morrison does not want history to repeat itself so that people do not have to experience what the protagonist, Sethe, did.
ReplyDeleteBy that phrase, my interpretation is that Morrison is writing the novel to show the horrors of slavery. Many African American were treated unfairly and brutally. The story should make readers be aware of the situation, but when Morrison says " This is a story not to pass on", I believe she means that slavery should not be passed on and the horrors should stay within the Civil War time period and only then.
ReplyDeleteI agree how Jeff worded it in the way that History repeats itself, and by sharing this story Morrison is trying to educate people. The topic of slavery is something that should not be skimmed over. It is something that people had to go through and will forever be scarred from it. Morrison wants the readers to understand the truth about what a horrific past such as slavery can do to a person.
ReplyDeleteI feel that “this is not a story to pass on” is talking about Sethe’s story and not the novel itself. Morrison is showing that the horrors of slavery have extreme affects that can never be erased. This goes with the concept of rememory and how the actions of this time will forever be imprinted in slaves and their future generations. Morrison relays Sethe’s horrible story to bring awareness to the millions of readers that this is something that can never happen again. She wants to give them insight of how much harmful psychological effects that slavery causes and how much is affects one’s whole life even if they become free. My passing on a novel about a story that should not ever occur again, Morrison is making sure that people will never repeat this devastating time in history.
ReplyDeleteMorrison creates a novel that relays the story to millions of readers however, it “is not a story to pass on”. This quote primarily means that the act of slavery should never be tolerated. There should be no more stories like Sethe’s and Morrison is trying to educate her readers so history will never repeat itself. Morrison vividly describes the hardships and cruelty Sethe faced as a slave including rape and abuse. She teaches us the negative impacts slavery had on people and the remainder of their life. The past is in the past and there is nothing we can do to change it. However, the past will forever live on, and we should learn from it. Morrison strives to relay the message that cruel acts against other people should not be tolerated or passed onto future generations.
ReplyDeleteMorrison ends her novel like this due to the fact that although this is a story that shows how slavery has destroyed a person and their morals, it should not be told again. The actions that Sethe took and the trials she faced in her life should never be faced by anyone ever again. The slavery from her past will never leave her as she will always have the physical and emotional scars to remind her of what she lived through. Within American literature, there are many novels that describe the lives of slaves and what they lived through, but there are very little stories which discuss how slavery has effected their lives after they were freed. By not telling this story, Morrison means that people may not want to pass it on as they can see the destruction it has had on Sethe’s life, but it is a story that has to be passed on, even if people don’t want it to be.
ReplyDeleteMorrison chose to write this novel about slavery, and this prompt is directed at this. By using a topic as powerful as slavery, Morrison is showing in multiple ways, like through Beloved, thar even though it isn't something you necessarily want to tell or pass on, it is always there. Slavery is not by any means a good part of history, but it is an important one, and the story, although awful, needs to be passed on for people to learn from it.
ReplyDeleteWhen Morrison says “this is not a story to pass on”, it seems like she means that this story is one that should not have to be passed on. Slavery was a terrible but true part of our nation’s history and should not be ignored. Morrison uses her novel to carry an important message almost remorsefully. She means that events such as those written in her book are too awful to ever have to occur, but it is the unfortunate truth. Even though slavery has become more since the time at which Morrison wrote the book, her message about its traumatizing effects are still important for us to read in order to properly comprehend it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Morrison chooses to do this to shed light on the this tragic story. Morrison’s work shows the harshness that slaves had to endure during the time period. I feel as though this could be interpreted by the contents of the actual story and racial injustice should not pass on, not the telling of the story. We, like the characters in Beloved, should never forget the horrible past of this time period. By continuing to remember theses awful events, it pushes us away from racial injustice in the present. Through telling the truly heart wrenching story of Beloved, Morrison presents a reminder of the past and a warning to keep it from reoccuring in the future.
ReplyDeleteI'm not totally sure what "this is not a story to be passed on" means but I think it might be that slavery was such a horrible event, that she does not encourage holding onto horrible events. It also could refer to not wanting another event similar to this happening again which is exactly why she wrote it to millions of readers. She wanted them to see the effects of slavery and did not want people forget that yes, this event actually happened. It allowed us to feel what Sethe felt, to be able to imagine something kinda close to what a slave felt.
ReplyDelete"This story is not a story to pass on" because no one should have to go through this. For anyone to live this life would be tragic and unfortunate. But, Morrison does pass the story on through her novel because individuals need to know about slavery and what it did to these innocent human beings. Sethe's story was real and relatable for many slaves in the past. They can understand where she's coming from. The story, though gruesome, was for individuals to try to imagine the pain that African Americans were put through.
ReplyDeleteMorrison uses Beloved to expose the cruelties of slavery to her millions of readers. Despite the ties between this story and post Civil War America, this story could relate to people all over the world - slavery didn’t just occur in America. “This is not a story to pass on” is Morrison’s way of telling the reader to never let the story die. Everyone should hear about the ruthless treatment of slaves, and even though this story is fictional, the abuse it mentions is not very farfetched. Also, “pass on” could be interpreted as “hand down,” like an heirloom. This way, Morrison is saying no one should ever endure the cruelties Sethe did and this story should never happen to anyone else in future years.
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