In chapters 20-22, Sethe, Denver, and Beloved are given monologues. Each character comes to terms with their own histories but there is also an overlap of the experiences. How do the characters' perspectives differ? How are their perspectives similar? Do you believe these characters' thoughts are reasonable?
Instructions:
When responding to this question, click the comment button on this posting. Do not create a new post.
When responding to one of your classmates responses, also use the comment function. At the beginning of your response put @the person's name you are responding to.
For example, @Ms. Williams. I believe you are correct in your assumption that . . .
Beloved's return to 124 is a chance at a new life for Setehe, Denver and Beloved. A chance at happiness, the opportunity to let things go and be free of their haunted past. But for each individual Beloved's return signifies something different. For Sethe, her daughter's return is a sign of forgiveness; at the beginning of the chapter she says " She come back to me of her own free will and I dont have to explaing a thing", breathing a sign of relief (236). Sethe wants to make up for all of the time that she lost with her daughter and because Beloved returned, she will be able to do that. Sethe failed to realize that Beloved was her daughter because Paul D distracted her, "... I would have reconized you right off except for Paul D" she says (239). With him out of the picture she could focus completely on her daughter who had been trying to get her attention since she arrived at the house. For Denver, Beloved returned to protect and comfort her, to keep her company in the lonely house. Together both girls would protect eachother from Sethe, but Denver feels that it is her duty to warn Beloved not to love Sethe too much and protect her from the thing in Sethe "...that makes it all right to kill her children" (243). Together they would wait for their father "Angel man", to save them. Beloved's intentions when she returned were to find the face that she lost, Sethe's, and join (252). She came back to be with her mother; escape the place where she crouches and the men without skin, to live where there are diamonds in the water and turtles (251). I believe that Denver's thoughts are the least reasonable of the three ladies and that she benefits the least with Beloved's return. Beloved came back only for Sethe, (Denver was nowhere in mind)and Sethe rejoices.The two will be consumed with their love for eachother and forget about Denver; in the end she gets the shorter end of the stick.
ReplyDeleteBoth Denver and Beloved have similar perspectives of their own histories, when compared to Sethe's histories. It is apparent that Denver has always feared Sethe and her logic. Beloved seems to claim that Sethe has left her behind and is the blame for all the bad that has happened. Sethe believes that she is a great mother even though she killed Beloved. Denver and Beloved seem to be on the same page in regard to Sethe. I believe that the characters thoughts are reasonable because it is natural to want to think of oneself as right or faultless in all situations.
ReplyDeleteKaredonovan Oliver: Week 9
ReplyDeleteEach character's perspective differ in the feelings they express towards one another. Sethe feels a sense of duty in protecting her children from the world, justifying her killing Beloved by saying if she wouldn't have killed Beloved she would have died. Denver fears Sethe and feels as though she must protect Beloved from her because she doesn't know what triggered her to kill Beloved and attempt to kill the rest of her children, and has no idea when it could happen again. Beloved has a rather strange monologue, she seems to want to have Sethe all to herself, but she also seems to want to become Sethe. All three monologues tie around the point of needing the love of the next person. Sethe wants to protect Denver and Beloved. Beloved wants to be with Sethe and no one else. Denver wants to be with her father and Beloved and doesn't care if Sethe is there. I believe that Sethe and Beloved are reasonable, but Denver is unreasonable because, if her father hasn't been seen for 18 years he is either dead or stopped looking, and Sethe did not willingly kill her children, she did it out of fear.
@ Alexa P. I believe you are right in your assumption that Denver's logic makes the least amount of sense. You are right in Denver getting the shorter end of the stick and I think it is wishful thinking that her father will return.
ReplyDeleteDenver, Sethe, and Beloved's monologues share two major similarities. They all speak of the power of love and they all deal with Beloved's return in some manner. Sethe speaks of the power of a mother's love as she compares her love from her mother with the love she felt for Beloved. Denver speaks of the power of her father's love and how that power is sustaining her belief that he will one day return. Beloved's monologue doesn't directly speak of the power of love but it is alluded to once she sees Sethe's face and recognizes it as the "face that left her" (252). Beloved wouldn't have been able to immediately recognize Sethe's face if it wasn't for the connection she had with her through their mother-daughter relationship. Even though they all speak of Beloved's return, their monologues differ in how they act upon it. Sethe believes that Beloved has returned as an act of forgiveness from killing her. Denver believes that she must protect Beloved from Sethe's evil wrath. Beloved speaks on her return as a reunion of her and her mother. All three of their thoughts are valid because based of each character's personal experience, these thoughts have a reason to come about.
ReplyDelete@Karedonovan Oliver You make a good point in believing that each character feels a different way which is why their perspectives differ. I also agree with you in the idea that each character needs the love of the next person in different ways.
ReplyDelete@gpeppers You make a good point with the beliefs of each character, it seems as though they have a codependency based relationship, either trying to protect each other or just gaining love.
ReplyDeleteKyle McClue: Week 9
ReplyDeleteAll three of them have a connected since of love for one another. Sethe discovers that Beloved is her daughter, and she talks about how see loves Beloved. Denver talks about how Beloved is her sister and that her love for Beloved will help her protect Beloved from her mom. Beloved talks about how she loves Sethe and her path to reaching her again. All three have related love for each other in some way. However, Denver is fearful of her mother. Denver talks about how her mother loves too much. Denver is fearful that her mother will kill one of them again. These characters thoughts are genuine and helps explain why the characters act the way they do throughout the story.
@Karedonovan Oliver
ReplyDeleteYou have some very good point in your post. Especially when your talk about each character's feeling toward one another.
The characters throughout the story each express their feelings differently and it shows through their actions. The characters are all level headed because as humans they all are capable and willing to be reasonable whether its for self-interest or in the interest of others.All the characters perspectives tie around the love they are craving for one another. Beloved's perspective is regaining something that she has lost which in this case is Sethe. Denver's perspective is that one day through love her dad's gonna come back. Finally, Sethe's perspective is that she killed her children out of the love a mother has for her children.
ReplyDelete@gpeppers
ReplyDeleteYou are right with the deduction of Sethe throughout the story battling within herself trying to justify killing her children out of love a mother has for her children.
Sethe is overjoyed that her daughter Beloved has returned to her. She feels she is being given a second chance at being a mother for Beloved. Denver sees Beloved's return as a chance for her to have a friend and as someone to protect. She never got the real chance to act as a big sister so when Beloved returned, Denver alwawys kept a close eye on her to make sure nothing would ever happen to her again. Beloved returns to give the household a new chance to feel love. She comes to rescue Sethe and deliver Denver from the "curse" that was brought on to them by her death. I believe their perspectives are reasonable to them because their situations have brought them down so far that the only thing they have left to do is hope.
ReplyDelete@gpeppers I agree with what you said about how everyone's perspectives all speak of the power of love and they all deal with Beloved's return in some manner.
ReplyDeleteShannon Douglas: Week 9
ReplyDeleteAs Sethe, Denver, and Beloved each tell their different sides of the story, they are all reasonable in their thoughts. Each story overlaps in the fact that each character discusses the love they once had for someone that was absent during an important part of their lives, and they each believe that they own Beloved. Sethe repeatedly expresses that she never had the opportunity to be nourished by her own mother's milk, and in a way she felt abandoned. Being able to provide Beloved with her own milk made her feel complete and gave her the satisfaction that she was better than her mother. Denver felt this way about her father. Since Denver was a baby, Beloved watched over her. She partook in Beloved's blood as Sethe breastfed her, and Beloved's spirit became her guardian angel. After Paul D has removed the ghost, Denver is the only one who realizes that Beloved is her sister and she must protect her from Sethe. Beloved longs for Sethe. As Beloved gets closer to death she sees all the possessions that Sethe holds dearly, the earrings, and the necklace. All Beloved truly wants is to see Sethe's face behind the cloud, much like Denver would like to see her father. The fact that each character holds so much resentment towards these people helps to explain their actions now.
@Francois W. I believe your assumption is correct. The characters each show a sense of bias to justify their actions. Sethe believes she is a good mother eventhough she is totally disconnected from Beloved and Denver who have each other's best interest at heart.
ReplyDeleteSethe discusses how she loves Beloved and now realizes that is her dead daughter. She wants her to understand that she only did what she did out of love. She is hoping that it is also the same reason her mother was hung. Denver loves Beloved and wants to save her from her mother. She says the only reason why her siblings left were because they feared Sethe would do the same thing to them. Denver is awaiting her father and wants Beloved to wait with her. Beloved wants to be one with Sethe and take over her body. She discusses how it was when she was in the grave among the dead bodies and how she came to be flesh again. They all are discussing their love for one another. Beloved actions of wanting to become one is very outrageous.
ReplyDelete@ Francios W.
ReplyDeleteI agree Beloved blames her mother and Denver is afraid of her. Both children seem to have some form of hatred in their heart for their mother. Sethe assumes she is a good mother but both her kids disgree. Their thoughts are reasonable considering what they have gone through.
Both Denver and Beloved are madly in love with each other. Beloved is the best thing that ever happened to Denver. However, Denver's main concern is waiting and hoping that her father can come rescue her. Beloved's main concern is never being separated from Sethe. In contrast, Denver is scared of her own mother, Sethe. Denver fears that Sethe could kill her because she was able to kill her own child.
ReplyDelete@KD17
ReplyDeleteI do agree that Sethe feels an overwhelming sense of duty to protect her children. Her whole life revolves around her children and keeping them safe.
Sethe, Denver, and Beloved all replay the history of their lives. They seem to have the possess emotions about how their lives played out. They are all concerned with the love of ones that they have lost of the course of their lives. Sethe is reminded of the child of hers that she loved so dearly and ended up killing. Denver feels this way about his father. In Beloved's case she was longing for Sethe. They all feel as though they are missing something in their lives that cannot be found.
ReplyDeleteSethe is reminded of her past, and the fact that she felt as if she had to kill her daughter to protect her. Sethe is seemingly obsessed with protecting her children. when beloved returns Sethe is given another chance to love beloved. Denver becomes instantly attached to beloved and wants to protect her from Sethe's ways. Denver knows Sethe was able to kill her child before and doesn't want Sethe to do the same to beloved. Beloved comes into the story in need of love. She finds it in Sethe and Denver. Beloved yearns for attention and for the feeling of being loved. Sethe plays the role if mother to beloved,
ReplyDeleteAll three of the characters have love for each other. Sethe loves her Beloved in a mother daughter sense and Denver loves Beloved in a sisterly sense. Denver knows her very well and understands that Sethe is a loving person. However, when Sethe loves too much she will become over protective. Denver fears her mother becoming over protective, resulting in her killing one of them.
ReplyDelete@Kyle I agree with what you said. Sethe love them both and will go beyond measures including death in order to protect them.
ReplyDeleteEach character's perspective differs in the feelings they express towards one another. It is amazing that Denver still loves Sethe, for she knows that she murdered Beloved and also tried to kill her. Even though she claims to love her mother, Denver is also frightened by her. She feels she has the power to murder again; as a result, she never really feels safe. This chapter begins, "Beloved, she my daughter." By switching to a first person internal prologue, Morrison can show the change in the mind of Sethe. She is finally beginning to see her children as separate individuals from herself. In the past, Sethe was unable to accept that Beloved was a separate person from her who deserved to live regardless of Sethe's fears. Through the years, she has convinced herself that murdering Beloved was a loving act that was intended to protect her daughter from pain. Now that Beloved has returned, however, Sethe has been forced to face the fact that this daughter is angry about her murder at the hands of her mother. As a result, Sethe badly wants to explain her reasons to Beloved. Although Beloved returns to earth in an adult body, she is still a child in the other world. She refers to herself as small and remembers events from her childhood. She can still see Sethe's earrings and reflects on the day that Sethe carried her to the grape arbor and gathered flowers into a basket while her brothers played on the hill. Beloved also seems to have looked into the lives of other earthly beings. When she talks about the small animals looking at a child, it seems to be a reference to Denver's terrifying time in jail when rats stared at her and sometimes touched her. In the other world, Beloved longs to be recognized by her mother. She imagines going down to see Sethe and being chewed and swallowed by her. Somehow she manages to escape and swim through the water back to the other world. Upon her return, she can still see Sethe's smiling face.
ReplyDelete@KD I agree with what you said. Sethe love the both of her children and did anything to protect them.
ReplyDeleteTranelle: week 9
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 20-22, the characters Sethe, Denver, and Beloved past histories was express in these chapters. Even though the three different characters past histories are different, their stories are all overlap by the sense of love because each character want to experience love rather it’s from each other or someone else. Beloved returning back to Sethe and Denver was a symbol of a new life for Sethe and Denver. Beloved returning back lets Sethe know that she can now love Beloved the way she supposed to. The family can now move on with their lives and be free from the devastated past. Sethe speaks about the mother love she never knew, but now she can share it with her girls. Denver speaks about father love and she wishes that one day she can experience it. Denver tells Beloved that it’s nice to love their mother, but don’t love to hard and become blind and gets hurt by the evil that Sethe has with in her soul.
Tranelle: week 9
ReplyDelete@Alexa, I agree with your assumption that all three characters stories relate back to love and that Beloved came back to 124 so that she and Denver can help protect themselves from Sethe because of the evil she may have inside her.
Andrenique Wilson: Week 9
ReplyDeleteSethe, Beloved, and Denver are telling their story of their lives. When both Sethe and Denver find out that Beloved has return to them. They are filled with joy. It is like love is present in 124, because it has been absent for a long time. Sethe's love for her children is protecting them. She justifies her killing Beloved out of love and fear. On the other hand, Denver fears her mother but, has love for Beloved and is willing to protect them from their mother. Beloved has love for only Sethe and she does not want to be around anyone but, Sethe.
@Tranelle I agree with your assumption that Beloved return is a symbol of a new life for both Sethe and Denver. Also I do agree that Sethe can now love and raise Beloved the way she is suppose to.
ReplyDeleteIn Sethe's reflection of Beloved shows that she realizes that Beloved has come back to her and this makes her the happiest person in the world. She feels as though her actions were right and what she did was the right thing to do at that moment. She also feels like Beloved belongs to her and it was meant to be for her to return to 124. Denver loves her sister and from the reading, you can tell that she holds a special place in her heart for Beloved. Like Sethe, Denver was also ecstatic that Beloved was reincarnated and found her way back to her and her mother. While Beloved wants to be under Sethe and doesn't want to leave her side, Denver is still a little hesitant about getting close to her because she was scared that she was going to kill her just like she did Beloved. Beloved's love is for Sethe and for Sethe only. She is very protective of her and doesn't want anybody around her.
ReplyDelete@Bria
ReplyDeleteI agree that everyone in 124 seems like they are all missing something in their life. I feel as though they were still suffering from the loss of Beloved many years ago and the hole could only be filled by her and no one else.
Danielle Wilson
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to Sethe, she i happy to have Beloved in her life. She realizes who Beloved is almost instantly upon her arrival. Sethe wants to use the time to get to know Beloved and make up for the lost time. Sethe however doesn't regret what she did. That was the only way to help her child at the time and she stands by that choice. As for Denver her story is a bit different. Denver loves her mother, but she knows what Sethe did. Denver fears that her mother is capable of that again. Sethe and Denver are both reasonable in their thoughts and they both have reasons for reacting in the ways they do.
They are all connected by their express of love for one another and their need for love from one another. They differ in their perspective for one another. Sethe feels like she must protect her children, this includes why she killed Beloved. Beloved starts to want to become Denver, and starts to hog Sethe to herself. Denver fears Sethe and the chance that Sethe may kill her also, because she doesn't understand why Sethe had killed Beloved in the first place. I do think their thinking is reasonable considering their point of views. The way that they see the world it is reasonable. If we factor in information that the character doesn't understand, then it would be unreasonable.
ReplyDeleteI agree with @KD17 in the sense that Denver doesn't understand well since she is young. Some of the things that are going on in her life is just too complex for someone of her age. She never experienced what her mother went through to ever understand why Sethe did what she had done.
ReplyDeleteIn Sethe's monologue she talks of how Beloved came back to her and how Beloved forgave her. She also talked about how much her kids needed her and thats why she didn't stay with Beloved in her grave. She gives us the impression that she cares and would do anything for her kids as we saw when she killed one of them. It's ironic because you think a child would feel safe knowing that their mother would do anything to protect them, but not Denver and rightfully so. Denver talks about how she is afraid that Sethe is going to kill her. All Denver wants is for her dad, Beloved, and her to be together again. She doesn't care about what Sethe decides to do. This is a huge contrast to Sethe's monologue because Denver doesn't care for Sethe the way Sethe cares for her. On the other hand, Sethe and Beloved's monologue was similar in the fact that they both shared how much they loved each other. Yes, I believe their thoughts are reasonable especially Denver's. Any person would be afraid of their mom if they knew she killed one of their siblings. Sethe cared and missed Beloved. That is a reasonable feeling when a mother loses a child.
ReplyDelete@gpeppers
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the fact they all speak of love. I also agree with you when said that all their thoughts are valid because I think so too.
In Chapters 20-22 Sethe, Denver and Beloved all talks of how love is lost. Sethe and Beloved perspectives differ in the way that Sethe feels that her act of infanticide would be the best thing she should do as a mother and wouldn’t be what she imagines to be her mother’s rejection of her. She believes her act as one of love, free of the disregard or contempt that would motivate abandonment. Meaning she feels that she protected her children from slavery as a step towards being a better mother than her mom who deserted her. On the other hand Beloved feels that her mother had abandon her. When she opens her eyes, she sees the “face [she] lost.” The face she lost is Sethe. Denver and Beloved perspectives are similar both characters feel abandoned. Beloved feels her mother has abandon her when she tells the story about her getting out the water to open her eyes and see a “women” that leave her which she claims is Sethe. Similar Denver feels abandon in some way that she blames her mother as the problem of the family not being together. In my opinion all the characters thoughts are reasonable because as a reader if they weren’t the story would be less interesting. And also we get more insight on the character feelings.
ReplyDelete@Karedonovan Oliver.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with several points that you reffered to in your blog post especially the fact that although the perspectives of the three characters differ, each monologue does tie around the need of love from the next person.The tones of these monologues and even the grammer of each is different, but the main subject of the monlogues is love for one of the other two ladies. I also agree that Denver's thinking is the most unreasonable of the three monologues but you make a point that Denver is waiting for her father, but he has not shown up in 18 years. You are right when you say that he is probably dead and has stopped looking, and Denver is only waiting in vain. Sethe and Beloved got what they wanted, and that is eachother but Denver will never get to see her father.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@Brianna Miles
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on Denver's thoughts being reasonable, because she knew her mother killed one of her siblings and attempt to kill her and the others which made her feel very afraid of her mother.
The monologues given by Denver, Sethe and Beloved all have different meanings based on the message they are trying to portray. Denver is grappling with the actions of Sethe regarding Beloved’s death. She fears that one day these feelings will reoccur and Sethe will act towards her in the same manner as Beloved. On the other hand, Beloved, as crazy as it seems, longs to find Sethe in the midst of all that has transpired. During this monologue, her desire to connect with Sethe is so strong and you can hear the passion in her voice. Sethe defends her position of killing Beloved by suggesting she is a great mother. While this isn’t the best assumption, I commend Sethe for continuing with her life rather than waddling in her misery. They have a longing for something different.
ReplyDelete@gpeppers Thanks for going into detail about all three of there issues. You offer a really clear analysis of their monologues.
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 20-22, Sethe, Denver, and Beloved speak on Beloved’s death as well as, her current presence. There is a common storyline by each character. The perspectives are similar because all the ladies refer to the happenings in the shed as the backdrop of their history. The symbol of the shed was protectiveness. Sethe gives vivid details of what happened and exactly why she did what she did. She felt this was the only way to keep her children away from all harm. Her maternal instinct of security took over her mind and she became a hopeless, irrational individual for a moment in time. Denver’s outlook on the attempted killing of her siblings is similar. Denver agrees that her Mother had just about lost her mind when this took place. In chapter 21, Denver reveals how protective she is of Beloved. It seems as if Denver loves Beloved more than her own mother. Beloved’s history is exactly the same. She has come back to 124 to be with her mother; to protect her, love her, and never leave her side again.
ReplyDeleteThe characters perspectives differ in the sense of love. Sethe’s and Beloved’s love is different from Denver’s. Sethe’s decisions made her kids (excluding Beloved) not love her. Denver says she loves her mother externally but not internally. Denver is afraid to love her mother because she think her mom is still capable of killing her own child. Sethe, on the other hand, love her kids with all her heart. Beloved feels the same way about Sethe. The characters thoughts are reasonable because the standpoints are different. Denver is looking at things in the mind frame of a child, Sethe in an adult state of mind, and Beloved from the thoughts of a deceased individual
@ Danielle
ReplyDeleteI believe you are correct in your assumption that Beloved is selfish when it comes to Sethe. Beloved wishes for it to be only she and Sethe.
The characters perspectives differ in such that they all have different feelings when it comes to Sethe, and even Sethe feels different about herself from how Beloved and Denver feel about her. Sethe feels her job for her life was to protect her children from harms way and although people don’t agree with her killing them as a sense of protection Sethe feels that was her greatest trial, but also the ultimate form of protection she could do. Denver seems scared of Sethe because she fears for her own life if ever Sethe felt she needed to protect Denver in some way or form. Lastly, Beloved resents Sethe for what she did to her and so yearns for all her attention now. Denver and Beloved’s monologues are the most similar because they both show resentment toward Sethe for her actions, but Denver wants to go far from Sethe while deep down inside Beloved wants to be closer to her.
ReplyDelete@Karedonovan Oliver
ReplyDeleteI agree with you interpretation of these chapters. I really like how you tied the connection between the love the characters all have for the next character. It does seem that each character is yearning for the attention of the other.
In this chapter 20-22 beloved, Sethe and Denver all coming to terms that beloved is part of the family. But they all have different aspects of this new situation. Sethe begin to fill bad that she didn’t realize who beloved was in the begging so she tries to do the things that she didn’t get to with her daughters while they were growing up. Denver is trying to protect beloved from sethe Denver reveals that she has a certain fear of sethe that she might kill her children again. So she warns beloved to be aware of their mother. They have the same aspect because they are happy that beloved is back in there. And yes I do believe that there response is reasonable.
ReplyDelete@ Chelsea I agree with you 100% that they are not sure how to feel because of these mixed up emotions by everything that is going at 124.
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 20-22, the three major character- Sethe, Denver, and Beloved- express their love for each other and the return of Beloved. The audience learns the inner-most thoughts of each character. Sethe is happy becuase Beloved returned on her free will, which means she is forgiven. Denver is waiting around for the love of her father and Beloved's return makes her uneasy, because she feels that it is her job to protect Beloved from Sethe's wrath. Denver also mentioned that she does not sincerely love Sethe, she loves her because she is afraid of her because she killed Beloved. Beloved returned in order to seek Sethe's face, and she is grateful for the relationship they now have since Sethe has accepted the fact that Beloved is her daughter reincarnated. Each of the character's thoughts are reasonable, but although everyone claims happiness, living in a household where people all have different reasons of why to love, must be difficult.
ReplyDelete@ Tyler: I agree with everything, except about Sethe. I fill like Sethe is finally seeking ultimate happiness. She has been given another chance to be another because of the love she has for her daughter. She is forgiven and happy.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAll the Characters in Chapter 20-22 needs love from one another, but the feeling they express towards one another is different. Sethe feels that she have to protect her children from the world. She killed beloved and attempt to kill the rest of her children. She said she would have died if she didn't kill beloved. Beloved wants Sethe all to herself. Beloved talks about how much she loves Sethe. Denver fears Sethe because of the way she thinks about the protection of her children. Denver fears Sethe because she don’t know if Sethe going to try killing them again. Denver talks about how Beloved is her sister and that her love for beloved will help protect beloved from her mom. This how all them needed love in a way.
ReplyDelete@ Francois
ReplyDeleteI agree with your views of the characters mainly when you said Sethe thinks she is a good mother even though she killed one of her children.
I believe Sethe and Denver's monologues are similar in the sense they speak on the return of Beloved. Instead of them being unhappy or apprehensive about her return they accept it. They want a chance to love and care about Beloved because they were unable to the first time. I believe they want to show her that she is welcome there with them and she should always feel that way. Sethe I believe wants to make sure that Beloved understands why she did what she did and there are no hard feelings between them. Sethe just wants to love and care for her daughter like she has done with Denver. She also just wants to get a chance to bond with Beloved and be there for her. Denver is happy to have her sister back. She has always felt that Beloved was there with her even before she made her return. Denver also expresses some fear that she has for her mother because she does not understand why her mother did what she did. She is afraid that whatever the reason was that caused her mother to kill her sister may return and she would be the next victim. This is understandable especially since Denver is unaware of the situation. It is also evident that Denver would never let anything happen to her sister again. She is her sisters keeper. Beloved has forgiven her mother and is willing to start over with her. That is a courageous step for Beloved I believe.
ReplyDelete@ Tyler
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. They have all come to terms about Beloved's death, but they are now trying to make the best of her now. They do not want to dwell on the past, however, they are going in aware, speaking from Denver and Beloved's perspective. I believe they are going to finally become a healthy and happy family.
In chapter 20-22 of the novel alot is revealed and the puzzle pieces are now coming together and receiving the desired love from one another. Sethe is really loving the fact that she now has a happy family, but this also brings back memories of her own mother who was hung while Sethe was still a child. Sethe also realized that maybe being with Paul D was not the best of her interest. Denver is now very happy that her sister is here and people are finally socializing with them although she is a little jealous. It is very evident that Sethe only wants the best for her two remaining children and she wants to give Beloved the same care and love that she has given Denver.
ReplyDelete@ Clarice I agree with your opinion about Sethe wanting an equal love with both of her daughters. This shows that she is now overcoming the fact that she did kill her daughter.
ReplyDeleteEach character monologue is different but the meaning behide all is the same. They all want someone to be there with them when things get hard. Each individual want possess of Beloved. Sethe eplain Beloved was her daughter and Denvr explans Beloved was her sister. Sethe monologue explain her act she committed. She feels that she have to protect her children from the wrong things, even if it meant doing harm. Denver explains that she is afraid of Sethe. Denver believes Sethe will act like that again. Beloved monologue consist of imagery. The imagery explains that when Beloved needed Sethe, she wasn't there for her but instead harm Beloved.
ReplyDelete@Satercia I agree with you. I think more of the story is being revealed now. It helping each character love one another.
ReplyDeleteKelly Lockett
ReplyDeleteSethe, Beloved, and Denver all connect in the sense that all are expressing their love for each other. Sethe wants to fully understand that Beloved is her daughter. She begins to feel bad because se killed her own child, and she wants Beloved to understand why. Denver is happy and she loves the fact that beloved came into her life, but she mainly shows how much she loves her daddy and is awaiting his arrival. Beloved is basically obsessed with Seethed, and she never wants to lose her. They differ in how the love is expressed. Sethe in a way feels like her killing her children is justified because she thinks they would have died anyway. Denver has a fear towards her mother. Their perspectives are also similar because of the fact that they all have fears. Beloved’s fear of losing Sethe, Denver’s fear of Sethe, and Sethe fear for her children. I believe that the characters thoughts are reasonable because of there experiences in their lives.
@ Chelsea Dubose
ReplyDeleteI think that that is a very good statement. Denver and Beloved’s monologues are very similar but for those opposite reasons. Both involve their relationship with Sethe.
Denver and Beloved have similarities when they are compared to Sethe. Sethe, Denver, and Beloved all replay the history of their lives. It seems that the connection is based on love. Sethe expresses the love of a mother which relates to her love for Beloved. Denver sees the return as a form of protect other a little sister showing love for the character. I believe protection is also a main point. Because Sethe wants to protect them as well and keep them out of harm’s way. At the same time that’s the duty of a mother.
ReplyDeleteI think that in a way they all over lap because they all want something for the other. Or feel the same way. I think that Sethe is happy that Beloved is back because she get's a second chance with her. Also it's that forgiveness that she was looking for since she killed her and the reason that the house was haunted was because of Beloved's spirit. IN a way she's relieved that she finally got that second chance to make things right with her daughter. In Beloved's case she's just finally to get that love and attention she never got from a mother or a family period. Beloved just wants that comfort of having a mother around. Denver is extremely happy to have Beloved around because she needed that companionship and she wants that relationship with her sister. She's also very cautious because she's afraid of what might happen to her I think she fears that whatever made Sethe kill Beloved in the first place will return and make her want to kill them both.
ReplyDelete@MzBriana
ReplyDeleteI agree with you I think they are just willing to accept her being there and become the family that she's always wanted. Sethe just wants to rebuild that relationship with Beloved that she never got and Beloved wants the same from her.
Russhelle Montgomery: Week 9
ReplyDeleteI think the evidences of love and hate are really strong in the monologues. That is the one similar chareacteristic I noticed. Denver with all intents and purposes loves her mom and will do anything for her, but she hates what her mom did and she fears that it could happen again. She hates that her mom ran everyone away, and at times I wonder if Denver is aware of the ambivalent feelings she feels.
Beloved LOVES her mom from a place so deep that it does nothing but cross the line of hate. All the way from when she tried to strangle her in the woods. And she wants to possess her to a point of being her. "I am Beloved and she is mine. I see her take flowers away from leaves she puts them in a round basket the leaves are not for her she fills the basket she opens the grass I would help her but the clouds are in the way how can I say things that are pictures I am not separate from her there is no place where I stop her face is my own and I want to be there in the place where her face is and to be looking at it too a hot thing" Chapter 22. The clouds in this quote just are very omnious and full of dislike to me.
As for Sethe we already saw that she loved her children so much that she would do an act that others would deem unforgivable. In other words, just that hateful. But she's hard on herself for not seeing Beloved before, because Paul D distracted her. She thinks that Beloved has come back out of love and she never notcies the hate.
Their perspectives differ in that Sethe is out for Denver and Beloved both of her children. Denver is out for Beloved and while she make think her mom too I believe she would just take Beloved if she could. And Beloved is just out for Beloved and Sethe.
I don't think anyone rationale at this point is reasonable. It is not ok for Sethe to be this into her dead daughter reincarnated, especially when she was killed so violently and to think that this will end good is just naive. It is not reasonable for any of Beloved thoughts, nor Denver
@ Alexa P
ReplyDeleteI love your use of the quotes in the story to back up your rationale. One of the first ones is when Sethe said she doesn't have to explain a thing. I think that was good to point out because Sethe should have wondered just a little bit why didn't she have to explain. Forgiveness isn't so easily given as we see with her and Paul D and with the town folks and her.
Errol O. Williams Jr.
ReplyDeleteThey all three have one thing in common, and that one thing is love. Sethe has realized that Beloved is her daughter and she loves her, but Beloved does not agree with the way Sethe’s way of thinking. Denver has said that she will protect her sister Beloved from her mother Sethe. She is also scared that the mother will kill one of them again. All of them has a certain amount of love for one another.
@Shanae
ReplyDeleteI truly feel the same way you do. Sethe is trying to protect them in throughout the course of the story.
In chapters 20-22, we see that the main thing Sethe, Denver and Beloved want is to be loved. Sethe finally realizes that Beloved is her daughter, so now she has a chance to love Beloved the right way. Sethe starts to go back and think about her mom trying to escape without taking her. Sethe really wants to be the mom she never had to her daughters. Denver is infatuated with Beloved. She wants to do everything she can to protect and love Beloved. She especially wants to protect her from Sehte, because she feels like she tried to kill them once, she might do it again. Beloved is just happy to be around her mother and sister. She wants to keep the love around and will do anything so that it doesn't go away. Its like a big circle between the three, the are all trying to love and protect one another.
ReplyDelete@Tranelle
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Beloved's return was a symbol of new life for Sethe and Denver. This was a chance for Sethe to be a real mother, loving and caring for her children. Denver was happy because she wasn't alone anymore, and finally had somebody by her side. Her returning changed their life as a whole.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAll three of them have come to terms with the fact that the woman who has come to live with them is Beloved. All of the stories are the same because they all remember when Baby and the others painted the stairs white so Beloved could crawl upon them, the blood upon Sethe after she had murdered Beloved, the ghost in the house before Paul D scared it away, and the earrings Beloved was so fond of as a child. However each of them had their own memories within the same thought. For instance Sethe remembers how she was held down and had her milk stolen from her, or how Amy helped her give birth, or how she would take her to the grape arbor. Denver remembers how she sucked on Sethe’s bloody nipples for the milk, and never giving up hope that her father would come back. She also continuously tried to keep Beloved safe from the thing inside Sethe that caused her to kill her own children. Denver believed she had to protect her at all costs and to love her more than anything so she would feel loved and stay. Every thought is different but the memories all lead to Beloved’s return. Yes I do believe these characters thoughts are reasonable because to get to this happy point in all of their lives they each had to suffer through their own specific hardships, which in case entitles them to their thoughts.
ReplyDelete@ Alexa P
ReplyDeleteI do agreem that this is a chance for them to have a new life because their family is now reunited.
Sarion Granger: Week 9
ReplyDeleteSethe,Denver,and Beloved are each given a chance to express their views on their past, present, and future in a monologue. Sethe and Denver both have come to terms with Beloved becoming apart of the family but they have different aspects of the new situation. For Sethe, her daughter's return is a sign of forgiveness. Sethe can finally be forgiven for what she did to her children and she can be free from the guilt of her past. Sethe was distracted by Paul D so she was blind to the fact that Beloved was her child. Once he was out of the picture, Sethe was able to show all of her attention to Beloved. On the other hand, Denver believes that Beloved was sent to her to be her companion. Denver had been alone for so long that she would have given anything to make sure that Beloved stayed. She thought Beloved was there to comfort her, protect her, and entertain her. I think that Denver's thoughts are the least reasonable because Beloved came back only for Sethe without Denver in mind.
@tcarter........I agree with everything you said. Denver felt that she had to protect Beloved.
ReplyDeleteErica Gbekle: Week 9
ReplyDeleteThe characters in the story handle their past history differently. Some of the characters dwell over the past and some of them are trying to move on. They are all coming into to terms with their past, because all their past history overlapping with each others they all are handling it differently. Sethe is trying to come to terms with everything that has happened to her by remembering the past and trying to move. Denver tries to forget the past and doesn’t want to think about it, and Beloved dwells over the past and tries to hold on to it. Each the of characters thoughts are reasonable, each of them deal with their past differently.
Sethe, Beloved, and Denver’s thought are all reasonable but in different ways. Both daughters love their mother dearly but question the way that she portrays her love. Denver adores her mother, but loves her with restrictions because she does not want to get to close because she fears that her mother could potentially do the same thing she did to her that she did to her other children; she also has a ridiculous imagination because for some reason she thinks that her father is going to miraculously show up after this many years. Beloved came back because she needed a feeling of being complete. Coming back to the Sethe was her returning to the face that once left her. Beloved loved her mother and was selfish; she never wanted anyone else to be able to spend time with her. Sethe loved her daughters dearly and would do anything to protect them. She claimed that she was protecting her children when she killed them because she did want then to endure the things she had encountered in her life.
ReplyDelete@Francois I agree with you when you stated that Denver feared her mother’s logic because she could not fathom how a mother could kill her own children. I disagree with you when you said that Beloved and Denver are on the same page because Beloved is infatuated with her mother and Denver has this weird obsession with the hopes of her father returning.
ReplyDeleteDenver and Beloved loved Setha but it was shown in different ways setha is proud that Beloved is back she thinks this is her second chance with her. she feels a sence of guilt about killing her daughter so she want to protect her in any way now. setha denver as well. denver is happy that beloved is there. beloved want to keep setha to her self. all of them show are similar in love but differ in their way of showing it.
ReplyDelete@krissynoelle i agree because setha does think that this is her second chance with beloved. she also believes that she has to protect her. so i totally agree with your responce.
ReplyDeleteNicole Oseni: Week 9
ReplyDeleteEach character has a different perspective in how they feel towards one another. Sethe feels a sense of urgency and strength in protecting her children from the cruel world she lived in, which justifies her killing Beloved. Denver wants to be with Beloved and wants her father to return. It doesn’t seem as though she even cares if Sethe is around because she feels she must protect Beloved from Sethe. Beloved’s monologue is the most interesting and revealing of all. She seems to want to have Sethe all to herself (examples from earlier in the novel also suggest this fact). All three monologues represent the theme of needing and seeking love. I think the monologues are all reasonable only because they are clearly how each character is feeling. They are all entitled to their own thoughts and opinions. However, I feel that Denver may be living in a false reality in hopes that her father will return.
@gpeppers I think you made very good connections. Especially your point that, “Beloved wouldn't have been able to immediately recognize Sethe's face if it wasn't for the connection she had with her through their mother-daughter relationship.” I also like your reasoning of how the three characters perceived Beloved’s return.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKaci Foster: Week 9
ReplyDeleteIn many ways, each character's monologues are quite different. Sethe talks about the need she felt to kill her children out of love before they were killed out of hate. Denver then comes speaking of a fear of Sethe and a need to protect Beloved. Finally, Beloved discusses "the woman" whose face she has lost and how she found that "face" when she found Sethe. However, in their immense differences, there is a bit of similarity. Each character wants to justify her actions -- Sethe justifies killing her children, Denver justifies how she has treated her family, Beloved justifies her even coming to 124 and why she felt the need to come. Each character has felt a sense of hurt, but they all want to justify their feelings by saying that they were trying to protect either themselves or others. Each of their thoughts are reasonable, because it is normal for people to justify their actions, especially in situations which are not very cut-and-dry to begin with.
@gpeppers I also agree with your interpretations of each character. The fact that they each had love in common was a good point, but also that Denver was hoping for a return from her father and that Beloved saw "the face" in Sethe. The connections that you drew were very good.
ReplyDeleteIn this latest reading, we see really see the characters evolve and become more accepting to their circumstances. Sethe, primarily, is really starting to find her true happiness in having a family and starts to reminisce on the great memories she’s had as a child. She also is coming to grips with her relationship with Paul D. Sethe ultimately sees that Paul D is not the best suitor for her. The rest of the family is content now that the two sisters are united; Denver is especially happy about this. Sethe is realizing just how to give love to both Beloved and Denver equally.
ReplyDelete@gpeppers I agree with you in that they all are expressing their love in different ways. I also agree with you and your point on Sethe's inner battle to come to grips with what she has done in the past.
ReplyDeleteBeloved's return symbolizes something different for all three of the women but there is also a major similarity that links the three monologues together. A love and want for something lost is the reoccurring theme in the women's stories. For Sethe, her story is about the regret and sorrow she feels for murdering her daughter. In her eyes, Beloved returning to 124 is a sign that she has been forgiven. Sethe is beyond grateful to have her daughter back in her arms. For Denver, she had always longed for a friend and sister and had been a lonely child since her brothers had left. Beloved returning to 124 was a joyous occasion for her because she now had someone to give her love and affection to even though Beloved was fixated with Sethe. The road to 124 was a long and lonely one for Beloved. She said she spent her life in a dark place searching for Sethe's face. The reunion between Sethe and Beloved is a happy one but Denver feels as if it is her job to protect Beloved from her mother because she knows that Sethe is capable of killing her again. This is a reasonable thought. Denver feels that is she did it once she can do it again.
ReplyDelete