I want to focus on the quote that Morrison introduces in the first chapter of Part Two. In her rememory, Sethe comments on a time that Sixo redefines stealing, and how the whitepeople punished him for it: \u201cSchoolteacher beat him\u2026 to show him that definitions belong to the definers–not the defined\u201d (225). In the foreward, Toni Morrison notes that \u201cto render enslavement as a personal experience, language must get out of the way\u201d (xix). This feature of the use of definitions is really important, because the language we use to shape slavery is a language by and generally for whitepeople.<\/p>\n
I believe those two quotes combined point to the purpose of Morrison\u2019s novel inlaid with new words of her own creation. Morrison has made herself the definer to reclaim a narrative of slavery that has far too often been taken over by whitepeople. As a whiteperson, I have found myself often confused by the language and timelapse of Sethe\u2019s narrative, and I\u2019m finally beginning to understand how that disorientation is intentional. Whitepeople (specifically in the US) never had to adapt to learning new languages and understanding different cultures. This book forces whitereaders to challenge their expectations of literature and open themselves to a whole new form of narrative storytelling to empathize with the characters–who feel far realer than fiction–forced to exist in a world where words were used to oppress and define them without any regard for their humanity and experiences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I want to focus on the quote that Morrison introduces in the first chapter of Part Two. In her rememory, Sethe comments on a time…<\/p>\n