Commentary on Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy

A New World Is Possible Every generation has had a sub-culture within it that has suffered from feeling alienated by the cultural status quos. From the beat generation of the late 40s, the counter-culture of the 60s, to the Occupy Wall Street movement of today, the challenging of ideas, ethics and traditions has always been relevant. Many writers and novels have been popularized for exploring utopian ideas (such as Aldous Huxley’s The Island) and dystopian possibilities (as in George Orwell’s 1984), but there hasn’t been a novel that explores both of these ideas in a parallel manner quite like Marge Piercy’s Woman on the Edge of Time. Using the concept of time travel, Piercy is able to place both worlds side by side creating a â€Å"grass is†¦show more content†¦Slightly before Connie’s admission, she meets Luciente in what she thinks is a dream, but later finds out she has befriended someone from the future. Luciente begins taking Connie to her home – the seemingly utopian community of Mattapoisett in the distant future of 2137. To Connie, Mattapoisett seems like heaven simply because it is the complete opposite of her present-day home back in New York – gender and their roles have been eliminated, childbearing now takes place in laboratories, and many other social problems (such as poverty and inequalities) that plague Connie have been fixed in some way. While technology seems much more advanced in the future, it also appears somewhat nonexistent. The people of Mattapoisett focus on expending their energy on things they’ve decided to be essential for basic survival. Connie exclaims of the future, â€Å"It’s not like I imagined.† – â€Å"Most buildings were small and randomly scattered among trees and shrubbery and gardens, put together of scavenged old wood, old bricks and stones and cement blocks†¦ She saw bicycles and people on foot. Clothes were hanging on lines near a long building †“ shirts flapping on wash lines!† (Piercy, 60-61) Piercy also puts emphasis on the names of the characters that make up Mattapoisett. Names like Luciente and Orion help give Mattapoisett a heavenly or cosmic tone, and even the narrator describes Luciente in this way – â€Å"Me llamo Luciente: shining, brilliant, full of light.† (Piercy, 28) While

Toni Morrison and Beloved Essay - 2616 Words

Toni Morrison was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved, a novel whose popularity and worth earned her the Nobel Prize in literature the first ever awarded to a black female author. Born in the small town of Larain, Ohio, in 1931, to George and Ramah Willis Wofford, Morrisons birth name is Chloe Anthony Wofford (Gates and Appiah ix). Morrison describes the actions of her central character in Beloved, as: the ultimate love of a mother; the outrageous claim of a slave. In this statement we find an expression of the general themes of Morrisons mainly naturalistic works. One of these is the burden of the past or history (i.e. slavery and being black in a predominantly white controlled society). Another is the†¦show more content†¦However, Morrison would grow past the pain and torment of an oppressive and racist society through the cultivation of her self through love and endurance. Like the father in August Wilsons Fences, her father grew to hate because he was only subjected to hate in the environment around him. Sethe, the main character in Beloved, will also undergo a journey of exorcising hatred and violence from her soul in order to find love with Paul D. Morrisons maternal influence also affected her development and work. From the women in her life Morrison learned authority of the self, one she says she felt in her mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers relationships more than she does in her own: The word Comrade comes to mind in regard to the marriages I knew. I didnt find imbalance or unevenness in these relationships. I dont think that my mothers talents were hidden from males or white society, actually-they were very much on display. So I dont feel a tension there, or the struggle for dominance. The same was true for my grandparents-my mothers parents-whom I knew. I remember my great-grandmother, too. Her husband died before I was born, but I remember that when my great-grandmother walked into a room her grandsons and her nephews stood up...Yes I feel the authority of those women more than I do my own. (Gates etShow MoreRelatedBeloved, By Toni Morrison Essay1576 Words   |  7 Pagesreading Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, I could not help but feel shocked and taken aback by the detailed picture of life she painted for slaves at the time in American history. The grotesque and twisted nature of life during the era of slavery in America is an opposite world from the politically correct world of 2016. Morrison did not hold back about the harsh realities of slavery. Based on a true story, Toni Morrison wrote Beloved about the life of Sethe, a slave and her family. Toni Morrison leftRead MoreBeloved by Toni Morrison1455 Words   |  6 Pagesthese hardships to light and shed insight on the pain and suffering of slaves, narratives such as, Incidents in The Life Of A Slave Girl..by Harriet Jacobs,The narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Novels such as Beloved by Toni Morrison blend the slave narratives with fiction highlight the life after slavery and the struggle faced by former slaves to adjust their lives to freedom. According to Paul E. Lovejoy’s ‘Freedom Narratives’ of Transatlantic Slavery, he states thatRead MoreBeloved, By Toni Morrison1571 Words   |  7 PagesIn the novel, Beloved, written by Toni Morrison, many themes and symbols played a crucial role when analyzing a variety of different characters. One specific theme that has had an everlasting effect between characters and relationships throughout the novel is the transformation of the theme thick love. The idea of love in Toni Morrison s Beloved is a complicated subject to understand. If love wasn t hard enough to figure out, it is made more complex through the evils of slavery during this timeRead MoreBeloved by Toni Morrison2137 Words   |  8 PagesToni Morrison explores the idea of slavery through her novel, Beloved, by using a variety of literary techniques and postmodern concepts. The idea of the rememory is a major theme throughout the novel that Toni Morrison uses to introduce the lives of Denver and Seth e and the idea of slavery. Rememory is the act of remembering a memory that happened in the past. Beloved, depicted as a ghost, exemplifies the idea of rememory for Sethe because she brings back many memories to Sethe’s mind. ThroughoutRead MoreBeloved by Toni Morrison622 Words   |  3 Pages In the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison, Morrison has created two very powerful characters: Denver and Beloved. Denver and Beloved are sisters, but in a sense, they werent always. It used to just be Denver and her mother, Sethe, that lived together in a house. That house was passed down to them by Denvers grandmother, Baby Suggs, which was given to her by a white couple who were out to help the blacks. Sethe and Denver were very content with the way things were. Sethe had a paying job as a cookRead More`` Beloved `` By Toni Morrison2097 Words   |  9 Pages â€Å"Beloved† by Toni Morrison is a historical/fictional novel that deals with the idea of the supernatural and the repercussions of slavery towards a society and the individual persona. The novel explores the wreckage slavery brings upon its characters in all senses of the self. They have been freed from slavery but the psychological trauma endured remains constant; leading them to do the unthinkable. In the novel Morrison utilizes the character of Beloved to represent the ghost of slavery in anRead MoreBeloved, Beloved By Toni Morrison1774 Words   |  8 PagesIn Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved, Beloved is an enigmatic character. Throughout the novel, it is implied that Beloved is a reincarnation of Sethe’s dead child. However, Beloved is not just a physical embodiment of Sethe’s dead baby. Instead, Beloved is a representation of slavery and the suffering associated with slavery. Morrison displays that Beloved is a representation of slavery by the conv ersations and thoughts characters have about Beloved. Morrison also displays Beloved as a representationRead More`` Beloved `` By Toni Morrison Essay1726 Words   |  7 Pages Distinguished African-American novelist, Toni Morrison, in her notoriously suspenseful anachronic masterpiece, Beloved, tells the story of a fugitive slave named Sethe who escaped from the Sweet Home plantation in Kentucky to Cincinnati, Ohio, a free state. She lives freely with her husband’s grandmother for twenty-eight days until the slave masters come to capture her. Frightened, she attempts to murder all of her children to prevent them from living a life of dehumanized servitude but only succeedsRead MoreBeloved by Toni Morrison769 Words   |  3 PagesBeloved is the character who lends her name to the title of Morrison’s novel, isnt really a flesh-and-blood character at all, she’s is a ghost. It is this fact that makes the presence of the character a symbol in terms of her effect on the narrative and the other characters so profound. For a ghost, Beloved exerts a ton and control over most of the characters, affecting nearly every part of their lives, their ability to live in peace, their ability to love one another, and to move on with theirRead More`` Beloved `` By Toni Morrison906 Words   |  4 PagesGothic Literature normally, if not always, has a haunting. In â€Å"Beloved† by Toni Morrison there is a haunting of 124. 124 is being haunted by Sethe’s daughter who is the character Beloved. The haunts in Gothic Literature can also be a non-physical haunting, a haunting in the head. Sethe has not been haunted by Beloved physically, but mentally. The bond that a mother has for a child is so tight and loving. There is no real way to understand this bond unless someone has personally been a mother. The

Black Boy Essay Example For Students

Black Boy Essay Growing up as a Negro in the South in the early 1900s is not that easy, for some people tend to suffer different forms of oppression. In this case, it happens in the autobiography called Black Boy written by Richard Wright. The novel is set in the early part of the 1900s, somewhere in deep Jim Crow South. Richard Wright, who is obviously the main character, is also the protagonist. The antagonist is no one person in particular, for it takes many different forms called â€Å"oppression† in general. The main character over comes this â€Å"oppression† by rebelling against the common roles of the black, Jim Crow society. Richard Wrights character was affected in early childhood by the effects of societal oppression, but he became a great American author despite these negative factors in his life. Today everyone encounters some form of oppression. One of the forms Richard is encountering is called societal oppression. As an example, after Richard sees a â€Å"black† boy whipped by a â€Å"white† man, he asks his mother why did the incident happen. His mother says, † The â€Å"white† man did not whip the â€Å"black† boyHe beat the â€Å"black† boy, â€Å"(31). This quote is showing racism, which is one way of society keeping Richard Wright, and all other blacks in the South down. Another example is when is at the rail road station with his mother, and as they are waiting for the train, he sees something he has never seen, â€Å"for the first time I noticed that there were two lines of people at the ticket window, a â€Å"white† line and a â€Å"black† line,† (55). This excerpt is demonstrating how this scene of Jim Crow laws is keeping a certain group of people apart, which is also another form of societal oppression. Societal oppression occurs again when Richard is â€Å"hanging† out with his friends, and their conversation with each other leads on to the subject of war. One of his friends really get into the subject and says, † Yeah, they send you to war, make you lick them Germans, teach you how to fight and when you come back they scared of you, â€Å"(90). This quote means that the â€Å"white† people put the â€Å"black† people on the front line to defend our country, and when they come back, they can not accept them, therefore they oppress them in different ways, which is societal oppression. The last example happens when Richard wants to borrow a library card, and so he thinks about asking his boss. After thinking about it for a while, he knew he could not ask him, for he knows the boss is a Caucasian Baptist, and Richard thinks that he would not be able to accept the fact of a â€Å"black† boy, such as Richard, would want to read and cultivate his intelligence. This would be considered societal oppression, for he knows his boss does not want Richard to be enlightened with books, in turn keeping Richard away from the light of knowledge. These are examples of societal oppression that Richard Wright overcomes and rises to the top on his own. Internalized oppression is a hard thing to overcome. One of the ways Richard Wright is confronted with internalized oppression is when he sees a â€Å"black† boy being beaten by a â€Å"white† man, so he automatically thinks that the â€Å"white† man is the boys father. â€Å"Did not all fathers, like my father, have the right to beat their children A paternal right was the only right, to my understanding† (31). This excerpt is showing internalized oppression, for he thinks it is okay for a parent to abuse their child, in turn having the child think that beating a child is okay, and only a parent can do the beating, which is completely wrong. .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 , .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 .postImageUrl , .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 , .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6:hover , .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6:visited , .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6:active { border:0!important; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6:active , .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6 .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc89c084fd084c4303e70d92d1a1e68d6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: In response to C.S. Lewis" The Screwtape Letters EssayAnother case of internalized oppression occurs when Richard says a bad word, and then his Aunt Jody lectures him by saying, † Richard, you are a very bad, bad boy, â€Å"(108). Later in the passage, he also says that he does not care that he is a â€Å"bad boy. † That states that Richard believes that he is a bad person, which means he is experiencing internalized oppression. Later in the novel, after Richard read some books, he then wants to use the words he has learned as weapons, but he could not, because by him using the words it frightened him. This is internalized oppression, for Richard thinks of the words as something sacred only white people can use. If he did use the words, he feels as though he may get into trouble. Later in the novel, Richard tries to identify himself with a book, but he feels guilty when he does so. Therefore he acts in way so the whites will not dislike him. It is an internal oppression, for he is keeping himself down by not physically expressing his feelings that he has received from the books he has read. All of the above, are examples of which later in the novel, Richard Wright conquers are of internalized oppression. The way Richard Wright overcomes this abstract oppression is reflected upon his personality, which helps him become that great American author. One of the examples to prove this true, occurs when it was Richards first day of school. â€Å"During that noon hour I learned all the four-letter words describing physiological sex functions, and discovered that I had know them beforeA tall black boy recited a long, funny piece of doggerel, replete with filth, describing the physiological relations between men and women, and I memorized it word for word after having heard it but once, â€Å"(32). This quote is showing how smart and quick-to-learn Richard is, which is a part of his personality and ability to understand. Another example happens when his Uncle Tom is about to whip Richard, so he shows the razors to his uncle. In a low voice Richard says, † If you touch me, Ill cut you! Maybe Ill get cut too, but Ill cut you, so help me God, â€Å"(175). This passage is revealing that Richard is rebellious by standing up for himself and confronting his uncle for something he did not do. Further on, when Richard is confronted with the fact that white people like Negroes who stole from them, than to know their own true self-worth. Richard is thinking, â€Å"But I, who stole nothing, who wanted to look them straight in the face, who wanted to talk and act like a man, inspired fear in them,† (219). This passage is demonstrating how bold and brave Richard is, for he wants to stand up for himself against a white man who looked down on him. Later in the novel, Richard is pondering on what he should do in his life. He knows he can not stay in the South and willingly be kicked as Shorty had done. He would rather die, then do what Shorty has already submitted to. This is showing how much strength and pride Richard has. These are all examples of Richard Wrights character, that has helped him become the great author that he is. Societal oppression and internalized oppression has affected Richard Wright in his early childhood years. The negative factors he has overcame throughout his life, has contributed to his rise as a great American author. One of the many themes, in the novel is if you follow what you feel is wrong, then you may not be able to rise to the top. In â€Å"Black Boy,† Richard Wright did just the opposite. .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 , .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 .postImageUrl , .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 , .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9:hover , .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9:visited , .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9:active { border:0!important; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9:active , .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9 .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u76ea21ca29124b7d5f24fe707b9b15c9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Our staging of Blood Brothers EssayInstead of submitting, like everyone else, to the low life, Jim Crow laws were intended for, he has risen above those who already has submitted. Another universal theme is that if you believe that you can achieve in anything, most likely you will achieve in many things in life. In the novel at first, Richard did not believe he can do anything to improve his life. Once he started to believe he can do things on his own, he moved out of the South to become that great American author. These are the themes in the novel Black Boy, that can be used for everyday life, universally.