The Bobcat

Carefully stalking its prey, it hides in the shadows of the night waiting for an opportunity to strike. The Bobcat is an elusive creature, nocturnal and rarely spotted by humans. Bobcats are fierce hunters, and can kill prey much bigger than themselves. They are stealthy predators, delivering deathblows with a leaping pounce that can cover as much as 10 feet.

So why is this nimble beast portrayed as defeated in Song of Solomon? In my opinion, the bobcat symbolizes Black people. In the scene where the Bobcat is captured, "Omar sliced through the rope that bound the bobcat's feet" (281). Words like "rope" and "bound" indicate that the bobcat was tied down, or possibly chained- like the slaves. It's ironic that the feet, a bobcat's most essential tool, are being restricted. By doing so, they are left helpless, unable to exert their quiet pressure onto rabbits and mice. Slaves were constrained in every way possible, not being able to voice their opinions and in some cases, not even being able to move besides working. Even while Blacks are no longer slaves, the bobcat's restraint represents society's limitations of their freedom. As the bobcat is skinned and gutted, Guitar's words ring through Milkman's head. This intertwining of Guitar's sayings and the dissection of the bobcat portrays the violent nature of Guitar's thoughts and actions when it comes to the Seven Days. As they reach the heart of the bobcat, Milkman pulls it out of its body, possibly juxtaposing love and violence. As Milkman pulls the bobcat's heart out, he replaces his own heart, and starts to become sort of a romantic hero. The pulling of the heart is described "as easily as yolk slips out of its shell," drawing back to Pilate's discussion of an egg's perfection.

So maybe the bobcat is fierce, maybe it isn't. Toni Morrison evidently depicted it as quite hopeless, being captured and killed instantly. But maybe the point of this comparison is to show that although the bobcat is a ferocious predator, it has a heart too.

You Rock

Well, here we are again. I have absolutely no idea what to write about. Not many things we did in class are exactly what you would consider "relatable," so I guess it isn't a surprise. The last time I didn't have any ideas, I tried really hard to write about a significant issue and sound/seem intellectually apt, but it ended up bland and inconclusive. So this time, maybe if I START with something bland, it'll end up getting better towards the end. No promises though.

You might be wondering why exactly we have to read Song of Solomon. Whether it's the fact that theres symbolism every other line or the incest, not everyone thinks we're getting something out of reading this. I find myself asking this question the last few nights, whenever I opened up the book. But every time we talked about what we read in class, I was like wtf... How can so many small details all add up to a concrete underlying message? 

Are we supposed to be able to recognize all the details though? To be honest, I was analyzing things that weren't even meant to be analyzed. One day in class, we were discussing among ourselves the significance of Pilate being called a snake. We thought about how she could be reptilian, and started to wonder if eggs were mentioned because snakes lay eggs. Then someone said that the breaking of the egg shell is like a snake shedding its skin. This comparison is seemingly quite bizarre. Although our conclusion may not have been what the author intended or what was "correct," it was then that I realized just how amazing the human mind is. We subconsciously associate two unrelated things together, and link them to a deeper meaning. 

Going back to the book, in Song of Solomon, this very ability is conveyed through Toni Morrison's writing. Whether it's the watermark, the flowers, the peacock, or even the name "Dead," Morrison intertwines things that don't even make sense together, and when we as readers realize this, the book is 10 times better. I can't tell you how many moments I had in class where my brain was just trying to compute the mind-blowing connections that were made in the novel. Although Song of Solomon may not be nonfiction, I feel like we can make these kinds of connections in the real world, through our own experiences. 

So I remember some time in 8th grade, where I was beginning to acknowledge and understand the machinery that maintains life's functions. One day, I read somewhere that "it's the small things that count." I'm not sure how that was the first time I had ever heard it, but it was. And ever since then, I began to appreciate the small things in life. Whether it's a teacher moving a quiz to later in the week or getting an extra 5 minutes of sleep, the small things in life are what really keep us going. In the texts we read in class, we're not analyzing the general theme. We're analyzing the small things that build up to this theme, the minuscule details that expose the message little by little. 

Anyways, here's a picture of some rocks.

Unnamed

What's in a name? Do our names define us, or do we define our names? As humans, we like to give things names, whether it be an inanimate object like a rock or a real pet dog- it gives us a sense of attachment to an object or organism. But when it comes to our own names, it's easy to overlook their significance. Your name might've just been chosen at random by your parents, or it could have been passed down. Either way, our names have more meaning than simply for identification purposes. Our names follow us from the day we are born to the day we die- and in many cases, even after that. Names might not dictate our actions, but they shadow the decisions we make in life, the person we become. So everything you do, you do in your name.

When we were talking about origins of our names in class the other day, I remembered the day I chose to be "Peter." It was when I had first moved to America. Back then, the only English words I could remotely pronounce or even remember were "Hi" and "Bye." So when my Mom told me to think of an English name I would go by, I didn't know exactly where to start. Wanting to "seem cool" or assimilate to American culture, I decided to refer to the limited number of American movies or TV shows I had watched. So what would be more fitting than a superhero movie? Spiderman was one of the first movies I ever watched, and to this day he is my favorite superhero. Maybe this story isn't as interesting as you'd expect, but in my mind, I was gonna be the Spiderman of my life, jumping from buildings and saving people. Although this was unrealistic, Peter Parker, like me, was just a kid going through normal problems. I may not have fought my best friend's evil father, but like him, I'm trying my hardest not to let high school break me. Like Nikki Giovanni says, "Harry Potter was just a boy who lived" (762). Likewise, Spiderman was just a boy who lived. His story may have been filled with web-shooting and crime fighting, but at the end of the day, I saw myself in him. And so that's why you probably know me as Peter.

In freshman year, Ms. Ciolek, my English teacher, called me "Peter Parker" one day. She didn't know the story- and I never really told her- but for the whole year, that's what she called me. I guess names do have a way of showing their significance in our lives, through coincidental moments like these. Although Spiderman may seem insignificant now, he's what essentially created Peter. Maybe if my name was different, I would've turned out to be a different person. Maybe I wouldn't even be here writing this blog at all- but the fact is that I am. So even if you don't think it's important, your name probably has a story behind it. The story might not seem interesting, as mine doesn't either. But to move along in life, we must find significance in the little things- it's these things that add up and make us who we are.

Gender

In a previous post, I touched on racial stereotypes- and more specifically, the impact it has on my life. Today, I'd like to talk about a different kind of stereotype, one that probably affects me less, but is nonetheless prevalent in society today. So, let's take a look into some gender stereotypes.

Here are some common gender stereotypes- ones we've probably all heard before. You're probably subconsciously taking the time to examine yourself, seeing if you fit the descriptions for your respective gender. When doing so myself, I found that several of them didn't apply to me, and I imagine the same will go to you. So why exactly are these stereotypes in place, when in reality we are so much different? Why does society hold a stigma towards abnormalities like emotional men or women with power? When people fail to meet their respective roles, they aren't seen as normal. But isn't it normal to be different? By setting up and conforming to these stereotypes, we are limiting ourselves by setting boundaries to what we can or cannot be. Personally, I don't understand why these stereotypes are still in place. I guess the media is working to break them down, but at the end of the day, people are still sexist. Not all people, but enough people for it to be noticeable. 

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, women are seen more as objects of status. It is obvious that the men are dominant, and the relationships are superficial. Fitzgerald may or may not have portrayed this on purpose, but one thing is clear- in that time, this behavior was normal. In Lois Tyson's psychoanalytic criticism, she describes the women as in "possession" of the men, indicative of the nature of their relationships. Before, women were not treated with respect. They were not allowed to vote, not allowed to perform the jobs men did, and were generally considered items desired by men. It wasn't until people like Susan B. Anthony, who went against the norm, against the stereotype, to break down society's conventionally held beliefs. 

If everyone became who they were expected to be, then imagine how boring life would be, how many opportunities we'd miss. People are special because they are different, and it's important to recognize this. So let's all be romantic heroes and heroines of our own stories, rejecting established norms and finding our own way to who we are and what's right.