Quote
" said one of the professors who requested tha his name not be mentioneed in connection with the case," (366).
Significance
I chose this quote because it made me wonder "why?" Why does he not want to be named? For fear of being hated? By whom? Is he scared that all black people are like Bigger and will murder when angered? Does this make racism self-fulfilling or just forcefuly filled? Is it filled on it's own without thought, or is is filled by people shoving everyone into stereotypes?
Question
On page 373, Buckley says "I'm very sorry Your Honor, I was laboring under too much emotion. I merely wanted to impress the Court with the urgency of this situation". Is this a connection to Bigger made by Wright? A connection of how Bigger acts when he has too much emotion? Or is it not because Buckley can express himself, unlike Bigger?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Native Son to p.363
Quote
"[Bigger] paused again, wondering about the man [Max] who had just left, amazed at how friendly he acted. for a fleeting moment, while the man had been in his cell, he had not felt apprehensive, cornered. The man had acted straight, matter-of-fact. It was something he could not understand" (341).
Significance
I chose this because it represents Bigger's main problem. Bigger cannot understand how a white person does not have to be part of this 'great force' he is used to. He is so used to be hated by every white person he sees, it doesn't make sense how some white people he meets are not like that. This quote could also be taken a different way. The reader could also see it as 'he cannot accept what he is seeing because if he does, he will be forced to face the wrong he has done."
Question
Will Max help Bigger to break this misunderstanding of white people as an 'unstoppable force'?
"[Bigger] paused again, wondering about the man [Max] who had just left, amazed at how friendly he acted. for a fleeting moment, while the man had been in his cell, he had not felt apprehensive, cornered. The man had acted straight, matter-of-fact. It was something he could not understand" (341).
Significance
I chose this because it represents Bigger's main problem. Bigger cannot understand how a white person does not have to be part of this 'great force' he is used to. He is so used to be hated by every white person he sees, it doesn't make sense how some white people he meets are not like that. This quote could also be taken a different way. The reader could also see it as 'he cannot accept what he is seeing because if he does, he will be forced to face the wrong he has done."
Question
Will Max help Bigger to break this misunderstanding of white people as an 'unstoppable force'?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Native Son to p.270
Quote
"He [Bigger] felt his right hand with his left; but even that did not tell him anything. his right hand was so cold that all he felt was one cold piece of flesh touching another" (261).
Significance
I chose this because I feel it represents an overall metaphor for this book [Flight]. This metaphor is that the snow causes him to lose all feeling. And by 'snow' I mean 'white people'. Bigger no longer feels the most basic emotions like guilt, regret, and loyalty. The white world is numbing his ability to feel and to sense. They force him into bad situtations, so he has no choice but to stop feelings, because it is either stop feeling, or face what a terrible situtaion he is really in.
Question
Which title will affect Bigger the most when he is given a trial (if one): 'Murderer', 'Rapist', or 'Negro'? Why?
"He [Bigger] felt his right hand with his left; but even that did not tell him anything. his right hand was so cold that all he felt was one cold piece of flesh touching another" (261).
Significance
I chose this because I feel it represents an overall metaphor for this book [Flight]. This metaphor is that the snow causes him to lose all feeling. And by 'snow' I mean 'white people'. Bigger no longer feels the most basic emotions like guilt, regret, and loyalty. The white world is numbing his ability to feel and to sense. They force him into bad situtations, so he has no choice but to stop feelings, because it is either stop feeling, or face what a terrible situtaion he is really in.
Question
Which title will affect Bigger the most when he is given a trial (if one): 'Murderer', 'Rapist', or 'Negro'? Why?
Friday, April 3, 2009
Native Son to p.209
Quote
"The big white cat bounded down the steps and leaped woth one movemment upon Bigger's shoulder and sat perched there. Bigger was still, feeling that the cath had given him away, had pointed him out as the murderer of Mary" (202).
Significance
I chose this because I think this cat might be Bigger's down fall. The cat was the only one to see him actually kill Mary. While the cat cannot talk, seeing how Bigger reacted to the cat just sitting on him, I think that just the fear of the cat might betray him. How exactly, I do not know. But authors do not do thing on accident; it was no coincidence that the cat was there when Bigger shoved Mary into the furnace.
Question
When the cat hopped on Bigger's shoulder, did it really betray him? Will he try and rid the cat so he will not be found out?
"The big white cat bounded down the steps and leaped woth one movemment upon Bigger's shoulder and sat perched there. Bigger was still, feeling that the cath had given him away, had pointed him out as the murderer of Mary" (202).
Significance
I chose this because I think this cat might be Bigger's down fall. The cat was the only one to see him actually kill Mary. While the cat cannot talk, seeing how Bigger reacted to the cat just sitting on him, I think that just the fear of the cat might betray him. How exactly, I do not know. But authors do not do thing on accident; it was no coincidence that the cat was there when Bigger shoved Mary into the furnace.
Question
When the cat hopped on Bigger's shoulder, did it really betray him? Will he try and rid the cat so he will not be found out?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Native Son to p.186
Quote
"Bigger felt guilty;...Yet he knew of no way to atone for his guilt; he felt he had to act as he was acting"(171).
Significance
I chose this because this is a clear foreshadowing. Here, Bigger finally feels remorse for not only what he did but what he is continuing. He knows that Jan was completely innocent, all he tried to do was to be kind to Bigger. Bigger doesn't want to get Jan in trouble, but he needs to save his own skin. And in order to do that, he must make Jan out to be the murder. But the guilt is finally hitting him.
Question
Will this be the last episode of guilt Bigger experiences or will it become too much to bear?
"Bigger felt guilty;...Yet he knew of no way to atone for his guilt; he felt he had to act as he was acting"(171).
Significance
I chose this because this is a clear foreshadowing. Here, Bigger finally feels remorse for not only what he did but what he is continuing. He knows that Jan was completely innocent, all he tried to do was to be kind to Bigger. Bigger doesn't want to get Jan in trouble, but he needs to save his own skin. And in order to do that, he must make Jan out to be the murder. But the guilt is finally hitting him.
Question
Will this be the last episode of guilt Bigger experiences or will it become too much to bear?
Native Son p.163
Quote
"He[Bigger] was moving away from the threatening penalty of death, from the deathlike times that brought him that tightness and hotness in his chest; and he was moving toward that sense of fullness he had so often but inadequately felt in magazines and movies"(149-150).
Significance
This clearly marks where Bigger was coming from and where he is going. He was a very timid and frightened black man in a white world. But now, since he had killed Mary, he felt right. He felt like he has a purpose and that he has power.
Question
Will Bigger do something stupid and get caught?
"He[Bigger] was moving away from the threatening penalty of death, from the deathlike times that brought him that tightness and hotness in his chest; and he was moving toward that sense of fullness he had so often but inadequately felt in magazines and movies"(149-150).
Significance
This clearly marks where Bigger was coming from and where he is going. He was a very timid and frightened black man in a white world. But now, since he had killed Mary, he felt right. He felt like he has a purpose and that he has power.
Question
Will Bigger do something stupid and get caught?
Native Son to p.140
Quote
"It was the first time he had ever been in their[Jack,Gus,G.H.] presence with feeling fearful. He was following a strange path into a strange land and his nerves were hungry to see where it led" (113).
Significance
This is a significant passage because this is a starting point for Bigger's change. Here, he does not feel scared in front of his friends because he knows he did something hey could never do. He broke a taboo, he killed a white woman.
Question
Will this success of killing a white woman and getting away with it(so far) go to his head?
"It was the first time he had ever been in their[Jack,Gus,G.H.] presence with feeling fearful. He was following a strange path into a strange land and his nerves were hungry to see where it led" (113).
Significance
This is a significant passage because this is a starting point for Bigger's change. Here, he does not feel scared in front of his friends because he knows he did something hey could never do. He broke a taboo, he killed a white woman.
Question
Will this success of killing a white woman and getting away with it(so far) go to his head?
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