Posts from now on are for English-African American Lit.

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...

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 un...

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...

Hakuna Matata

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