Chapters 16-18 conclude Part I of the novel. In these chapters the ugliness of Sethe's act is revealed to Paul D and described by the narrator and Sethe herself. How does Sethe define motherhood? What does her ignorance about raising a child (her reflections on being a mother at Sweet Home) imply about her desperate act? Do you agree with this implication? How do other characters in the story react to her behavior? How do you feel about her act?
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Tranlle Davis: week 7
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 16-18, Sethe action towards her children was a selfish and cruelty act. I think Sethe wanted to protect her children from the school teacher and his nephews by killing them. She thought that if her children were to live they would be slaves and would endure the same torture and devastation that she herself had to go through. Sethe believes that motherhood is to protect her children and that was the only way she knew how. Her ignorance about raising a child implies that she had to get rid of her children by any means possibly. Many other characters in the story, such as Paul D, were shock by learning that it was Sethe who had killed her child and tried to kill Denver too. I think Sethe act was a cruelty act because there are many other ways that she could have protected her children. Sethe mother did not raise her, so she basically lived alone. That knowledge alone should have given Sethe courage to raise her children better.
Sethe believes that motherhood means caring for and protecting her children at all cost. She saw no wrong or boundaries when it came to her children. Sethe didn't have any mother or any other mother's to go by as an example. If she had questions, she had no one to go to to answer them. Mrs. Garner didn't have any children either. Sethe had to come up with her own definition of motherhood. Sethe implication was that she would rather have her children dead then to have them working under the schoolteacher. I do not agree with this implication because like Paul D said, there had to be some other way besides killing them. The schoolteacher, the sheriff, nephew, and the slave catcher were in shock. The town people didn't know what to think. I think thats when they stopped coming to 124. I feel like her act was very wrong, even though Sethe did it out of love. Sethe was confused about what protecting her children really meant.
ReplyDelete@Tranelle
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you said that Sethe's definition of motherhood is protecting her children. I also agree with Sethe's act being cruel and selfish.
Sethe defines motherhood as protecting her children. Sethe didn't have any guidance as she was growing up so she went along with what she knew. She wanted to protect her children from the school teacher. Sethe implication to killed her children than letting them work under the teacher. I don't agree what that because theres severals ways to protect a child than killing them. Paul D also felt that way. The characters was in shock. When people are treated bad in their childhood years, I thought these people treat their children better and don't let them go through the things they went through. I guess Sethe didn't feel that way.
ReplyDeleteSethe defines motherhood as protecting her chil from slavery. Because of what she did, she is shunned by many and not close to the only child she has left, Denver. By killing one of her kids and nearly ending the lives of two others show that she does not clearly understand what motherhood entells. As a mother her main focus is to keep her kids from being slaves and serving under a slave master at all costs, even death. I do not believe in what she did but I do understand why she did it. i know I would not be able to do the same thing she did.
ReplyDelete@ Breinna Miles
ReplyDeleteI agree too. I could have not did what Sethe did. to me there had to be another way than killing your kids. Because of what she did she is haunted by one of her dead children now, Beloved. It was a sad situation but I totally agree with you.
I think Sethe is a great mother. Although she did not have anyone to look up to she handles her business being a mother. She cares and loves her children very passionately. Sethe is also very protective of her children. She is so protective that she kills them so they do not become slaves. I do not agree with her actions however she did it out of love and helplessness. Sethe meant no harm by committing this crime and we must also remember how hard times were back in those days.
ReplyDeleteI agree with @Brianna miles with Sethe's views on motherhood and that it was wrong that she killed her child. But I understand why she did it. She was preventing her child from suffering anymore than she had too.
ReplyDeleteSethe committed a terrible crime, but the only justification she has is that she did it out of love. Sethe only wanted to protect her children from the harsh world that they would have grown up in. In her situation it seemed better for them to be dead than alive. Because Sethe defines motherhood as love and safety, it was the best thing she could have done for them. Everything thing she did for her child was out of love and keeping them safe, such as tying one to a tree so that he would not fall into a well. I do not agree to what she did, I can only try to understand why she did it, as the other characters in the novel seem to do.
ReplyDelete@ Jasmyn
ReplyDeleteI do believe that she killed her children in order to keep them from being slaves, and that death was a better alternative.
Courtney Tannehill: Week 7
ReplyDeleteSethe admits in Chapter 18 that it was hard raising the kids on her own. She didn’t have another female acquaintance to share the details of motherhood with. Sethe did the best she could with the little knowledge she knew. Her reflections on being a mother at Sweet Home imply that she may not have been ready to play the role of being a mother. She shares with Paul D only stories of when she did something wrong or the hardships of being a mom; she never shares with him a happy memory. I believe Sethe’s desperate act was based on impulse. She had just been beating severely so her initial thoughts as a loving mother were I don’t want this for my kids. The answer to those thoughts was freedom from schoolteacher which came in the form of death. I do not agree with Sethe and her attempt to kill her kids. I believe, however, an alternate route could have been taken, but I still think she deeply loved her kids regardless of her actions. She dealt with things the best her ignorance about raising a child allowed.
Paul D’s reaction to her behavior is the most significant in the story. Paul D is in disbelief that a woman who seems so sweet could have committed such a crime. In my opinion she should have let the kids be slaves just as everyone else was. Although slavery was cruel and unusual punishment, being killed by your mother is much worse.
@ Tranelle
ReplyDeleteI believe you are correct in your assumption that Sethe’s actions were cruel. I agree that there were other ways to provide a better life for her kids.
Shanti Hubbard: Week 7
ReplyDeleteSethe sees motherhood as a job that means protecting her children at all costs. She felt that she never really had anyone there to show her how to be a mother so the things she did for her children was to make sure they were safe. She thought that safety was the ultimate goal and she ran away from Sweet Home to make sure they all got just that. While I agree that protecting her children is very important I disagree with that being the only important thing in motherhood. Paul D. was very shocked to hear about all that she had doe and gone through with her children.
@ Mariah I agree that everything Sethe did was out of love and to protect her children.
ReplyDeleteKyle McClue: Week 7
ReplyDeletePaul D told Sethe that her love was too thick. He viewed Sethe's actions as to extreme for her to keep her kids safe. I believe Sethe's actions was a product of her lack of knowledge in the field of motherhood. Sethe talks about how she had no other women around her to teach her how to raise her children. The only thing she knew and the only goal she had was to keep her kids safe. However, I believe her heart was in the right place, but the actions she took to save her kids was not good. She did not have to kill one of her children in order to save the rest of her children.
@Jasmyn
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said. Sethe was very protective of her children.
Tranelle: week 7
ReplyDelete@ kyle
I believe you are correct with your assumptions that Sethe has lack of knowledge when it comes to motherhood
Tempestt Carter: Week 7
ReplyDeleteSethe defines motherhood by protecting and caring for your kids no matter what you have to do. Her ignorance about raising children implies that her killing her children was the only way, she thought, she could save her kids from slavery. She would rather them be dead than have to live within that horrible institution. No I do not believe in her actions but I do agree with her reasoning to not want her kids to grow up within the institution. No mother wants to see her children have to work like dogs as she has previously; however, with help I believe she could have found a better way than committing murder. Other characters in the story, such as Paul D, couldn’t handle the truth of her actions; he even accuses her of loving to thick and leaves. I personally don’t feel that the act was right but I do believe her actions were justified because despite killing her kids she has a good reason and heart behind doing so.
@Kyle
ReplyDeleteI agree that she was ignorantly unknowledgable in the field of motherhood which in turn causes her to kill her kids.
As a mother, Sethe believes it is her duty to love her children and protect them from any hurt, harm, or danger. She was never shown love nor protected by her own mother and she wanted to make sure her children didn't feel the same way she felt. By the same token since she was never taught how to love, she was unaware of how to show it. I think her killing her children was an act of protection to keep them out of slavery, but I do think there was a different way she could have went about the situation. Her intentions were good because she did not want to see her children suffer and no mother does. I do not believe her actions were right under any circumstances, but she did know anything else. I can not say her actions were intentionally cruel because she really wanted the best things for her kids, and she was unsure of how to provide them.
ReplyDelete@ Kyle
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. As I stated in my response I believed the only reason she killed them was because she was ignorant and did not how to go about the situation. I do not condone her actions but I understand why she did it. Her heart was in the right place and she did not want to see her children suffer. Good job.
In chapter 18 Sethe explains to Paul D that she had a lot of questions about how to raise a child but she had no one to ask or to talk to. Although she did not know what to do at times, she knew what was required of a mother and through her explanation to Paul D about the newspaper clipping, she defines motherhood. Motherhood is knowing when to start feeding babies solid food, knowing "How to make that thing you use to hang the babies in the trees- so you could see theem out of harm's way while you worked the fields"(188). Motherhood was knowing how to tie a babies thumb just right, to turn it the right way after it was smashed backwards. Most of all, motherhood was about having thick love because "Thin love ain't love at all", and about keeping your children safe (194). Because Sethe was rather clueless about raising children and although she did love them, she did not know the best way to keep them safe and her ignorance led her to commite that desprite act.Her actions reveal the ultimate level of her ignorance and unfortunetly that ignorance lead her to believe that killing her children was her only option for keeping them safe. She says to Paul D "...I couldn't let her nor any of them live under schoolteacher" but he could not understand her reasoning at all(192). He says that her love was "too thick" and that she was wrong for doing what she did. Although he does not believe that her plan worked because she ended up with a dead child, two that ran away and one that is afraid to leave the front yard;Sethe assures him that it did. None of her children were at Sweet Home and Schoolteacher did not have them (194). The neighbors and "friends" that witness what Sethe did look at her with discontent and look down on her actions. They do not have remorse for her or feel any empathy although they have all been put in difficult situations similar to Sethe's. I feel that the moment Sethe took her childs life was when she really realized what it meant to be a mother, and that sacrifices had to be maid for her children. Maybe she could have gone about the situation differently and found a way to keep her children safe and alive at the same time, but what she did, in my oppinion was not barbaric like Paul D implied. What she did was heartbreaking but it did not deserve the negative attention that it received from other characters. Sethe did what she had to do; she had to swallow her pride in the process but acheived safety for her children none the less.
ReplyDelete@ Clarice
ReplyDeleteYou mention in your response that when people are treated badly in their childhoood years they do their best to protect their children from those same hardships and struggles and treat them better than they were treated. Soon after you write "I guess Sethe didn't feel that way." but I disagree. Sethe did not just take her child's life and attempt to take the lives of the other children, just for the sake of doing it. What she was doing WAS her way of making sure that slavery,beatings, rape etc. did not happen to her children and she clearly states that to Paul D when she says "...I couldn't let her nor any of them live under schoolteacher." (192). Paul D does not agree with her actions but even he understands that she wanted safety for her children and realizes that safety was exactly what was missing from the home (193). Her actions DID protect her children, because none of them were brought back with Schoolteacher. Sethe achieved what she wanted for all of her children and if she had felt that there was some other way to do it, she would have.
Sethe sees motherhood as a job to protect her children by any means necessary and slavery was something that she wanted to protect them from, even if that meant killing them. Sethe felt that slavery was so horrible that death was the only way to free them. Killing her children was a prime example of how ignorant and uneducated she was. She didn't have a mother to look up to and to have an example of so she took matters into her own hands and only did what she THOUGHT a loving and caring mother would do. Personally, I don't agree with the situation because no child should ever have to die at the hands of their parents even if it is "for the better." Sethe was in the mindset of preventing them from the horrors of slavery but like Paul D said, there could have been another way other than killing them.I feel the same way as Paul D. I couldn't ever kill my children but at the same time I can understand her actions and motivation as to why she did it.
ReplyDelete@Briana
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your comment. I think that Sethe thought she was doing the best thing for her children. I can understand her actions as well because she was raising her children with no mother to compare her life to so her actions were her definition of motherhood.
Sethe believes that being a mother is being a protector and guardian for your children. She is ignorant to the fact that motherhood involves more nurture and care. It is almost if she confuses the definition of motherhood with the definition of fatherhood. This ignorance of what it means to be a mother is why she committed this uncanny act. She says that her children were becoming "fully hers to love," yet her love involved more defense than nurture. I do not agree with the severity of Sethe's actions, yet i have never been a slave and would not know what it is like, so in Sethe's eyes, slitting her child's throat may have been the only resort. Slavery is a cruel punishment that no one deserves to go through, so while her act was bizarre, it showed how desperate she was to save her children. Those around her thought she was a crazy savage and did whatever they could to get the children away from her. Yes, she seemed crazy but i think it was a true representation of how much she wanted to keep her children away from ill-treatment.
ReplyDelete@Briana
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point about Sethe not ever being shown love, which is why she was unable to give love to her children. It does make sense that doing such a drastic thing may have been the only thing she knew.
Sethe defined motherhood as a mother protecting her children from the dangers of the world in order to spare them from the pain that she might have endured.Sethe's ignorance blinded her from making a rational decision.An ignorant person while act on emotions and not with their head which shows that Sethe had little education.I agree with Sethe being potrayed as ignorant because no mother will make such an irrational decision of trying to kill her own children. The other characters acted with the right reaction which was disgust because that was such a dumb idea to carry out.To me I am lost for words for the decision Sethe made to of killing her own children only animals kill their own young are we reverting back to animals I think not.
ReplyDelete@tcarter
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your blog of Sethe doing what she had to do out of the love she had for them but that action was too drastic for a mother to think of and then act on her children.
Sethe define motherhood as loving and protecting her kids from the horror of the community by killing them. Sethe is unedcated in many areas including motherhood. Her ignorance to motherhood lead her to commit this act. Her deinition of motherhood allowed her to killed her kids because she felt it was better than giving them away to become slaves. The other characters are shock that she committed this type of act. However, Paul D, is more digusted with her than any other character. He tells her that there were other ways to protect her kids and she didn't have to go around acting like a beast or animal. I feel that Sethe's act was selfish. In fact, she believe that if she couldn't raise them then nobody was going to get them. Her act define who she is as a mother. If I was Denver, I would not trust Sethe at any time.
ReplyDelete@Ephraim, I agree with your assumptions. Some mothers believe that killing their kids are a good act to protect them from the horrors that may bring to them. She felt that she was doing a good thing for them. I believe if there was other alternative actions to protect her kids, she would have took that actions.
ReplyDelete@ Tameka, I do agree that Sethe is lacking in areas such as motherhood, although she had the best intentions when she killed her children.
ReplyDeleteSethe believes that protecting her children is motherhood in action. Sethe is ignorant in that she could not fully carryout the duties of being the status quo mother, but is seen doing a admirable deed, which is trying to take her children's lives so no one else would. I totally agree with Sethe's act and I believe that the other characters should understand that she had the children's best interest in mind.
ReplyDeleteSethe defines motherhood as doing everything in her power to protect her kids even if it takes drastic measures. Due to her lack of knowledge in how to be a mother to children, she does not know how exactly to properly care for children. Paul D was shocked by Sethes actions, which makes sense. Although her decision was extreme, i understand why she did what she did to her children.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapters 16-18, we are shown another side of Sethe and introduced to her ways of motherhood. To Sethe, motherhood is protecting your children by any means necessary. Sethe was never really taught how to be a mother which explains her being over-protective. I do not agree with Sethe's actions. Even though I am ignorant to the life and miseries of slavery, I always think there is a better way out then sacrificing a life. Paul D was shocked when he learned of Sethe's past. As a result, he left 124. I understand that Sethe was only trying to protect her children, but I feel there are other ways she could have gone about it.
ReplyDelete@ Francois: I totally understand where you are coming from, but is taking her children's life really "in their best interest." She survived slavery, so maybe so could her children.
ReplyDelete@tranelle, i DO agree that there were possible ways for her to save her children. maybe not many, but there were ways.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBrianna Jenkins: Week 7
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 17 we learn about Sethe attempt to kill all her kids but only murders one. Sethe loves her children completely and sees them as her personal property that cannot be taken from her. Killing her children was a way of protecting them from the horrors of slavery she had herself endured. This was the only way she thought could secure their safety. Sethe define motherhood as protecting her the best way she knows how. Sethe reflection about being a mother at Sweet home implies she was not fit to be a mother, meaning she wasn't ready she had no experience. This is why she does this ignorant act because she doesn’t know what to do. I understand where Sethe coming from but i do not agree with this implication. Paul D condemns Sethe act saying "you got two feet, Sethe, not four". He believes she acted like a beast by attempting to murder her own children. In my opinion if Beloved was to live and be put in slavery maybe she would have a good chance of being free like Sethe when she gets older.
I agree with @Briana Sethe was trying to protect her children form the hurt that she experience. I also agree with Sethe not knowing how to love Maybe if she Knew how to love she would have thought twice about murdering her children.
ReplyDeleteJasmine Hunter Week 7
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 16-18, I believe Sethe's definition of motherhood is protecting her children the best way she can. She didn't want her children to grow up and become devastated slaves. Sethe didn't have a mother to raise her, so she really don't have a clue on protecting her kids the right way. Sethe's reflection about being a mother at Sweet Homes means she wasn't taught how to be a good mother. To Sethe, her children were every part of herself. When Paul D criticizes her for loving her children "thickly" and for acting like an animal in trying to "save" them from Schoolteacher. When Paul D tells her she acted like an animal when she killed her baby, he makes her a slave once again. She feels betrayed, just when she really started liking him. I feel that Sethe's act was totally wrong. If she wouldn't have killed her child she maybe could have been freed like her.
I agree with @Brianna when you said if Beloved was alive that she might have been freed like Sethe. I believe that your assumption was very good.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAndrenique Wilson :Week 7
ReplyDeleteSethe defines motherhood as protecting her children. Her ignorance on being a mother and how to raise her children properly, has led her to kill one and injure the others. Sethe believed that protection was the only thing implied on what it is to be a mother. I understand that she did not want her children to grow up and endure all of the hardships, that she had to go through, as slaves. Yet, I do not agree that death ws the only option of protecting them, it could have been other ways.We learn that because of this act many people do not visit 124 an Sethe is not close to her only daughter, Denver. Other characters reacted stunned to this behavior and Paul D reaction was cold but, justified. He told her that she was not an animal and that there could hae been othr ways to solve the issue.
@Jasmine Hunter i do agree with yor assumption that if Beloved was alive she could have been freed like Sethe. I also agree that Sethe di not want her children to grow up as slaves.
ReplyDeleteDanielle Wilson
ReplyDeleteweek 7
Sethe represents motherhood because she does everything she can to take care of her children even if it costs her something. Though her type of loved hurt them at times and cost her the life of one of her children she carries these regrets with her everywhere she goes and suffers continually for it. Her ignorance< if you want to call it that, was bring young.She had no help and panicked in my opinion and did what she thought was best. It wasn't ignorance , it was desperation . I cant really say if i agree with what Sethe did of not, she was a mother in a desperate situation, i don't know honestly but i cant really blame her for that because she suffers for it so its all in her to deal with. The people around Sethe don't know how to react to these events. I feel like Sethe is a braver person than people give her credit for and those who cant comprehend a situation cant judge.
Shannon Douglas: Week 7
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 16-18 we learn that Sethe attempted to kill all of her children including Denver. Sethe was not fortunate to grow up with her biological mother, and as a result was not given the proper tools for raising her own children. As she tells Paul D her story she ends by saying, "I took and put my babies where they'd be safe"(Morrison 193). Although her children may have been safer dead, this was not the only possible solution. A true mother would protect her children until she had to give her own life for them. Paul D had the right to walk away from her ignorance, because she did not truly know how to be a mother.
@Andrenique I agree with your opinion. Protecting your child is a major part of being a mother, but a mother should always be willing to try every effort to save her children. Being a mother is about sacrifice, and that doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing your children because you believe they will be better off. Paul D's reaction was justified in that he did not call her an animal or abandon her like everyone else, but instead took some time for himself.
ReplyDeleteJordan Davis: Week 7
ReplyDeleteChapters 16-18 show Sethe's motherhood skills and poor maternal instincts. She feels as if she must kill her children to protect them. I don't think that was the right move to make on her part. Of course she doesn't want her children to be slaves but I felt like there was another way to protect them besides murdering them. But what do you expect from someone who never had a mother.Paul D is shocked that Sethe would do something as heinous as kill her own children.
@JasmineHunter
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you and with what Paul D said to Sethe. She did act like an animal and should not be comforted after revealing her past. That's just not right. Under no circumstance should you kill off your own children. Her life should have come before her children.
Sarion Granger: Week 7
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 18, Sethe explains to Paul D that she had many questions about motherhood, but she didn't have anyone around to confide in. Sethe defines motherhood as showing tough love and keeping your children out of harm's way. Sethe was clueless about raising children, but she did love them. She didn't know how to keep them safe, so her ignorance led her to commit such a vicious crime. Sethe's ignorance led her to believe that the best way for her children to escape becoming slaves was if she killed them. She tries to convince Paul D that she made the best choice, but he reassures her that she ended up with a dead child, two that ran away, and one that is afraid and lonely (Denver). The neighbors and friends that witnessed Sethe's bad deed don't have sympathy for her because they feel like she took the easy way out by not fighting against slavery, instead she gave in. The moment that Sethe took her childrens' life was when she realized that being a mother is all about sacrifices. Sethe deeply loved her kids and she had a very tough decision to make. Paul D's reaction was one of disbelief. He couldn't believe that the women he loves would commit such a crime. He views her as a sweet woman that wouldn't hurt a soul. In my opinion, Sethe's act wasn't barbaric like Paul D implied, but it was wrong. Sethe did what she had to do to protect her children.
@Danielle......I completely agree with you and I don't think that I could ever kill my children either. I do understand that Sethe had a reason to, but I just can't picture myself hurting my own children.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Sethe will go to any end to protect her children, but her ways have proven to be somewhat abstract. She defines motherhood basically as extreme protection. Just like the post mentions, Sethe is ignorant at times about raising her children. This ignorance is showed through her attempt and actual act of killing her daughter. I disagree with this method of parenting. Even though I have no children of my own, I can clearly see that killing your children is not the best form of protection, even though you are scared for their safety. I believe that this was Sethe’s attempt to not have her children re-live or experience what she had to endure. Other characters like Paul D and community members have started to shun Sethe and family because of this so desperate act. As right as this may seem, they should try to embrace her and love on her as she navigates through this confusing and trying time of her life.
ReplyDelete@J.Davis- you are right. Just as the community members have begun to shun Sethe, they should be reminded of what you said. "What would you expect from someone who doesn't have a mother". Great!
ReplyDeletein chapters 16-18, Sethe action towards her children was a selfish and cruelty act. I think Sethe wanted to protect her children from the school teacher and his nephews by killing them. I could have not did what Sethe did. to me there had to be another way than killing your kids. everything thing she did for her child was out of love and keeping them safe, such as tying one to a tree so that he would not fall into a well. I do not agree to what she did, I can only try to understand why she did it.
ReplyDeleteRusshelle Montgomery: Week 7
ReplyDeleteSethe defines motherhood as an unconditional love. She thinks that a mother would do anything to keep her kids out of danger. She believes that a mother should protect her kids at all cost, until death even. It is her job as a mother to keep them away from what she knows to be terrible. Sethe's ignorance about raising a child almost imply that her deperate act was a justifiable one. Sethe never had a real mother, no one to look up to or show her how to love so she had to go off a almost animalistic type instinct. A kill or be kill instinct in order for her and her kids to survive in this world. I agree with this implication because what else was she to do or go by? What example? The other characters in the story respond to Sethe's event as would any people would whould were outside the situation. No one can understand the desperation of another until they are forced to be in that situation. People always say what they would or wouldn't do in the same situation when truth is you don't know until you're faced with that particular situation. The other characters ostracize Sethe. I personally feel that as a mother I could never lay a hand to kill my child, but I do not condemn Sethe. I do not feel like Paul that there was another way. I think the only thing left was to give up her kids. She was in between a rock and a hard place, and honestly in that type of desperate situation: a mother about to have her kids stolen away from her never to be seen again to be beat and tormented and made to slave for all their lives, yea I could see her "putting them out of their misery".
@ Alexa P:
ReplyDeleteI really really enjoyed your blog entry. You really defined Sethe's idea of motherhood. I do believe that as a mother sacrifices sometimes have to be made. And that people quickly forget their deperate situations to look down on someone else. I love your use of the term barbaric and I agree that what Sethe did was not barbaric, but heartbreaking. It wasn't an easy decision for her and the internal strength that it must have took for her to do that and to mentally cope with it all those years after without going crazy is amazing.
Erica Gebkle: Week 7
ReplyDeleteSethe defines motherhood as taking care of children and protecting them no matter what. Sethe sees motherhood as an obligation and she believes that you should do what ever it takes to protect your children at all coast. Sethe decides to kill her children so that would not they would not have to work under the school teacher and go through the pain she’s been through. I do understand where she was coming form but I don’t agree with this implication. I felt that Sethe could have protected her children in another way besides killing them. The other characters believe that Sethe behavior was wrong and that she could have done things in a differently. I feel the same way I believe that you should protect your kids but not by killing them.
Karedonovan Oliver: Week 7
ReplyDeleteI believe Sethe defines motherhood as avoiding putting her children through the same horrors and struggles that she endured during her life. Her ignorance as a parent largely contributed to her decision to kill her children, because she had no real experience on how to truly be a mother and mainly relied to Baby Suggs. In her killing her child it forced a change in opinions of others about her. People began to avoid her and look at her as a cold-blooded murderer. I do not agree with her actions, I am not a parent personally, but I could not live with myself if I knew I was responsible for my child's death
@BriannaMiles I agree with what you are saying what Sethe did was wrong but at that time she felt that it was the right thing to do to protect her children.
ReplyDelete@ Erica Gebkel
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because there was definitely another way she could have protected her children without killing them. I feel that she takes the "whatever it takes" part of parental obligations to heart
In chapters 16-18 Sethe's actions show that she is a a protector. She fears for her own children's lives that they will be subjected to the same torture she went through being slaves and treated unfairly. I believe she feels that if she takes them out of this world then she will be doing them a favor rather than letting someone else kill them out of cruelty. Some may believe that the ignorance is seen with the killing of her daughter, but the only thing that would make it "ignorant" is your opinion doesnt agree with Sethes. I agree with her actions. Not saying the their really is ever any justification for taking someones life, but I am understanding because of Sethe's reasoning behind why she did what she did. Others seem to be standoffish toward Sethe because of her actions. However, I probably would be hurt but be sympathetic to how she probably feels personally about what she had to do and more than likely did not want to.
ReplyDelete@Tranelle
ReplyDeleteI disagree with your take on the situation. I feel that you are trying to make Sethe out to be a bad mother because of her actions rather than trying to understand why she acted that way. Disagreeing with her actions doesnt mean you need to put her down. You have to put yourself in her shoes in that particular time period. Being a mother does mean protecting your children from harms way, and after what Sethe endured as a slave she felt what she did for her children was following that "protection law" in a way.
Sethe's main objective is to protect her children. This trait is shown throughout the novel. It is especially shown when she kills her children to protect them from the school teacher. The school teacher is another name from slavery. The characters did not agree with what she did and thought that what she did was simply cruel and unnecessary. I actually agree with Sethe. Honestly, my way of thinking in life contradicts with the idea of living in slavery. I feel like you only live once and you have to live to the fullest. If I have to live but not have freedom I'd rather not live at all and just go to heaven. Because being in slavery would just be a waste of time to me.
ReplyDelete@jasmyn
ReplyDeleteyou make a very good point to reminding all of us how hard life was in those days. We can sit here and say oh why would you kill your children over slavery and all that, but none of us can truly understand what it was like for Sethe or other people that experienced slavery. We can only assume that it could not be worse than death. But how do we know for sure?
As a mother, Sethe is a protector of her children by any means necessary; clearly seen when she kills her own child to keep it from working for the school teacher. By no means do I think that the act was done out of cruelty; Sethe does not want her children to endure the life of a slave. The question is: Is this reason strong enough for her to kill her own child to assure it doesnt suffer that faith? I can't say that I agree with the act; however, like Sethe, I would not want my child to endure such a life. Other characters seem to think of Sethe as some sort of heartless barbarian. They judge her based on her actions, yet none of them were faced with the situation. I feel as if their judgement is irrelevant because people never know what will happen until we are placed in a particular situation. It is easy to say what we would do, but that's not always the outcome. I understand why Sethe did what she did, although I do not agree with it, it was her decision to make. I have sympathy for Sethe.
ReplyDeleteSethe felt that being a mother included protecting her children by any means necessary. I agree totally, but she went about protecting them the complete wrong way. She wanted them dead so that they would not have to endure the slavery and punishment she had to endure. Parts of motherhood is to insure that your children live a better life than you, but they did not even receive the opportunity. The other characters look down on Sethe for her decision; it was honorable but not the best decision. Sethe did not have a mother figure in her life; therefore, she made decisions based on only what she thought was right.
ReplyDelete@Francois
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you because you saw the decisions that Sethe made as being admirable. She was indeed trying to be a good mother, but she made a couple of poor decisions.
Sethe believes that motherhood is the duty of protecting her children, at all costs even if it means some sort of euthanasia. Her ignorance of raising children completely erases the her perception that her children would have a better life. I agree to the fact that she does not know that life may change at any given moment, and that she just needs to sustain the little hope that she still has. I feel that her act was in the heart of good-will and protection, but she could've given her children the opportunity to live a better life than she did. I do not blame her for her actions, because of her history of abuse and rape, which basically animalized her emotions.
ReplyDelete@rrousse1
ReplyDeleteI agree to the fact that Sethe is trying to protect her children no matter what even if it meant killing them. Her "heartless barbarianism" can be explained through the evils she experienced with slavery.
Osaro Omofomwan: Week 7
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 16-18, Sethe defines motherhood as being ver protective and caring of her children. She sees motherhood as doing whatever it takes to make sure that her children are all safe. However, Sethe shockingly attempt to kill all of her children, but only murders one. She believed it was the best way to protect them from a life of slavery. She didn't want them to go through the same pain and suffering she went through while she was enslaved. This act vividly shows that Sethe does not posses the correct mother-like attributes to know what is best for her children. Sethe never really had her own mother to look up to, so it was hard for her to decide what to do in that situation. All of the other characters and even the townspeople were surpised at what she did. I strongly disagree with Sethe's actions because as a mother you are obligated to protect your children at all costs, not jus go ahead and kill them. Plus, there were many other ways she could have handled the situation instead of jumping to conclusions.
@Andrenique Wilson
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your assumptionthat there could have been other ways Sethe could have handle the situation becausew no mother is suppose to kill her own flesh and blood.
Kaci Foster : Week 7
ReplyDeleteSethe defines motherhood as "protection." It is protecting her children from the hurt and danger of slavery. Even if that means killing her children, to Sethe, killing them herself out of love is far better than watching their lives be ruined by people who hate them. Sethe's ignorance about motherhood is revealed in her murdering the children, implying that she doesn't know a better way to deal with their suffering. She loves her children and doesn't want to see their lives go to waste, but she also does not fully understand motherhood, and therefore knows no other way to end their misery than my killing them. I do agree that she doesn't know a better way to handle her children's fate, however, there is no justification for murdering. Although this is a different time period than now, I can only wonder about other options her children might have had, even as black kids. I'm sure it was a difficult decision for her to make as a mother; I'm sure she thought she was doing what was in the best interest of everyone. The schoolteacher reacts almost indifferently -- not concerned that the children are dead, simply unconcerned that there was nothing there to benefit from. However Paul D reacts differently. He begins by denying what he hears, but is disguisted when he begins to believe that the allegations are true. He leaves the house, with the implication that he is not returning again.
Of course I understand her thinking as a mother that she wanted to protect her children, however, could there have been a better option than murder. There weren't necessarily options such as adoption or taking the children elsewhere, but what was available? I just do not believe that Sethe had to resort to murder to give her children a "better chance."
@Russhelle I agree with the way you looked at it -- that her act was out of "unconditional love." Many of us called it protection, but not necessarily love. Of course, protection falls under the description of love, but it was just interesting that "unconditional love" was the first thing you called it instead of "protection." Good and different thought.
ReplyDeleteIn these chapters, we see that Sethe defines motherhood as protection. She is trying to protect her child from the terrible life of being a slave. Her ignorance shows us many things about Sethe and how it affects her. Because of her act of desperation, Sethe is rejected and unaccepted by so many people. She is also becoming distant with her only remaining child, Denver. By Sethe’s inexperience and inability to raise her children in the right manner and killing one of them, we see that Sethe doesn’t have the clear understanding of what it means to be an effective mother. Sethe was justified in her reasons. She did not want her children to experience slavery. However, she was not justified in her actions, she took the wrong approach in order to save her children from that type of lifestyle. Paul D is in shock that a person such as Sethe could have committed such a heinous crime. The town people just stop interacting with Sethe it seems. In personal opinion, since she was ignorant about motherhood, it was not completely her fault. I wouldn’t shun her, I would just teach her the best way as far as raising Denver goes.
ReplyDelete@Francois I agree she was trying to do the right thing all along. Her acts should be seen as admirable and not be shunned.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, for Sethe motherhood is defined as being protective. That one should always look out for their child's well being. Since she does not possess much knowledge of raising a child, she believe that her desperate act is not a problem. She does not want her children to have to go through slavery life, so she attempts to kill them all to "protect" them from living such a terrible life. She is successful in killing one, her daughter. When she reveals the story to Paul D he is in great shock. It is hard for him to believe that she would do such a thing to a child let alone her own. I see where Sethe is coming from by wanting her children to not have to experience slavery, but I believe that a bad life is better than no life at all.
ReplyDelete@Kaci
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that she could have gone about protecting her kids in another way rather than murder. I do not think that taking a life is the best way to show your love for someone.
in chapters 16-18 setha attempts to kill her children when the man comes for them because she does not want them to go back into slavery life she was successful at killing one . setha describes motherhood as being protective over her children and not wanting them to face the life she had. he ignorance on rasing a child is that she didnt understand that kill the children would make them have no life at all and a hard life would have been than no life at all. paul d is shocked when he learns the news because he did not see setha as such a person. my reacting is that the road would have been tough for then however she choose the path she wanted them to go down and being successful at killing one of the children but more of a burdon on her.
ReplyDelete@bria i think your assumption is correct especially the part about no life is worst than a bad life.
ReplyDeleteNicole Oseni: Week 7
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that Sethe's perception of the meaning of motherhood is a skewed one. She believes in protecting her young by any means necessary. Her belief is so extreme that she results to killing them because she doesn't want them to endure the hardships of slavery that she had to. While her intentions were pure, her tactics were inhumane and cruel. She should have come up with a different strategy to protect her child. Her ignorance about raising children may justify her actions to some but it does not to me. Even though Sethe didn't know what it really meant to be a mother, she still knew right from wrong and that one should not kill. Paul D seemed to be shocked at the news of Sethe's act of desperation and I feel the same way.
@jaredwillis I agree with your comment especially about Sethe being justified in her reasons but not her actions; that she took the wrong apprach. I also think you make a good point in what you say about the community not completely shunning Sethe because of her actions.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSethe defines motherhood as protecting and caring for her children. Sethe never had a mother figure in her life, so she doesn't know how to really raise a child. Her lack of knowledge on raising children, results in her actions. Sethe attempted to kill her children because she didn't want them to endure the pain she went through during slavery. When she told Paul D the story, he was very surprised how desperate she was to result in death of her children. I understand her trying to protect her children, but death was certainly not the answer.
ReplyDelete@Bria I totally agree with your answer, it is true that a bad life is better than no life at all.
ReplyDeleteI think Sethe's definition of motherhood is protecting her children no matter the scarfice. I think she believes she was doing the wrong thing although the act is gruesome to others. She didn't want her children growing up in the slavery. To her, she was protecting them. However, I DO NOT agree with her actions. There could have been other ways of protecting or other means. I think others were just as distraught at her actions as I am.
ReplyDelete@krissynoelle I totally agree. I think there are other things that could have been done instead of killing them.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapters 16-18, there is now a battle between being a good mother and making the right decisions. She loves her children and doesn’t want them to suffer like other individuals have too. Here is where she has decided that the best thing she can do for her children is to kill them so they don’t have to endure the hardships of slavery. Being dead is much better than to have to be treated like a useless animal. She wants to protect her children but doesn’t know how that could be done. She kills one of her daughter but I believe she didn’t have the knowledge to seek other ways of solving her problem.
ReplyDeleteSethe's love for her children runs deep. So deep in fact, that she would rather take their lives than to have school teacher kill them. To Sethe, a mother's love is sacrifice, being able to make the hard decisions that others would not. Living at Sweet Home she never was able to witness what a mother is supposed to do for the child because Mrs. Garner had no children. All Sethe knew was that she would do anything for them and she would protect them at all costs even if it meant that she had to kill them with her bare hands. I personally feel as though she went too far but one has to remember some of the horror that Sethe has witnessed in her time at Sweet Home and on her journey to 124. She traveled too far and too long to have school teacher come and take her children away. The people in the town as well as Paul D are greatly frightened and disturbed by her act. As gruesome as it may sound, Sethe did what she felt was best. Maybe the townspeople and Paul D could not relate to what Sethe had done because they had not ever loved someone or something as much as she loved her children. I feel that given the circumstances and the horrors that she has seen, she was justified in murdering her child. She killed Beloved out of complete love to save her and that alone is a valiant act.
ReplyDelete@ Adrienne S. Lee I agree with you 100%, because if I was in that situation maybe I would have handled it different but I could not say, I have never been in that situation of running away from slavery are even getting beat so bad that I had wipes all down my back that were like a tree. So yea I can understand her for doing that.
ReplyDeleteI have never been in that situation of running away from slavery are even getting beat so bad that I had wipes all down my back that were like a tree. So yea I can understand her for doing that. It is something painful for a person to deal with. I could not deal with something like that I would not want to deal with something so harsh. It’s kind of scary in way to think about it. She did what she thought was best for her children. She didn’t want them to deal what she went through.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I believe that Sethe defines motherhood as protection. When Sethe slaughtered her three kids in order to keep them away from Schoolteacher, that showed a major sense of protection brought on by motherhood. Although, we may think that Sethe’s act of protection was wrong, she felt that it was the right thing to do. Sethe did not want her kids to go through the same thing she went through which was slavery. On the other hand, this act also showed Sethe’s ignorance in parenthood. I believe that this ignorance came from Sethe not having a mother of her own so she did not know the characteristics of being a mother.
ReplyDelete@ Osaro
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinionof Sethe being wrong about jumping to conclusions about what the school teacher wanted. I also agree with your assumption that she was very protective of her kids.