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Post by racheladele on Apr 28, 2014 3:49:36 GMT
At this point in the novel, where does the epigraph fit in? Does it have any significance thus far, in the lives of the Deads, or in our reader-relationship with them?
Also, the page before the epigraph is completely blank except the one word: Daddy. I found that to be interesting, even if only a personal touch from Toni Morrison, because of the relationships between children and fathers in the book. Why would she have chosen that simplistic format and dedication? Where does that come into Song of Solomon, and the not-so-simple relationships we read about?
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Post by stever on Apr 29, 2014 2:14:19 GMT
I find the sparseness of the two epigraphs to be very interesting. Neither of them are quotes, as epigraphs usually are, and neither of them have punctuation. The spareness adds a raw, simple, and poetic quality that we see throughout the book, and also emphasizes the importance of the content of the two epigraphs: fathers. On the first few pages, Morrison introduces the theme of the relationship between a father and his son or daughter, and we quickly see how important and complicated these relationships are as we learn about Macon and Ruth's relationships with their fathers. From the epigraph, however, it is ambitious what Morrison is trying to say about fathers. The word "soar" can have positive and negative connotations; the fathers could successfully soar above adversity or they could soar away from their son or daughter. The part that says "children will know their names" is even more connatatively ambiguous -- will the children always remember their fathers (in a positive or negative light) or merely know their names, and nothing more? From what we've read, one's relationship with a father is very complex and multifaceted, and the ambiguity in this epigraph seems to mirror the many layers that exist in one's relationship with their father. Conversely, the word on the first page, "Daddy," reflects the underlying simplicity that permeates a father's relationship with his daughter or son which stems from a childish idolization of him at a young age.
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joelk
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Posts: 36
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Post by joelk on Apr 29, 2014 6:53:30 GMT
Initially, I want to take this epigraph with a positive set of emotions. To me, "soar" is always positive, and if the father was "soaring" away, I'd assume the author would instead use "flee," "escape," or some similar word. It seems, however, that the relationships the characters have with their fathers are not always positive.
I thought one of the more relevant passages to this epigraph occurs when Milkman and Guitar go to Feather's pool hall. Feather wants him gone because "He's Macon Dead's boy, ain't he?" (57). Guitar defends him, saying, "He can't help who his daddy is…He ain't like his daddy." Feather responds with, "He ain't got to be like him—from him is enough."
Here, "soar" almost seems to be a negative thing. Because of Macon's success and career, Milkman is constantly forced to "know" his name. Feather's disregard of the distinction between "from" and "like" suggests that a father who "soars" permanently overshadows the first impressions of his children. In fact, as Milkman grows to distance himself from Macon, the epigraph seems more negative than positive; Macon's "soaring" forces Milkman to constantly face Macon's "name."
As for the "Daddy" on the previous page, I would almost want to approach it with a biographical perspective. Otherwise, I think we have to form any opinions based on what we might've otherwise expected, something along the lines of "To Daddy" or "For my Father." The lack of formality and simplicity of the dedication seems to me more of a cry for attention, a defiant statement, or a product of bittersweet love rather than a wholesome, I-idolize-everything-about-my-dad feel that I think one might associate with something like, "To Daddy, who…"
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amychen
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“But the wild things cried, “Oh please don’t go—we’ll eat you up—we love you so!”
Posts: 47
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Post by amychen on Apr 29, 2014 8:27:07 GMT
I agree with Joel on the side of "soar" being a negative thing. Not just in the metaphorical sense as it parallels with Macon Dead and the father-son relationship between him and milkman, but also in the more literal sense. In the first chapter, Mr. Smith, the Life Insurance agent, promises to "...take off from Mercy and fly away on [his] own wings" (3). Mr. Smith and Macon Dead are similar: both work/worked to gain social status, even if it means working to the detriment of others in the black community and betrayal of his own culture. While Smith literally worked to take money away for those in his community, Macon works inhumanely, solely concerned with financial gain. Despite this, Macon feels as though he is betraying his childhood---evident in the moments when he reminisces about Lincoln's Heaven, during which he finds himself drawn to a past that contrasts with his present---and his wistful stalking of Pilate. These relationships are eerily similar to the BOSS BOY relationship in July's People: Both Mr. Smith and Macon "make it," but only to the extent that they are allowed.
This parallel is further helped by the last statements on page 89:
Although this quote refers to Macon's father (Milkman's grandfather), it refers to a name passed down from generation to generation, which correlates to the second part of the epitaph: "And the children will know their names." The epitaph, while it can be applied specifically to Macon and Milkman's relationship, thus seems to indicate an even bigger trend that might take it's course as we make our way through the novel: a juxtaposition of "success" with the worst kind of failure, and the children of later generations growing to realize the horrible legacy of being "given" rights---like Macon's father was given his name---when their freedoms are not "gifts", but things that they are due.
In a way, Mr. Smith is a more optimistic character. By using the phrase "my own wings," Smith's suicide note frames his "soaring" as an act of defiance. Like Ophelia in Hamlet, he is finally able to play by his own rules. But whether the soaring allows the soar-er to have a voice or acts as an example of folly, "the children will know their names." Milkman is learning where he comes from. I look forward to seeing how this plays out, and I hope he breaks the cycle.
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Post by Anna M. on Apr 29, 2014 20:06:34 GMT
Addressing the second question: Daddy is referring to her dad. Having written a couple of papers on Morrison and her work last year I did have to do some biographical research. Of course, this doesn't mean that other interpretations of what "daddy" could be are insignificant.
I'm trying to answer this question removed from the fact that I have already read this page. Up to page 89, I think there can definitely be many significances of the epigraph. A pattern in Morrison's work is that the names of her characters have meaning attached to them, or at least it seems that way. Macon Dead (the first) took his name from a drunk white man. I think there is a connection between the Dead's and their name. Their name isn't rooted in a sacred tradition; it isn't a name that carries weight through ancestry. Maybe the un-rootedness of the name Dead is related to the wandering behavior of Macon and Pilate. I think as we keep reading we will see an even greater connection between character's and their names.
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Post by danyhong55 on Jun 4, 2014 6:09:16 GMT
Fathers are incredibly important in our lives.
Take a look at Milkman. When those around him start to tell him that we resembles his father and what he does is reminiscent of his old man, he instantly rebels and tries to defy how his parental linage defines him but ultimately fails. Macom Jr.'s own Father had a significant impact on how both Macom Jr. and Pilate turned out. One a shrewd businessman and the other a supernatural, "Jesus" character.
The book builds up to page 89 as the Dead family, fathers, children and the name, reveals who its members are. Unlike Joel, I think that Soar does not have a negative connotation, nor do I think it has a positive one. I think that it means fathers should be there for their children to show them positive examples and negative examples. So that they may know them, good or bad.
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Post by Marshall on Jun 4, 2014 17:04:52 GMT
¬¬Firstly, what a beautiful epigraph. For two sentences, there’s a lot going on here. We aren’t very far yet, but the motif of names has already come up multiple times due the strange one SOS characters have. I see a few important words. Fathers, Know, and names. What’s in a name? According to Morrison, quite a lot. For me, the epigraph is implying that if the fathers attain greatness, it won’t matter unless their children really know them. Know their names. In the limited realities of the characters we’ve already met, this is important. Names should be built around achievement, not the other way around.
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