Preview

Comparing Song Of Solomon And Gloria Naylor's Mama Day

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
304 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comparing Song Of Solomon And Gloria Naylor's Mama Day
Ronnie Love
December 3, 2010
Mama Day
"Granny Midwives and Black Women Writers: Double-Dutched Readings,"
African American Review 33:1 [Spring 1999] p.155-156 by Valerie Lee
Introduction: the similarities and differences in Song of Solomon and Gloria Naylor's Mama Day discover the ways in which to theorize the ''politics of identity, race, and class'' By relating the chracters such as Pilate and Naylor's Miranda to real-life stories of Black, Southern midwives (called granny midwives) I. double-dutch reading A. two ropes turning in opposite directions from each other, yet remaining in sync 1. Pilate, the famous literary midwife in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, functions as conjure woman, healer, mother, sister,
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Comparison between Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon and William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom
    • 2997 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Comparison between Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon and William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom

    There has been a lot of ink spilled on the comparison’s between Toni Morrison’s novels and William Faulkner’s novels and justifiably so. Both have written stories about Americans dealing with the American problem of race relations. Morrison’s “Song of Solomon” and Faulkner’s “Absalom, Absalom!” are two such novels that contain many similar elements. Both novels are about young men or relatively young men (Milkman is 31 when he begins his quest) who try to put together a family’s past. The novels also share certain similarities between certain characters and in narrative structure, but within these similarities come differences that separate the authors from each other. The differences stem from their perspective on what the legacy of the American South should be.…

    • 2997 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing Quickdraw And Praise Song For My Mother
    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Comparing Quickdraw And Praise Song For My Mother

    Quickdraw is a poem based on the breakup of a couple. It uses extended metaphors to describe what it was like in the most heated parts of their argument.…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did The Plantation Mistress Have
    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Did The Plantation Mistress Have

    The Plantation Mistress by Catherine Clinton is a historical non-fiction book which details the lives and the daily struggles of the white women of the planter class as it existed during the antebellum era in the southern United States. Through the use of historical records and diary entries of the women themselves, Ms. Clinton clearly documents that the lives of the Plantation Mistresses were remarkably different and significantly more difficult than what is that of Scarlett O’Hara and her family. Furthermore, the expectations of the white females of the time were not that of the pampered southern bell who was indulged and spoiled by her husband and whose every need was tended to by slaves. In fact, the women of the time were in only a…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Leith Mullings Book Report
    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Leith Mullings Book Report

    The Author of this book (On our own terms: race, class, and gender in the lives of African American Women) Leith Mullings seeks to explore the modern and historical lives of African American women on the issues of race, class and gender. Mullings does this in a very analytical way using a collection of essays written and collected over a twenty five year period. The author’s systematic format best explains her point of view. The book explores issues such as family, work and health comparing and contrasting between white and black women as well as between men and women of both races.…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Heroes In Kathryn Stockett's The Help
    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Role Of Heroes In Kathryn Stockett's The Help

    “Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, we are just two people. Not that much separates us (p. 530).” Descriptions of historical events of the early activities of the civil rights movement are sprinkled throughout the novel, as are relations between the maids and their white employers. The novel is filled with details from the early-1960s culture in the United States like Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous march on Washington…

    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Review Of Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon
    • 348 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A Review Of Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

    The New York Times article I read titled “ President Obama on What Books Mean to Him.” In this article I learned that Toni Morrison's writings have a great influence on people. She had great significance on President Barack Obama. “Toni Morrison's writings, [ he says,] particularly “Song of Solomon” is a book I think of when I imagine people going through hardship. That it’s not just pain, but there’s joy and glory and mystery.” Morrison meant so much to Obama, in 2012 Morrison was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama. I also learned that Obama made his daughters actually read Morrison books so they two could feel inspired by her books. When awarded with this medal this means that you have made a great contribution…

    • 348 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Authenticity In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon
    • 1131 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Authenticity In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

    Throughout the centuries many authors have attempted to capture the individuals quest for self-authenticity. In the novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison depicts the many aspects of self-actualization, as well as the tormenting road that leads to the shaping of an individual. Through beautiful language, with immense reality, she is able to describe young black mans journey as he uncovers his personal history, myth, and essence.…

    • 1131 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Identity In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon
    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Identity In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

    In the Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison creates a story where all the characters are black and where she reveals the true life for blacks after the Civil rights movement. The story revolves around Milkman a black male that is born in the Dead family he knows little about, and his main purpose in life is to find his identity by learning his family tree and background. Toni Morrison reveals when people are introduced to new environments people find the important things in life and realize what they care about the most. Milkman is influenced to be in new environments because his close friend Guitar.…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Yellow Wallpaper and the Revolt of Mother Compared
    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Yellow Wallpaper and the Revolt of Mother Compared

    The role of women in society has changed dramatically over the centuries from women being inferior to men, to women gaining autonomy. The issue of gender roles has also changed over time; where in the late 1800’s males dominated the workplace and home, to women now acquiring more independence and self-worth. This paper will discuss the similarities of themes between the two short stories of “The Revolt of Mother” by Mary E Wilkins Freeman and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Through each of these short stories the literary elements of style, symbolism, and irony will be discussed, impacting the theme in various ways. Over time, the role of women in society continues to change, shaping each individual into a new era of freedom and rights.…

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing Two Anthems
    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Comparing Two Anthems

    What evidence of Enlightenment ideas did you find in the two anthems? Give specific words from the anthems in your answer.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Midwife's Tale
    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Midwife's Tale

    When historian Laurel Ulrich began her research into the lives of American Revolution-era women, she was hardly encouraged by her initial efforts. "You won't find much," everyone seemed to say. And when she began making her way through the diary of midwife Martha Ballard, she was delving into a book that others had found next-to-useless--too full of trivial detail, or so they said. But the details were what she found interesting; and faced with so few sources, Ulrich realized her only option was to dig deeply into the ones she had, to discover the unspoken realities of women's lives written between the lines of Ballard's diary.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    I Am A Black Woman Analysis
    • 877 Words
    • 3 Pages

    I Am A Black Woman Analysis

    When reflecting on history, it is evident that there has been much struggle for Black people, especially woman. The poem, “I am A Black Woman,” by Mari Evans, portrays a relationship between Black women of our history and today’s society. By the usage of vivid and inspiring words, Evans is able to capture the reader’s attention. It is clear that the speaker is a very strong black woman. She portrays this in a way that she describes moments where she has struggled and when other black women of history have struggled as well. She implies that those hard times have made her the person she is today, which is the main point of this poem.…

    • 877 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Maya Angelou - Yet to be United States
    • 1194 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Maya Angelou - Yet to be United States

    When Dr. Maya Angelou read her poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," written especially for President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993, the 'best kept secret in literary circles' was thoughtfully revealed to the whole world. She is arguably the most influential woman of her race, but there is more to Maya Angelou than being an African American female. Born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis in 1928, she has lived many lives in one, escaped a torturous and impoverished childhood to become a performing artist, poet, author, teacher and human rights activist. One of her earliest influences was Paul Laurence Dunbar, the first African-American poet to appeal to both black and white readers. These lines from "Ode to Ethiopia" undoubtedly had a profound impact upon the young girl who read them: "No other race, or white or black, / When bound as thou wert, to the rack, / So seldom stooped to grieving, / No other race, when free again, / Forgot the past and proved them men / So noble in forgiving" (chron7a.html).…

    • 1194 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Song Of Solomon Rhetorical Analysis
    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Song Of Solomon Rhetorical Analysis

    Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon is a novel that includes many issues revolving around race, gender, class, and history. However, an issue that really stands out is women’s expectations. Toni Morrison uses the characters Milkman and Hagar to communicate the message that society's expectations for women cause women to feel internal misogyny.…

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Jury Of Her Peers Literary Analysis
    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A Jury Of Her Peers Literary Analysis

    The women we’ve read about in both “A Jury of Her Peers,” and “The Yellow Wallpaper,” share two aspects. They share the bondage of male oppression, and their resilient spirits. I both stories, the characters face a struggle regarding both their household and the men within them, and must go to great lengths to overcome them. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale directly defy the men of the story, where the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” defies her husband in a fashion unimaginable.…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics