December 20

After Reading Part I of Beloved

What affect has reading this first half of the novel (based on the real life story of Margaret Garner) had on your interpretation of history? Be thorough and thoughtful in your response.

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Posted December 20, 2012 by tashak38 in category Uncategorized

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98 thoughts on “After Reading Part I of Beloved

  1. jennifer

    Jennifer
    Ms.Keeble
    period2

    The first slaves were the slaves that remembered their freedom. Afterwards their children were born into slavery and that was all they knew. They even came to love their masters because of the supposed kindness their masters showed them. They were brain washed to think that they were worthless and suboordinate to their masters. When discussing slavery a question always arises; why did they not rebel? It is because of the mental mutilation they suffered why they could not form a revolution.

    Reply
  2. Angela Reid

    Angela Reid
    Period. 1
    Ms. keeble

    After reading the first part of Beloved I was really upset about the slavery part. I didn’t notice how hard it really was back then for slaves. I mean killing your own son/daughter must of been really cruel. I know I couldn’t of done that. I really did like the part where runaway slaves helped each other out! This helped me understand more about runaway slaves.

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  3. Andrea O

    Andrea O.
    AP English
    Per.2
    After reading the first part of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” , my perspective on slavery and the history I have been taught has slightly changed . When we were first taught about slavery our teacher breezed through it and gave us facts such as the way the slaves were brought but never truly went into depth about the emotional aspect of it. When I first began to read “Beloved” I was shocked to learn about the way in which the author conveyed her ideas. Throughout the story I was confused when the story switched perspectives but the ideas were still clear. As I read I came to understand what freedom meant to those who were once slaves and how they viewed life when they were slaves. I had been taught about the inhumane ways slaves were treated but I had always thought that the slaves actually accepted that faith and believed that they were not as good as the whites. In the end, when all the events and flashbacks were connected I was able to better understand how hard the lives of slaves were and to see to which extent their mentalities were affected.All in all , after reading Morrison’s book I have gained a better undestanding of slavery and the lives slaves had even after they were free.

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  4. Andrea O

    Andrea O.
    AP English
    Per.2
    After reading the first part of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” , my perspective on slavery and the history I have been taught has slightly changed . When we were first taught about slavery our teacher breezed through it and gave us facts such as the way the slaves were brought but never truly went into depth about the emotional aspect of it. When I first began to read “Beloved” I was shocked to learn about the way in which the author conveyed her ideas. Throughout the story I was confused when the story switched perspectives but the ideas were still clear. As I read I came to understand what freedom meant to those who were once slaves and how they viewed life when they were slaves. I had been taught about the inhumane ways slaves were treated but I had always thought that the slaves actually accepted that faith and believed that they were not as good as the whites. In the end, when all the events and flashbacks were connected I was able to better understand how hard the lives of slaves were and to see to which extent their mentalities were affected.All in all , Morrison’s book I have gained a better undestanding of slavery and the lives slaves had even after they were free.

    Reply
  5. Angelica G

    Angelica G.
    Period 1
    After reading the first part of Toni Morison’s novel my point of view on history was more touching. Yes in the past years of school we have learned about slavery, and all the cruel, inhumane treatment the slaves received, but it was never as touching as in Beloved. The fact that the novel is based on a true story is so painful it makes me realize, and better understand how horribly the poor people were treated. My mind is devastated with all the wounds and lifelong scars the people had to suffer during this time. Even though slavery was eventually abolished, the scars the suffering people had to live with remained with them for an eternity. It is obvious that no one can beat the pain they endured nor the treatment the slaves dealt with on a daily basis. My view is now clearer, but still remains offended by the way the suffering humans were treated by the heartless “superior” people.

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  6. Maria Fajardo

    Maria F.
    Period 2
    1-7-12

    After reading part one of “Beloved” made me more informed on slavery. This book gave such detail in how that time period was. It gave a different perspective and allowed me to visualize what was going on as i read. The whole part one was just sad. I felt very bad for those who went through such thing.

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  7. Destiny Bets

    After reading “Beloved” I still felt the same way as I did before. Something that had shocked me was how Sethe killed her baby so she wouldn’t grow up into slavery. Although I’m anti-abortion, I feel like Sethe did the right thing even though it seems wrong. Morrison made me feel even more sympathy when she described th eincident with Sethe killing her baby. I feel that the novel “Beloved” gave me a different perspective from what we are forced to think in history how it was just a “bad thing,” but Morrison helped me understand that it wasn’t just a “bad” thing, it was cruel an duncalled for hands down.

    Reply
  8. Jessica A

    Jessica A.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP Lang. & Composition, Per. 5
    7 January 2013

    Part one of “Beloved” didn’t change my understanding of slavery, instead, it illustrated a detailed account of what those who endured it felt. I was clueless that individuals killed their family members to help them escape slavery. It’s an eye-opening read, and it really puts you into the shoes of the blacks. The book is composed of the real feelings that Sethe was feeling, and in this way, the reader feels connected emotionally. I know I for sure felt emotionally connected, especially considering what Sethe must’ve felt as she killed her own daughter. Though I do understand why she would commit such an atrocity. The book drew out history in a way that didn’t just scratch the surface, but instead went far beneath it.

    Reply
  9. Harrison Nguyen

    Harrison Nguyen
    APENG 5th period
    Ms. Keeble
    After reading Part One of “Beloved” by Toni Morrison’s, I got more knowledge of the slave era and what they went through. I have never really read anything longer than 1-2 pages about slaves so after reading part 1 o this book I was more informed. I also got a better view of the emotional pain they went through.

    Reply
  10. Phuong-My N.

    Phuong-My N.
    Keeble
    AP English, Per. 2
    6 January 2012

    After reading part one of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”, a novel based on the real life story of Margaret Garner, it showed me a different perspective of slavery. In school, we learn about what the majority of slaves had to go through and it just didn’t get personal. In this novel, we are reading about a mother who endured many hardships in her life such as being whipped, raped, beaten, and escaping slavery. The mother, who goes by Sethe, tries to kill her children just so they would not even have to go through what she did and suffer. This shows you how harsh and inhumane slavery was; for a mother to kill her own, so they would not have to live and deal with the thought of being someone’s property. It made me feel a sense of pathos, and realize how lucky we are to have freedom now. Reading part one of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” has increased my awareness and knowledge on African American slavery.

    Reply
  11. Brittany-Ann D.

    Brittany-Ann V. Dela Cruz
    Keeble
    AP English
    6 January 2012

    I never experienced the tormenting pain of an enslaved mother until after part 1 of Beloved by Toni Morrison. Here is where my interpretation of history changed and I finally understood the true meaning of the “peculiar institution of slavery.” I used to believe slavery was a demanding White man ordering Negros to do task, but as Margaret Garner, whom the novel is based upon, relived her past; my interpretation changed extremely. It broke me down and I learned slavery was way worse. I cannot believe that the society in which we lived in accepted the fact that it was okay for a mother to kill their own baby just so it would not suffer the aches of slavery. I cannot understand why society made it unbearable for a mother to not want to remember their own son’s or daughter’s features because they knew at birth they would be separated. I cannot continue reading Garner’s life story without crying.

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  12. Haley R.

    Haley Rosano
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11 per. 2
    6 January 2012

    Reading the first section of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” opened my eyes about slavery. I feel as if I got passed the surface of slavery and went deeper than I have in any history class. My heart went out to all of the people in this novel because I learned what slavery was really about and the truth behind the things that went on. There were many sacrifices that slaves had to make to better the futures of their children such as Sethe killing her daughter so she would not have to live the life of slavery. Sethe did not want her daughter to endure the torture and emotional exhaustion that she lived daily. I believe the deeper reality to slavery was never taught to us besides the torture and cruelty, because of all the emotion behind it; I started to feel the emotions of the characters in this novel; it was moving as well as touching. My heart goes out to all of the families as well as souls that had to endure the life of slavery. There really is more to it than what you read in your history text books.

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  13. Merritt Walker

    Merritt Walker
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English
    06 January 2013

    After reading Part One of “Beloved” my opinion on slavery did not change, but I got to see how slavery really affected a family. In the book Sethe tells Paul D about the men trying to take her back to Sweet Home. It was so terrible at Sweet Home that she slit her own daughter’s throat so she and her children wouldn’t have to go back there. To her going back wasn’t worth living. She did not want her kids to go through the pain that she had to go through. When I read this I knew how emotional this must have been for her. I understood her pain and even though it was a horrible thing that she did, I understood why she did it. Her situation made me think about all of the sacrifices that African Americans, slaves or freedmen had to make to survive in this society. In the past I have read and heard things about slavery, but it was mainly fact and I never really got an emotional connection. After reading Part One of “Beloved” I found that I could connect with Sethe, but my opinion on slavery did not change.

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  14. Caitlin H.

    Caitlin Huie
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English Per 2
    6 January 2013

    Before reading “Beloved”, I didn’t really have a significant emotional appeal to slavery. I only thought slavery was a horrific event in our country’s history. I considered the physical pain when thinking about the hurt slaves went through. However, after reading “Beloved” I understand the emotional pain slaves had to go through also. They did the unthinkable because of slavery. Sethe killed her daughter so that she wouldn’t go through the torture of slavery. When I read this, my heart broke knowing that killing her loved one was for the best. Slaves went through much grief during their enslavement and because of this book, I finally have some kind of an idea on their emotional, distraught lives.

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  15. Abraham N.

    Abraham N.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11
    Period 5
    6 January 2013

    After reading the first part of the book, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, I have changed my views on how slavery occurred back then because before reading the first part of “Beloved”, I knew to an extent how bad the slaves lives were, mainly because of past history classes that I learned about slaves, but the things I learned about sounded one sided as in the European point of view, but I never knew how bad it was and the sacrifice the slaves had to endure. The thing that made me change my views on slavery was when Margaret Garner actually killed her own child because she didn’t want the child to go back into slavery after being caught in a free state as a slave. The reason she was returned was because of the Fugitive Slave Act, which I learned about in my history class when we read the book, “A People’s History of the United States”, by Howard Zinn. After reading part one, I have expanded my thought of slavery from just the things I read from a book, to now real-life slavery situations.

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  16. Arileni N

    Arileni N.
    Keeble
    AP Eng 11, Per.5
    Jan 6, 2013

    After reading the first part of “Beloved” it has changed my perspective of slavery and what I thought it was. I always knew that slavery was cruel,the slaves got separated from families, they got beaten, sold, because that’s what I been thought by my english and history teachers. But I never knew to what extend it actually got to. It made me feel their pain as if I was there with them, and how it affected them emotionally .

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  17. Adiam H

    Adiam Habtay
    Ms.Keeble
    AP English 11
    Period 5

    After reading part one of “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, I had a deeper understanding of peculiar institution of slavery. Sethe displayed the mental affliction enslaved people may get.Growing up I learned what slavery was,and knew it was a horrible thing. But reading “Beloved” quenched my thirst,by having insight of an ex-slave first hand. An abundance amount of bittersweet excitement came across my body, whenever Sethe told stories from he pass. The plantation she worked at “Sweet Home” brought back unpleasant memories,and followed her to Ohio.After reading that Sethe killed her own baby, because she did not want her own child to suffer being a slave. An anger of rage rushed throw my soul. Tears rushed down my cheeks.And thoughts scattered through my mind. No I was not upset at Sethe. But the white people who destroyed slaves lives. Sethe was not the murder,but white people were. Slaves lived such a dreadful life,that they felt obligated to protect their love ones. When ever I hear about slavery,my heart immediately fills with sorrow,because I get informed of unpleasant stories like the death of Sethe baby. Later in the novel Sethe stated, she would not kick Beloved out, because the KKK is infected in black territory desperately thirsty for black blood. It had me wondering why cant white people leave black people at peace. I never and want to receive an reasonable answer, on why white people hated black so much.

    Reply
  18. Caleb M.

    Caleb M.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English, Per. 5
    6 January 2012

    After reading Part One of “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, I have gained a better understanding of the psychological effects that slavery had on African Americans. I now understand that even after slaves were “free”, they were still enslaved by experiences that haunted them. In one of my favorite scenes, morality is questioned when Sethe has to make the ultimatum on whether to kill her daughter or allow her to be raised as a slave. At first, I immediately believed that the daughter should live because it would be the moral thing to do. However, I soon realized that Sethe was only trying to protect her daughter from the life full of misery and suffering that she had to endure as an adolescent, so in some ways, I believe Sethe’s decision was the virtuous action to take. Even though many aspects of the story were fictional, I still think it was an insightful narrative on the effects of the peculiar institution on former slaves in the 1800s.

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  19. Yarelli Lopez

    Yarelli Lopez
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English Language & Composition
    6 January 2013

    I always knew that slavery was never something nice but rather something miserable and sorrowful. Recently, after reading, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, I got a better view of what slavery meant to the enslaved people. It meant death and hell while still being alive. They lived in a haunted world that offered very little happiness or sometimes none at all. It saddens me how harsh life is for certain people. Sethe is one example, and she was one of the many that suffered from slavery; therefore she killed her own daughter so she wouldn’t live, what she had gone through. Unfortunately, the crowd only sees what it wants to see and never sees what must be done. In other words, many worldwide problems still exist today but some are not given much attention. For instance, slavery went on for a long time before it could be stopped and it took many lives during its path, just as in this novel is recorded.

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  20. Kiala A.

    Kiala Aranas
    Keeble
    AP English 11, 5th

    While reading the first part of Beloved by Toni Morrison, the past history lessons of slavery that now seem so atrociously redundant compared to the novel, hadn’t done the peculiar institution of slavery in the United States any justice. The constant past and present tense transitions directly connected to the effect they had on Sethe, which helps me to put the smallest aspects of slavery into direct perspective.
    Since slavery is such an immensely sensitive subject to come upon, the simplicity that history classes dress slavery in is appalling. It makes me question how many other events in history have been watered down in the name of progression.

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  21. Trhas B

    Trhas B.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English Language & Composition
    6 January 2013

    After reading part 1 of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” I feel as if I h ave gained more knowledge about slavery. Everytime I thought about slavery what always came to mind was physical abuse. Not only did they hurt slaves physically but also very much so, emotionally as well. Before I started reading the book I honestly did not think I was to enjoy it the way I did, I though I knew enough about it already. I was definitely wrong, and being that the book is fiction made me feel for her even more. I just want to hug her! I so cannot wait to finish this amazing book!

    Reply
  22. Elvia Lopez

    Elvia Lopez
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English
    7 January 2013

    After reading part one of the novel “Beloved”, my interpretation of slavery in history has changed a bit. I always saw slaver as something cruel towards the victims and it sure is. B reading the first part, it made me realize how inconsiderate people were back in history but it also gave me an emotional appeal towards the ones who were treated unjust. Something that stood out was that families would do anything just for the better of their children and to not make them suffer. I knew the basics of slaver and what had happened but I didn’t know the facts that made a huge impact in history. It is devastating to know the things being done to slaves et more devastating to go in debt with their emotions and feelings towards what the were put into. I am more fulfilled with information about the slave era and it hurts to know that man cruelty was happening back in history.

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