Highlights and Critics

            Philip B. Corbett presents some highlights about special entries written in the newspaper in the past week. I found it very interesting to observe the way he responds to the entries. Corbett is able to make his point clearly and directly in a very concise manner. This makes the reader thoroughly understand him and either sympathize with him or disagree with him immediately. This way of evaluating the entries gives Corbett credibility, since the readers do not feel that he is trying to persuade them of thinking one way or another but is simply stating the main characteristics of the writing piece and giving a thoughtful insight on them. However, Corbett criticizes the constant use of dangling modifier, which adds ambiguity to the sentence in which they are present. A dangling modifier is an error caused by not placing the noun being modified next to its modifier.

            These modifiers are very common in day-to-day conversations since they have become part of the way we speak. Corbett, consistently states “rephrase” at the end of his analysis, giving the sense that the only way to fix this error is by restating the whole sentence again. Now that I think about it, there are times when I have used a dangling modifier. For example, this is the case when I say “Hoping to excuse my lateness, the note was given to my teacher.” One factor leading to my use of dangling modifiers might be the direct translation of the sentence from Spanish to English. Although the person who uses the modifier understands completely what he is trying to say, the other individuals, especially if it is a written piece, might have trouble understanding that sentence. Also, it is crucial to point out that by fixing these grammatical mistakes, one can add a lot of credibility to his writing and improve his accurateness. It is not merely a matter of polishing your grammar, but of transmitting your message in a clear and effective manner.

    

Hiding Issues

            The narrative continues on at the same pace; however, it focusses more on the life of Milkman. He probably becomes one of the main characters of the book from now on. I found it very interesting to observe how the narrator depicts one of Milkman’s physical problems. For example, he states, “By the time Milkman was fourteen he had noticed that one of his legs was shorter than the other” (p. 62). The approach Milkman took to deal with this issue was very conservative, since he found ways to avoid making it apparent to others around him. I believe that keeping all the problem to himself and not telling anybody about it was not the right decision since that blocks any possibility of receiving emotional, psychological, or even physical assistance.

            In that same description of the problem, the narrator points out, “The deformity was mostly in his mind” (p.62). This is the case in many situations. One judges himself too harshly and starts imagining things that others do not even notice. Milkman probably did not have such a big of an issue, but by trying to find ways to cover up the small deformity, he was making it more apparent to everyone else. In my opinion, Milkman used this physical problem in order to avoid facing his family issues. As we would later know, Milkman could not distinguish the roles of his sisters and his mother toward him due to the great difference in ages between him and his sisters. This and other worse issues definitely affect Milkman and probably made him be more paranoid about how others viewed him. IN this section of the book, we can once again notice the influence that one’s family has not only on his personality, but on his mental health. In order to truly understand someone, it is crucial to know some family history to be able to relate it to the present.

  

The Importance of Family Roles

            In this section of the book, Toni Morrison describes some family relationships present among the characters. For example, it is said that Hagar and Milkman are cousins; however, Pilate says they are brothers. This is the starting point of a discussion in which they argue about the difference of a brother and a cousin. I believe that although a brother and a cousin are different at a literal level, they are very similar in real life. I completely agree with Pilate when she states, “I mean what’s the difference in the way you act toward ‘em? Don’t you have to act the same way to both?” (p. 44). Sometimes individuals even feel more attached to their cousins than to their own brothers. That all depends on personality and on each specific case. Nevertheless, we would have to look deeper into the family relationships in that case to determine whether Hagar and Milkman could be considered brothers. There are people who are offended when they are not given the appropriate title. For example, when they are called someone’s brother when they are really cousins. However, this cannot be stereotyped because each family is different and their relationships are distinct.

            “Milkman lowered his head. His father had explained nothing to him” (p. 55). I found this part very interesting since I could relate to it. Many times a parent uses a metaphor or an analogy to present his point and suggest a path to take. Some of the times, one does not understand why your father is advising you to do that, but in the end you know it is the right thing to do and you still do it. This is exactly what Milkman is experiencing with his father. Although he is upset with his father for contradicting him, he decides to follow his orders. It is important to always trust your family in every case.

 

A Harsh Environment

            As the book goes on, the narrator introduces us into a much more specific context in the book. No longer are we being presented with the society as a whole, but with the individual case of Mrs. Bains, which probably is an example to author wants to portray to exemplify the hardships many African Americans were experiencing. I found it very impressive to see the inhumanity and the cold blood with which Mr. Dead is forcing Mrs. Bains to pay the rent. This can be seen when Mr. Dead states, “Can they make it in the street, Mrs. Bains? That’s where they gonna be if you don’t figure out some way to get me my money” (p. 21). He does not even try to come up with an agreement or a solution to the problem; moreover, Mr. Dead presents a selfish and egocentric personality. However, we cannot forget that those times in the United States were not the most abundant in wealth of all. Many people were experiencing troubles with their finances and had to get money in any way they could. This could have been the case of Mr. Dead.

            This section of the book highlights the financial difficulties of African Americans at the time. For example, this is demonstrated when Mrs. Bains states, “A nigger in business is a terrible thing to see. A terrible, terrible thing to see” (p. 22). When doing business, sometimes people forget their ethical values and only focus on acquiring the greatest amount of wealth possible. In addition, this type of thinking happens much more often when people are seeking any wealth available in order to survive. There is no loyalty in business since in the end, an individual knows he is working only for himself and he knows that in hardships, it is his wealth that will sustain him, not the wealth of another individual.

 

An Interesting Beginning

            Toni Morrison begins her book Song of Solomon in a very peculiar way. This is because most of the other books we have read so far begin in medias res, or right in the action. On the contrary, this work begins with an exposition, which illustrates the community and society of that particular section of the United States. I found it very interesting to observe the way Morrison starts to criticize that society right from the beginning. This can be seen when the narrator states, “At that time of day, during the middle of the week, word-of-mouth news just lumbered along. Children were in school; men were at work; and most of the women were fastening their corsets and getting ready to go see what tails or entrails the butcher might be giving away” (p. 3-4). This society gives the impression of being very monotonous and having no dynamic. The narrator presents this in a neutral tone, which can reflect certain discontent for this society which does not go out of its routine very often.

            Although the book has not yet explicitly made it clear, one of the major topics in the work is going to be racism and segregation. This can be depicted when the narrator states, “Town maps registered the street as Mains Avenue, but the only colored doctor in the city had lived and died on that street…” (p. 4). In this section of the book, the narrator alludes to the few educational and employment opportunities African American had in that time period and how surprising it was that even one African American made it to be a doctor. He even brings this to the extent of creating a street named in commemoration of this doctor. This is critical since it gives us a sense of how Morrison will deal with this topic and how will she give her insight on the theme through the exposition not only of the characters, but of the setting.

  

Ambiguous Contradictions

            Chapters O, P, and Q deal with contradictory statements that generate doubt and reflection in the reader. Shields tries to transmit the message that not every idea we have is as clear as it appears to be. Even the idea we have of reality is paradoxical. What is reality for me is not necessarily the absolute truth; it is only my version of the story. However, there needs to be a reality; therefore, everyone tries to create reality. One of the most important antithetical statements in these chapters is the one that states, “Something can be true and untrue at the same time” (p.  135). At first, I compared this to saying that something can be black and white at the same time since both are opposites. Nevertheless, as I reflected further upon this matter, I realized that what Shields was trying to say was that reality is not absolute and that it is only real for the person who created it.

            Also, I found it interesting to interpret the idea that is pointed out when Shields states, “We’re only certain (“certain only”?) about what we don’t understand” (p. 138). I completely agree with this antithetical statement because the only thing that people can assure is what they do not know. In other words, people can be sure they do not know something, but they cannot be certain that they understand another thing. Finally, another statement that captured my attention was the following: “Great art is clear thinking about mixed feelings” (p. 136). A great artist is not the one that simply restates what has already been said, it is the one that gathers mixed feelings or ideas and is able to organize them in a way that becomes clear for the audience. According to this statement, not everyone can be an artist, at least not a good one.

 

 

Conciseness is the Key

           Some people believe that the longer a text is, the better it must be. This is certainly not true in most of the cases. Conciseness and directness allow the author to transmit his message in a clear and effective manner. Long texts usually confuse the reader and make the author’s objective obscure. Shields points this out when he states, “The merit of style exists precisely in that it delivers the greatest number of ideas in the fewest number of words” (p. 127). Brief texts do not represent a lack of ideas or topics; on the contrast, they reflect profound ideas that it is the reader’s responsibility to recognize. Perfect examples of this are Michael Kimball’s postcards which have a description of someone’s life written in them. An individual’s life is certainly very complex and long to completely describe it. This is what makes Kimball so fantastic. It is his ability to put years of experiences into a very brief text.

            In addition, the reaction of the people when they read their postcards has always been positive. This shows that Kimball’s synthesis of the person’s life has shown them how valuable they are and how interesting their lives are. Shields supports this point when he declares, “It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what everyone else says in a whole book-what everyone else does not say in a whole book” (p. 129) Synthesizing very long ideas into a few words is not an easy task; only a few can master this skill. Kimball is able to do what Shields describe in a very effective manner. Kimball not only synthesizes the lives of the people, he highlights key points that in some cases the individual himself has not realized. This makes people passing through hard times realize the positive moments they have had and that their live is not complete misery. Sometimes one needs another person to point out certain events for you to remember them.