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The Curious Case of Gunnar

    The White Boy Shuffle  by Paul Beatty brings upon the topic of racial identity, which is something we haven’t read before in this course. As we have learned, Gunnar’s upbringing is non-traditional compared to other characters such as Bigger or Janie. He grew up in Santa Monica, a place where he describes as being the only African American kid in school. Despite standing out, he still feels comfortable and is able to assimilate to his environment.     With the conclusion of chapter 2, there’s a sense that Gunnar knew his identity thanks to David Schoenfield who taught him, “somehow through being with you I learned I was black and that being black meant something…” (Beatty 40). Yet, after Gunnar’s mom decided to move to another area, where Gunnar describes as being in the “hood”. Although Gunnar’s appearance is similar to the people around him, he is actually very out of place. He dresses differently and speaks differently. For example, he doesn’t talk in slang or wear more worn o
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Relationship Between Denver and Sethe

    Throughout the reading of Beloved , I have noticed a trend in the relationship between Sethe and Denver. Denver always seems slightly tentative towards Sethe and we know why. She is scared that her mother might kill her just like she did with Beloved. For instance, on page 206 (according to my version of the book), Denver states, “When she finishes the combing and starts the braiding, I get sleepy. I want to go to sleep but I know If I do I won’t wake up“.   It is disturbing to see the distrust Denver has for her mom, despite no ill intent from Sethe. The animosity between them, however, hasn’t always existed.      There is a point in time where Denver is clueless of Sethe’s past. It’s probable that their relationship might have actually been a normal mother and daughter relationship. The truth comes out after Denver’s incident with the bullies at her school. The effect of the truth impacts Denver so much to the point where she is unable to speak for a few years

The Curious Case of Janie Part 2

As a continuation of my last post, I want to continue to discuss more about Janie. Initially, I wasn't too fond of Janie. She is slightly arrogant and selfish. However, my whole perspective on Janie changed after the death of Tea Cake. I can't help it but feel pity for her. She finds someone who loves her for who she is. Tea Cake doesn't treat her as a trophy that is meant to be stored away like Stark did. He treats her as an actual human being. All of this, however, was too good to be true. While trying to save Janie from the dog, Tea Cake is bitten by the dog and contracted rabies. Of course, he doesn't go to the doctors in time and eventually dies. It's hard to believe that Janie has to kill someone she truly loves to protect herself. It's almost as if the universe was working against her. By the time Janie gets back to the present time, it's evident that Janie is done with it all. She has had 3 husbands. One where she was forced to marry. Another one

The Curious Case of Janie

In “Their Eyes Are Watching God” by Zora Hurston, the main character, Janie, leaves readers with ambivalent feelings towards her. Everyone can agree that she is an independent woman as she does what her heart tells her. That could, however, present herself as an arrogant character. For example, Logan is the ideal husband for Janie according to her grandma. Janie would marry Logan, but then leaves him when she meets Jody. For some readers, this act by Janie is considered a betrayal. Logan never mistreated her or hurt her, but because Janie has an unrealistic idea of love, she thinks she would be better off with Jody. However, if you look at this from another perspective, you might find Janie to be the victim in all of this. Did she really wanted to marry Logan in the first place? No, her grandmother forced her into this marriage. Therefore, when she finds Jody, who fits her idea of love, it’s understandable why she left Logan. All of this happens after her grandmother’s death, so J

Here We Go Again

It was too good to be true. Right? After living with Mary for months without a job or money, everything looked bleak for the narrator. Returning to the college definitely wasn't an option nor was returning to his own family. Then out of nowhere, the narrator carried out a rousing speech that would catch the attention of Brother Jack. He offered the narrator a good chunk of money to be the spokesperson for his organization, which the narrator took of course. After finding out that the narrator was given an opportunity with the Brotherhood, I was elated. He has been through so much after being kicked out of his own college, backstabbed by Bledsoe, and left to rot in New York. It was finally his time to revive himself. In addition, the position offered by the Brotherhood didn't sound too bad. The narrator would be able to use his greatest strength, which is the ability to give speeches, and he'll finally have a voice. I thought it was the perfect situation for the narrator

Bledsoe 1, Bledsoe 2, Bledsoe 3

Is it just me or are there different versions of Dr. Bledsoe in "Invisible Man"? In almost every chapter, there is an African American character that resembles Dr. Bledsoe (except for the people at the Golden Day). The first person is Dr. Bledsoe himself (duh). The second is Brock from the Optic White paint factory. Then there is Mary, whom the narrator met in the streets of New York. To me, they resemble Dr. Bledsoe, but again, they're different versions of him. It's almost like a hierarchy. At the top, you have Dr. Bloesoe. Despite his achievements and a successful career, he is the worst of the worst. He acts formal and polite in front of white people but behind the scenes, he backstabs his own people to maintain his power and reputation. Take for example the incident with Dr. Norton. The incident isn’t the narrator’s fault but he gets blamed and punished for it. Dr. Bledsoe gives hope to the narrator at the possibility of returning to the college, but what hap

You Love Him and You Hate Him

I don't know whether I should like Bigger Thomas or hate him. In certain points in "Native Son", I wanted to sympathize with Bigger but there were other times that I wanted to rip his face off.  Let me explain. Bigger Thomas is unlike the "traditional" main character of a book. A traditional character would oftentimes go through a tragedy, make mistakes here and there, but ultimately, they would transform into the best version of themselves. With Bigger, however, is a different story. He experiences his tragedy constantly throughout the story without much character development. He would also make mistakes after mistakes without ever having a self-reflection or admitting that he was wrong, whereas a traditional character learns from their mistakes. Personally,  I think Bigger becomes slightly crazy after he murders Mary.  One of Bigger's greatest hits is the murder of Mary Dalton. Regardless of Mary's intentions, she and her boyfriend were ve