Paradise Essay, Research Paper
The Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Toni Morrison, is hailed as “the last classic American writer , a major figure of national literature , and simply the best writer in America.” “ Morrison is at her complex and commanding best in this mysterious tale, as she presents a unique perspective on American history and leaves her dazzled readers shaking their heads over all that is perpetually inexplicable between men and women, rich and poor the tyrannical and free spirited.” The statements above are merely personal opinions and have yet to be proven true. After reading Toni Morrison’s Paradise, I came to the conclusion that these remarks are over exaggerated. This is based on my opinion that Paradise is not the writings of a Nobel Prize award winner and should not be considered one of her best works. After all of the vivid descriptions of her work, I can say that I was fairly disappointed. Paradise was the first and the last of Toni Morrison’s novels that I will read. After doing research into others analysis’ of the novel, I realized that I was not alone in my judgment of Paradise.
“I find myself troubled by this novel and how difficult it is to follow. I don’t mind reading slowly, in fact, I have no objection to taking my time with anything; however, this is simply trying my patience. I wanted to keep going because I had invested so much of my time into reading the novel, but I find myself making excuses for not reading it. I wish Ms. Morrison had thought about the impact of making the reading so challenging and had eased up on us just a little bit. I am worn out from focusing on every word, but if I don’t, then from one sentence to the next, I lose sight of a character, and then I am lost too! I just hope I can hang on long enough to get to the finish line, where, I know I will have to start all over again!” I think this is the universal thought that goes through most minds after attempting to read Paradise.
I am not saying that the whole novel was awful because it was not. I thought the theme of the novel was incorporated well through out the novel. The problems were with the organization of the story line, and the development of the characters.
The opening sentences of Paradise were attention grabbers. “They shoot the white girl first. With the rest they can take there time. No need to hurry out here. They are seventeen miles between it and any other. Hiding places will be plentiful in the Convent, but there time and the day has just begun.” The opening chapter is basically the climax of the plot. That is, a group of former law abiding male citizens attacks a group of unarmed women. This is what makes the story line confusing. That is, the beginning of the novel is the ending. Now the opening scene was good; but, instead of continuing from there, the story skips to the abandonment of Haven and the founding of Ruby. The problem was Ms. Morrison choose to tell the story in flashbacks. The story kept going back and forth in time and in different characters point of views. This is how the story began to lose me.
Paradise focuses on the all black town rural town of Ruby and the families who reside there. There were nine original families who founded the town. They are the Morgan, Blackhorse, Poole, Fleetwood, Beauchamp, Flood, Cato, and the two DuPres families. The descendants of the nine original families create a version of paradise, hence the title of the book. The nine original families encouraged marrying among themselves to preserve the 8-rock blood. The 8-rocks were the pure blacks who did not have one drop of white blood. These were the families with the dominance in Ruby. The Morgan’s financed the founding of the town, owned the town bank and most of the land. Because of this, they felt they were the most influential and powerful people in town. The families were tight knit and did not react well to outsiders.
The other characters are the women of the Convent, a former Catholic foster outside of Ruby that has become a refuge for five women seeking an escape from the despair, abuse and emptiness of their lives. They are Consoleta (Connie), Mavis, Grace (Gigi), Seneca, and Pallas. I thought these characters were underdeveloped. As soon as the readers start to think that they can fully understand the characters and their struggles, the novel takes a turn and goes in a different direction.
Many of the characters in the book were mentioned and never talked about again so what was the point of putting them in there in the first place. I found the chapter on the families of Ruby confusing. How does the author expect the reader to follow along with all the members of the different families without a family tree? I thought this chapter could have been omitted because even though it provided background it left the reader puzzled and bewildered. You are trying to figure out who is who while still trying to keep up with the plot.
“Morrison in all her of her self-conscious effort, has written a tale so complex that and so multifaceted that it lacks a firm center. There is nothing for the average reader to hold on to. (English teachers love this sort of book it gives them something to talk about.) She foregrounds to many themes and places equal emphasis on all of them so that we, the readers, are left without a definite direction of what is going on. One can “get” a theme here and there but, I have yet to meet someone who understands the novel as whole.”
The themes that I found were intolerance, and prejudice. It is because of these two qualities in some of the characters that causes the outcome of the story. Intolerance was the major theme of the story. An example of the intolerance would be how the adults reacted to the youth’s idea of changing the words on the Oven, which was the town’s symbol, from “… the furrow of his brow” to “Be the furrow of his brow.” This was the motto on the symbol of the town and the elders were very protective it. They felt it was disrespectful to change a powerful meaning after all the years it has been there. This intolerance leads to the attack on the women at the Convent.
Another theme in the novel was prejudice. The people traveled from to Ruby to escape “the white man’s law.” They were trying to find their own secluded little world were they wouldn’t have to deal with the problems of the real world. Prejudice was one of their main reasons for their journey. There was discrimination by they dark-skinned blacks against the light skinned blacks. “ Look what the did to Menus, forcing him to give back or return his the woman he brought home to marry. Menus lost (or was forced to give up) the house he’s bought for her and hadn’t been sober since.” This was an example of how the towns’ narrow-mindedness affected the citizens. So, while the characters resented whites for discrimination, they behaved just like them.
The plot of Paradise was one that I found complex after I finally figured out what it was. The descendants, Deacon (Deek) Morgan, Steward Morgan, K.D. Morgan, Arnold Fleetwood, Jeff Fleetwood, Wisdom Poole, Sargeant Persons, Pious DuPres, and Harper Jury of the original families are finally feed up with the evil women of the convent. “The survivors of the original founders see their Paradise slipping away and blame the society of women at the Convent. In order to maintain their Paradise the men of Ruby agree to perform an evil attack on the women at the Convent, risking the wrath of God, (the furrow of his brow), in whose name they created their Paradise.”
I did not understand the last chapter of Paradise. I am still left with so many unanswered questions. Like, who was the white woman that the shot first? Who was killed and how to the rest of the women in the novel manages to escape unnoticed? When Connie left the basement if the Convent what ever happened to Pallas’s baby? Why does Mavis act as if nothing between her and her daughter when they reunite? As I recall her daughter was going attempt to kill her, or was that not one of the reasons Mavis ran away from her family.
After attempting to re-read the ending I came to the conclusion that the white woman could not have been Connie, Steward shot her. The woman was not Mavis, Gigi, Seneca, or Pallas, because the novel ended telling what happened to each woman after the massacre at the Convent. Because as I recollect none of the above were described as white women. Only Connie was depicted as being light-skinned. So, was the woman some one I missed out on while trying to figure out the rest of the cast of characters that were thrown at me.
After finally finishing the novel, Thank God, I felt as if I had no idea what I just read. May be this is because throughout the entire book I kept thinking am I almost finished In my opinion a good novel should not have to be read twice in order to achieve some sort of basic understanding. Paradise was puzzling, complex and to me a complete waste of time. The novel is quite difficult, but as we are told , everything worthwhile is. The fact that the novel is challenging and requires a lot of time, patience and energy is hardly the point . The question is “Is it worth the effort?.” My answer to that question is no.
317
Другие работы по теме:
Niels Hendrik David Bohr Essay Research Paper
Niels Hendrik David Bohr Niels Hendrik David Bohr was one of the foremost scientists of the 20th century. The Nobel prizewinning physicist was known for his development of the theory of atomic fission that led to the development of the atomic bomb. He was born on Oct. 7, 1885, in Copenhagen, Denmark. His father, Christian, was a professor at the University of Copenhagen and his brother, Harold, was a great mathematician.
Siddhartha Essay Research Paper Published in 1922
Siddhartha Essay, Research Paper Published in 1922, Siddhartha is the most famous and influential novel by Nobel prize-winning German author Hermann Hesse. Though set in India, the concerns of Siddhartha are universal, expressing Hesse’s general interest in the conflict between mind, body, and spirit.
The Pearl 2 Essay Research Paper IntroductionSteinbeck
The Pearl 2 Essay, Research Paper Introduction Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, in 1902. His first 3 books were financial failures, and he worked at various kinds of jobs to The book that I read is called the Pearl and the author is Steinbesurvive, including fruit picking. His first success was Tortilla Flat (1935), which was followed by In Dubious battle a number of shorter works, leading to his great masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath, which won the Pulitzer prize in 1940.
Harold Clayton Urey Essay Research Paper Jikesh
Harold Clayton Urey Essay, Research Paper Jikesh Patel 11/3/00 Block F Harold c. Urey Harold Clayton Urey was a scientist whose discovery of deuterium helped him win the Nobel Peace Prize for Chemistry in 1934. He also made fundamental contributions to the production of the atomic bomb through his development of the isotope separation processes for the Manhattan Project.
Enrico Fermi Essay Research Paper Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi Essay, Research Paper Enrico Fermi was one of the greatest minds ever and one of, if not the most, influential nuclear scientist s ever. His work on the atomic bomb and nuclear transformations would earn him the Nobel Prize and a reputation for brilliance his whole life. Fermi was truly one of the greatest minds of our time.
Enrico Fermi Essay Research Paper Enrico FermiBy
Enrico Fermi Essay, Research Paper Enrico Fermi By: Fernando-3-C ?Enrico Fermi was an Italian-American physicist and Nobel laureate, known for achieving the first controlled nuclear reaction (Encarta 98).?
Satan Essay Research Paper How does john
Satan Essay, Research Paper How does john Milton make Satan the most appealing and compelling character within the poem Paradise Lost. Offer your very own explanation for this ?fascination? with the devil. Can you parallel Handels? music Messiah with Miltons? poetry Paradise Lost? And, how might the music and poetry be aligned to the visual graphic art of Rembrandt?
Elie Wiesel Essay Research Paper Eliezer Wiesel
Elie Wiesel Essay, Research Paper Eliezer Wiesel was born in 1928, a native of Sighet, Transylvania (Romania) which is near the Ukrainian border; He grew up experiencing first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust, this started when at fifteen years old Wiesel and his family were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz.
The Night Essay Research Paper The Night
The Night Essay, Research Paper The Night by Elie Weisel is a non fiction auto-biography. His special qualification for writing this is that he lived through it. He has won the Nobel Peace Prize, and he has written Dawn, The Accident, and The Town Beyond the Wall. He won the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in improving the living conditions and promoting the understanding and acceptance of Jews around the world.
Frederick Banting Essay Research Paper Frederick BantingDiabetes
Frederick Banting Essay, Research Paper Frederick Banting Diabetes is a chronic disorder in which the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin. Insulin is an important hormone for the metabolism of sugar in the body. When the pancreas fails to provide the body with insulin, these sugar build up in the blood stream.
Paradise Lost 2 Essay Research Paper Paradise
Paradise Lost 2 Essay, Research Paper Paradise Lost Milton is widely considered to be one of the five greatest poets in the English language and Paradise Lost, a religious epic, is his greatest masterpiece. As stated in the beginning of the first book of Paradise Lost, Milton’s intention for writing his religious epic is, among some other things, to justify the ways of God to men.
Jane Addams Essay Research Paper Founder of
Jane Addams Essay, Research Paper Founder of Hull-House in Chicago, first president of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and co-winner of the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize, Jane Addams was a dedicated crusader for
William Faulkner Essay Research Paper In William
William Faulkner Essay, Research Paper In William Faulkner’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, he says, “He writes not of love but of lust, of defeats in which nobody loses anything of value, and victories without hope and worst of all, without pity or compassion.” William Faulkner is referring to “He” as the typical writer today.
Overview Of Political Parties In Northern Ireland
Essay, Research Paper SDLP The SDLP is the largest nationalist party in the North of Ireland, representing over 60% of the nationalist community. It was formed in 1970, by a number of MPs (Member of Parliament) and Senators who worked for social justice, equality and civil & political rights for all. SDLP s leader, John Hume was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with UUP s David Trimble in 1998 for their effort to bring peace to Ireland.
Alexander Pope And John Milton Essay Research
Paper Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man is an attempt to vindicate, as Milton had attempted to justify, the ways of God to man. Both attempt to explain God to man, but come up with different conclusions. Milton states that man can overcome God’s design through faith and decency. In contrast, Pope remarks that man must accept what life gives him without trying to change his fate.
John Milton Essay Research Paper John Milton 2
John Milton Essay, Research Paper John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” describes the fall of man in a poetic lyric. His book closely details the character God, Satan, and how Adam and Eve came do their downfall. God’s first human creation, Adam, was given all luscious gifts of paradise, including free will. The Tree Of Knowledge was Adam and Eve’s only forbiddance.
Alfred Nobel Essay Research Paper The inventor
Alfred Nobel Essay, Research Paper The inventor of dynamite was a very important roll to take part in. The ultimate inventor of it was a mane named Alfred Nobel. Before dynamite, miners had to use nitrogen to blow holes in rock and other things. However it is too volatile and can explode incredibly easily. Alfred changed all this.
Marie Curie Essay Research Paper Marie CurieMarie
Marie Curie Essay, Research Paper Marie Curie Marie Curie was born in Warsaw on November 7, 1867. She was actually born to the name Marja Sklodowska. When she was 24, she went to Paris where she changed her name to Marie and started school in Sorbonne. In 1893, she received her degree in physics. When she needed a lab to experiment in, a Professor Kovalski said that there might be space in the School of Physics and Chemistry.
Marie Curie Essay Research Paper Marie Curie
Marie Curie Essay, Research Paper Marie Curie is the most famous woman of physics. She has been recognized for her work with Nobel Prize awards in both physics (1903) and chemistry (1911). She got a late start with her education obtaining her license in physics in 1893 and the corresponding degree in mathematics in 1894.
Immigration Essay Research Paper What could be
Immigration Essay, Research Paper What could be more captivating than an oasis in a desert with green foliage, cool fresh water, and succulent fruits? An oasis is a paradise to a fatigued, dehydrated, and hungry person who must survive in the desert. The United States is the oasis, the paradise to immigrants who live in other countries in undesirable conditions.
Memories Essay Research Paper A Surfer
Memories Essay, Research Paper A Surfer’s Paradise. An Old Man’s Hell! Pubs and clubs, open till late. Music and lights on into the night. Drunken youths littering the streets! Tramps begging for ‘dosh’! That’s Newquay – the place I remember.
The Internet Vs The Library Essay Research
Paper The Internet vs. the Library Overall, when one compares the Internet vs. the Library, the Library is superior. This is because, though it takes a bit longer to use, the Library has a standard information research tool; the Dewey decimal system. This organized system makes finding books simple, and with the added assistance of a librarian, finding information can be easy.
Niels Bohr Essay Research Paper October 21
Niels Bohr Essay, Research Paper October 21, 1998 Niels Bohr Niels Bohr was born in Copenhagen, he is the son of a physiology professor, and went to school at the University of Copenhagen, this is where he got his doctorate in 1911.
William G Golding Essay Research Paper William
William G. Golding Essay, Research Paper William Gerald Golding was born in Cornwall in 1911. His family was progressive and it was the first source of influence for Golding’s talent. He studied physics and English literature at Marlboro and Oxford University of England. From the first years of his life, he faced the atrocities of war.
John Bardeen Essay Research Paper Bardeen John
John Bardeen Essay, Research Paper Bardeen, John 1908-91, American physicist; b. Madison, Wis. He was known for his studies of semiconductivity and other aspects of SOLID-STATE PHYSICS. The first
Theodore Roosevelt Essay Research Paper Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Essay, Research Paper Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most successful presidents in the United States history. He achieved many goals in life. Some of these goals were as follows: 1) He won the Spanish-American War; 2) He won the Nobel Peace Prize; 3) He was the youngest president in United States history.
Jack Kerouac Essay Research Paper The novel
Jack Kerouac Essay, Research Paper The novel On The Road written by Jack Kerouac is a book that can be read as a quest taken by Sal Paradise who sets out to test the American Dream by trying to pin down its promise of unlimited freedom by following the example of Dean Morairty. In the book ? the road? becomes a symbol of freedom or escape for Sal and his friends.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Essay Research Paper The
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Essay, Research Paper The measurement of nuclear and electron magnetic resonance on bulk materials was made possible by Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell and in 1952 they shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work. Until then, magnetic resonance was a measurable phenomena in which atoms were shot through a magnet as a beam.
Paradise Lost Essay Research Paper Paradise LostIn
Paradise Lost Essay, Research Paper Paradise Lost In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, we learn of Milton’s epic poem that deals with the entire story of man’s fall from grace, including background for Satan’s motives. In Book 1 of the poem, a brief introduction mentions the fall of Adam and Eve caused by the serpent, which was Satan, who led the angels in revolt against God and was cast into hell.
Carl Pauling Essay Research Paper Carl PaulingCarl
Carl Pauling Essay, Research Paper Carl Pauling Carl Pauling was born Feb. 28, 1901 in Portland Oreg. He has made major contributions in structural chemistry and molecular biology. Linus Pauling became interested in biological molecules, and he preformed magnetic studies on oxygen-carrying hemoglobin molecules with C.
Love Poems Essay Research Paper All That
Love Poems Essay, Research Paper All That You Are by Steven Duke Poem No. 41993 Everything that you are, Makes me wonder how it’s true, That I?ve found everything I have,
PARADISE LOST Essay Research Paper THE PURPOSE
PARADISE LOST Essay, Research Paper THE PURPOSE OF CLASSICAL TRAGEDY IS TO AROUSE PITY AND FEAR AND THUS TO PRODUSE IN THE AUDIENCE A CATHARSIS {PROPER PURGATION} OF THESE EMOTIONS THAT HE AS A SPECTATOR OWNS. THE AUDIENCE SENSE OF PITY TOWARDS THE HERO OCCURS BECAUSE THE HERO THROUGH HIS TRAGIC FLAW {HAMARTIA} BECOMES A TRAGIC BUT REMAINS A NOBLE FIGURE.
The Search For The Double Helix Essay
, Research Paper This is an excellent story autobiography, of a brilliant scientist, James Dewey Watson, who reveals the structure of DNA. But this book is not wholly about science. Far from it. It’s about a race, or game, for the one thing that separates scientists from great scientists, the Nobel Prize.