Answer ONE of the following questions. Also, post any questions, frustrations, comments, etc.
1. What is the significance of the dogs waiting outside the restaurant in chapter 13?
2. "Unless carefree, motherlove was a killer" (155). Significance?
I think that the comment about "motherlove" is referring to the idea that it's stressful to love a child because you constantly have to work to protect it from the bad things in the world. This definitely can be applied to Sethe and how she was willing to kill her children rather than force them to face slavery.
ReplyDeleteI was confused about two things.
1. Why had Stamp Paid saved the article about Sethe for 18 years and why did he decide to show Paul?
2. An extremely morbid and possibly unnecessary question but if there was nothing inside the shed but the saw, did Sethe injure/kill her children with a saw or had she brought a knife with her?
-Kelsey Loden
One thought I had about the dogs was maybe this is just one more way Morrison is showing Sethe as a motherly character. She does everything for Denver and takes care of Beloved now too. Another thought was just that now the story has shifted to the North, from Sweet Home, blacks are now treated better and not as low as farm animals.
ReplyDeleteChapter 17 as a whole confuses me. Why is this story inserted here? These last few chapters seem to be jumping back in time when I want to know what happens next. I find my self wanting to read more for a change, but other homework is a priority for tomorrow.
|Jeff Bono|
I think Sethe's though of "Unless carefree, motherlove was a killer" is significant in that Sethe loves her children so much that when they feel hurt, pain, or sadness, she feels it too because she wants the best for them and wants to prevent it. Based on what we know about Beloved's death we know that Sethe wants to shelter her children from the evils of the world and what she had to cope with, and when she can't it eats away at her.
ReplyDeleteKelsey, I'm pretty sure Sethe did kill her children with the saw....
And as for me, I get that people were maybe trying to see if Baby Suggs really could forsee what was coming- but if they all know about "The Look" and knew that schoolteacher was coming, why didn't they warn her?!
Were they just being mean? Or was this kind of like a bystander effect thing again?!?!
Amber
I agree with Amber's interpretation. That Sethe loves her children so much she can feel their pain and emotions. And that only by not caring can she free herself from that burden. I think that Sethe is now finally starting to really feel the pain of Beloved and it's hard for her to cope with.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that really confused me was Baby Suggs at the beginning of chapter 15. What was the scent of disapproval exactly and where was it coming from? Also, what is the significance of the "dark and coming thing," and the high-topped shoes she doesn't like the look of?
-Eric Freeburg
I thought that the dogs were a symbol of Sethe's trait of being a mother. She took in Beloved without really questioning her back ground and that showed a lot about how guilty she might feel about her past. I really like the Morrison's diction as she says, "He [Paul D] looked at the dogs. The dogs looked at him." Like the children competing with Paul D for Sethe's attention, the dogs also seem to be competing with Paul D as he waits for Sethe to feed them scraps before she leaves with him. I also really like how she says that Sethe dumped the food out fast so the dogs know that there was enough for each one. It's almost like she does this with Denver and Beloved, as the dogs would get jealous with the food, the girls also get jealous with sharing Sethe's attention.
ReplyDeleteOne question/ thing I thought was interesting was why would the other blacks in the communitee get angry at Baby Suggs for being too nice? And did she really have a party or was that symbolic of something? I just don't see why being too generous and loving would be looked down upon by others knowing the families situation.
~Aylla Lashaway
I think the whole motherlove thing is the love that drives mothers to do extreme things for their kids. I don't think of it so much as the sympathy she has for her children, though. I think it's more about how much moms will sacrifice for their babies. She obviously went through a very traumatizing ordeal to save Beloved from slavery. I'm assuming that her children were also a huge motive for her when she decided to risk her life to run away. As for the carefree part, i took that as meaning it wouldn't be hard for her to, let's say, kill her baby if she didn't love and care for that baby. Also, motherlove clearly pushes her to do very emotionally difficult things that she otherwise wouldn't have to worry about.
ReplyDelete- Molly
wow. i pressed post comment and it deleted everything i wrote. lovely! haha but ok heres what i said....
ReplyDeleteI think motherlove refers to the olve that drives mothers to take extreme measures, often sacrificing something of their own, to protect their children. It's called motherlove because it makes people do things that only your momma would do for you! For example, not many people would be able to traumatize themselves and face harsh consequences by killing their child to save them from slavery. I think the carefree part means that if they didn't really care, if they had no emotion invested into it, it wouldn't be so hard. Another example, if Sethe didn't really love and care for Beloved, it wouldn't have been quite so hard to kill her.
- Molly
wow. i pressed post comment and it deleted everything i wrote. lovely! haha but ok heres what i said....
ReplyDeleteI think motherlove refers to the olve that drives mothers to take extreme measures, often sacrificing something of their own, to protect their children. It's called motherlove because it makes people do things that only your momma would do for you! For example, not many people would be able to traumatize themselves and face harsh consequences by killing their child to save them from slavery. I think the carefree part means that if they didn't really care, if they had no emotion invested into it, it wouldn't be so hard. Another example, if Sethe didn't really love and care for Beloved, it wouldn't have been quite so hard to kill her.
- Molly
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThat is so embarassing.
ReplyDeleteI think Sethe is referring to the idea that mothers can go a bit crazy when one of their children is in trouble. When their children are not threatened, mothers generally act like normal, well-mannered people. As soon as they sense danger, they will go to any lengths to protect their children. Sometimes, this means the mother is willing to resort to verbally or physically attacking, and in some cases murdering, the threat. Sethe’s case is ironic in that the violence was directed in the opposite direction but for the same purpose. While killing her child was the most extreme case of Sethe’s mothering instinct lashing out, it is not the only one. When Paul D gets angry with Denver, Sethe immediately gets defensive, despite the fact that Paul D actually has a point. Reason ceases to matter when Sethe’s child is involved.
ReplyDeleteI know Paul D kept repeating that it wasn’t Sethe’s mouth in the paper because he didn’t want to believe she had murdered anyone, but was it really not her mouth? Was it a drawing or a photograph? Was the drawing off, or was her face merely transformed in the photograph by her traumatic experience?
-Jennifer Bora
The quote, "unless carefree, motherlove was a killer" explains the type of love a mother, specifically Sethe, has for her children. For Sethe loving her children was joyous, but at the same time painful. Her love for Beloved is the reason why she killed her. Sethe had an unconditional love for her children and did whatever she had to do to protect them. Another way her love for her children was a killer would be her two boys. She loved them, but they ran away. Even though she understood why they had to leave, it was still hard for her to know that she would never see her boys again. Sethe has unconditional love for her children, but this also makes it painful because her kids do things and events happen that make hurt her. Motherlove is a killer because of all the pain and suffering Sethe has to go through to raise her kids.
ReplyDelete-Brittany Gorecki
The quote, "unless carefree, motherlove was a killer" explains the type of love a mother, specifically Sethe, has for her children. For Sethe loving her children was joyous, but at the same time painful. Her love for Beloved is the reason why she killed her. Sethe had an unconditional love for her children and did whatever she had to do to protect them. Another way her love for her children was a killer would be her two boys. She loved them, but they ran away. Even though she understood why they had to leave, it was still hard for her to know that she would never see her boys again. Sethe has unconditional love for her children, but this also makes it painful because her kids do things and events happen that make hurt her. Motherlove is a killer because of all the pain and suffering Sethe has to go through to raise her kids.
ReplyDelete-Brittany Gorecki
I think the four dogs outside of the restaurant represent each of Sethe's children (Denver, Beloved, and the two boys). The dogs are hungry for food just like her children are constantly hungry for her love and. It is a continuous competition for Sethe's attention and she had to throw all the scraps out quickly to make sure every dog has a scrap of food. This is representative of how Sethe constantly throws her love to her children and always puts their needs in front of hers.
ReplyDeleteIn our class discussion today someone mentioned how Denver is like a mother figure to Beloved. I definitely agree with that however I think that the relationship between the two can also be reversed. When Denver thinks that Beloved disappeared she completely loses her mind and it is Beloved who reassures her that 124 is the place she is meant to be. Beloved took the role of the nurturing mother in this scene.
Anna Zeng
I think the four dogs outside of the restaurant represent each of Sethe's children (Denver, Beloved, and the two boys). The dogs are hungry for food just like her children are constantly hungry for her love and. It is a continuous competition for Sethe's attention and she had to throw all the scraps out quickly to make sure every dog has a scrap of food. This is representative of how Sethe constantly throws her love to her children and always puts their needs in front of hers.
ReplyDeleteIn our class discussion today someone mentioned how Denver is like a mother figure to Beloved. I definitely agree with that however I think that the relationship between the two can also be reversed. When Denver thinks that Beloved disappeared she completely loses her mind and it is Beloved who reassures her that 124 is the place she is meant to be. Beloved took the role of the nurturing mother in this scene.
Anna Zeng
When I think of wild dogs living in the alleyway, I picture them to be savages. The kind of dog that has to go out in the cold world and do everything they possibly could to survive. Scrap for food, fight for their territory, and pretty much fight for its life. Like a savage would. There was an instance when “he looked at the dogs. The dogs looked at him” (149). I thought of it as, in a way, he was looking in a mirror in the way the dogs were looking back. In that reflection, I think Morrison was comparing Paul D to the savage dogs of the alley in that he too is a savage. Earlier in the chapter, it was stated that Paul D “had crunched through a dove’s breast before its heart stopped beating” (148). A pretty savage move. Just as a dog would make if it were doing everything in its power to just manage surviving. In that brief instant where Paul D sees his reflection as a savage dog in the alleyway, Morrison is indirectly comparing the two creatures.
ReplyDeleteThe part about Baby Suggs and the party that goes into the night makes me confused. If a party or gathering makes you angry, why would you stay there? I thought this whole scene was a tad strange, I don’t know exactly how but it didn’t seem normal to me…
-Kevin
I believe that the "unless carefree, motherlove is a killer" line is referring to Beloved's constant need for attention. Beloved seems to always be at the center of attention and when she is not, she seems to do everything in her power to get to the center of attention. Therefore, if Paul D and Sethe have a child, it would not be unreasonable for Beloved, or anyone else, to infer that the new born child would become the center of attention and Beloved would fade into the background. This is why I believe that in Beloved's eyes, "motherlove" is a killer of everything Beloved strives for.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the significance of the dogs, I really have no idea. I tend to think that it has something to do with Morrison trying to further dehumanize Sethe and Paul D by drawing a parallel to the animals in front of the restaurant, but I still do not know what that parallel may be. Any ideas?
~ Jonathan Thorsell
I believe that the "unless carefree, motherlove is a killer" line is referring to Beloved's constant need for attention. Beloved seems to always be at the center of attention and when she is not, she seems to do everything in her power to get to the center of attention. Therefore, if Paul D and Sethe have a child, it would not be unreasonable for Beloved, or anyone else, to infer that the new born child would become the center of attention and Beloved would fade into the background. This is why I believe that in Beloved's eyes, "motherlove" is a killer of everything Beloved strives for.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the significance of the dogs, I really have no idea. I tend to think that it has something to do with Morrison trying to further dehumanize Sethe and Paul D by drawing a parallel to the animals in front of the restaurant, but I still do not know what that parallel may be. Any ideas?
~ Jonathan Thorsell
I think that the quote "unless carefree, motherlove was a killer" is trying to say that being a mother would be easier if the mother didn't have a motherly love towards their children. I think this is reference to how Sethe tries to be so emotionally attatched to her children and even when she taks Beloved in. I think that another point that's trying to be said with this quote is how her love for her daughter was so great and she so badly didn't want for her daughter to grow up in a life of slavery that ultimately she decided to take her daughter's life and that if she didn't love her daughter as much as she did she wouldn't have made that sacrafice for the sake of her children. Motherlove is descirbed as being a killer for this reason.
ReplyDelete-Amber Elmore
I think Sethe's mention of "motherlove" refers to the fact that any mother should be willing to sacrifice any and everything for their children. Sethe feels responsible for any pain her children feel and the guilt eats away at her. The very act of raising children is extremely draining, both mentally and physically, and Sethe is understandably reluctant to dive into such a commitment again without any real reason.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit confused by the community's treatment of Baby Suggs. I understand that they thought she was excessively prideful and such, but to hate someone with such intensity when she seemed to have such good intentions? The whole things just seems unrealistic and melodramatic.
-Andrew Freeman
I believe that the "unless carefree, motherlove is a killer" line is referring to Beloved's constant need for attention. Beloved seems to always be at the center of attention and when she is not, she seems to do everything in her power to get to the center of attention. Therefore, if Paul D and Sethe have a child, it would not be unreasonable for Beloved, or anyone else, to infer that the new born child would become the center of attention and Beloved would fade into the background. This is why I believe that in Beloved's eyes, "motherlove" is a killer of everything Beloved strives for.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the significance of the dogs, I really have no idea. I tend to think that it has something to do with Morrison trying to further dehumanize Sethe and Paul D by drawing a parallel to the animals in front of the restaurant, but I still do not know what that parallel may be. Any ideas?
~ Jonathan Thorsell
well, i think "carefree motherlove" refers to the fact that a mother can love her children so much that she could get hurt because of that love. For example, baby suggs lost all of her children to slavery (except halle), and it pained her eachtime this happened (especially since she had invested her time and care and love into them as her children). The same goes with Sethe who is constantly haunted by her past, especially the fact that she killed her own daughter, and the reason for her feeling so is because she lover her children so very much, she was willing to kill them to spare them the pain of slavery. So, what i'm trying to say is, the whole "mothelove is killing" part, i feel expresses that, for these women, their love for their children harmed them and killed the (on the inside) the most because of everything they endured and lost in regards to those children.
ReplyDeletenow for confusing parts,...whose shoes are those that baby suggs sees? are they beloved's or schoolteacher's?
~Nicole Cholewa~
okay this is getting annoying.....it says my comment didn't post again.....*grunt*.....i guess i have to rewrite it again.... ;/ ....anyway what i basically said is that motherlove is a killer refers to, i think, the fact that mothers become so invested in their children (love them, want to help them and teach them, watch them grow into competent adults)--and most mothers would not find this to be a bad thing--but, in a world where your children are regularly taken away from you and sold or something else horrible happens to them, this motherly attachment may harm them more than it does them any good. baby suggs was heartbroken everytime one of her children was taken away from her and sethe is still haunted by the fact that she killed her own child. without the motherly affection and love they feel towards their children, such guilt, despair, and pain would be present to a much lesser extent.
ReplyDeletefor confusing parts....who did those boots belong to that baby suggs saw right before sethe tried to kill her children and schoolteacher arrived?
~Nicole Cholewa~
AND NOW IT SHOWS UP!!!! WHAT IS THIS!!!???
ReplyDelete~Nicole Cholewa~
I think that the dogs are meant to be a metaphor of Sethe's children, since she has four children and there are four dogs. Sethe tries give all the dogs enough to satisfy them, but she is giving them leftovers that she doesn't want. To me this represents how Sethe has tried to provide her children with the emotional support they need, but since she is so locked away from the past and separated from her emotions, she doesn't have anything really substantial to give them, only her emotional leftovers.
ReplyDeleteI thought the exchange between Baby Suggs and Mr. Gardiner was interesting, because when Gardiner objected to the name of Suggs he meant well because he thought that Baby Suggs should have a proper and dignified name since she was free, but the fact that she was embracing her identity and keeping her name served to show her freedom much better.
-Donald Magnani
I thought that the dogs' significance was to show that Sethe's love does not discriminate. Morrison wrote, "She tossed the largest bones into the dirt rapidly so the dogs would know there was enough and not fight each other." Similarly, Sethe is "throwing a bone" to Denver, Beloved, and Paul D, showing she can care and love for all of them. Beloved hates Paul D because she thinks he steals Sethe away from her just as Paul D doesn't like Beloved because he feels left out as well. Sethe is demonstrating her concern for all and that the two don't need to fight for her love.
ReplyDeleteI actually found something humorous in the reading. On page 154, Paul D is talking about how he was grateful for the woman who fed him and had sex with him. Apparently he really liked the linen sheets she had because he said, "...the woman helped him pretend he was making love to her and not the bed linen." I just thought this was a little bit of humor because it really shows Paul D's love for those sheets. It was a refreshing statment mixed into a whole book of sadness and creepy-ness.
Christine Spasoff
I agree with most people that the quote Unless carefree, motherlove was a killer" is about the deep love for her children. She already has had three kids disappear on her and that has caused her so much pain. Unless you don't care about your kids losing your kids will hurt you. The quote talks about how much love of a child can affect a person.
ReplyDeleteGeoffrey
It's rather ironic when Sethe thinks this, since she killed one of her children. However, it does represent, as others have said, the strong love a mother has for her child. Sethe's love was so strong for her children that she refused to allow them to be enslaved. Having another child, as Paul D suggests, could allow her to experience that powerful bond again, since she missed out on it with Beloved. Then again, Beloved might get pissed of about this, since she is really needy and attention starved. I found it funny that the first thing she thought from this idea was "how good the sex would be". lol
ReplyDeleteOh and why does everyone keep double posting?
============Doug Mayer============
wow my dam comment wont show up
ReplyDeleteI’m going to the devils advocate and throw something new out on the table. Could it maybe be that the mothers love is what literally the killer is? I’m not sure if many of you watch different court cases or South park (I know, highly intellectual, but a lot of times a mother kills in the intention of loving their child so much to save them. I’m not sure if I’m taking the quote out of context, but I can see it refereeing back to one of our original questions, in that her love for her children created her urge to harm them. The passage in which the quote came from is confusing, but I believe that this could be seen as a viable alternative
ReplyDeleteAnd I know this is a little off topic of the book, but was anyone else completely freaked by the character beloved in that movie? I mean like from the context I have been reading the book in that is a pretty radical characterization in my view… ah well.. just random thoughts!
.: Mike Metzen :.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLOL ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ReplyDeleteIt's probably Andrew Freeman. He shouldn't be my neighbor because he smells bad.
Anyways, Sethe shows her benevolent side, as she generously tosses food to the dogs outside. Seeing this, a setting is created in which Paul D is able to hopefully tell her what happened with Beloved. However, he immediately changes his mind, and decides not to tell her, but to coax her with a softer blow. Just because Sethe at that moment seems like such a maternal, kind woman, I don't think that Paul D. was able to tell her the truth of the horrid act he had committed with Beloved.
-YALE CHO THE HO
"Carefree motherlove" is referring to the idea that mothers can go to the extreme when their children are in need of help. Mothers are willing to sacrifice anything for their children. Sethe feels it is her responsibility to heal the pain that her children feel every time they are hurt. It causes much stress for her, but she is committed to raising children once again nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI did not understand the part about Sethe's mouth in the newspaper and Paul D being shocked? or was he not shocked? or...wait..I dont get it.
-stacey kim
I think the motherlove is a killer can be related to even the closest of examples. As you know, Mrs. Weidig, motherhood can be very stressful and dealing with newborns alone can be very hard on someone, but with that there is always a certain level of worry about your children and making sure they are alright.
ReplyDeleteIn Beloved, obviously it's amplified even moreso when Sethe worries about her children's future to the point where she attempts to murder them all so they don't have to face a horrible future. In that case, it literally was a killer on the part of Beloved.
Here's a concern I have and wonder if anybody else shares it. Can anyone not unsee Oprah when they think of Sethe while reading. It's like I know I'm not supposed to relate the characters to something, but after I saw those clips all I think about when Sethe is mentioned is Oprah...
-John McCarthy
I agree with what everyone is saying about the dog part being another example of Sethe's mother-like tendencies, but I think that the most important part of this section is the last sentence that mentioned the dogs. "...Paul D thought they at least got what they came for, and if she had enough for them"(Morrison 150). Just like Paul D compared himself to the chickens, he compares himself this time to the dogs. He thinks that even these primitive dogs can get what they want, but Paul D can't get what he wants in the sense that he wants to tell Sethe about Beloved and everything, but he doesn't have the courage to. In the quote above, he also worries if Sethe has enough food for the dogs which could be a symbol of all of the attention that is needed from Sethe to Beloved, Paul D, and Denver and if Sethe has enough attention to go around for everyone.
ReplyDelete-James Shin
I pretty much agree with everyone else about the interpretation of the whole "motherlove" thing. Sethe has obviously had a terrible past, and the only really good thing that has ever happened to her is to become a mother. Because of this, she uses her mom status to define herself, and she throws her entire self into being the best mother possible. I think that in doing that she sort of lost sight of the big picture, but because of her "motherlove" she was able to justify killing her kids, at least to herself. The quote "Unless carefree, motherlove was a killer" emphasizes the point that Sethe would do anything for her kids to protect them, even kill them, because she cares so much.
ReplyDeleteI think a few people had questions about the whole mouth thing? I'm not sure if I'm right, but Paul D was just finding out about her past then, right? So when he sees the newspaper, he says that he doesnt believe that woman is Sethe because she has the "wrong mouth." I think this just shows that Paul D is reluctant to accept that Sethe could do such a terrible thing, so he tries to convince himself that it isn't really her at all, even though I think he knows it is.
Also, I agree with John. I can't stop picturing Oprah. I keep expecting Sethe to give out a car to everyone who reads the book or something.
~Katie Oakes
Straight up, I think the dogs symbolize more of a motherly desire that is wanted by many of the characters. There are four dogs, and there a four kids of Sethe. This fits pretty well. The dogs are needy, as are kids. They need attention, food, help, raising, etc. She gives them leftovers, maybe showing that she wants to try to help them, but only after she is taken care of first? I don't know about that, because it would seem that she killed Beloved to save her. Maybe there was something more we don't yet know of? Or maybe this is showing how Sethe doesn't act towards her kids. Like she could have easily left them, or not cared, but instead she gave them what she could. Or took away. I don't know. I think I'm thinking too far into this.
ReplyDeleteBut yea, Metz, I totally agree. I was not expecting that. I wasn't expecting anything normal at this point, but not that extreme.
8**Max "Ridin' Dirty" Moss**8
I think when she refers to the motherlove thing, she is just saying how she works so hard to keep her children aaway from pain and injustice. When her kids feel pain, she literally feels the same pain. Since she knows the pain of slavery, she doesn't want to see her daughter go through that kind of suffering. I really didn't like Oprah as the mother in this book, i don't know why but she really doesn't fit the role i had in my head for her. Also, I feel like Beloved is almost too creepy in the movie. Yes, it does get the point across that somethings odd about her, but i feel like in the book it's more of a silent creepy. She is silent when not directly stimulated by someone.
ReplyDeleteAlex
"unless carefree, motherlove was a killer" speaks about the extent of love that mothers feel for their children. Sethe takes that phrase to the literal extent and ends up trying to kill her children to save them from slavery, something which would give her children a horrible life. Perhaps Sethe even used the task of raising children as a temproary escape from her past. By putting all of her efforts towards being a good mother, she was able to forget for a few blissful moments her past as a slave.
ReplyDeleteI've been noticing that, throughout the book, Baby Suggs' name has been notated as "Baby Suggs, holy" and in Chapter 15, the feast Baby Suggs threw was compared to the Biblical loaves and fishes story. I wonder how this will play out in the end, if - as some people think - Baby Suggs will come back, will she be a Jesus figure and confront Beloved and the "Satanic" influence she brings to 124? Who would win?
I think that the comment Morrison makes about motherlove being a killer goes back to the idea of the former slaves' fear of loving anything too much. If they let themselves care too deeply about someone or something, they are bound to lose it. Paul D has commented that Sethe loves Denver too much- and maybe now she is also too attached to Beloved. We have all heard it said that there is no love like the love that a parent feeld for their own child. So unless one can mother "carefree", that is, without putting too much stock in the relationship or well-being of the child, motherlove is sure to be a killer.
ReplyDeleteI brought this page up during our discussion in class yesterday, but didn't really feel like it was totally resolved- so it's still kind of bugging me. On page 146- this is right after Beloved has hid and reappeared from Denver. First, Beloved points to the sunlit cracks and says "I'm like this" at which point she curls up and begins rocking. Then, pointing to the darkness, she says "her face". When Denver asks "Whose face?" Beloved responds "Me. It's me." And she begins smiling again. I was, and still am, confused by this entire exchange betweem Denver and Beloved. If anyone has any ideas on what message I was supposed to pick up on, I'd appreciate any ideas.
Lisa
I believe that the motherlove quote refers to the extreme sense of compassion, that becomes an instinct for mothers. This feeling of compassion is what brings mothers to do anything for their children. I think this is seen with sethe, and i think that you can say motherlove also has an effect on Denver as well. Denver became so attached to Beloved when she first appeared, and we saw a motherly love type emotion come from her, and this is such a strong emotional force, that mothers, or people loved by mothers would kill to have that feeling. In other words, true motherlove, is something that is makes people stay sane, however almost acts like a drug, but i belive that this is a very necescary thing to life, and it is shown throughout the book.
ReplyDeleteChris Ramirez
As a whole, I think we could agree that love is one of the strongest emotions in the world, and "motherlove" is even more so. This phrase is clearly foreshadowing the events to come in later chapters, as we wouldn't have known that Sethe killed her children if it hadn't been spoiled for us pretty quickly. And in the metaphorical sense, even though Sethe didn't manage to kill Denver, she still seems to have ruined, or "killed," her social life, out of protective love. This is the basic refute for Paul D's request to get Sethe pregnant, as it seems that, whether physically or emotionally, Sethe seems to kill all of her children in one way or another.
ReplyDeleteThe main thing I was confused about in our reading was page 182, when Paul was thinking about the "strange people." What was this referring to?
◘ Jeffrey Hoerman ◘
Sethe's comment about "motherlove" refers to all the worries that go along with being a mother. Obviously Sethe has always felt a stronger need to protect her children, especially when school teacher came to get them. Even now she feels the need to protect Denver like she's 5 when she's really 18. Also, Sethe says "having to stay alive just that much longer," which implies that Sethe feels she must live long enough to see her children grow up. Therefore if she were to have another child she'd basically be pressured to stay alive. Overall, "motherlove" is another way to describe the stress that mothers feel when protecting and raising their children.
ReplyDeleteAllie Drost
I think the "motherlove" quote has to do is used to show the love that a mother can feel for her children, but i also think it is very ironic because usually one would not relate a mother loving her children to a killer. I think it symbolizes the intense love that Sethe felt for her children which led her to ultimately be a killer when she killed Beloved, but the "motherlove" being a killer could also refer to how that same love that led Sethe to kill Beloved led to the metaphoric "deaths" of so many other people. For example, because of the haunting of the house, it led Sethe's two sons to run away, Baby Suggs to die, and other people steering clear of 124. This could be a metaphoric "killer" because it ended up "killing" Sethe's life and most of her happiness.
ReplyDeleteAnd a couple things I was confused about, when it was talking about Paul D and how he had to be a man and he watched a man that was closer to him than his brother burned alive, who was that man supposed to be? And also, where did Stamp Paid come from? The book talked about him 18 years ago when Sethe first came to the house, and now all of a sudden he is mentioned talking to Paul D...?Did he just come out of nowhere or was he just chillin for the past 18 years in town?
Stefanie Colletier
I think that Morrison added the part about the dogs to show Sethe's relationship with her children. She doesn't just give the dogs a few scraps or anything, but she wants their hunger to go away. I think the dogs are like Sethe's children. Slave owners considered slaves to be property, you pay for them, they have a value, and you can sell them, just like owning pets, you pay money for them. But to a mother dog, her pups are not "property", there is no monetary value that can be placed on one's children, no matter if they are humans or animals.
ReplyDeleteUsing the dogs shows how slaves were dehumanized, and by Sethe being generous with feeding the dogs, it shows how Sethe has been dehumanized as well.
Blaire Lurie
I noticed that my previous post never showed up, so here it is again. Hopefully this time it works!
(very,very-LATE)
ReplyDelete2.) Motherlove is the most powerful love because a child is a mother's most precious and beautiful gift to the world. They have worked endlessly to improve, love, nurture, and raise correctly this child they can think of nothing but to love every fiber of it's being. However, when not channeled correctly this love can devastate, even those who it was created for. Overbearing, over-nurturing,and intrusive mothers will learn things about their children which they will internalize and will destroy themselves and everyone around them. Sethe's ultimate sacrifice of giving all her food to her gluttonous daughter and waste away herself portrays this dynamic beautifully.
-Sarah Nelson
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